Total beginner - dynamo and charging help?

[Blue Hills]

Ah freiston, another cycle2charge user?

Care to give us your real life experience of it, whether you compared it to any others?

Apologies if you have addressed this elsewhere, mind may have gone.

 

[freiston]

Ah freiston, another cycle2charge user?

Care to give us your real life experience of it, whether you compared it to any others?

Apologies if you have addressed this elsewhere, mind may have gone.

Hi Blue Hills, I got the Cycle2Charge last September to top up a powerbank for when I wouldn't have the opportunity to charge my devices/batteries "conventionally". Since then I haven't had the need to use it (but it was installed to be a fall-back rather than in regular use). I did test it when I first got it and I had no issue with it. I managed to increase the charge on my phone at the time (Samsung s5 mini) whilst on a short ride, using the phone with Osmand maps on screen and a lot of stopping and starting in rush-hour traffic. The speed at which charging stopped/started was about 7 mph. It worked fine topping up the powerbank too. As a result of this thread (and another one on CUK), I might just give it another test soon with the powerbank. I haven't tried any other charger. I do find the twist-cap on the Cycle2Charge (used to cover the USB socket when not in use) a bit stiff to turn.

 

[Blue Hills]

You can even buy small AA/AAA USB powered chargers and charge them from your powerbank as well as your phone..

Have come across that freiston - how do you find it? Have read one or two reviews hinting that it might be a bit delicate but that might just be online-never-pleased-grumpiness.

You might also be interersted in this from Ikea.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products...teries/vinninge-battery-charger-art-40303632/

Just £2 - in fact so cheap some cheeky sods are reselling it on ebay for a fair bit more.

It's a simple tough beast so good for touring.

But it does have meaningful indicator lights.

It does work - have successfully charged AA and AAA cells on it plugged into one of my Anker powerbanks.

It charges slowly which is good - kinder to the batteries and means you can leave it to its business while you kip in the tent.

 

[freiston]

I've used my AA/AAA charger a few times and it has been up to the job - I'm happy with it; I never thought of it as delicate. That Ikea charger does look the business and it is very cheap - I would certainly give it a go if I hadn't already got a USB charger.