Alternative to solar chargers?

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Comments

  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    BigJimmyB wrote:
    rjh299 wrote:
    Anyone else got one of these?
    No but this was the contender against the Freeloader.

    Having seen comments on the FReeloader, the PowerMonkey looks fave. I'm not rushing out just though - keep us posted on your findings.

    The output from the Powermonkey is 700mA. that might OK for keeping a phone charged, but not much more than that. A better bet would be something like the Silva II (with a power output of 4.75 W at 13V) or the Brunton discussed earlier on this thread. My experience with the Silva II is that it will easily charge a pair 2800mah AA batteries in a day of strong sunlight (this was in northern France). Overcast days seemed to be a waste time
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • 1footedninja
    1footedninja Posts: 269
    hmm Liking the look of that EWERK , looks like a good idea to me, I like the fact they mention tinkerers in the advert for it, I have tinkered with so many ideas for alternative powersources whilst cycling, yeah some do work but the results are always either just suffcient to negligible, and nearly always require a top-up at some point from the grid.

    I even tinkered with one of those battery recharger thingys that are mainly used to start an engine on a car, managed to swop the battery out for something smaller as the original was just to weighty. Had that hooked up to a solar panel on the back of my bike. It worked fine but I should have enclosed the battery better inside the cavity where the old battery sat. Whilst on a tour it had got bumped about abit and at some point wires had crossed and caught fire! Luckily nothing major but stank out my panniers with the smell of burning rubber! and rendered the charger useless so got ditched.

    Also gone the loads of AA batteries route & its just too much faff for hardly anything in the way of good results - for me anyway.

    Also looked into that recharger where you stand on it, pushing up and down transfers energy to internal dynamo and then charges the internal battery up that way, just too bulky to take on a tour and a faff sat in camp doing that for hours on end hoping the batteries get juiced up enough.

    This EWERK however looks like it might prove to work a little better! Using pedal power seems the best way to go seeing as thats what your doing alot of when on a tour. And the ability to take everything off your bike, turn it upside down and give it a good spin sounds good if really desperate for some battery juice.

    I have:

    GPS device with built in solarpanel, solar bit good for just giving it a little extra boost if the weather is ok. That has a spare battery which can be swopped out if need be. Pretty much gets used each day whilst on a tour. Recharges through the unit itself.

    My Axim has a few batteries and its that which sucks batteryjuice out like theres no tomorrow, so possibly the EWERK could help keep the battery up and maintained whilst riding, would be great to think it could keep the battery fully topped up all day! - if the EWERK can do that then it gets my 100% seal of approval. Recharges through the unit itself.

    Mobile phone, long battery life, nice to know I could top it up when need to rather than solely relying on a bigger solar panel I have or the grid. Recharges through the unit itself.

    And a little mp3 player I use for a bit of tunage now and again, that has mini USB connection to charge it up. Recharges through the unit itself.

    Excellent really appreciate the link for this!
    'since the flaming telly's been taken away, we don't even know if the Queen of Englands gone off with the dustman'.
    Lizzie Birdsworth, Episode 64, Prisoner Cell Block H.
  • andrew_s
    andrew_s Posts: 2,511
    St John Street are now selling the Pedalpower, and Dotbike are selling the E-Werk
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    andrew_s wrote:
    St John Street are now selling the Pedalpower, and Dotbike are selling the E-Werk

    Good spot. I see that on the dotbike website it's become the 'E-WEAK Power Supply' - Neil what do you know that we don't? :wink:
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • andrew_s
    andrew_s Posts: 2,511
    Two choices - either someone typed it in from handwritten capitals, or a spill chucker got in on the act somewhere.
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    andrew_s wrote:
    Two choices - either someone typed it in from handwritten capitals, or a spill chucker got in on the act somewhere.

    I'm sure it was - but the Freudian slip theory is more entertaining.
    Italy Cycling Guide

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