preventec47

I read up on two different brands today for around $300 and you get 3 watts of juice. I dont really know what you can do with 3 watts but todays LED lights
dont need much electricity at all. Would be nice to strap my boom box on the rear rack and pedal uphill to disco music and downhill to blues.........

shelbyfv

You could put music on your phone and save $300....

preventec47

But you cant really entertain a crowd like you can with the boom box. Besides on the trails they can hear you coming from far away
and it becomes a safety strategy.

mstateglfr 

If the crowd wants to be entertained, great. Otherwise, you are just being obnoxious and forcing everyone to listen to Whitesnake and Warrant.

You don't need a dynamo hub to play a speaker- just buy a bluetooth speaker on amazon thst fits in a bottle cage. They are $25-75 and can last a full day of play on a charge.

...or I guess you could ride around with your boombox. That'd be cool.***

rsbob 

If there was a way to recharge bike light batteries and a cell phone, that would be wonderful. Probably should talk to an electrical engineer that likes a challenge.

yamsyamsyams

On the trails people are usually looking to relax and get away, and I’ve found that they generally react negatively to those who have loud music blaring while on trail.

totheDude

Agree. I don’t understand those people who need to take their music to the outdoors.
Let me be very clear: when I go outdoors, I most definitely do not care for YOUR music. To me, that’s sound pollution and it should be prohibited.

preventec47

I was hoping someone here already had it all figured out but if we have to figure it out, I think the best plan would include a battery that is catching all the generated electricity and then can give us back a specific voltage and current that we can use with our toys. That is what they do with solar power in RVs and in homes using solar panels.

Actually the reason it first occurred to me is that I was searching for a wheel hub to build out a spare front wheel for a tandem bike
with 48 holes to match my rims and it appears that one of the hub dynamos with 48 holes would cost the same as an "apparently" exotic specialized
tandem hub. So in a way the generator would be free. Here is a wild thought... Say in the winter time, you could hook up to heated
gloves or heated socks etc.

preventec47

Yea I am with you all the way.... i was just trying to inject a little humor which apparently wasnt so obvious. So how about letting the stoker
watch a mini TV ? ? ? or with an inverter connected to a battery that is being charged with the generator output, could charge up about anything.

Bryan C. 

The dynamo hub seems versatile enough to be used by bikepackers and commuters to charge their phones and bike lights. I would assume a power bank of some sort would be charged while riding and then that would be used to charge whatever was needed while off the bike. Maybe someone who likes long night rides while using bright lights would benefit as well.

Outside of those examples, it's hard to find a meaningful use for a charging port on your bike.

skier

look at what Velomobile riders do. I believe some of them have hub-driven electrical systems on their rides. I believe they have systems for charging phones/powering lights/ etc. and you may be able to get their wiring diagrams. This may be a good question for those over on the bentrider forum where there are more of those folks.

mstateglfr 

There is a way- its being discussed in this thread.
Charge a battery pack/power bank with the dynamo wheel. Use that to charge whatever electronics you use. This is done because the power continually fluctuates on a dynamo and is sometimes under the needed amount to charge a phone. Also, the power needs to convert from AC at the hub to DC at the phone.
Another option is to use a Plug III or Plug V which is a stem cap mounted USB charging device. It does all the stuff needed to safely direct charge a phone while powering lights.

Moe Zhoost

Seriously? You would intentionally destroy the contemplative peace of other trail users by this pathological attempt to draw attention to yourself? Life does not need a sound track, mate.

CargoDane

Oh, great - a bicycle version of the loud-pipes-saves-lives brigade

Edited to add:
Buy a bell - either a manual for various shared paths and in traffic, and/or a bear bell that rings constantly. I prefer a spurcycle manual one myself to ring when it is needed. It's clear and loud (and bright in tone), making it more obvious to other people. It also rings for a long time, so it is easier for people to hear where it comes from after they notice it.

CargoDane

The dynamo/battery combination already exists. You can buy them ready-made if you're interesting in charging your phone in addition to running lights.

Heated gear takes a whole lot more power than 3-5 watts. And you're on a bicycle. Dress for the weather and push harder if you're cold. It's not like a motorcycle where you sit still and get really cold travelling at 40-80 mph. Heated gear on a bicycle is completely unnecessary. Also keep in mind that 3-5 watts is the very maximum the dynamo hub can put out. You will most often put out much, much less.

skookum

If you have an ebike you might have enough extra juice to heat your gloves.

Tons of discussion of the dynamo/battery topic in the touring forum.

Trevtassie

The absolute most you can get out of a dynamo hub is 10W, and that is with a bunch of electronics incorporated in something like a Forumslader dynamo to USB charger. It'll change phones and such like, definitely not run anything in the boom box category other than something like a bluetooth speaker like a UE Boom. It might run a set of heated gloves, but only if you rode fast constantly, otherwise you'd just be sucking charge out of the storage battery..

CargoDane

That's very true. But the OP was talking about adding a dynamo hub to his bike to add power, so I doubt he has an ebike. I mean, what would be the point of adding a dynamo hub to an ebike, lol.

skookum

The OP is trolling, just look at all the other stupid threads he started.

I agree adding a dynohub to an ebike is redundant, but there is a how-to video from Shutter Precision that shows exactly that.


Maybe if somebody was primarily interested in running a boom box or heated gloves, that would be a valid, but somewhat unusual, reason for getting an ebike.

subgrade

Or you could type three words into google search...

hub dynamo charger

Milton Keynes

rsbob 

you would be 100% if I had ever encountered the phrase before. Please don’t assume everyone has your level of knowledge but thanks for the link. Now I know. Much appreciated

shelbyfv

Many similar threads between pervtec and arsbob....

royphotog

You can make the safety argument, now the entertainment argument is a little bit harder, especially with the disco.

veganbikes

I do like dynamos I have two set up at the moment and a third just waiting for me to get the wheel built and wire the thing up which I have been slacking on. I think anyone who isn't racing and who might ride at night or is concerned about safety should get one. Having lighting front and rear that is powered by your front wheel moving is pretty awesome and if you want to charge up your phone you can get lights or separate chargers for that as well.

I do sometimes ride with my little boombotix speaker but I am not blasting it especially where I have it pointed up at my face and if I am planning on riding on MUPs or things like that I generally don't bring it.