Generator or something to power a USB port while on the trainer?
02-27-21, 09:32 AM
#1
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Generator or something to power a USB port while on the trainer?
So being without power for a few days recently made me think it would be neat to have a generator on my home trainer that would power a USB charger. Surely such a thing exists, right? The only wheel generators I can find power a light, but that's it.
It doesn't need to be "road worthy", I would just use a charged up battery pack for that. This is something that would likely just sit in my emergency box until this happens again.
It doesn't need to be "road worthy", I would just use a charged up battery pack for that. This is something that would likely just sit in my emergency box until this happens again.
02-27-21, 12:20 PM
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Get some rollers and use a hub dyno.
There is one brand of smart trainer that uses the power from the trainer to power the electronics. Tacx? I forget.
Tapping into that would be a project though. Most smart trainers actually are generating electricity and then wasting it. I don't imagine that would be particularly easy to tap into either.
There is one brand of smart trainer that uses the power from the trainer to power the electronics. Tacx? I forget.
Tapping into that would be a project though. Most smart trainers actually are generating electricity and then wasting it. I don't imagine that would be particularly easy to tap into either.
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02-27-21, 01:10 PM
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Plan A was mentioned above.
Plan B. Or maybe a solar panel that supplies USB power. Use that to charge up a power bank and then use the power bank to charge your phone. Most power banks can't be charged while also charging a device, but some can.
Plan C. You can get a USB charger that you plug into a 12v socket in your car. A few cars have a socket that is always live, charge up your phone in your car off the 12v socket and USB charger. But do not leave that in the socket when not in use, the battery will go down. Most cars do not have a live socket when your ignition is off. In that case, one of those 12v chargers can be hot wired to the car battery, that is better than leaving the car ignition on which can drain the battery faster. I re-wired one of the 12v sockets in my truck to be live 100 percent of the time so I would have USB power when camping.
Plan D. Live where the power utilities plan for bad weather. This winter was not too bad, the photo is from two years ago on my patio and even in that weather there was no suggestion that we might lose power or natural gas or water pressure.
Plan B. Or maybe a solar panel that supplies USB power. Use that to charge up a power bank and then use the power bank to charge your phone. Most power banks can't be charged while also charging a device, but some can.
Plan C. You can get a USB charger that you plug into a 12v socket in your car. A few cars have a socket that is always live, charge up your phone in your car off the 12v socket and USB charger. But do not leave that in the socket when not in use, the battery will go down. Most cars do not have a live socket when your ignition is off. In that case, one of those 12v chargers can be hot wired to the car battery, that is better than leaving the car ignition on which can drain the battery faster. I re-wired one of the 12v sockets in my truck to be live 100 percent of the time so I would have USB power when camping.
Plan D. Live where the power utilities plan for bad weather. This winter was not too bad, the photo is from two years ago on my patio and even in that weather there was no suggestion that we might lose power or natural gas or water pressure.
02-27-21, 10:56 PM
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But the device that runs the trainer software still needs power - so phone or tablet, in combination with a USB power bank. Or perhaps a laptop with long battery life , should be able to handle maybe 2-3 hours of riding.
