Old 04-03-20, 01:59 PM
  #24  
tspoon
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Stratford, New Zealand
Posts: 318

Bikes: 1990 Paul Dye Hand Built 7 Speed, 1965 Raleigh Sport, Folding 26" Tourer

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I use a dynamo wheel, my bike is used at home and on tour, although I don't commute by bike. I quite like leaving town before sun up, especially if it's a fairly large town. That way you miss the worst traffic, you get to see the town wake up, and the people that start work early (I believe the current term is 'essential workers'), you get to see the sun come up, and by the time it does you're in the countryside hopefully. I also find it handy if the day doesn't quite go to plan, and you need to continue moving after dusk for a short period to find a place to stay, which has happened numerous times.
Being an electrician, a cheapskate, and a bit of a DIY fan, I designed my own system which produces about 4.8 watts at 18km/h. It has a small 8.4V 1000mAH backup battery to keep charging if I slow down, or to keep the lights lit at intersections etc. I also have a slightly larger 8.4V 3500mAH pack to take on tour which plugs in, and can be removed at the end of the day to charge while in the tent etc. The front light is an alloy housed, STVZ0 compliant unit single LED unit from China which was designed for battery use, but was repurposed for dynamo use with a 500mA constant current driver. The light output is at the point of diminishing return, i.e. extra current doesn't give a proportional increase in light, and 500mA also allows the battery to continue charging at about 3W even at night.
My phone has a ~4500 mAH battery, this seems to charge well from the setup, I imagine it depletes the battery packs, which then recharge at a slower rate as I continue cycling. The only other portable battery powered equipment is a headlamp with white and red leds that doubles as a backup bike lamp for either end, and sometimes, a small bluetooth music dongle as my phone has no 3.5mm earphone plug.
Basically the setup is very reliable and trouble free, and repairable if anything does happen, although I did have to go to an electronics store one time to get a butane soldering iron to use.
This kind of setup is good if:
You use the bike for touring and general use.
You aren't expecting to spend consecutive long days at very low speeds <12-13 km/h
You spend a reasonable period each day cycling.
You might spend multiple consecutive nights away from mains power.
You expect overcast or rainy weather at times.

Additionally, even if you didn't intend to spend multiple consecutive nights away from mains power, the system gives you to freedom to change plans on a whim with one less thing to arrange if you do that.
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