Portable battery bank for Garmin Varia
05-01-22, 09:48 AM
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Portable battery bank for Garmin Varia
Hello,
Does anyone have any suggestions for a portable battery pack to charge the Garmin Varia headlamp and tail radar? These devices have shorter battery life and I've ran out of battery on several of my longer rides. Thoughts?
Does anyone have any suggestions for a portable battery pack to charge the Garmin Varia headlamp and tail radar? These devices have shorter battery life and I've ran out of battery on several of my longer rides. Thoughts?
05-01-22, 09:51 AM
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I have the first gen Varia radar, and I still get a full day out of the battery, despite having used it since around 2015. The battery lasts longer if you run the light in the flash mode. Any portable battery pack should work. I have no experience with the headlight. It might be more expedient to use a cheaper Cygolite on longer rides (or at least bring it as a backup).
05-01-22, 10:20 AM
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as noted above, remember that the battery lasts ±6 hours in solid light mode and ±14 hours in flashing mode...
05-01-22, 10:45 AM
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How long are your long rides? I've never come close to out-riding a full battery in Daylight Flash (or whatever the mode is called), despite doing several centuries per year.
05-01-22, 11:15 AM
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I use a GoalZero flip24 (6700mAh) and stash it either in the seat tube bag or seat bag and run a USB cable to the device. Given the size of the Garmin Varia and head lamp I guess the internal battery is 2000-3000mAh, don't know for sure, so you get about 2~3 recharges with this kind of setup. I only carry one flip and switch it around based on who needs extra juice. The GoalZero is slightly more expensive per mAh then some other USB recharge stations you can buy, but I think they're a bit more rugged and standup to outdoor abuse a little better.
05-01-22, 04:44 PM
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Merged duplicate threads.
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05-01-22, 04:50 PM
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Shane Miller, (Gplama ) in a video I watched the other day, shows a battery pack connected to the Varia. Does not really discuss it to much, but does go over some batter saving tips.
05-01-22, 06:31 PM
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Flash mode is 15 hours.
If you really feel the need for a solid light, get a cheap one and add that in addition to the varia's light.
If you really feel the need for a solid light, get a cheap one and add that in addition to the varia's light.
05-02-22, 08:18 AM
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Of note..........folks "trick" the usb devices that want to stop working when charging by utilizing a special usb cable with a different pin order that causes the device to charge while operating.
I know this from an old topic on here from the randoneurring folks doing this with those little lipstick battery packs and their gps. They could charge the gps while still going.
For the rear light, just cable tie one of those chargers under the saddle and plug the special cable to the Varia then switch on the charger when necessary. Same for front.
I think it's a "usb charge only pinout" as the usb cables included with these devices have the data pins also usually.
I know this from an old topic on here from the randoneurring folks doing this with those little lipstick battery packs and their gps. They could charge the gps while still going.
For the rear light, just cable tie one of those chargers under the saddle and plug the special cable to the Varia then switch on the charger when necessary. Same for front.
I think it's a "usb charge only pinout" as the usb cables included with these devices have the data pins also usually.
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