Seattle Forrest

One last thing. This guy is very OCD and his reviews are better than the manuals. This has tons of pictures and explains literally everything about the Instinct. (He does lots of other tech too.)

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/07/...different.html

njkayaker

If you are already using GPS on a non-phone for speed, it doesn't make much sense to use the GPS on a phone to track distance separately. Using the GPS in the phone is just a waste of juice. Having to look at two devices doesn't make much sense either.

Recording distance on a GPS doesn't cost anything extra.

This is a big reason why why the device the OP wants doesn't really exist.

Maybe, the OP doesn't realize that location is the primary data for GPS (and speed is derivative).

Being clear about how things work is fine. The OP just thinks this is harder than it is in fact. For the Instinct, it appears to be a little more work than for the Edges (if you have one profile, there's no issue with picking a profile).

The OP really needs to understand more about how these things work.

What he wants isn't exactly unreasonable. It just seems there's no market for it. That is, no manufacturer sees the exact thing he wants cheaply to be worth making.

The USB-C requirement is a problem because the manufacturers of cheap devices aren't going to see much (any, really) value in redesigning/requalifying what they are already making (and know works) for this minor thing.

A watch would be a good choice for him but it's too expensive and a bit harder to use than he lists as a requirement.

What he needs for the bike is a simple non-GPS cycle computer (that's exactly what he needs there) but he makes that impossible by the complication of needing to use it on the SUP.

njkayaker

Yes, cycle computers can turn on automatically with the rotation sensor.

Basically, these computers never turn off. They just go into a very low power mode and "wake up" when they detect a signal from the sensor.

It doesn't really cost more to do this because it's using the parts it already needs.

It works well because "wheel is rotating" meaning "you're riding" is reliable (it's not perfect).

A GPS doesn't need an accelerometer. So, using one is an extra cost (you won't see one on a cheap device).

Seattle Forrest

https://www.androidauthority.com/eu-...rgers-3155851/

EU wants to mandate USB C for everything. Fortunately, watches still be exempt.

njkayaker

May not apply to already existing devices.

There's a good chance anybody designing a new device would choose USB-C even without this resolution (except manufactures trying to be real cheap).

Anyway, is anybody using a proprietary charger? Laptops seem to be going towards using USB-C already. There are differences (sometimes very significant) in power output but that isn't addressed by this resolution at all.

Chargers have been standard for quite a while and plug differences are dealt with by using a cheap cable.

=========================

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/...ectronic-waste

This doesn't make any real sense. Chargers have been standard for a long while already. The solution is to not include chargers by default.

Seattle Forrest

​​​​​​
​​​​​​It's a pretty safe bet that was law that might be passed in the future won't change how things were already manufactured in the past. Thanks for pointing that out, I guess.
​​​​​​
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... you don't say ...

njkayaker

It still might.

It’s not going to change much for things made in the future (except iPhones): things were already moving towards USB-C.

And it doesn’t address the problem that is said it addresses.

It might nudge cheaper manufacturers to use USB-C in new designs sooner but they still aren’t going to make the particular device the OP is looking for.

The resolution doesn't change anything and doesn't help the OP at all. So, it's odd you even brought it up (and complain about people discussing it).

JohnJ80

There are starting to be USB-C waterproof connectors in a lot of things and there have been some around for some time. For example, the Hammerhead Karoo2 has one.

On very tiny electronic assemblies like in watches, the issue with a USB-C connector is the internal real estate. That's really valuable volume for a designer and the tradeoff is giving up the volume to a waterproof USB-C connector instead of to a bigger battery. Far and away, the smarter choice is for more battery. FWIW, a USB=C connector is pretty big in the grand scheme of things at this scale.

I'm thinking this answers the whole question. It's either going to be to get something you aren't entirely thrilled about because your feature set does not exist in a product. So you just do without.

Ridinglurker

I'm the opposite. For any tracking I don't need to know how many miles while doing whatever I do. I only need to do that later at home (and may or may not post the route and pictures on facebook etc.). I don't even think the Samsung app shows me the distance so far until I "finish" the activity. But what I need while riding/hiking/boating is the map to explore and sometimes to find my way back. I really only get the phone out to take a picture, or if I need to make a decision on where to go at a fork. And for that the large phone screen works better and the phone also has cell-data to update (and to transmit my location to Google, in case my family needs to recover my body :-). I also listen to podcasts on the phone via BT. So for my use, all these functions would be severely compromised on a watch. Obviously for hiking I don't need to know my instant speed. That's only interesting for biking and SUPing (for me anyway).

Someone mentioned GPS drains the phone battery. That is totally irrelevant. I never turned off GPS unless maybe on an actual airplane. Using the screen uses a lot of battery, but GPS is almost nothing compared to all other phone functions. For a small watch battery GPS may matter,. but not for a modern phone. And the overall benefit of GPS to show me on a map where I'm and where I came from outweighs any battery use. Better than any map.

I'm glad someone brought up the (hopefully) upcoming EU regulation regarding USB-C. That is a huge accomplishment to simplify life and reduce waste and those extreme prices manufacturers charge for ever-changing proprietary cables. I'm glad I'm not the only crazy person wanting a single type of cable.
I'm still at 50% of my devices on micro-USB and it will take me years to get them all to USB-C. Until then it is taking many more cables with me (I always take 2 of each, in case one is broken).

Steve B.

Using the screen uses a lot of battery, but GPS is almost nothing compared to all other phone functions. For a small watch battery GPS may matter,.
).[/QUOTE]

My Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is now on 40 some odd days without being charged, running GPS all that time. If I do tracking with it, battery does run down, but its got remarkably good battery life that in theory, can run forever if you solar charge it enough.

Seattle Forrest

I got the Gaia app a while ago and like it for hiking. There's a free version, without ads I think. You can download maps (trail, topo, satellite, and more) at home and then use them without a data connection.

Usually the way I prepare for a hike, I'll know there's a trail junction at 5 miles, so I'll keep an eye out for it when I've gone about that far.

njkayaker

This doesn't make any sense.

​​​​​The EU regulations really only affect Apple lightning cables. And reasonably priced ones have been available for many years.

No other manufacturer uses proprietary cables for phones (they haven't used proprietary cables for many years).

The standard for (non Apple) phones was microUSB (and has been for years). They have been moving to USB-C for a while already (without the regulation).

And USB-C cables haven't been one thing either.

The EU regulation is about 10 years too late. The things it is trying to do where mostly already happening (except for apple cables).

gpburdell

Not sure which products you're looking at, but micro-B is till very much the predominant charging port among the cycling and non-cycling products I've seen, though some top-of-the-line headphones and such are beginning to adopt USBC ports. Frankly you're still a bit ahead of the curve in your expectations of USBC adoption in the device marketplace.

None that I'm aware of; all use some form of clamping or magnetic or something comes off and the device presents a USBA male, some use magnetic / induction such as Apple Watch. The clamp connections for my Garmin Forerunner watches never failed despite years of usage, so your expectation may be a bit pessimistic.

Assume USBA for most of those cables since the world of charge points is remains predominantly USBA. Some devices (Apple Watch) have USBC cables available. For the others just plug an adapter on the end of the cable and you're good. Also, be aware that inductive charging is not necessarily Qi compatible. I know Apple Watch is not, and my understanding is Samsung Gear watches also are not (last I checked).

Active GPS positioning for an activity is power hungry.

seypat

What about a cheap wired unit with replaceable batteries. Are those still made. Something that's sold in the bike section at Walmart/Target for $19.95.

Northwestrider

Is it possible to charge the hammerhead karoo 2 during a ride ? Thats a requirement for me.

bluehills3149

Pretty much all bike computers can be charged off a regular external battery whilst riding and the Karoo being basically an Android phone customized as a bike computer will be able to.
And not sure why the post about the Cyplus M2 was ignored - it's $46 and has Usb C so it ticks all boxes.
Also the Bryton S500 is usb C (but not cheap)

Steve B.

Yes.

As well, depending on how the mount used fits, you might need to use a 90 deg. connector on the cable. Amazon usually has these.

Troul 

I'm not 100% sure if all computers will function while plugged into a battery bank, but it might not be healthy for the computer if the temps are winter like conditions.
I've been meaning to try slaving the wahoo elemnt with a battery bank while it's in use, but I just haven't had the need to do it yet. Also, it's been too cold.