Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => GPS => Topic started by: Tortoise on 25 June, 2010, 09:11:23 am
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What's the latest thinking on the best external power pack/arrangement to extend the battery life on an Edge 705 beyond the internal battery?
I gather you have to be careful to get something that will power it without it shutting off? A power pack that takes AA cells is best? Or one that you have to charge but which will hold two or more Edge recharges in it?
Not too heavy? Weatherproof-able?
I don't ask much do I!
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I've got one of these:-
Portable Power Supplies - Portapow USB Battery (http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/usbliionbatterypack.htm)
Charge it up (by mains or computer) and carry it with you in a little tri-bag on the top tube:
http://www.greenbank.org/misc/IMG_0909.JPG
I used mine on a recent 400 where I took nearly all the time available (26.5h).
7am start, GPS fully charged, no power pack attached
8pm, at the control I connected the power pack and it recharged the GPS whilst powering it, including powering the backlight of the screen for the night stage. I left it on all the way to the finish (9.30am).
Portapow pack sits in the top tube bag with cable dangling out connected to the 705. The retractable cable means that you can put in enough slack for steering not to be a problem, but no chance of the cable dangling down towards the wheels.
At the end the Edge 705 was completely charged, and the unit was still showing 40% charge (2/5 lights). So it would easily have carried on another 13 hours to finish a 600.
The cable to the Edge 705 is also wired in such a way that it doesn't trigger the Edge 705 to go into computer mode, so there's no worry about it doing weird stuff when it is plugged in.
I also bought one of the 2xAAA battery thingies they sell, great as a backup should something go wrong as you can charge up the Edge with batteries purchased along the way.
It also came with the right connector to charge my iPhone, which is a bonus.
It's not waterproof, but there's no reason why you couldn't put it in a ziplock bag in the top tube bag. The connection at the GPS won't be waterproof but I'm not worrying about that too much, it's a pretty snug fit and I could always tape it up with electrical tape to keep the worst out.
Being LiIon it's pretty light too (120g).
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This is my preferred method:
Minty Boost (http://www.instructables.com/id/MintyBoost!---Small-battery-powered-USB-charger/)
Not waterproof but lives happily in a pannier on a long lead.
I start my ride with the Minty Boost connected and loaded with a pair of Maplin 2500maH rechargeables.
For safety I change the rechargeables at 200km intervals though I recently rode 400 with just the one pair and the Edge's internal.
Weight - wise, it isn't much heavier than the rechargeables themselves and and the time is only limited by the number of spares you are prepared to carry. There is also the option of buying ordinary batteries en route.
I ride 300+ rides with this system in place and have only had trouble once when I took the wrong USB cable on a 600 which caused the Edge to go into external HD mode. On this occasion I left the booster unconnected and topped up at breaks.
I purchased mine in kit form from the States. It arrived quickly and was fairly straightforward to build.
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I've got a various USB power pack (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/iDOL-Portable-Power-Provider-Black-for-iPod-PSP-NDS-PDA-MP3-Dig-Cameras-Mobile-Phones-BEST!) / solar (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=115150&C=Froogle&U=115150&T=Module) / AA battery (http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.203-4226.aspx) supply thingies and loathe to buy any more, but none of the dozens of mini-USB cables I've tried from them will keep the device out of PC connect mode.
Any ideas what the secret is to hacking a cable to do this, or can they be bought on their own without shelling out on another supply?
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one of these worked for me to keep my 305 going
]http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222899&C=MS&U=storage] (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222899&C=MS&U=storage)
It just appeared like the mains charger when the 305 was running. However the cable is a bit short, and that compromised where I mounted it, and one bad pothole later all I had was a cable. However at £2.99 it wasn't the end of the world and I will get another one.
The Portapow looks good though ....
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I've got a various USB power pack (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/iDOL-Portable-Power-Provider-Black-for-iPod-PSP-NDS-PDA-MP3-Dig-Cameras-Mobile-Phones-BEST!) / solar (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=115150&C=Froogle&U=115150&T=Module) / AA battery (http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.203-4226.aspx) supply thingies and loathe to buy any more, but none of the dozens of mini-USB cables I've tried from them will keep the device out of PC connect mode.
Any ideas what the secret is to hacking a cable to do this, or can they be bought on their own without shelling out on another supply?
See MattH's posts here: Garmin 705 Extending Battery life (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16781.msg314479#msg314479)
The retractable cables I got with the PortaPow work a treat. I can plug my 705 into a computer with one of them and it doesn't go into PC connect mode.
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See MattH's posts here: Garmin 705 Extending Battery life (http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16781.msg314479#msg314479)
Perfect, thanks. Thought I'd seen it somewhere, but couldn't find it when I needed it.
Maybe I'll start a 705 FAQ....
The retractable cables I got with the PortaPow work a treat. I can plug my 705 into a computer with one of them and it doesn't go into PC connect mode.
Yes, after posting I read more of the PortaPow website and rather liked what I saw ::-) I've now found the cables on their own too. And they accept Google Checkout. Clicky danger.
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Yesterday I accidentally ordered a 705. Well now I will be able to log power for the whole of the MC1000. Or at least that which I can complete. :/
This thread considered useful. :)
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Yesterday I accidentally ordered the portapow thingy. I was going to just get the retracting cable, but the unit looked much tidier & higher capacity than any of the plethora I already have. With a 2xAA->USB thingy as backup, with should indeed allow full logging (and night-time nav) for mc1k.
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My only concern is rain. How long does the edge take to charge from 2xAA?
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My only concern is rain. How long does the edge take to charge from 2xAA?
Dunno, I'll run the batteries in my 705 down and try it.
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My only concern is rain. How long does the edge take to charge from 2xAA?
Dunno, I'll run the batteries in my 705 down and try it.
Could take a while (the running it down part, anyway) - ta. :)
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I would advise keeping the 705 fully charged until you are 14 or so hours from the finish. If you let the 705 discharge fully and then try and charge it externally it can refuse to switch back on for a while, which of course is a massive pain in the arse.
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My usual technique is to run on internal batteries during the day, and charge overnight (when I also have the backlight on constantly). If I think about it I'll plug it in whilst at cafe controls. I certainly don't run it until it is complaining or has shut down.
I try to avoid charging in the rain, but it isn't always possible, and hasn't caused me a problem (yet?). My 705 is mounted horizontally in a fairly shielded location on my tribars, which may help.
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Just confirmed, http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/ (http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/) is the dog's.
- The mini-USB tip does the magic to power up the garmin whilst riding.
- The micro-USB tip contains a 200 ohm resistor across the data pins, as per the new 'industry standard' USB battery charging spec, which means mobile phones etc. that follow this spec will charge up at > 0.5A. (E.g. my Nexus 1 will happily pull ~0.9A when using such a cable).
Even if you don't actually need the portable power pack, the cables + tips are definitely recommended. (Although, slightly more bulky when connected on the back of the 705 then would be perfect).
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I've just bought the premium model with the retractable lead. Haven't tried it yet.
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Had one of those for a while now. Very useful.
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Had one of those for a while now. Very useful.
What for? ;)
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Charging my OLD phone (no real need to now - the iPhone 4 battery is very good. Did mention I have an iPhone 4? ;D
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Are you going to send it back? Apparently Apple feel a recall is beneath them, despite a multitude of complaints and a recommendation from a leading tech journal not to buy the iPhone 4.
Shame about their share price too...
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The leading tech journal that carried out a 'test' in an office full of people? ;D
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Fanboys can only see what their master tells them to.
Could we be witnessing the first example of a technology company morphing into a religious cult?
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Did mention I have an iPhone 4? ;D
Is that the one with the bigger GBs?
d.
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The leading tech journal that carried out a 'test' in an office full of people? ;D
So it doesn't it work in an office full of people? That's even worse than I thought! ;)
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one of these worked for me to keep my 305 going
]http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222899&C=MS&U=storage] (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222899&C=MS&U=storage)
It just appeared like the mains charger when the 305 was running. However the cable is a bit short, and that compromised where I mounted it, and one bad pothole later all I had was a cable. However at £2.99 it wasn't the end of the world and I will get another one.
The Portapow looks good though ....
Just bought one of these ! For my Edge 205
Seems OK, especially for £2-99 - will secure it well to avoid any pothole problems ;)
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The leading tech journal that carried out a 'test' in an office full of people? ;D
So it doesn't it work in an office full of people? That's even worse than I thought! ;)
Just have to get your own office!! ;D
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Bloke here got iPhone 4 and says it works fine. He got the bumper for not breaking it reasons anyway though.
Maybe you need to be sweaty.
As for my portapow it arrived with no mini USB tip. :(
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As for my portapow it arrived with no mini USB tip. :(
Boo! Ask them for 2!
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I borrowed the mini USB tip from my Powermonkey to try it out.
One issue: the back light is either on or off with external power, the timeout doesn't seem to work. Is this normal? It'll reduce overnight battery life substantially, I guess.
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Not normal with mine. Hit the power button and reduce the screen brightness. It should light up for however long you tell it to when it bleeps to warn you of junctions
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Not normal with mine. Hit the power button and reduce the screen brightness. It should light up for however long you tell it to when it bleeps to warn you of junctions
Hmm. Not tried navigating in the dark yet, this was just sat indoors looking at the screen.
I have backlight set at say 5% and timeout set at 15s, and with external power it is on all the time.
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Reduce it then, whilst the external is plugged in.
I do remember this happening to me on my first night ride with ext. but I can't remember how I rectified it.
Take it out on the bike in the dark tonight
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Fanboys can only see what their master tells them to.
Only fanboys can see what their master sells to them.
Apple Claims New iPhone Only Visible To Most Loyal Of Customers (http://www.theonion.com/articles/apple-claims-new-iphone-only-visible-to-most-loyal,2772/)
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;D
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Not normal with mine. Hit the power button and reduce the screen brightness. It should light up for however long you tell it to when it bleeps to warn you of junctions
Hmm. Not tried navigating in the dark yet, this was just sat indoors looking at the screen.
I have backlight set at say 5% and timeout set at 15s, and with external power it is on all the time.
I just run with the backlight on all night - set to the minimum level. That's intentional though; I like to be able to tell at a glance that I'm still on route. Once you've set the backlight level with the power supply plugged in it remembers it.
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I don't need that as it switches on the backlight when I approach turns and also if I go off route, with the sat-nav type settings I use
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I don't need that as it switches on the backlight when I approach turns and also if I go off route, with the sat-nav type settings I use
Yes, this is how I like using it. Means I can turn off the beeps.
Sounds like I need to set the backlight settings before connecting external supply then.
Really must start an FAQ...
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You can set it on the fly. Just hit the power button and the slider will appear. Choose your setting then press the joystick button to close
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I think the cable is the trick....
My PowerMonkey just puts it straight into computer mode whereas the Freeloader enables use.
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Yes. Some USB cables do that. Must be the pin arrangement.
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Yes, I think you're right, Jaded. I had a problem connecting my TomTom to my pc recently until I realised it was the USB cable - I'd been using one that was obviously "power only".
d.
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I think the cable is the trick....
If you're talking about the backlight issue then it won't be the cable. A data cable would put it into computer mode straight away.
(See separate threads for descriptions of how power-only cables different from data cables.)
Simon, it could be behaviour that's been changed recently with a firmware upgrade, have you done the webupdater thingy since buying it?
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I think the cable is the trick....
If you're talking about the backlight issue then it won't be the cable. A data cable would put it into computer mode straight away.
(See separate threads for descriptions of how power-only cables different from data cables.)
Simon, it could be behaviour that's been changed recently with a firmware upgrade, have you done the webupdater thingy since buying it?
Ah yes, I did. And yesterday I saw this in the release notes for 3.20:
Changes made from version 3.10 to 3.20:
# Backlight setting now saved to configuration and set automatically on power-on.
So it's possible that change has also introduced this behaviour, but I dunno if others are using 3.20 and seeing the same behaviour.
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Hello everyone. My first post on here. I've been using a Garmin Edge 705 for about 5 years now and have suffered a handful of device "deaths" thro flat battery when away camping etc. I have entered my first audax next weekend in Norfolk (only 100km to start) and plan to build up to longer rides that will hopefully mean I need an extended battery life. After discovering this old thread I ordered a Portapow yesterday thro' their website so thanks for your help.
Just confirmed, http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/ (http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/) is the dog's.
- The mini-USB tip does the magic to power up the garmin whilst riding.
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After 5 years, I should think you need a new battery. From other threads here, they are easily obtainable and easy to fit yourself.
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(only 100km to start)
That's what they all say - the expression "gateway drug" springs to mind...
Look forward to reading your first 600 ride report before long! ;)