Charging Lights & Powerbanks at Controls

[Wycombewheeler]

I completed LEL in 123 hours last time, I didn't need to charge lights (carried 2x exposure strada and 2x exposure traceR) I carried one 10,000mAh power bank, which I did charge up at Barnard castle. a 10,000mAh bank will charge up the garmin sufficent number of times to finish the event. (I did also use to to recharge my Di2 battery, although I think I might just have managed without doing that due to few gear changes in the fens). This does require light battery management of keeping it on the lowest setting whenever possible, and only using high power on downhills. I find the low setting is perfectly adequate for most riding, until someone comes up behind you with powerful lights casting your shadow in front of you.

I certainly could have completed with 2x 10,000mAh power banks and no charging, and would look at a power bank before a dyno hub. I'd love a dyno hub, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice my deep carbon rims, and getting a decent aero rim to fit to an existing hub does not seem to be easy.

[αdαmsκι]

A Garmin Etrex and Hope Vision 1 lights solve these issues as they all run on AA batteries

[lissotriton]

Some GPS devices could last all of LEL without charging, possibly with some solar power. Etrex Solar claims 200 hours with GPS.

[Kim]

Etrex Solar

Cor, Garmin seem to have remembered what a handheld GPS receiver is supposed to be.

Lack of mapping would make it suboptimal for cycling use, but their cycling-specific units aren't completely hopeless these days, so that's okay.

[Lightning Phil]

Some GPS devices could last all of LEL without charging, possibly with some solar power. Etrex Solar claims 200 hours with GPS.

That number seems to say when tracking.  Thus I’m supposing that’s recording a track but not navigating.  Route sheet with etrex GPS tracking 

[Cudzoziemiec]

But presumably it could also be displaying a track on the screen, for you to follow the pink line in standard Etrex fashion?

[Lightning Phil]

But presumably it could also be displaying a track on the screen, for you to follow the pink line in standard Etrex fashion?

That wouldn’t then achieve the quoted 200 hours would it?

[Kim]

But presumably it could also be displaying a track on the screen, for you to follow the pink line in standard Etrex fashion?

I assume so.  Except the line would be black, on account of the mono screen, and there wouldn't be a map under it.

It's basically the original yellow eTrex, if you built it with modern components.

[aidan.f]

I'm hoping to buy a new bike soon, and can't decide if I want to spec a Dynamo hub and Dynamo light and charger

Here is my 2p FWIW.

For pbp23 I wanted to ride the new trike. Previous 5x pbp on dynamo, considered new wheel and dynamo ..

I went for 2x Lumintop battery lights.  Best value and run time. Low faff. Last Arrive cover shows my setup

The lights are torch type with a shaped beam. replacable 21700 cell. You get 10 hours at 260 lumens from each cell six were more than enough for pbp I did a lot of night riding. Will cover lel.

Easy to switch the spare lamp on for extra illumination.
 
Approx cost lights £25+£25, protected 5000mAh cells £14 each total £134. Considerably less than a dynamo.

Lights 85g, cells 70g. Lights USB chargeable. Just
less faff to swap cells. With six I effectively had a 60,000mAh power bank.

I carried all (to start with) on pbp. No need with drop bags on lel.

You should by now realise, dear reader, that just £40 will get one to evaluate.

Deffo recommend If your use scenario is one long ride every couple of years. The spare light/spare cell flexibility covers off the flattery light negatives.

I do though have a good collection of cateye rear primary cell lights that are now unobtanium. Read upthread about having to charge rear lights. 


Moar technical detail here..
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=126457.0

And another satisfied user ..

Update on this. After using the Lumintop B01 flashlight a couple of times and on a 600 in june, I decided this would be less hassle then the ebike light + battery pack.

Used it on LEL and it was perfect. Good enough beam on medium mode (supposedly 11 hours) and ability to switch to high easily for faster bits. Worked great on all the big descents in the pennines. Used 3 5000mah cells over the course of LEL (took 5 in total). Also took a spare B01 as they're so light/cheap. The included mount also worked flawlessly.

My riding partner also bought one and his first use of it was on LEL. He was impressed.

In summary, it makes a great audax light. Unlimited battery life based on how many cells you bring and you can even power it with a usb-c powerbank.

[Flâneur]

Any info out there on how the Lumintop B01s handle very cold temperatures? Have had a 18650 cell powered light cut out or refuse to work in near zero or subzero conditions, and 21700 cells appear a similar concept

[aidan.f]

Ah yes... a very good point

The cells are specified  to -20 C but Li-ion voltages drop significantly with temperature

https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-502-discharging-at-high-and-low-temperatures

At 3 Volts the Lumintop will switch to low power, so from graph above -10C  half capacity -20C just a third of rated

Would caveat that 3 amps is 1C or an hours run-time - quite a lot of current. At half the current draw you should get somewhat more than double the run-time

Ideally the discharging device would have tempComp. I doubt Lumintop does... I could re-instate my lamp logger - it's currently minus six outside..

BTW don't charge below zero - it's really really bad..

Dynamo!!

[Redlight]

Charging at controls is something we controllers are taking more and more seriously as a H&S issue.

I had a bit of 'fun' at the Brampton control last time with a woman who unplugged one of the hot water urns and plugged in several devices on an extension lead. She got very stroppy when I unplugged it all - even when I pointed out that the area in which she had placed all of her gizmos was regularly being splashed with water  . 

[Kim]

I had a bit of 'fun' at the Brampton control last time with a woman who unplugged one of the hot water urns and plugged in several devices on an extension lead. She got very stroppy when I unplugged it all - even when I pointed out that the area in which she had placed all of her gizmos was regularly being splashed with water  .

That's a neat reversal of the usual gig arrangement, where someone comes along with a tea urn and disrupts the supply of electrons to all your carefully set-up sound/lighting/computer equipment.

[Wycombewheeler]

I had a bit of 'fun' at the Brampton control last time with a woman who unplugged one of the hot water urns and plugged in several devices on an extension lead. She got very stroppy when I unplugged it all - even when I pointed out that the area in which she had placed all of her gizmos was regularly being splashed with water  .

That's a neat reversal of the usual gig arrangement, where someone comes along with a tea urn and disrupts the supply of electrons to all your carefully set-up sound/lighting/computer equipment.

due to alternating current, you typically keep all your own electrons, they just go backwards and forwards.