Garmin 510 - On Bike Charging

[craig749]

Hi all,

Hopefully this is being posted in the right section. I've got a big ride coming up (between 16-20 hours) and I'm pretty sure my Garmin battery life wont last that long. As a result ill need to charge it either mid-ride or during my ride.  I've never done this before so I'm not sure what is best to do. I've read that charging the unit mid-ride can delete the ride?

One person I have spoken to recommend this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/16000mAh-Portable-External-Technology-Motorola/dp/B00D5T3QK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440406924&sr=8-1&keywords=anker

Do any of you have any thoughts or recommendations on this?

Many thanks
Craig

[marcusjb]

I don't often use my 510 for longer rides - but have done so occasionally.

It works fine with an external battery, however, there's one small gotcha - when you unplug the external battery, the 510 will want to go into standby (and from memory, puts up a prompt to say so).  As long as you press no (or whatever it is) then it is just fine.  I suspect different cables have different results.

I have found the Anker battery packs very reliable (and compact) - you may not even need/want one so big for long day rides - I use http://www.amazon.co.uk/5200mAh-Compact-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B00P8SY7HQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=telephone&ie=UTF8&qid=1440838252&sr=1-2 and it's good for a 600km+ ride.

[craig749]

Thanks for the reply marcusjb,

That charger looks perfect, and it's a good price

Can you get a specific mount for the charger or is it best to put it in a top tube bag?

Thanks

[marcusjb]

I've either put it in a top tube or handlebar bag and it is just fine. 

If you are on a leisurely schedule, I often just charge it whilst I am in the cafe stops!

[wajcgac]

Since getting my Edge 500 I've only done one ride where I needed extra battery life.

I took a separate battery pack and just recharged it when sat in a café etc. but I have thought about options that will effectively allow me to charge on the go as a normal USB lead will send the Garmin in to charge mode only and will not record the ride data at the same time.

When looking in to it I found these that might be of interest

Edge 500 version (included because it has some informative reviews)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gomadic-Advanced-Garmin-compatible-Battery/dp/B0041L0NG0

Edge 510 version

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Emergency-Battery-Extender-suitable/dp/B00BDBXFVG

Or if you have an existing battery pack with USB output you could get a charge only USB to Mini USB cable such as this


http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/portapow-fast-charge-micro-usb-mini-usb-apple-cable/

(edited to provide link to correct cable)

[yoav]

^ that's a micro USB cable, you need a mini USB cable for the Garmins.


FWIW, I have a 810 and used the same cable that I used for syncing as for charging from the portable battery pack and it made no difference, the 810 worked normally and didn't go into data mode. Also, I connected it to the battery pack at the beginning of my ride so to was using up the external battery power first.

[D.A.L.E.]

I don't often use my 510 for longer rides - but have done so occasionally.

It works fine with an external battery, however, there's one small gotcha - when you unplug the external battery, the 510 will want to go into standby (and from memory, puts up a prompt to say so).  As long as you press no (or whatever it is) then it is just fine.  I suspect different cables have different results.

I have found the Anker battery packs very reliable (and compact) - you may not even need/want one so big for long day rides - I use http://www.amazon.co.uk/5200mAh-Compact-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B00P8SY7HQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=telephone&ie=UTF8&qid=1440838252&sr=1-2 and it's good for a 600km+ ride.

That looks a good price/size. Any idea roughly what % charge it will do?

[marcusjb]

I don't often use my 510 for longer rides - but have done so occasionally.

It works fine with an external battery, however, there's one small gotcha - when you unplug the external battery, the 510 will want to go into standby (and from memory, puts up a prompt to say so).  As long as you press no (or whatever it is) then it is just fine.  I suspect different cables have different results.

I have found the Anker battery packs very reliable (and compact) - you may not even need/want one so big for long day rides - I use http://www.amazon.co.uk/5200mAh-Compact-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B00P8SY7HQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=telephone&ie=UTF8&qid=1440838252&sr=1-2 and it's good for a 600km+ ride.

Battery in a typical Garmin is around 1000mAh, so theoretically around 5 charges.  I've never really tested it out fully.  It will get me around a 600 no problem and on anything longer, I am recharging the battery pack during the day from the dynohub.

That looks a good price/size. Any idea roughly what % charge it will do?

[D.A.L.E.]

I don't often use my 510 for longer rides - but have done so occasionally.

It works fine with an external battery, however, there's one small gotcha - when you unplug the external battery, the 510 will want to go into standby (and from memory, puts up a prompt to say so).  As long as you press no (or whatever it is) then it is just fine.  I suspect different cables have different results.

I have found the Anker battery packs very reliable (and compact) - you may not even need/want one so big for long day rides - I use http://www.amazon.co.uk/5200mAh-Compact-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B00P8SY7HQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=telephone&ie=UTF8&qid=1440838252&sr=1-2 and it's good for a 600km+ ride.

Battery in a typical Garmin is around 1000mAh, so theoretically around 5 charges.  I've never really tested it out fully.  It will get me around a 600 no problem and on anything longer, I am recharging the battery pack during the day from the dynohub.

That looks a good price/size. Any idea roughly what % charge it will do?

Oh really? Sold! I was expecting like 50% or something.

[wajcgac]

^ that's a micro USB cable, you need a mini USB cable for the Garmins.

Good spot, It's a good job that I never got round to buying one and I hope no one else has either.

I'll edit my post to remove the incorrect link.

[craig749]

Thanks for the feedback guys. By the look of it i have a few options. Please can you advise which you would recommend out of these 2:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/5200mAh-Compact-Portable-External-Technology/dp/B00P8SY7HQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=telephone&ie=UTF8&qid=1440838252&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Emergency-Battery-Extender-suitable/dp/B00BDBXFVG

Also we I definitely need a mini USB cable? http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/portapow-fast-charge-micro-usb-mini-usb-apple-cable/

Just want to double check as the last thing I want is to get so far in to my ride and lose all my data.

Thanks

[wajcgac]

Both options will easily give you the 16 - 20 hrs use you say you require

A couple of points for you to consider though

If you opt for the Anker 5200mAh battery pack you will need the charge only USB to mini USB cable as well.

If you opt for the Gomadic battery pack you get an integrated cable as well - but you will have to buy 4x AA batteries as these are not included. These can be standard or rechargeable.

£22ish  for the Gomadic which is just an empty battery pack with on/off switch and cable (without batteries) might seem a little expensive when compared to the other option.

However if you are considering multi day rides as well and don't have a dynohub you might like the fact that you can just slam some more AA batteries in the Gomadic at anytime and away you go.

The Anker battery pack would itself require recharging from a USB socket eventually but as Marcusjb says it has enough capacity to recharge the Garmin several times anyway. You could of course carry another battery pack, or one of an even higher capacity to extend this time further but eventually you will need to find a USB power source somewhere.

[Kim]

Note however that typically all the Lion rechargers on Amazon realistically only deliver about 80% of the quoted value but even so that equates to 4 x full charges from the Anker.

It seems to be standard for manufacturers of these Li⁺ battery packs to quote the Amp-hour capacity of the battery, rather than that delivered by the USB output.  So you've got to allow for the lower voltage and the efficiency of the boost converter.

Because Watt-hours would be too sensible, and marketing demands bigger numbers.

[craig749]

Sorry guys one last question. Is this cable the correct one for on bike charging only: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Edge-500-USB-Cable/dp/B00940CB7C

Any other recommendations would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[L CC]

That one's a data cable- I don't think it'll work for charging only.