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I'm planning to purchase a supernova infinity-8 dynamo hub and wanted to use this during daylight hours to charge my Phone and GPS during bike tours.

What products are available that will work with hub dynamos to charge iphone and Garmin GPS units?

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possible duplicate? bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/631/… – PeteH Nov 9 '12 at 15:26
I can't help but suggest you to consider Schmidt (SON) hubs. I own one and the thing is very nice. Got a problem and the company replaced it "almost" for free... – heltonbiker Nov 9 '12 at 17:49
I'm a fan if the supernova hub due to the ability to disable the dynamo and coast with no resistance when I don't need to power any devices or lights. – Benzo Nov 9 '12 at 17:56
I know this is offtopic from your question, but does an unloaded dynamo hub have significant drag? If you have a Schmidt hub, and spin the wheel, how quickly does it come to a stop? – Johnny Nov 9 '12 at 19:43
Relevant link: cyclingabout.com/index.php/2012/03/… – Benzo Nov 11 '12 at 13:30

2 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

Here's one option:

http://h1987995.stratoserver.net/magento/supernova-the-plug-ii-plus-usb-dynamolader.html

SUPERNOVA The Plug II Plus USB power supply

  • Transforms dynamo AC to exact USB spec. DC 5V, 500 mA
  • E‐Bike compatible for 12‐ 48V DC with optional cable
  • Works with Garmin, Ipod&Iphone 3GS & 4G & 4GS

Seems pretty expensive at €159, but since it's from SuperNova, it should work perfectly with your hub. It's only rated at 500mA, so it'll only do "slow charging" of your phone - most smart phones these days use a 1000mA (or higher) fast charger.

For those in the USA, here's a domestic source:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1G80CS1400

$156 + shipping. Still seems expensive given that they sell the hub itself for only $216.

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Like you said, good but expensive. Anyway, I almost killed my gps by trying to feed it with my dynamo using a home-made circuit. So, if that stuff works "fuss free", might well be worth it (specially if it's waterproof). Also, batteries are definitely NOT free or everlasting, and things will end up paying up themselves... – heltonbiker Nov 9 '12 at 17:48
up vote 5 down vote

You might want to look at the Biologic ReeCharge by Dahon. It says it hooks up to any standard dynamo hub. The nice thing about this is that it has it's own battery. So the dynamo changes the internal battery and the battery charges your phone/gps/device. This allows you to change while you are resting, as well as provide added protection against sending bad current to your device. I don't have any experience with it, but the idea is sound, and Dahon has many good products. It sells for $100 which isn't too bad considering it has it's own battery.

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