How can I charge my phone while cycling?

Question

I have an HTC Hero, which is a great phone, but the battery life is pretty poor if I'm using the GPS and music player on it as well. The phone uses a mini-USB connection for charging, and I have a Powermonkey portable charger just in case my phone runs out of juice.

But for longer rides, the extra charge and a half I get from the Powermonkey might not be enough - what other good options do I have? Either to charge the phone, or the Powermonkey, when cycling.

Answer 1

I have a HTC Hero which I charge using one of Ladyada's Minty Boosts (v2), when it gets caught short. This uses 2 AA batteries to charge the phone (2 AAs give me between 20% and 30% of a full charge in about 30 minutes). I don't tend to charge using it while I'm riding, as it gets rather hot, and I'm not convinced my soldering is up to the job.

On the internet there are various instructions to modify Minty Boosts to run off solar power but on Instructables there's also a modification to run this off a bike dynamo.

Answer 2

Three options that I know of:

1. AA cell phone charger (which you're already using) -- uses 2 or 4 AA's to recharge your gadgets. I use an Energizer model to charge my GPS for rides over 12 hours. Of course you need to carry enough batteries for the length of your ride.
2. Solar charger -- can be mounted on a handlebar bag, a rear rack or hanging from your pack and typically has mini-USB connections for cell phones etc. No batteries required but won't help much on a rainy day. I've seen a variety of these at local outdoors shops.
3. Dynamo hub charger -- this is probably the most expensive option, especially if you don't already have a dynamo hub. I'd like one of these (already have the hub) but the AA charger has been fine so far.

Answer 3

check out

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/06/nokia-announces-bike-powered-phone-charger

or you can go crazy and get a dynamo front hub and a charger from busch and Muller (Germany). this will cost you a pretty penny.

Answer 4

There is this company that sells bike powered phone charger kits. The price is very reasonable. I think this one may be suitable for your HTC because my husband has an HTC Incredible. http://www.bike2power.com/smartphone-bicycle-charger-kit.html. Not sure if they would ship to UK.

I got the kit for his b-day because he also complained about the battery life. He uses stats app when he rides, and the battery would be dead in 45 min. I looked at reecharge as well but it was too expensive and kind of complicated.

Answer 5

Probably the easiest way to fix your problem is to reduce the amount of power the GPS on your phone is using. By default, most GPS tracking programs eat up an enormous amount of battery because they default to maximum-accuracy settings. However, if you're going on long enough bike rides that you are worrying about battery life, you can probably afford to turn down these settings.

The way to do this is different with each of the different tracking apps, so I can't tell you exactly how to fix this, but if you dig around in the settings for a while you should find something. I know that the two apps I've used (Runtastic and My Tracks) have both allowed me to do this.

Answer 6

Joke answer, but I can't resist.

How can I charge my phone while cycling?

Leave it on your desk, plugged into the wall. :)

Answer 7

There's a project on Kick Starter that looks like exactly what you're looking for: The Siva Cycle Atom

The funding ends May 23rd 2013, and they should start shipping towards the end of 2013. So if you miss the window to be a Kick Starter backer, you should be able to pick one up directly form them around then.

Answer 8

You might look at just upgrading your current approach—a lithium battery based cell phone charger (like the popular New Trent ones) generally go a lot further than AA based ones.