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Arden
02-03-2016, 13:42
Hi;
I was on Amazon looking at some of the hand-crank/solar charger/radio that are available. I am not all that impressed with any of them. One problem seems to be that these devices employ NiMh or NiCd batteries as their storage, and only enough batteries to charge up to about 3.5V, which is not enough to fully charge a Li-Ion smart-phone battery. I believe that, while turning the hand-crank some of the devices will produce a higher voltage, but not sure about that.

What I am looking for is a method to recharge my Moto E without plugging the charger into AC.
I do have a Li-Ion battery pack that holds 5,000mAh, and will fully charge my phone, but it will require charging eventually as well.
So, I thought that perhaps one of the hand-crank models would be a better choice for a thru-hike. Of course these devices will weigh something (one I checked out weighs 13oz) so that will be a factor as well.

I do not plan to make or receive many phone calls while on the trail, but I enjoy listening to audiobooks and music on my phone.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Arden

tarditi
02-03-2016, 13:58
Goal0 - can solar charge the battery bank while hiking, then charge the device at night. Can even charge a tablet.

http://www.goalzero.com/p/79/guide-10-plus-solar-kit

My hiking buddy just brings a spare phone battery with him on our section hikes - putting the phones into powersave mode stretches the time between charges.

Arden
02-03-2016, 14:47
Goal0 - can solar charge the battery bank while hiking, then charge the device at night. Can even charge a tablet.

http://www.goalzero.com/p/79/guide-10-plus-solar-kit

My hiking buddy just brings a spare phone battery with him on our section hikes - putting the phones into powersave mode stretches the time between charges.
Will that actually fit onto a backpack? Looks pretty big. A bit expensive for my budget as well, but if it could eliminate the necessity for say two motel stops, then it has already paid for itself.

Edit: Available on Amazon for $80.

Slo-go'en
02-03-2016, 14:52
If your hiking the AT (which I suspect you are) you can find an electrical outlet often enough that it's not a problem. However, the alternate power sources are typically not very effective.

Hand crank units put out so little energy you'd have to crank for hours and hours to replace any significant charge. Plus their big and heavy. Solar has similar problems. Any panel small and light enough which would not be a burden to carry would need to be in the direct sun for hours and hours.

That said, if you don't use the phone much and replace the charge daily to keep the battery from becoming too discharged, the crank or solar could be enough to replace what charge you use with the limited usage. You'd want to spend an hour every evening cranking or spend an hour every noon sitting in a sunny spot to keep the battery charged up.

Arden
02-03-2016, 15:14
I checked out the reviews of the Goal Zero solar system on Amazon, and it does appear that there could be major problems with such a system on a long hike on the AT. I guess solar hasn't really "come of age" yet, at least not to the point where it would be very useful on the AT. Perhaps on the PCT it would work a lot better - fewer trees and more sun, right?
I guess just stopping in a coffee shop would provide some charging time for the phone, and of course staying overnight in a motel would allow full recharge of all devices. One nice thing is that the same charger that my Moto E uses will also fit my Kindle, so I need to carry only one charger.

nsherry61
02-03-2016, 15:48
There appears to really only be one effective approach: By far the lightest and most reliable approach is to bring enough battery of one kind or another meet your trail needs between town stops and then recharge in town. If you want to save weight, use your electronics in a way that need less battery.

I get 3-5 days on my Samsung S5 on airplane mode. It has a replaceable battery, so I carry one or two spare batteries and I do fine. I also carry two chargers so I can charge my gear twice as fast when I have access to power.

Casey & Gina
02-03-2016, 15:54
I have a hand-crank flashlight. Not because I wanted it particularly, but because I found it for free in an electronics discard bin. The original rechargeable soldered-in 2032 battery was shot. I bought a cheap 2032 battery holder and replacement battery, and soldered the holder in place of the old battery, to make future swap-outs of the battery easy. The battery I bought is 3.6V 50mAh. I think you should be able to wire in a higher-capacity 3.6V battery though just as easily to have more reserve power capacity. You could convert the voltage up to 5V for USB charging with something like this: https://www.circuitsathome.com/dc-dc/33v-to-5v-dc-dc-converter

In addition to getting the output to 5V, you'd need to ensure you output ample amperage to charge your device.

Or, just buy a USB power bank, which will charge off of variable input, which is why they work well with solar panels under variable conditions.

If you can get a hand-crank that outputs power to a USB port, you can charge your power bank, which will in turn charge anything else. Unfortunately it seems that what's on the market is very small and is only going to put out a tiny amount of power. A beefier unit could be built with a better gear ratio and so on, but this would weigh more. Hand cranking is a slow means of generating power, so there's just not much of a market for it. If you wanted to DIY a solution yourself, you could probably start with a dynamo made for bicycles which would likely be of better quality than any hand crank options you can find (and ones exist with USB output already done), then building your own crank onto it. It may need additional gearing to make it easier to crank by hand - the easier it is to crank though, the less power output you'll get, and vice versa.

Dochartaigh
02-03-2016, 17:49
I'm sorry to say there's simply no good solution out there yet. I would focus on the digital tasks you want to do, and find the unit/phone/MP3-player/mini-tablet/etc. that will give you the longest runtime for the least weight.

For instance my ancient iPod seem to give me ungodly runtime for audio. My cell phone not so much. Carrying the iPod although being extra weight, is still lighter than carrying another (or a larger) USB charger for my cell phone - so in that example the iPod would be the better solution.

Arden
02-03-2016, 21:53
I guess I can just read more and listen less. My Kindle (no backlight) will last for a couple weeks on a charge, reading a couple hours a day. Only issue there is that I also need a flashlight. My headlamp has a low setting, which should work fine, but I also bought a second LED light that runs on AAA batteries which might be a better choice, so it won't eat into my headlamp battery.

A couple years ago I read about a guy who was trying to develop a system for backpackers/hikers using cords attached from the device, which would sit inside of the pack (specially made for the device) and be anchored to your ankles, in such a way so as to pull back and forth on the cord as you walked, generating power. There were inherent problems that I could see with such a device, most important being that it would put extra strain on your legs, and quite possibly get caught in something you were walking past or through, causing a fall. And that was not to even mention the weight of the dynamo - which I don't recall, but as you guys have already pointed out, you don't get something for nothing. You want power, you're going to pay for it in weight you must carry.
I thought that perhaps a hand crank was something I could do while lying in my sleeping bag before I fell asleep. It would be far better if it were something you squeeze in one hand, alternating hands. Something like that would give me a great forearm workout. But I've never seen anything like that.

Actually, the Moto E is one of the best phones for battery life. I have run as far as 62Km in nearly 7 hours on a single charge while listening to music. I did have the phone in airplane mode, but had plenty of power left when I was done to use the phone and continue to listen to tunes.

Arden
02-03-2016, 21:59
On the lighter side; I could fly a kite during a lightning storm...:banana
Courtesy of old Ben Franklin...

Dogwood
02-04-2016, 04:05
Incorporate spray on solar generating cells into your outer layer apparel and backpack.

Small wind up induction motor similarly used in a hand crank radio.

Algae. Also a good food source.

4eyedbuzzard
02-04-2016, 06:46
Nothing out there that is weight or time efficient. There are solar panels, but they are very dependent on insolation intensity, angle, etc. The AT is only devoid of leaves during winter when the solar angle isn't particularly good anyway. Dynamos, including hand cranks and Powerstick, etc. are heavy and don't produce power efficiently from a weight perspective. Devices such as Biolite stove and Powerpot that use the Seebeck effect (thermoelectric generation) are also heavy, not very efficient, and time and fuel consuming. The most efficient bet from a weight carried perspective for additional power is to carry a secondary storage battery like an Anker and recharge it when you find a source in towns. Like you, we would all be jumping on something better than batteries if it existed.

Traveler
02-04-2016, 07:20
As an issue of etiquette, a while ago I was in a small grocery store a short distance from popular backpacking trail. As I talked with the owner a young man with a pack walked in, looked around and found an outlet near the door, plugs in a phone charger and leaves the store for the sandwich shop two doors down. The owner was upset that the fellow would saunter into his shop, plug into his power, then leave. Even if he was going to buy some supplies from the merchant (which he likely was intending to do), asking first would have been polite. The word "entitled" was used a couple of times, which eventually that impression extends to everyone with a pack after a while from things like this.

Though only a small amount of power is used to charge a phone, the owner said that happened several times a day on the weekend, so I can imagine along the AT it may happen a few hundred times a week. All that adds up to power costs. Essentially, it's stealing. So a reminder, always ask before you plug in unless you are paying for the space you are in, its a public building or grounds (which its still mannerly to ask if anyone is around), or find a kiosk that is obviously set up as a charging station. Threads on this forum over the past few years are pretty clear there is a growing public image of entitlement that hovers over the hiking community along the AT, which is exacerbated with issues like this.

Hiker6301
02-04-2016, 08:00
I own the 20,000 mah Lemon Juice battery with the solar charger built in. I live in sunny south Florida and have left that battery in the full some for a day and it barely charged.

I own the Goal Zero solar panel and battery pack. It does not charge any newer iPhone directly from the solar panel. It to bulky and weights to much.

So I stick with the Anker 7, 25,600 mah. It weighs a little over a pound but is a beast. It's my one luxury on the trail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
http://www.hiker63.com

Gambit McCrae
02-04-2016, 08:03
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/110587-Looking-for-External-Battery-to-charge-my-iPhone-5s

I go with the Mophie XL powerstation. It is outstanding and has smart capabilities for auto shutoff

rocketsocks
02-04-2016, 08:57
On the lighter side; I could fly a kite during a lightning storm...:banana
Courtesy of old Ben Franklin...
Well if ya go that route, tell Ben socks says hey when ya see him. ;)

rocketsocks
02-04-2016, 08:59
I just use an external battery of about 10,000 mAh, that'll give ya days on end of audio books, do it all the time, gives me about 5 full charges on a 4th generation ithingy.

Casey & Gina
02-04-2016, 11:40
Actually, the Moto E is one of the best phones for battery life. I have run as far as 62Km in nearly 7 hours on a single charge while listening to music. I did have the phone in airplane mode, but had plenty of power left when I was done to use the phone and continue to listen to tunes.

My old LG 300G goes for weeks on a single charge without being in airplane mode, as long as I don't use it much, and I imagine that if I keep it powered off and only turn it on here and there in towns for a quick call, I may not have to recharge it during an entire thru hike. Plus a spare battery is pretty small and light. Of course, it can't do much besides call or text...

33553

Arden
02-10-2016, 17:49
I don't ever feel 'entitled' to anything, unless I have paid for it. I would find it a bit uncomfortable accepting "trail magic" at first, but I guess you just get used to it. When I'm out running and need to make a pit stop, I always purchase something from the shop if I have to use their facilities.

4eyedbuzzard
02-10-2016, 19:57
I don't ever feel 'entitled' to anything, unless I have paid for it. I would find it a bit uncomfortable accepting "trail magic" at first, but I guess you just get used to it. When I'm out running and need to make a pit stop, I always purchase something from the shop if I have to use their facilities.If it makes you feel any better about accepting a free battery charge, it probably amounts to a little less than a penny's worth of electricity to charge a small battery under 10,000mAh. That said, the little things that you can't put a price on are often more valued than anything else.

Dogwood
02-10-2016, 20:44
My old LG 300G goes for weeks on a single charge without being in airplane mode, as long as I don't use it much, and I imagine that if I keep it powered off and only turn it on here and there in towns for a quick call, I may not have to recharge it during an entire thru hike. Plus a spare battery is pretty small and light. Of course, it can't do much besides call or text...

33553

Likewise. +1. Throw in an extra fully charged battery I can go 3+ wks without a charge. I bounce the charger ahead about 4 wks up. Start recharging one or both batteries first thing when I get it. Usually I only have to charge one of the batteries. I do as Traveler recs by always asking first. No problema if you're actually using a cell ph for emergency as so many claim.

squeezebox
02-10-2016, 21:48
An alternative? Coal.