Any 'on-the-go chargers' for Garmins?

[musa]

Having completed the fnr to felpham my edge 200 died so the smrbth was not recorded so rather than be caught out again anything I can buy to keep life going on it?

 

[yello]

Yes, several options. Anything from cheapish mobile phone battery extenders (with replaceable AA/rechargeable batteries), through long-life USB/power point rechargeable cells to more sophisticated hub dynamo solutions.

How much do you want to spend!

 

[ianrauk]

Portapow usb charger is what I use
HERE along with the retractable cable HERE
And will only cost you a tenner.

 

[Rob3rt]

Did you forget to charge it before hand?

How long were you riding? I did 100 mile on Sunday and my Edge 500 was still at 60% battery.

 

[musa]

about 7 hours there with a quick return so yeah not happy

cheers Ian

 

[Edwards80]

How long have you had it for? Might be worth contacting Garmin. My 800 had 60 odd % left on it after the 100miler this weekend.

 

[musa]

2 months if that, they are to send me a new one anyways I dropped it and the lcd has become damaged, the top half of it

 

[musa]

with the above battery pack, do I need the cable or can I just use the usb that comes with the Garmin? Seeing as Ill have two spare

 

[ufkacbln]

The "officisl version" is a PowerMonkey with a natty plastic case and a dedicated plug. It includes the solar charger

Weirdly it is cheaper that the standard PowerMonkey Explorer

 

[ianrauk]

regarding charging the 200 mid ride with a charger (and it's the same for the 500, and in that case may be the same for other garmins). When you charge the unit it resets it. So it will record as a new ride rather then carry on current. ie when downloaded at the end of the day you will have 2 rides.

 

[musa]

thats fine do I need the retractable cable or can the standard one be used?

 

[StuAff]

Portapow usb charger is what I use
HERE along with the retractable cable HERE
And will only cost you a tenner.

+1. Any USB cable with the right connector will work. I went for the coiled cable, the first of those I had I got with the retractable one. Some cables might make the Garmin think it's attached to a computer (at least it can with a 705). Spare cables are always handy, anyway. What works best in my experience for a long run is to plug the booster in at the beginning- that way a device that has enough power to actually keep the Edge battery charged (as well as powering the device) will do so. If not, you should still have enough juice in the setup for it not to go flat on you. The 2xAA Portapow can recharge the 705 under lower usage (not using the backlight much, and so on), but not in more demanding situations. I've had both- one run I did to Wantage, I powered the Garmin down for my lunch break and it was fully charged. On an audax a few weeks back, using full turn-by-turn routing, and flicking back and forth between menu screens a lot, the internal battery was drained at the end, but there was still power in the AAs and it lasted till I got home.
Battery life sounds very low there- hopefully the replacement will sort it. Garmin quote 15 hours battery life for the 705, and I've got that, or near it, a few times.

 

[fossyant]

You'll have to take it 'off' the mount to charge ! Just bear this in mind - chuck it in a pocket/bag.

 

[StuAff]

You'll have to take it 'off' the mount to charge ! Just bear this in mind - chuck it in a pocket/bag.

Depends on where you've got it mounted (and where the USB port is). 705 is fine charging on a stem mount (power pack in tri bag).