90 replies to this topic

[Brick]

One question for the Ultra folk or people who use a Garmin for more than 8 hours during  arun.
I want to use my 305 for 100 milers so I will need to charge on the run.

When you recharge your 305 on the run using a USB battery pack how long do you need to run with it charging for full charge?
How many charges do you get out of the battery pack?
Which is the best battery pack for weight and price?

Links to sites would be good.

Brick

[blair]

I also wonder how it would work practically as the charger is a separate unit so you could not just plug in a battery while it is on your wrist presumably? But would have to take it off your wrist and fit it to the charger docking station?

I know Action was experimenting with a few different chargers so maybe he could give some suggestions but there is also the option of a solar charger.

[Brick]

balri, on Aug 22 2008, 12:23 PM, said:

I also wonder how it would work practically as the charger is a separate unit so you could not just plug in a battery while it is on your wrist presumably? But would have to take it off your wrist and fit it to the charger docking station?

I know Action was experimenting with a few different chargers so maybe he could give some suggestions but there is also the option of a solar charger.

I know some people have used Solio solar chargers which I think also have battery packs but they are quite expensive.
The Solio Magnesium Edition is the top of the range and costs $169.95 USD.
They also have the older Solio Classic Universal Hybrid Charger  and costs $99.95 USD.
Still a bit much for me, I was hoping for a simple charge a battery pack and just us that kind of idea for 24-40 hour races.

Maybe a solar charger is a bit of over kill, not really sure.
But all ideas will be looked into.

Another question, do the solar charges work well when using during lower light like under the canopy of trees?
Say for Western States, Glasshouse 100M or GNW 100M.
They should be OK for most of C2K being mostly road so more open to the sun.

Brick

[milov]

I'd really like to know these answers too Brick... But if no one can tell us, then hopefully I will have an answer for you by next week (if I don't succumb to my injury)

milov

[JustinS007]

Brick, on Aug 22 2008, 11:52 AM, said:

One question for the Ultra folk or people who use a Garmin for more than 8 hours during  arun.
I want to use my 305 for 100 milers so I will need to charge on the run.

When you recharge your 305 on the run using a USB battery pack how long do you need to run with it charging for full charge?
How many charges do you get out of the battery pack?
Which is the best battery pack for weight and price?

Links to sites would be good.

Brick

Never thought of charging on the run.  Let us know if it works.

We have 2 devices.  If the activity is less than 12 hours then we just use 1.  If longer then we break the time in half up to 20 hours.  If over that (ie 24 hour runs) we use each device in rotation for 6 or 8 hours (with car charger as there is always a crew for this length event).  Generally don't have a problem with getting 12 hours out of it.

J.

[Action]

Certainly works, and the only limitation is the memory on the 305.   I can put the 305 on my wrist with the cradle under it.  I can then plug in a USB battey pack and it bascially acts as an extension to the internal battery - which is a 3.7v 750mA (frm memory) battery.  Therefore, if you have an external pack of 4 AA rechargable batteries each of 1.2v and 2200mA, you would more or less triple the life of the 305, and there is nothing stopping you having any number of battery packs to keep the power on indefinitely.

[RunBare]

I'm lucky enough to have a solio (thanks to my dad who was visiting the US and was THRILLED to go gadget shopping for his daughter)
I manage to get about 24 hours 'running' time for a 305 out of a single charge from the solio.  I have never tried to reacharge the solio while on the run, but if I do a 100miler, I'll need to hope its sunny weather since at my pace it would require a few recharge sessions
When the 305 need recharging, I take it off my wrist, plug it into the solio and attach it to my camelback.  Very robust and have never had it unplug while running.
It's expensive to buy, but certainly a handy thing to have.  I use it to charge my phone and ipod as well at home.

[Kato]

This works.  Pity my Garmin's connector was a bit loose at the Kokoda challenge - it should have given me sufficient battery time for the whole event.  As RunBare suggests, I was going to put the Garmin on the strap of the CamelBak and run the cable into a pocket.

It weighs 56 grams, and puts out 1800 mAh.  I don't know what the battery capacity of my 301 is, but the wife's 305 would be 750mAh like Action's.  Therefore you'd get an additional 2.4 times the duration, or 3.4 times the original battery life all up.  And you're a lot faster than me too.

Action's NiMH AA's weigh a lot more than the Li-ion pack.  About twice as much at 120 grams for the batteries alone, without a holder or regulator.  Edited to add this bit.

Edited by Kato, 22 August 2008 - 11:35 PM.

[blair]

Action, on Aug 22 2008, 04:22 PM, said:

I can put the 305 on my wrist with the cradle under it.

You must have tiny wrists Action. I just tried it and could only get to the first or second hole and my wrists are small. Its also extremely bulky like that. I guess you'd get used to it but are there any issues with running like this (except maybe RSI)?

[JustinS007]

Kato, on Aug 22 2008, 11:28 PM, said:

This works.  Pity my Garmin's connector was a bit loose at the Kokoda challenge - it should have given me sufficient battery time for the whole event.  As RunBare suggests, I was going to put the Garmin on the strap of the CamelBak and run the cable into a pocket.

It weighs 56 grams, and puts out 1800 mAh.  I don't know what the battery capacity of my 301 is, but the wife's 305 would be 750mAh like Action's.  Therefore you'd get an additional 2.4 times the duration, or 3.4 times the original battery life all up.  And you're a lot faster than me too.

Action's NiMH AA's weigh a lot more than the Li-ion pack.  About twice as much at 120 grams for the batteries alone, without a holder or regulator.  Edited to add this bit.

This thread is solid gold.  Kato, did you have to order a special connector and do you know the name of it?  How long is the cord?  And do I assume that you charge the external pack from a wall socket beforehand?  If I could get 30 hours out of the one device with the external battery then I'm pretty good for nearly anything.

J.

[israelrt]

Brick, on Aug 22 2008, 11:52 AM, said:

One question for the Ultra folk or people who use a Garmin for more than 8 hours during  arun.
I want to use my 305 for 100 milers so I will need to charge on the run.

Alternatively, you could get 15 hours of battery life by simply buying a 301 and using that instead.
I got my 301 for $ 219.95 from OzGPS ( they matched Ryda's price )

[blair]

israelrt, on Aug 23 2008, 10:12 AM, said:

Alternatively, you could get 15 hours of battery life by simply buying a 301 and using that instead.
I got my 301 for $ 219.95 from OzGPS ( they matched Ryda's price )

Hmm. Very tempting...except that the battery charger Kato mentioned is only $36 - about $183 cheaper than a 301!

[Kato]

JustinS007, on Aug 23 2008, 09:06 AM, said:

This thread is solid gold.  Kato, did you have to order a special connector and do you know the name of it?  How long is the cord?  And do I assume that you charge the external pack from a wall socket beforehand?  If I could get 30 hours out of the one device with the external battery then I'm pretty good for nearly anything.

J.

Justin

The thing comes with a mains charger and lead, and a short cable whose tip accepts all sorts of adaptors.  But the power OUTPUT is a USB connector like the one on the front of a PC, so the cable you use to download your Garmin will charge it from the battery adaptor.  You can also use it to charge your phone, camera, iPod, gameboy, or any other USB powered gizmo.

It charges from the mains in only a couple of hours.  Size?  80 * 12 * 48 mm.

[Beaver]

Anyone have any ideas for charging the 405 on the go?

[Rags]

Try this Lil Sync   I've posted its virtues on another thread, using lithium batteries I  got 5 full charges in sub zero temperatures, used it to charge the  305 while on the move, the cradle was a little uncomfortable on the wrist but no real problem and used a longer USB cable from the charger in the pack. The only issue  was that raised by Action regarding loss of data.

Brick - I'll bring it to the Bay 5k challenge Saturday for you to check it out.

[chilliman]

I picked up this cool little battery extender from Harvey Norman on the weekend for $24.95.

Output is rated as below off 2 x 1.2v(rechargeables) or 2 x 1.5v cells.
Output :  4 - 5.6Vdc  200-240mA

It can charge rechargeables and use them, or you can do as I am proposing use lightweight lithiums on the run.
It has a standard USB socket, plus a cable and adaptors for phones and other devices.

The whole unit weighs less than the 2 lithiums.

 charger___chilli.jpg   167.43K   228 downloads
 405_ext_charger___chill.jpg   139.09K   164 downloads

I will experiment with it over the next couple of weeks and see how many recharges I can get off the one set of batteries.

The only problem with the 405 is that you cannot use the display whilst charging, see pic above.
Note, data will still be acquired and logged though if you have already started a run before you attach the charger.

I'm aiming to wear the watch on all day runs until the 20% low battery warning goes off. Then place the 405 onto the external charger and leave in the camelbak for an hour or so (will be determined due to testing in the next week or so) then reattach to arm.

Edited by chilliman, 09 September 2008 - 01:17 PM.

[JustinS007]

chilliman, on Sep 9 2008, 01:12 PM, said:

I picked up this cool little battery extender from Harvey Norman on the weekend for $24.95.

Output is rated as below off 2 x 1.2v(rechargeables) or 2 x 1.5v cells.
Output :  4 - 5.6Vdc  200-240mA

It can charge rechargeables and use them, or you can do as I am proposing use lightweight lithiums on the run.
It has a standard USB socket, plus a cable and adaptors for phones and other devices.

The whole unit weighs less than the 2 lithiums.

charger___chilli.jpg
405_ext_...___chill.jpg

I will experiment with it over the next couple of weeks and see how many recharges I can get off the one set of batteries.

The only problem with the 405 is that you cannot use the display whilst charging, see pic above.
Note, data will still be acquired and logged though if you have already started a run before you attach the charger.

I'm aiming to wear the watch on all day runs until the 20% low battery warning goes off. Then place the 405 onto the external charger and leave in the camelbak for an hour or so (will be determined due to testing in the next week or so) then reattach to arm.

How'd it go chilli?

I need to buy something now and this looks like a good option.  2 questions though:
1 - Can you recharge batteries in the device via USB (assuming you use rechargables in the device of course!)
2 - Did the Garmin fitting come with it or did you get that seperately?

Thanks,

J.

[AlunDavies]

JustinS007, on Sep 22 2008, 10:29 AM, said:

How'd it go chilli?

I need to buy something now and this looks like a good option.  2 questions though:
1 - Can you recharge batteries in the device via USB (assuming you use rechargables in the device of course!)
2 - Did the Garmin fitting come with it or did you get that seperately?

Thanks,

J.

The Garmin fitting in Chili's picture is the standard charger lead that comes with the 405.  The USB connects to PC or to the provided mains adapter.  

Be interested to know how you went also Chili, as this thing is exactly what I've been looking for and will see me off to Harvey Norman this coming weekend.

[Brick]

Rags, on Aug 24 2008, 07:13 PM, said:

Try this Lil Sync   I've posted its virtues on another thread, using lithium batteries I  got 5 full charges in sub zero temperatures, used it to charge the  305 while on the move, the cradle was a little uncomfortable on the wrist but no real problem and used a longer USB cable from the charger in the pack. The only issue  was that raised by Action regarding loss of data.

Brick - I'll bring it to the Bay 5k challenge Saturday for you to check it out.

Taff & Justin,

I borrowed the above charger from Rags and it worked great for Glasshouse 100 miler.
I just used standard rechargeable batteries so you could get a charger to plug into your cigaret lighter in the car.
It last a long time over 26:30 hours no problem.

Thanks again Rags, and even more thanks for giving it to me too keep for my long runs.

Brick

[AlunDavies]

Brick, on Sep 22 2008, 01:33 PM, said:

Taff & Justin,

I borrowed the above charger from Rags and it worked great for Glasshouse 100 miler.
I just used standard rechargeable batteries so you could get a charger to plug into your cigaret lighter in the car.
It last a long time over 26:30 hours no problem.

Thanks again Rags, and even more thanks for giving it to me too keep for my long runs.

Brick

I'm missing something mate, I can't see how either 305 or 405 connects to it.  Don't both have a male USB connector that needs to be plugged into the power source (405 certainly does)?

[Rags]

TaffTrail, on Sep 22 2008, 04:26 PM, said:

I'm missing something mate, I can't see how either 305 or 405 connects to it.  Don't both have a male USB connector that needs to be plugged into the power source (405 certainly does)?

Instead of connecting the 305 to the computer USB port it connects to the AA battery adaptor - I used it for 3 weeks and charged the 305 without a problem.

[Brick]

TaffTrail, on Sep 22 2008, 04:26 PM, said:

I'm missing something mate, I can't see how either 305 or 405 connects to it.  Don't both have a male USB connector that needs to be plugged into the power source (405 certainly does)?

Rags, on Sep 22 2008, 09:58 PM, said:

Instead of connecting the 305 to the computer USB port it connects to the AA battery adaptor - I used it for 3 weeks and charged the 305 without a problem.

Nothing to add, thanks Rags.

[AlunDavies]

Brick, on Sep 23 2008, 09:15 AM, said:

Nothing to add, thanks Rags.

So the USB connector in the picture is female?

[chilliman]

TaffTrail, on Sep 23 2008, 11:16 AM, said:

So the USB connector in the picture is female?

Sorry guys I've been off line and just catching up on old threads.

The Harvey Norman Uniross battery extender in the pic above has a standard USB female socket with an in/out switch and a LED.
The Garmin 405 comes with the little jaw clamp that clips on to the watch, on the other end is a standard USB male plug that can be connected to a PC, the mains adaptor that has a USB socket, or the little battery extender above directly as in the pic.

Justin, I haven't used rechargeables in it yet, but it is just a matter of putting them in and flicking the switch to either in or out depending on whether you are charging them off a USB power source or using them to provide power to another device such as a Garmin via USB.

There is a cable that comes with it, USB plug on one end, and a number of adaptors that fit on the other end, for example another male USB plug (male to male for charging), mini USB plug, and about 4-5 phone adaptors.

I tested it using 2 x AA lithiums last week and ran the watch completely flat on 2 occasions, charging only off the battery pack. It gave up half way through the 3rd recharge. So plenty of juice for a 24hr session with a 405 at least, just off 2 Lithiums.

Edit: I might add that I let the watch charge overnight with the GPS still on, so that would also be draining the external battery pack to a higher degree.

Not sure if you would get 2.5 full charges off re-chargeables though due to their lower power output compared to the lithiums.
I'll have to experiment after Yurrebilla next week.

Chilli.

Ed:Sp

Edited by chilliman, 24 September 2008 - 09:13 AM.

[mproko]

One another inexpensive solution is to use this from the Jaycar shop:
Battery Bank 4 x AA USB

Then load it with any pack of normal or rechargeable batteries (I prefer the hybrid rechargeable batteries). On negative side this will be a little heavier solution.

[chilliman]

mproko, on Sep 23 2008, 12:00 PM, said:

One another inexpensive solution is to use this from the Jaycar shop:

Thanks mproko, I was in Jaycar the other week looking for exactly something like this and all they had was a solar charger and another commercial battery extender both over $50. I should have looked in the catalogue myself rather than relying on the sales guy's knowledge of their product range.

I picked up the Harvey Norman unit above a couple of hours later, only as I couldn't find anything else cheaper in a hurry.

[Will]

First,

Disclaimer: I work for the company that manufactures the charger that chilliman bought.

Tip: If you want to buy one, Woolies/Safeway sell them cheaper than Harvey Norman (Don't tell Harvey Norman I told you... )

[chilliman]

Will, on Sep 23 2008, 12:46 PM, said:

Disclaimer: I work for the company that manufactures the charger that chilliman bought.

Can we buy in bulk Will, and resell them in the CR colours through Kev ?

Thanks for the tip !

[chilliman]

The little Uniross charger that I picked up worked a treat last weekend on the Yurrebilla trail.

Out on the trail for 9 hours with 7:16 active time.

The 405 is stated as having an 8hr battery life with the GPS on.
I ran all the way with the HRM too, so not sure if that lessens the life as well.

I connected the external battery pack at a support stop when I hit around 35% to go on the battery, and placed the watch and external battery pack in the camelbak and continued on with everything still running (auto-pause on). After another 5km, took the watch out again and battery charge was up to 82 %, which lasted easily to the end of the run and well through this week in normal watch mode.

 yb.jpg   88.59K   104 downloads

[JustinS007]

Kato, on Aug 22 2008, 11:28 PM, said:

This works.  Pity my Garmin's connector was a bit loose at the Kokoda challenge - it should have given me sufficient battery time for the whole event.  As RunBare suggests, I was going to put the Garmin on the strap of the CamelBak and run the cable into a pocket.

We ended up buying one of these Kato.  It seems brilliant.

Took it on a 3 day cycling/camping trip last weekend and it fully recharged a mobile phone from dead (ie wouldn't turn on at all) and had enough for about 50% charge of the Garmin 305 as well.  That is a lot of charge from such a small, lightweight unit.  It comes with every fitting known to man (literally about 30 of them in the box) and is very easy to use including have a charge indicator so you know how much juice is left.  I like.

J.

[chilliman]

chilliman, on Sep 9 2008, 01:12 PM, said:

I picked up this cool little battery extender from Harvey Norman on the weekend for $24.95.
charger___chilli.jpg

Will, on Sep 23 2008, 12:46 PM, said:

....Woolies/Safeway sell them cheaper than Harvey Norman...

I was in Safeway (Vic) last night and noticed them on special for $14.98, down from $17.98.

Picked up another as the first one has already earned its keep, and a second certainly won't go astray with rechargeable's in it.

[AlunDavies]

chilliman, on Oct 3 2008, 06:02 PM, said:

I connected the external battery pack at a support stop when I hit around 35% to go on the battery, and placed the watch and external battery pack in the camelbak and continued on with everything still running (auto-pause on). After another 5km, took the watch out again and battery charge was up to 82 %, which lasted easily to the end of the run and well through this week in normal watch mode.

That's all I needed to know, I'll be off to Woolies tomorrow morning.

Cheers Chilliman, Kato and Rags for all the test driving

Taff

[Whippet Man]

chilliman, on Oct 3 2008, 07:02 PM, said:

The little Uniross charger that I picked up worked a treat last weekend on the Yurrebilla trail.

Out on the trail for 9 hours with 7:16 active time.

The 405 is stated as having an 8hr battery life with the GPS on.
I ran all the way with the HRM too, so not sure if that lessens the life as well.

I connected the external battery pack at a support stop when I hit around 35% to go on the battery, and placed the watch and external battery pack in the camelbak and continued on with everything still running (auto-pause on). After another 5km, took the watch out again and battery charge was up to 82 %, which lasted easily to the end of the run and well through this week in normal watch mode.

yb.jpg

Chilli was the garmin 'in' your pack for that 5km recharge? So you didn't record data for that leg?

[AlunDavies]

I bought the UNiROSS unit from Woolworths this morning, $14.96 (where do they get that variation from and where do all the odd cents go?).

Just charged my 405 from 63% to 100% in 62 minutes using a couple of alkaline duracell's that had already given about five hours service in a four battery headlamp.  Good enough for me.

[chilliman]

Whippet Man, on Oct 10 2008, 10:43 PM, said:

Chilli was the garmin 'in' your pack for that 5km recharge? So you didn't record data for that leg?

Yep, garmin (405) and battery extender were in the camelbak (mule) on the outermost back zip pocket.
It continued to record the whole 5km section (inc HR), from 32 to 37km lunch station to be precise.
(Bezel locked, auto pause on).

No drop outs. Maybe though if it was a 201/301 this would be an issue however in a CB ?

[Gronk]

Is this the way to charge your garmin in 2010 ? Not sure about the wire running up your leg.

http://www.smh.com.a...4351022213.html

[Sportsman]

chilliman, on Oct 3 2008, 06:02 PM, said:

yb.jpg

That's a great profile. Chili. What is the program?

[chilliman]

Sportsman, on Oct 20 2008, 08:51 PM, said:

That's a great profile. Chili. What is the program?

I haven't seen anything quite as good yet in the PC world, but the software is Ascent (Macintosh V1.98).
More info and a trial version here.

[Kato]

For one day only - Zazz has solar powered battery packs.  $19.90 + $7.95 delivery = $27.85

The Zazz rules are simple - they offer one product a  day at a huge reduction, then it isn't available again.

This one is 1350 mAh and 50 grams from the specs.


edit reason - insert link to battery charger

Edited by Kato, 24 October 2008 - 11:20 PM.

[pbig]

Noted this re the Zazz charger:

Quote

GPS and other any mini USB Devices: Technically this charger should charge anything with a mini USB port. While we found it charged some GPS units others it simply would not charge. Really there is no technical reasoning behind this other than the amperage outputted by the device but even this was not reliable indicator of if an item would charge.To give you an idea it did work on our favourite little Trakmate GPS but did not work on our ancient Mio GPS. If you have other ideas for this device feel free to give it a shot but unfortunately we cannot make any guarantees on whether it will work or not. Good luck!

... but I'm willing to give it a try   .

[pbig]

The Zazz solar charger has arrived, and it works on both my 405 and Blackberry .

Thanks Kato! (though I may end up cursing about becoming hooked on this Zazz thing   ).

[emjay]

chilliman, on Sep 9 2008, 02:12 PM, said:

I picked up this cool little battery extender from Harvey Norman on the weekend for $24.95.

charger___chilli.jpg

I just found these on sale in Kmart Broadway for $10

[Brick]

emjay, on Dec 1 2008, 06:00 PM, said:

I just found these on sale in Kmart Broadway for $10

What size battery do they take?
The packet say's

Quote

Charges 2AA rechargeable batteries

Not it charges using 2AA batteries.

Edited by Brick, 02 December 2008 - 07:04 AM.

[Will]

Brick, on Dec 1 2008, 10:02 AM, said:

What size battery do they take?
The packet say's
Not it charges using 2AA batteries.

It does both.

You can plug it to your computer and it will charge rechargeable batteries.
or you can put any AA batteries in it and plug it to your GPS to charge it on the run.

There is a review here if you want

DISCLAIMER: I work for the company that distributes those chargers

[Brick]

Will, on Dec 2 2008, 08:39 AM, said:

It does both.

You can plug it to your computer and it will charge rechargeable batteries.
or you can put any AA batteries in it and plug it to your GPS to charge it on the run.

There is a review here if you want

DISCLAIMER: I work for the company that distributes those chargers

Thanks Will.
Can you get them cheaper than $10?
I know I am cheeky.

Brick

[chilliman]

Double post for some reason after I edited it ....

Edited by chilliman, 02 December 2008 - 02:20 PM.

[chilliman]

Brick, on Dec 2 2008, 08:02 AM, said:

What size battery do they take?

Looking at the sealed packet in the shop I stumped the guys at harvey norman as it says on the outside 2AA, and physically looking at the product it looks like it only takes 1/2 size (length) AA's. The Harvey Norman guys told me I would have to get the batteries elsewhere. I went to dick smith and Jaycar and found that there weren't actually 2AA bateries made as such. I went back to HN again and after examining it through the plastic closely, I discovered the battery holder slides out like in the bottom photo here with the lithiums in it.  

So it will take 2 x AA batteries. I find the AA lithiums the best if you want 4-5 full charges of the 405. I have also used rechageables in it, (there is a switch to flick to charge them off USB), but with the lower voltage and current output I only get 1 or 2 full charges of the 405, which would be quite suffiecient for say a 15hr run. But if you want it for C2K then go the lithiums.

Brick, on Dec 2 2008, 09:33 AM, said:

Thanks Will.
Can you get them cheaper than $10?

Cheapest I have seen them was $14 on special, $10 is a bargain.

[Beanie]

chilliman, on Dec 2 2008, 03:19 PM, said:

Looking at the sealed packet in the shop I stumped the guys at harvey norman as it says on the outside 2AA, and physically looking at the product it looks like it only takes 1/2 size (length) AA's. The Harvey Norman guys told me I would have to get the batteries elsewhere. I went to dick smith and Jaycar and found that there weren't actually 2AA bateries made as such. I went back to HN again and after examining it through the plastic closely, I discovered the battery holder slides out like in the bottom photo here with the lithiums in it.

Took me ages to work this one out as well. I was in Woolworths for ages looking at the batteries that would fit in it. Would be good if it said on the box something about sliding in/out for space saving.
Beanie

[chilliman]

Beanie, on Dec 2 2008, 03:25 PM, said:

Would be good if it said on the box something about sliding in/out for space saving.

Or at the very least clearly state 2 x AA and not 2AA batteries.

[Brick]

emjay, on Dec 1 2008, 06:00 PM, said:

I just found these on sale in Kmart Broadway for $10

chilliman, on Dec 2 2008, 03:19 PM, said:

Cheapest I have seen them was $14 on special, $10 is a bargain.

The problem is not the $10 it is location.
I have been to the USA more times this year than to Broadway and I live in Sydney.