Joeri here from Belgium, long time lurker but now in need of some help! I have found & read alot of valuable information here already.
Here’s the situation: I’m looking to compose a set for bikepacking. The idea now is to center all my electrical equipment around USB-charging, and keep it reasonably light. The plan is to use the bike’s hub dynamo together with a B&M USB-werk to provide a 5V usb output (already bought), and use that to charge cellphone (used as gps) / powerbank. Whenever possible I will ofcourse use mains to charge the powerbank and other devices/batteries. Equipment I will take will be
- 2 cell phones
- 2 kindles
camera (with in-camera usb charging)
However, I also need some lights as well. At the moment I need:
- 2 headlamps
2 extra small flashlights (to use as all-rounder and/or front bike light)
I see 2 options:
1) focus on AA /AAA format (eneloop)
+ hassle free
widely available (at least alkaline) when needed
less capacity
2) combination of AAA & 18650
+ higher capacity
needs more tlc (I will not be taking a DMM on trips…)
First thoughts would be
Option 1) AA/AAA
Zebralight H52Fw as good headlamp
Need another cheap headlamp, AA format
Already have a DQG tiny AAA, maybe get an extra ?
Charger: Soshine SC-S7 or Soshine H2 V2 ?
Batteries: Eneloop
Powerbank: Xiaomi Power bank 10400 mAh
Option 2) 18650
Nitecore HC90 as good headlamp (Or Zebralight H600 mkII?)
Need another cheap(er) headlamp, 18650 format (Ultrafire UF-H2B
Flashlights: recommendations ? I do not need super high lumen output, and would stick with 1*18650
Charger: 2 options
- Use in-built HC90 charger (no comments in the reviews on the charging output of this one?)
Use powerbank as charger
—> Here I do not have options for AA/AAA charging
Batteries: need decent quality protected 18650’s I guess, can order via Nkon.nl ?
Powerbank: either DIY with 18650’s, or Xiaomi PB
So you see, already tried gathering some information, but still some more needed. Any thoughts on the AA/AAA vs 18650 discussion? The more you read, the more scared you get of 18650’s
No need to be scared of 18650's, there are only two things needed for using them:
1) be informed. There's no need to pamper the batteries but do know the basic handling of li-ions
2) buy quality batteries (Panasonic, LG, Sony, Samsung etc.). They can withstand thorough abuse and if all else fails they have some inbuild fail-safe systems to prevent 'venting with flame'.
A thing not mentioned, but that I do like for hiking: a USB-output solar panel. Recently I bought this chinese one on ebay (but there's more brands) and even in North European autumn sun I found that it easily outputs over 1A, which will charge everything at normal speed.
Well I posted in your welcome thread the following:
Here is the thread I posted looking for suggestions prior to my second trip.
How long is your trip? On my first trip (the 333 mile one) I carried way too many batteries but I was also in my infancy as a flashaholic so I was not carrying high-powered lights (nor cool gadgets like powerbanks) and only using AAA batteries (alkalines at that). By my second trip I had much better lighting, but still carried tons of 18650's (and a few 26650's). I carried a Miller ML-102 Li-Ion charger/power bank but didn't end up needing it much at all. One light I really liked was the UF-H3b headlamp which would run hours (dimmed slightly) on a single 18650 and provided very wide area flood lighting (and easily mounted/hung in a tree). For a lantern I used the 4AA Coleman Pack-away modded using Glass Frosting spray. Worked great and packs small. Easily runs on alkalines.
Nowadays I would NEVER go anywhere without my newly modded mule headlamp. For a powerbank, I use an ENB Triple 18650 with built-in USB charging and received good reviews. Oh, and that ENB power bank can double as your 18650 charger.
I would go with one or two ENB Tri-Powerbanks, one 18650 in every light plus one spare in the powerbank should be enough. They work pretty good as chargers but they take their time, charging over night should be no problem with a good power supply. You could take one of those waterproof 18650 containers with two last reserve batteries if needed.
As a second Headlamp take a look at Crelant CH10 (25 ish$ on Aliexpress) or Jetbeam HC20 from Gearbest .
Keeppower 18650 2600mAh are 4,95€/pcs at nkon.nl grab some of those.
I would get some tube style lights form Convoy, S2+ is a pure flooder but small and only 16$ (I recommend 1400ma). Order them with the preffered LED and tint. Convoy M2 ( with 2100ma is a good choice) is a great allrounder and still small if you’d like a little throw.
EDIT: Just noticed that Nkon has Armytek 18650 headlamps for cheap(less then 50€), you clould almost get two for the price of one HC90.
I would also recommend Zebralights from them, but most are sold out at this moment, if you want to wait some time that would be an option.
Thanks for the suggestions, great tips in there. It seems that most here are in favor for a 18650 setup?
I’ve tried searching for the ENB powerbanks, but it seems that there are no decent reviews available of the “tri-” powerbanks. Can anyone here vouch for these? What I failed to understood is if these powerbanks have independent channels for the batteries e.g. can I use mixed state of charge in these powerbanks?
If I combine a cheap DMM with these powerbanks, will that be sufficient to have as my ONLY option to charge 18650’s? I’m also in the need for a NiMh charger, maybe I can get a decent universal charger for home use then, or a soshine sc-s7?
The Nitecore HC90 is available from Banggood for $80, so same price as the Zebralight / Armytek options
Regarding batteries: I understood that most chargers and powerbank have some built-in protection regarding over and undercharging. Is it a must to have protected batteries then? Or is that more recommended to have a more hassle free setup?
I use unprotected cells in my ENB because it has protection built in (not totally sure on independent channels). It's reliable as a Li-Ion charger. There is a tiny little voltmeter you could carry in place of a DMM. I know FastTech has it. I think it only displays to a tenth of a volt though.
There are some reviews about the 2-slot ENB Power Banks that are good. This one for example, but they are not available anymore.
I have mine from FT , they work well so far.
They indicate cell voltage by the colour of the button. (red-orange-green) The button will be dark when it has finished charging.
IRRC charging is independent, I think they always switched the channel between the batteries.
As a Voltmeter you could a few of theese . I don’t think you would need one with protected cells but they are allways nice to have around.
Protected cells are not needed when you can take care of them, but for a trip without a voltmeter and sometimes critical usage and not optimal storing of batteries and lights I reccomend protected cells. Just imagine a light turns itself on in the backpack and completly drains an unprotected battery. Or something accidently shorts the batteries in there, you never know. Rule no. 1: The funniest stuff that can happen, will happen.
EDIT: Just checked, the Tri-ENB has common negative on the cells, but positve contacts are sperated(infinite resistance on and of), IMO that indicates you can use cells with different charge levels. I think many members are doing that without a problem.
Headlamps such as the nitecore hc50 has a voltage monitor built in. There might be other out there.
.
A headlamp can be used while cycling as well as off the bike depending on your preferences. Throwy vs floody is up to you. I have a home built, 18650 headlamp that can be used for biking while still on my head. For me, it works well until I hit a fast downhill in which case I’d prefer something more throwy to see far ahead.
.
I think a power bank using your own cells is best. The ENB recommended above is practical. I bought a power bank circuit with a digital display and added an adapter to connect to a 3P 18650 bike battery pack. It displays battery voltage, (pretty accurate compared to my DMM ), approximate % of battery life and current to the device you’re charging. I believe there is a battery box available too, both available from fasttech. power bank circuit
. possible enclosure (soldering is required if you buy a circuit separately)
.
I’d suggest having a headlamp as your backup since you can easily hold a headlamp in your hand while it’s rather difficult to attach a handheld light to your head.
Just wanted to update since I now have everything. I settled on:
2x Armytek wizard pro (yes yes, I went over budget, but that’s expected once you begin the search…)
1x Soshine E3 powerbank (takes 4x 18650)
1x Soshine SC-S7 charger (I needed a charger for NiMh as well)
For batteries I decided on Keeppower 2600 mAh ones, protected
Also got the tiny volt meter you suggested + an usb power meter thrown in just for fun!
For EDC keychain usage I ordered & got a DQG Tiny AAA in SS.
I’m still on the lookout for 1 extra flashlight, but I’ll wait a bit and test with the headlamps first to see if I need a thrower or an extra flood flashlight.
The current ENB triple 18650 power bank from FastTech has the three negative contact springs interconnected per my ohmmeter check but the + contacts are not interconnected so there may well be independent control of charging and discharging of each battery.
