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The electrical powerplant of the OnTheRoad 4.0

a lot of renewable energy !

🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞

The OnTheRoad 4.0 is equipped with a homemade electrical powerplant called Black Box 2 (so version 2).

It is a very simple system with a minimum of cabling but with maximum possibilities. The electrical components are integrated in a small black box which is mounted to the inside of the right frontrack. This way the box and cables are fully protected and do not interfere with a bag at the rack. All connectors are positioned rearwards since expectations are that all rains always will arrive at the front ...

The Shutter Precision dynamo ofcourse confirms to the standardspec of 6VAC - 3Watt at a given standard (rpm) speed. This means that the voltage raises when rpm raises.

Inside the Black Box 2

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The "6VAC" dynamo-voltage (1) is fully rectified (2) to get the negative half of the sinuswave to the positive side. Then the result is strongly buffered with 2 capacitors (3). They are charged by the sinuswaves and act like (very fast) batteries. Every time a sinuswave is fading out the capacitor will "fill the gap" with it's stored energy. So you get a nice DC-voltage with far less rimples inbetween the ac-waves.

It is actually the same idea as when having a waterpump without or with a buffertank. However, this bicycle-dynamo-pump starts and stops very many times per second. It does so exactly according to the frequency of the voltage the dynamo creates. So to the speed you are cycling.

In combination with the √3 principle when transferring alternating current into direct current you will get a voltage above 12VDC at regular bicycle speeds. This 12VDC+ voltage of the Black Box 2 supplies an output-connector for charging a laptop-powerbank (8) plus a 7805 voltage-regulator (5) (so with 5VDC output) that supplies both the frontlight (6) and an usb-connector (7). I always have my gps connected to that usb-outlet when cycling. That way it's batteries (which are not charged in the gps) last many many long days of cyling.

In parallel to this, an 18VDC solarpanel can be added at connector (4) where it will be parallel to the dynamo's supply. These 18VDC solarpanels are more rare then the 5VDC types but still they are easy to find if you search for "solar 18vdc laptop". Ofcourse this (also) means that (solar-) charging of the powerbank will continue during stops.

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By switching off the frontlight it's energy will also be added to charging the powerbank and/or to any usb-device connected. I always have the frontlight turned off during daylight since it consumes much more energy then my gps. Which means I have to cycle much faster to have the gps supplied, and so to save it's batteries. But al least some 50% of the time I cycle I do not succeed to cycle at a high enough speed to achieve that.

And by not switching off the frontlight it will continue to light during standstills because it is then powered by the powerbank (if connected) via the 7805-regulator. This is very handy while setting up your camp at dusk or night. Besides that, walking around at your campsite with a headlamp (on your head) attracts far and far more attention then having a headlamp of your bike shining away from the road in a fixed position.

There are also 19VDC laptop-powerbanks that (also) can be charged via a usb connector, so with 5VDC. But this will take about twice the time to charge the powerbank compared to charging with a "19VDC high voltage" system.

While riding, the powerbank is stored in the handlebar-bag. Thanks to a small selfmade cable-hole in it's sidewall the bag can be fully closed with the zipper. The solarpanel can be hanged in any save position with help of its mountingholes. So it can be positioned in the best way to "always catch the sun" !

Finally, the taillight is a TUV-certified (ofcourse !) fully automatic battery-powered sensor-type which therefore needs no cabling and no operating. When switched in S-ensor mode it reacts very reliable and fast to fading light when moving. Then, after not moving for 6 minutes in the dark it switches off automatically. Fyi : in Germany you are actually only allowed to cycle with TUV-approved bicycle lights. In the Netherlands this is a joke, but in Germany it is not. There, if they are not approved you are not insured.

History of the BB2

Just before I emigrated from the NL in 2017 I decided to build a new electrical box. I had already created the Black Box 1 that I had installed at my OnTheRoad 3.0. I removed it when I sold all my remaining bicycles and transplanted it over to the OnTheRoad 4.0. But later I realised it could be quite more simple. By the time of writing this BB2 functions for over 3 years and is doing very well *. Especially considering the OnTheRoad 4.0 🖱️, and so the BB2, is "living" outside in the full climate very many days and nights per year.

I took the above picture of it's inside early 2021 and as you see it still looks 100% oké. However, I obviously had tightened it too strong to the frontrack, and that has caused it's mountingstrip to break. I have reinstalled it with a cabletie and it will last "for ever". The connectors are rusting a bit (ofcourse they do) but they still function well. There is no reason to expect them to fail.

The Shutter Precision dynamohub died

early 2021 and so the BB2 suddenly became useless. I will not replace the hub nor the wheel since the rims are of a very high quality. Which is by far the most important aspect of wheels. This is why 🖱️.

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Instead I created a solution that would allow my small solarpanel to be clicked on top of my new handlebarbag. It charges the 10.000 mAh (37Wh) Intenso powerbank that in turn supplies the gps.

This powerbank is of the charge-through type so it can be charged and can charge at the same time. So the gps-batteries stay in topcondition since they actually are not used. It is much more easy to charge a powerbank then to charge batteries.

About mAh and Wh

The capacity of powerbanks is always related to (the voltage of) a single batterycell. Which (for the time being) is a li-ion type which has a 3.7VDC cellvoltage. Powerbanks always have all their cells connected in parallel. In other words, there basic internal voltage is always 3.7VDC.

A 5VDC (usb) powerbank creates 5VDC out of it's 3.7VDC cells and a 18VDC (laptop) powerbank creates 18VDC out of it's 3.7VDC cells. This means that a 10.000mAh powerbank can deliver 7400mAs (3.7/5) to a mobilephone and 2055mAs (3.7/18) to a laptop.

In a Direct Current system P = U x I. So if U = 3.7VDC and I = 10.000 mAh (10Ah) then P = 37Wh.