Dynamo Chargers

Using dynamo charging units to keep your devices charged up on an extended race, event or tour gets a bit tricky as there are many variables at play.
The simplest way to be sure you will be successful is to use your dynamo generated energy to power a power bank (battery). We had 2 customers that did the 2019 Paris-Brest Paris (1200K!) and both of them used the Power Pack II to charge their GPS & phones with success.
One of the tricky parts of using dynamo energy with devices is the constant fluctuation in power output. Many electronic devices lock onto a small trickle of power and do not take in more power when it becomes available. This leads to NOT charging the device. Some devices re-assess and take in higher levels of power when it becomes available (my iPhones have always seemed ok at this), but not all. So the only sure bet is to use a power bank that is designed to adjust intake as it is available. Not all (in fact few) power banks can handle this power management.
The Cinq5 Power Pack II as well as Goalzero Power Banks have been specifically designed not only to accept an ever-changing flow of power, but also are capable of acting as a pass-through. This means that the power bank can be used to charge a device at the same time that it is being charged.

We do a lot of dynamo lighting setups at Perennial Cycle. We have customers using dynamo power to light up their way home from work, keep them well light and fully charged on massive road rides, heading into the woods bike camping or cross country touring.
Lights for dynamo are pretty straight-forward and info can be found HERE.

Personally I've used the Plug III as well as the Igaro D2 Pro R2 to charge a few different iPhones over the years with great success, but how successful you are at charging a device with dynamo charger will depend on the amount of daylight you have (dynamo chargers do not charge AND run your lights), the device you are charging and the speed you ride at.
If you have time, it is best to do a fair bit of testing.

In the past 6 months we’ve seen 3 new dynamo usb charging units come to market and in my view these products represent the next generation in dynamo charging. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Plug III and have used it to charge my phone a lot, but that unit is soon to be moved to my commuter so I can make room for one of these newer, higher tech models.

Two of them I see as a response to what is a clear trend among long distance and touring cyclists that rely on their dynamo charging unit. This trend is to use their dynamo charging unit to charge a power bank, then use the power bank to charge their device (phone, garmin, wahoo, etc). There are a large amount of devices needing to be charged on the road, yet info regarding how these devices manage being charged is hard to find (in particular, how each device would handle a low, fluctuating power supply). Thus, the safest bet is to charge the power bank. Specifically the Smart Power Pack II because this power bank is designed for getting charged via dynamo power and can be charged while charging a device (pass-through technology).

The third option is strictly a dynamo charging unit with a usb-c port with some tech advancements that we’ve dreamed about, though this is the first time they’ve been available to us. The biggest advancement that we are most excited about is auto-reconnect. This is an answer to my comment above about not knowing how well a device can be charged when the flow of power fluctuates (namely drops to a tiny flow on a hill climb). Often devices stop receiving power when the current dips too low and then it ignores the incoming power…even when the power supply increases. Auto-reconnect solves this problem by recognizing the issue and reconnecting to the device when the power supply is at a level that the device will accept.

Here are the 3 options (plus a runner up):

Appcon 3000: The Appcon 3000 has a lot of tech happening in a nice little package. A 3000 mAh power bank is integrated into this unit. It can be mounted a few ways on the bike. Using the steer tube mounting setup is probably the cleanest solution, though you need to know that the headset cap is not the USB port (like some other units), but the USB port and the incoming power lines come out of the cap with a few inches of durable cable. Whatever mounting setup you go with, the Appcon 3000 is designed to be easy to remove from the bike. This is because you might want to take it in the tent and use the power bank, or you may want to bring it into the cafe and charge the power bank via usb wall plug. Another added feature of the Appcon 3000 is an iOS or android App. The App uses bluetooth to connect to the Appcon 3000 and gives you tons of information about incoming and outgoing power.

Cinq5 Plug5 Plus: The Plug5 Plus also has an integrated power bank. The power bank on the Plug5 Plus is 1000 mAh and is not capable of being charged from a wall mount and there’s no app for your phone, but there’s loads of tech in this unit. The Plug5 Plus has power management built into it so that charging a device AND having your lights on is a possibility, though we must understand that the hub only has so much power to give and the charging will happen much better when the lights are turned off. The Plug5 Plus is designed to fit into a steer tube. When this is possible, it’s an awesome setup as the USB-C plug is built into the top cap and the power bank along with all the electronics are hidden inside your steer tube. If you prefer a less permanent solution for mounting the Plug5 Plus (or you have a carbon steer tube), you can keep it external by using a length of 1-1/8” aluminum tubing to act as your mock steer tube. This will easily fit it into a frame bag or handlebar bag.

Igaro-UK D2: The Igaro-UK D2 is a simple, super lightweight and very techy dynamo charging unit. All Igaro D2’s have Auto-Reconnect technology built into them. With Auto-Reconnect you can successfully charge a variety of devices that might fail otherwise. The fail happens because the the device being charged might lock on to a very tiny stream of power, or possibly stop charging altogether because of the drop in power supply on a big climb. The D2’s will see this issue as it’s happening and automatically restart the charge process when there’s a higher power supply available. This charging shut down is a somewhat common struggle when using a  dynamo charging units that are not incorporating a pass-through power bank, so this is a pretty exciting feature to have. The Igaro D2-Standard has charge optimization built into it which is set for 12 MPH. This adds a nice little boost to the power output that the D2-Lite (or any other dynamo chargers) do not have. 

Worth Mentioning (runner up):

Cinq5 Smart Power Pack II: I would be remiss to not mention that while the Smart Power Pack II is not a new product, it is something that’s been gaining in popularity in the past 18 months. This is due to the fact that this power bank is pretty awesome. It is capable of adjusting it’s power intake with the power supply being offered AND it can charge and be charged (act as a pass-through). These are features that all 3 of the next generation of dynamo chargers are working to address. So if you have a charging unit that you’d like to breathe new life into, you might want to consider getting the Smart Power Pack II. 

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Looking for more info about using dynamo power? Check out these blogposts:
- Dynamo Lighting Basics
- USB Charging w/Dynamo Power

Here are some relevant links for our shop:
Dynamo Charging Units - Dynamo Products - Dynamo Lights  -  Dynamo Wheels