DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

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kilroya
Posts: 109
Joined: 10 Aug 2009, 5:18pm

DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by kilroya »

Hi,
How do I charge or more apt, what or where can I get the appropriate lead to charge the below battery type off my Luxos U dynamo set up.
A USB battery charger is what I'm after. The Luxos U has a built in cache battery.
Cheers.
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pete75
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Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by pete75 »

'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
kilroya
Posts: 109
Joined: 10 Aug 2009, 5:18pm

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by kilroya »

You're a hero. Cheers for that. Seems to be the one.
:D
hufty
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Joined: 28 Jan 2011, 7:24pm

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by hufty »

Just to point out that your battery is 7.2V, a USB output is 5V. So I would guess that it's not going to work for you. The battery mentioned in the ebay auction is 3.6V, so it would work for that battery. You would need something to step up the 5V to be more than 7.2V otherwise you won't be able to push charge into the battery.
Please do not use this post in Cycle magazine
kilroya
Posts: 109
Joined: 10 Aug 2009, 5:18pm

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by kilroya »

With you.
Any ideas anyone. Prefer my DSLR to my point and shoot Coolpix.
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RickH
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Joined: 5 Mar 2012, 6:39pm
Location: Horwich, Lancs.

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by RickH »

I presume the ebay one listed does the necessary voltage adjustments as a car 12v power is also the "wrong" voltage.
ebay ad wrote:Simply plug the battery into the dock and then the dock into any USB socket or in car charger socket and your battery will be ready to use in super quick time.

Rick.
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
Brucey
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Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by Brucey »

if you unplug your luxos then you can have many more volts ( in the daytime, obviously) and you should be able charge your battery fairly efficiently if you have the right circuit. The right circuit would be a battery charger that runs off a DC voltage of ~9 to 12V. All you need then is to provide the correct rectified and regulated DC voltage from the generator, to allow the charger circuit to work. Without lights attached you should be able to produce this kind of voltage quite easily.

Another possibility is to use a solar panel. Maybe not in the UK, eh... :wink:

Using a 5V output and then bumping it up again (e.g. using a voltage doubling circuit) is going to be pretty inefficient. The only advantage would be that you should be able to be charging some kind of cache battery all the time.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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andrew_s
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Location: Gloucestershire

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

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edocaster
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Joined: 10 Apr 2013, 10:43pm

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by edocaster »

It's a shame DSLRs run on 7.2v batteries and don't charge via USB. I'm sure we're just one generation away from that.

To get more than 5v from a USB socket, you would need some kind of boost circuit. As Brucey says, these will be inefficient, and will lose you charging current. You can google 5v to 12v boost circuits (all beyond me), and then couple this to a 12v charger designed for a car cigarette lighter.

Otherwise, getting more than 5v out of a USB socket seems to be a rare requirement, surprisingly.

Here's a USB powered charger which can do just that though: http://www.me2solar.com/pixo-c-usb-univ ... arger.html

...however, its compatibility with your battery is not guaranteed, as your battery has more than two terminals, and may rely on some 'smart' connection to the official Panasonic charger. Here's some discussion about the 4 terminals on other Panasonic batteries:

(Charger over-current - may or may not be a problem for a dynamo) http://www.flickr.com/groups/fz35/discu ... 820125676/

(Search for 'terminal' - some speculation the extra terminals are used for temperature monitoring) http://www.amazon.com/DMW-BCG10-Include ... B0032G618O

(...or maybe for the camera to 'lock out' unofficial batteries...) http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/25 ... ttery_drm/
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ConRAD
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Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by ConRAD »

Planet X wrote:... a USB battery charger is what I'm after...

Well, a CGR-S006E Li-ion battery , rated 7.2V-710mAh, requires a loading voltage of 8.4V at approx 0.5-0.7A equivalent to a continuous charging power of nearly 4.2-5.88W. Definitely it’s impossible to charge such a battery with your Luxus-U, simply because Luxus-U usb output is 5V only.
Impossible either with an e-werk set at 8.4Vdc … simply because its residual (effective) output power at 13 mph can’t be more than a miserable 2.5W.
You may try though, but I suspect that as soon as you’ll connect the battery the e-werk output voltage will tend hopelessly to drop !!
Solution: if you want be able to charge a camera using Luxus-U or whatsoever usb device (e.g. e-werk, zzing, etc.) you've no other chance than change camera and buy a compact one with usb charging facility.
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Dean
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Location: Darlington

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by Dean »

It might be easier just to buy a clutch of spare batteries and take them with you. And accept that you'll have to take the wallwart on longer trips.
kilroya
Posts: 109
Joined: 10 Aug 2009, 5:18pm

Re: DSLR Battery Charge via USB dynamo

Post by kilroya »

Yeah, that seems to be the easiest way, bring one spare (less than a tenner in Amazon) and the original 3pin charger. A pub or campsite will surely allow you to plug in for a few hours. (a few pints) Deal.
Less hassle. Thanks for all the input.
I like the versatility of my compact Panasonics DSLR Lumix.
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