Technical > Battery Charging from a Dynamo

Tout Terrain Plug 2 on my Thorn Tour

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Shauno71:
I need some advice if possible. I bought a Thorn Club Tour in December and the Bike is great along with the Son 28 hub wired to an edelux lamp. It is also wired to a Tout Terrain Plug 2 which I have used to try and charge my I-phone 4 both while the phone is on and off. On both occasions it drained the battery totally rather than charging it - can anyone offer some advice - am I being daft!

Danneaux:
Hi Shauno, and welcome to the Thorn Cycling Forum!

Reading your post carefully, I can say about your charging system, "It shouldn't do that".

The components are proven to work together well. I would suggest checking the Tout Terrain The Plug 2 with a voltmeter first and making sure it is putting out ~5.0vdc. For reference, my own TTTP2+ model holds steady at 4.91vdc, well within the limits for USB 2.0 output. It is important to note the "Plus" model provides maximum output at a lower speed than the older "plain 2" model, and it may be the supplied voltage is insufficient for adequate charging at slower speeds if yours is the older model, particularly when climbing hills, riding on sower-speed gravel roads, etc.

If the The Plug tests to have adequate output, then the problem may be excessive device draw. To charge the iPhone with the TTTP2, the iPhone may have to be turned off while charging. Tout Terrain make this note about charging smartphones in their FAQ, and I have found it to the true that with some devices, they simply draw too much current while operating for the charger to make much headway on topping-up the battery. However, you mentioned the phone's battery drains even while turned off and plugged-in.

There is another possibility.

You asked...
--- Quote ---am I being daft!
--- End quote ---
No, I don't think so!  ;D Looking at the issue a bit deeper, it seems the iPhone 4 -- depending on apps and settings and the OS version used -- can have charging issues even while plugged in, and these issues affected lots of owners. Here are some links that resulted when I Googled "iPhone 4 battery drain while charging":
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4310494?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/message/17085471#17085471
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1264910
http://ios.wonderhowto.com/how-to/stop-your-battery-from-draining-after-updating-ios-7-ipad-iphone-ipod-touch-0148680/

Hopefully, something in the above will prove helpful to you.

Best,

Dan.

Shauno71:
Hi Dan,

thanks for your response - it has certainly confused me but I rang thorn today who were as helpful as ever. Steve advised, like you, that this certainly isn't right and they are sending me the new wiring loom to upgrade this to a Plug 3 which will hopefully solve the problem as they said they have had some issues with the Plug 2. Will let you know how it goes but fingers crossed as this is my first foray into charging from a dynamo and could add greatly to the feeling of independence.

Cheers, Shaun

Danneaux:
Wonderful news, Shaun!

Fingers crossed this gets things sorted for you; outstanding job by Thorn/SJS Cycles.

Please let us know how you come out and if it solves the problem for you.

Best,

Dan.

jul:
Hi all,

I have a question please about my Supernova usb charger .. about the PAT battery (https://shop.supernova-design.com/shop/product/supernova-pat-cable-for-the-plug-111)

Is it possible that my PAT battery can be dead if i don't use my bike for many month ? How can i see if it is dead ? 

If yes, can i use my usb charger without the PAT battery or i need to buy a new one ?

Thanks in advance !

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