Alternative buffer battery for Cinq5?

[Alizap888]

Clearly due to the fluctuating output of the Cinq5, this struggles to charge certain devices like Lithium Ion power packs. Does anyone use an alternative buffer battery other than the Cinq5 buffer battery (~£100+!) which can be trickle charged and then used to charge other devices with a constant output? Many thanks

[mickeg]

I will try to reply in more detail later, only have a few minutes.

There are the cycling ones that can be placed in a steerer tube or are waterproof.

And there are powerbanks that can be used in pass through mode where the battery can be charged simultaniously as being discharged to charge up some other device.

I use a powerbank in my handlebar bag.  But many power banks will not work in pass through mode, they can be charged or discharged, but not both at the same time.

Most powerbanks do not state if they can work in pass through mode, and some that say they can will have a hiccup in that mode and mess up the process of charging a GPS or whatever.

Which is your preference?  Cycle specific or other?

[mickeg]

In my previous post, I assumed you wanted pass through capability.  Alternatively, if you want to charge up your power bank and later use that to charge other devices, you do not need pass through capability.  Some on this forum do it that way.  I want the pass through capability so that I can charge up my GPS while I am riding and using it.

I think most powerbanks can be charged up with a varying about of power. 

But if you are not using a cycling specific one, where do you put it?  And is that a good place to have it when it rains?  I am assuming in the rain, you are not using your Cinq5 to charge anything.  But if you had one that was part of the Cinq5, I assume that it would still be charging while you are riding in rain.

[Alizap888]

Thanks for your response.
My preference is a powerbank in my bar bag - any recommendations?

[mickeg]

Mine with pass through capability was made by Voltaic.  Cost maybe twice what a cheaper one would have cost.  Mine as 44 watt hours of capacity, thus I have several days of power if for some reason I am not charging it very fast.  My model is no longer made, they make bigger and smaller ones.

I think that John Saxby on this forum uses an Anker one.  This post is several years old.  He charges it up while riding, then at end of day charges his devices from it.  I do not know if it has pass through capability.
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12530.msg92965#msg92965

[PRP]

Regarding a storage battery allowing  "pass through charging" ie, simultaneous charging from a power source [dynamo or wall plug] and constant voltage output for smartphone etc charging]
I have used a Cinq5 with good result , other than it lasted only about 6 months of continuous use before it could not be charged by my SON dynamo anymore. So the life of the internal battery is not great
Storage batteries made by VOLTAIC systems specify "pass through " function, so it does simultaneous charge and discharge.
I have one of these  VOLTAIC batteries [plus solar panel], and it defiantly functions as specified, but it will have a limited lifespan.
More research lead to the "Soshine E45 18650 LCD USB ", which is supposed to allow "pass through charging"
check out this link https://www.cyclingabout.com/buffer-batteries-pass-through-charging-dynamo-hub-systems/
 This device does not include any batteries, so you buy those separately
This takes  two 18650 lithium batteries which are user replaceable .This is a huge plus as they are easily available, from expensive new ones to very cheap recycled ones
i have just ordered the SOSHINE E45 on ALIEXPRESS , and was NZ$20 with free postage
So i will be field testing this set-up in the future, both charging from SON dynamo, and solar panel...... probably the limitation will be the quality/longevity of the electronics oi the device but for the money it is worth trying
Of the few regular lithium ion storage batteries i have had, they have all charged from a solar panel , but only the smallest capacity one [? i think about 1600mAhrs] would charge from my SON dynamo,

After some test use of the Soshine ES4..... there is one big problem ..... the "on/off" button will not turn the unit on [ but once "on", it can be turned off]
To achieve turning it on , the unit needs a current coming into it, which  can be wall charging / solar panel or hub dynamo.
When riding , it will turn on at about 9 to 10 km/hr and bypass charges my phone as it is supposed to .
I read a "reddit" post about the ES4, regarding the not turning on  problem , and one contributor mentioned that battery removal and short circuiting between positive and negative terminals with a small length of wire,  then after the batteries are replaced,  allowed the unit to be turned on with the on/off button.
Unfortunately mine does not do this

However..... i have come across yet another storage battery, this is the NITECORE NB10000,[10000MaHr] and after some enquiry found that this is suppose to simultaneously charge and discharge.
In the NITECORE range , the 20000MaHr specifies that it will simultaneously charge and discharge , but this information is absent from the small print related to the 10000mahr version...... but the supplier assured me it did do this
The great thing about this battery is they are very light , with carbon fibre shell, and some degree of water resistance
So i bought the NB10000 , and yes..... it bypass charges my apple  cellphone just fine.

[Andre Jute]

I'm surprised to hear about these short-service batteries. I used common rechargeable batteries from the supermarket in the place of a parallel resistor and capacitor as a cathode bias in tube (thermionic valve) hi-fi designs, an extremely hot environment in which the batteries were continually charging since I left these amps switched on in tests on the prototypes 24/7 sometimes for months, and I never had a battery failure or a tube blowout that could be traced to these cheap batteries. Nor in my personal copy of these amps that came from the production run. This is definitely a "pass-through" scenario, as otherwise the amps would have a break -- a dead stop -- in the signal path and wouldn't amplify. Those of you with knowledge of electronics can see the battery I'm talking about in one of these battery bias designs just about in the middle of the schematic at:
https://www.audio-talk.co.uk/fiultra/T39-KISS-300B-Ultrafi-crct.jpg
Clearly it passes more power than a bicycle hub dynamo can muster, and in hugely more adverse conditions.

One thing you can do is to compare the resistance of a known-good battery against one that has failed you or one that you're thinking of taking on tour. The failed or about-to-fail battery will have a much higher resistance than the good one. (On most digital multimeters, the sign for resistance in Ohms is omega, like an O open at the bottom.)