12V accessory socket?

[cruiser]

Are there any e-bikes out there which come with a 12 V "Accessory" socket as standard?

I have a TomTom Rider 2 navigation unit (from my motorcycling days) and I'd like to use it on the e-bike that I eventually decide to buy... of course the accessory socket would only play a small part in the overall decision!

Edit - It's just occured to me that the batteries fitted to most - if not all! - e-bikes may not be 12v at all - sorry for my ignorance!

Mike

 

[rog_london]

Are there any e-bikes out there which come with a 12 V "Accessory" socket as standard?

I have a TomTom Rider 2 navigation unit (from my motorcycling days) and I'd like to use it on the e-bike that I eventually decide to buy... of course the accessory socket would only play a small part in the overall decision!

Mike

The answer has got to be 'no' as there are AFAIK no 12 volt e-bikes (unless you count some weird home-brew contraptions - *somebody* must have tried it).

All the ones you might buy are either 24 or 36 (ish) volts.

You could probably do a DC-to-DC converter job to produce 12 volts, but I could only recommend that if you know what you're doing - and if you do you probably don't need to ask in here!

Rog.

 

[cruiser]

Thanks for your reply Rog, which you must have posted as I was editing my op! Yes, a Dc-Dc converter would be the answer I guess, other than running the TomTom on its internal battery only (for a limited time!).

BTW, does anyone out there use a motorcycle-type Nav unit on their e-bikes?

Mike

 

[OneWayTraffic]

www.ebikes.ca Homepage of the revolution have a good selection of dc-dc coverters and wiring advice.

 

[Fecn]

Thanks for your reply Rog, which you must have posted as I was editing my op! Yes, a Dc-Dc converter would be the answer I guess, other than running the TomTom on its internal battery only (for a limited time!).

BTW, does anyone out there use a motorcycle-type Nav unit on their e-bikes?

Mike

My mobile phone serves as my GPS/satnav on my bike... and also as the speedo, and altimeter.. route recorder etc... I made a handlebar mount for the phone from a £3 crystal case and a blob of polymorph.

I bought a 120W 24->12V converter very cheaply from china, but it's far too large and bulky to go on the bike, so instead I just take spare batteries for the phone along with me for now. I plan to one day rig up a Nokia charger on there.

 

[Alex728]

how much current does a tom tom use?

maybe thinking laterally, building a small 12V battery pack independent of the bike battery may be a better idea? depending on current rating, maybe this could also be used for lights in winter or after dark...

I use a "hand held" GPS on my bike which uses just 2 x AA cells..

 

[Footie]

how much current does a tom tom use?

maybe thinking laterally, building a small 12V battery pack independent of the bike battery may be a better idea? depending on current rating, maybe this could also be used for lights in winter or after dark...

I use a "hand held" GPS on my bike which uses just 2 x AA cells..

It is possible to create a 12v battery with AA batteries; you could use a 10-battery holder from Maplin (10 x 1.2v = 12v).

AA Size Battery Holders > Maplin

All you have to do is rig up a connector to your GPS.
If you used rechargeable batteries you could put them on charge when you put your battery on charge.

Incidentally, this is the method I worked out for using my GPS on my ebike but not put the idea into practice yet, so I would be interested to hear how well it worked.

-----------------------------------------------
Cougar Mountain Electric Bike 36v 200w Hub motor (Jul07)
fitted with 10 Ah LiFePo4 battery (Apr08)
Maximum range (road/hills - Cornwall) 18 miles
Maximum range (on flat) 25 miles
.

 

[rog_london]

It is possible to create a 12v battery with AA batteries; you could use a 10-battery holder from Maplin (10 x 1.2v = 12v).

AA Size Battery Holders > Maplin

All you have to do is rig up a connector to your GPS.
If you used rechargeable batteries you could put them on charge when you put your battery on charge.

Incidentally, this is the method I worked out for using my GPS on my ebike but not put the idea into practice yet, so I would be interested to hear how well it worked.

-----------------------------------------------
Cougar Mountain Electric Bike 36v 200w Hub motor (Jul07)
fitted with 10 Ah LiFePo4 battery (Apr08)
Maximum range (road/hills - Cornwall) 18 miles
Maximum range (on flat) 25 miles
.

Don't mean to be TOO picky, but you'd only be getting 12 volts with rechargeables - if you had 10 standard AA cells you're looking at a good 15 volts when they're new, which *might* be just a bit on the high side for some GPSs.

Rog.

 

[Footie]

rog_london posted:
Don't mean to be TOO picky, but you'd only be getting 12 volts with rechargeables - if you had 10 standard AA cells you're looking at a good 15 volts when they're new, which *might* be just a bit on the high side for some GPSs.

You are right; a high voltage is a possibility.
However, when I made up 12 of these packs the voltage was around 12.5v to 13v (using Maplin rechargeable 1.2v) I checked each one.
Perhaps Maplin’s quality control is better then others.
When the main battery died in my campervan the new one was putting out 13.5v, higher than any of the above mentioned packs and my GPS was fine.
I think they are reasonably hardy devices – well mine is
Of course, I would recommend anyone building such packs to check the voltage of the pack before connecting it to their valuable GPS.

-----------------------------------------------
Cougar Mountain Electric Bike 36v 200w Hub motor (Jul07)
fitted with 10 Ah LiFePo4 battery (Apr08)
Maximum range (road/hills - Cornwall) 18 miles
Maximum range (on flat) 25 miles
.

 

[Haku]

Dimension Engineering sell some excellent well priced miniature DC-DC converters, I have one of the 10 watt adjustable switching regulators buried in the frame of my ebike to take the bike's 24v-29v battery voltage down to a level I need for my lighting setup, and it'll also drive my future 300 LED bike light.

I've been using the Dimension Engineering DC-DC regulator for a year now in my bike without problem - just wrap it up and/or spray the board with conformal coating so moisture doesn't make the component legs rust. It's so nice not having to worry about batteries for the lights, when I borrowed my brother's bike I hooked up a temporary 60 LED light and always had to charge the 8x AA battery pack before going out, it was a complete hassle but the ebike's battery will power the lights for long after it's too weak to adequately power the motor.

 

[Alex728]

what are HMRC like about duty etc when you buy these things?

 

[Haku]

I've bought several from Dimension Engineering over the past few years and not been hit with customs charges yet. They're so small & light I don't think they really bother with looking closely at the details. Reminds me, must get a few more.