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Garmin Charge Power Pack Questions

hubick
over 7 years ago
Hi,

I have an Edge 1030 and just pre-ordered the Garmin Charge Power Pack for it, about which I have some questions...

1) The user manual states "The battery pack may charge slowly when using a third-party USB cable or power source." Can you explain, technically, what exactly is required to be provided by the cable and charger in order to charge the device at it's maximum speed? ie, does the supplied Garmin USB charger implement an existing quick-charge standard (Qualcomm, Apple), or something proprietary?

2) Just to clarify, I understand if the Charge Pack is connected to an operating Edge, it will first charge the battery of that Edge to 100%, even while it's in operation, and then the Edge will continue operating directly from power supplied by the Charge Pack, until the pack is fully depleted, at which time the Edge will automatically resume operating from, and depleting, it's own internal battery?

3) If I connect an external power source to the "Input power Micro-USB port" of the Power Pack, while it's connected to the Edge, is it safe to assume power will be supplied from that external source directly to the Edge, first charging the battery in the Edge to 100%, and then being used by the Edge for operation without depleting it's own internal battery?

4) If an external power source is connected to the Power Pack, is it safe to assume that it does *not* support "through charging" to a connected Edge device, and the pack will *not* charge itself while also simultaneously supplying power to the Edge?

5) I understand from the user manual that I can use the "device key" on the Power Pack to stop/resume charging of the Edge device it is connected to. Is it safe to assume that, if I use that button to stop charging the Edge, it is at that time the pack will then begin recharging itself from a connected power source?

6) Will the Power Pack sense a connected Edge device being shut off, and then automatically start charging from an external power source if connected, without having to press the device key?

7) If I connected USB power from a dynamo to the Power Pack and it's connected Edge (during operation), I assume I will have to use the "device key"/button on the pack to choose between using that external power to operate the Edge or charge the pack (as per question 5). This question is about if I slow down, and not enough external power is provided as a result... (a) If the external power was *operating* the Edge, will the the pack automatically take over supplying power? And (b) if I was *charging* the pack, will the pack automatically start supplying power to the Edge again, or will it just shut off, and require another button press to resume supplying power to the Edge and prevent it's internal battery from depleting?

8) If, using external USB power from a dynamo, and I decelerate and then *accelerate* again to resume external power supply to the pack - (a) Will the pack just shut off on power loss, and then do nothing when I accelerate, unless I press some buttons? And (b), if external power was being "forwarded" to operate the Edge, will it just resume charging the pack when power is restored? And (c), if the pack is 100%, will the resumption of power then not do anything without pressing buttons, resulting in depletion of the Edge's internal battery?

9) Dynamo power can be a bit unstable at times, and it's advisable to utilize a power bank which supports "through charging" to isolate an Edge device from any power surges or shortages. I assume (as per question 4), that the Power Pack is *not* such a device, and as such, will *not* do anything to isolate the Edge device from the power being provided by an external dynamo, and just forward whatever power is being provided to the pack (surges, shortages, and all) onwards to the Edge, after having pressed the button in order to do so?

Much Thanks!

p.s. All this should be answered in the product manual / specifications ;-)
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    I've been using my Power Pack (the box actually calls it the "External Battery Pack") for five days now. My Edge 1030 had run about 8 hours and was at 59% when I attached it to the fully charged battery pack. Now I'm at 18.5 hours, and the battery pack just dropped to 50% at the start of today's ride, and of course, the Edge is at 100%. So far, this is looking very good!

    Update: After my ride on February 1, I tried to look at the external battery pack's charge level, and it wouldn't tell me anything. So I decided to charge both it and my Edge, and start another run down test on Feb 2.

    For this first test, I ran the Edge 1030 for 24 hrs, 12 minutes. The Edge began at 59%, and ended at 88%. (I watched it charging up from 82% to 90% during my ride, but then changed screens, and it was at 88% when I finished and looked again.)
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 7 years ago
    On a related note - are there any good options for mountain bikes on rugged terrain? We prefer to use (behind the bar) mounts, as crashing a Mtn bike with a forward mount will cause the Edge to take the blunt of the impact. These mounts place the edge directly over the stem. I'm thinking the best option might be to put the (behind bar) mount on the (wrong) side of the stem (L/R). This would put the Edge behind the bar, and next to the stem rather than directly over it. I'd have to check if any Mountain bike mounts allow for the charge insert, as the one that came with the edge would be a bit long, placing the computer a bit far back for easy reading.
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    For those who have third party (non-Garmin) silicone protective cases (i.e.Tuff-Luv) that cover most of the back, you will find it difficult to mount the 1030 onto the Garmin 1030 mount (with the Garmin Charge adapter attached) due to the thickness of the case. This why the Garmin case covers only the perimeter of the 1030.
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    A follow-up to my previous post. I ended up modifying my third party silicone case to prevent undue stress on the locking mechanism. See pics below.ciq.forums.garmin.com/.../1304907.jpg
  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to hubick

    So hubick, how does it work? Can we plug our charge power packs into our dynamo and then never have to worry about finding an outlet again? I'm interested in hearing about your experience. This would make it much easier to go on an endless bike tour in the middle of nowhere.

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to 4480581

    I connected my SON 28 dyno hub to my Garmin power pack via a Sinewave Cycles "Reactor" USB converter and it fried the power pack almost immediately, rendering it completely unresponsive. Since it was brand new, Garmin sent me a replacement. I do not blame Sinewave for this. I was too afraid to ever connect it directly again, and switched to a GoalZero Venture power bank as a cache battery instead, which is designed to handle the lower current from their solar panels, had the higher capacity I needed anyway, and as a bonus allowed me to drop the Out Front mount needed for the power pack (which was questionable for mountain biking in the first place) and put the 1030 back on my Stem.

    I never did enough long-term testing to determine if the dyno was charging the battery (power pack or goal zero) while powering the Garmin, or if the battery was just passing through power from the dyno and not actually charging itself - as it's difficult to tell, given the battery will also drain when powering the Garmin while current from the dyno drops too low. I can say that, before it fried, I remember lots of beeping as I would speed up and slow down and power from the dyno would waver. So, overall, I was not pleased with the power pack as a solution with the dyno.

  • 0 over 4 years ago in reply to Garmin-Shawn

    Hi - grave dig... in relation to your comment:

    "The charge pack will stop charging itself if it determines there is not enough power available from the external source and the voltage drops at its input. It will resume charging automatically when it detects the proper input conditions again."

    Can you please give me some numbers here? 

    For example, something like;
    If the input drops below 4.90V at a current draw of 50mA the Garmin charge powerpack will stop charging and will not restart until the voltage goes above 4.95V at a current draw of 50mA. 

    I'm trying to work out if my Klite USB charger from a SON28 dynamo will charge the Garmin Charge Powerpack efficiently for long term bikepacking before I purchase one.

    regards,

        Matthew

    PS I'm an electronics engineer so you don't need to hold back on the detail ;-)

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    I have the same questions, did you ever get a satisfactory answer?

    (I don't find these questions unexpected or strange in any way. People who buy these things do long bike rides. I need mine for a race that I expect to take at least 100 hours, perhaps 120)

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    Me also planning a multi day riding in back country and a proven power source idea is more then welcome.

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to MattD110td5x

    If you have a power source in mind just test it. Their point is that there are so many USB cables and power bricks out there, some good quality and some very bad ones (if you pay $1 for a cable and $2 for the charger ou can be quite sure you have a piece of junk that does not meet many specs it says it does and is a fire hazard). Anyhow they will never be more specific. They just say use good quality ones and it should work fine. Mine is charging just fine with Apple power adapters.