Exactly how does a power bank work?
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After reading about the power issues I bought two power banks - 3350mAh and its bigger brother the 6700mAh. I thought that by riding with these plugged in to the Karoo that I would not see a power drain during a ride; however, today was the second day using these and a power drain was still indicated on my Karoo unit. The drain for a two hour ride was the same percentage with the power banks that I experienced before buying them. They both will charge the Karoo unit back to 100% but that is when I have the Karoo turned off. I could use a little help from you guys that have all the experience with these power bank units to help me understand just how this works - Please.
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Well, something isn't right. I've charged from a power bank while riding and ended the ride with more charge than I started with (i.e., it charged faster than it was using power).
While most power banks automatically turn on when a charging load is connected, some require you to actually turn them on first (not likely, just a thought). I don't know how many sensors you're running or if you have Bluetooth and/or cellular running, but I suppose its possible that those things could increase drain enough to outstrip the charging rate. Its also possible (though not likely) that the charging cord wasn't making a good connection (i.e., intermittent charging while riding). Did you notice if the charging icon was on while attempting to charge while riding?
I'm using a charging cable with a magnetic end (one piece stays in the USB port, the charging cable attaches to it magnetically). This seems to give a good connection, makes it easy to connect during a ride and keeps the USB port from being stressed by insertions/removals or tugging on the cable while riding.
The only other thing I can think of that might affect things is the rated charge amperage of the power bank. If they're rated at 1amp, try one with a 2amp charging limit. The capacity of the power bank shouldn't make any difference - at least over a two hour ride.
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Thank you for replying!
All I have is the Karoo. I checked the specs on the power banks and the 3350 has a max output of 1.2V and the bigger one double that. I did not know to look for a charging icon on the Karoo so that will be one thing I will look for the next time out.
As far as turning the power bank on I just connected both to the Karoo and the four lights on the power banks immediately came on. When I ride I have these tightly encased in a foam cocoon (a temp measure until I get my mounting unit straightened out) and tightly secured against the frame with Velcro straps. This is an interesting point because there are switches on both power banks and I suppose it is possible that the foam is so tight that it somehow interferes with the button and the units never switched on. Another thing I will look for the next time out.
I have two cables that I use with these and both connect and recharge the Karoo so the cables are not an issue - I recharge the Karoo at my desk where I am writing this.
I will post what happens after my next time out. We have really bad weather right now - cold, wet, strong winds, but no snow which is very unusual for this time of year - so I do not get out every day. The cold and wet are the killers, the snow is not a problem as long as it is dry.
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I am in the middle of my "next time out"! Decided to just run the Karoo on my desk. I started an "In Ride" let it run until the power status was 85% then I plugged in the 3350mAh power bank. The charging icon came on and 30-minutes later the power status had increased to 95%. So, from this it appears my unit is charging just fine and I have a problem that needs to be worked out concerning how the power bank is attached to my bike. We learn as we go! Thanks Ross for giving me enough information that got me started thinking in the right direction.
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