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  1. #1 Keeping it charged 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    Someone asked about chargers, figured I would explain it here, and then others would know. I'm sure there are other options... this one works for me... YMMV.

    So you have a shiny new "gadget" that needs juice while riding. Just about everything charges off a USB socket these days, the problem isn't finding a charger, it's finding one with enough amps that won't fall apart while riding crappy China roads on a vibration happy Chinese motorcycle.

    The average "gadget" these days usually sucks up 0.5 to 1.0 amps while charging, most chargers are designed for 0.5 amps. The iPhone and bigger smart phones upped this to 1.0 amps. Under many circumstances, they will not stay charged if you run their big screens, GPS, 2G/3G data connections and bluetooth all day. So you need to find a 1.5 or 2.0 amp charger, a bit hard to get, until the iPad came along. Now you can find them in most electronic markets.

    Some various bits to make a charger.



    You have two options for connecting to your motorcycle:

    #1 Find a place on your wiring harness to tap into so the charger only draws power when you have the ignition on.

    #2 Wire directly to the battery with a switch to control when the device is charging. I like this option, as there are times I want things charging, but I don't want to run the bike. FYI... it takes about a week to kill your battery if you leave the charger on. One or two nights here or there probably won't cause any harm.

    First open up one of the chargers so you can splice in positive(+) and negative(-) leads.



    I just twist the wires together and use a little shrink tubing.



    Assemble the case with the wires sticking out. You can tape it all up once it's back together.



    Mount it on your motorcycle in a place that is protected from rain and dirt. I used some rubber strips and zip ties to keep it isolated from vibration. Mine goes under the side cover so it's easy enough to reach and I can see the red LED so I know if it's on or off.



    Enjoy...

    Cheers!
    ChinaV
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  2. #2 Re: Keeping it charged 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    Thank you so much for this ChinaV, looks like a much better setup than what i'd tried last year. The fact that it actually works is already a good start. I didn't even know simple things like that i need 2 amps to keep my phone running. I'll get to work on taobaoing the various bits and post links here.

    Being a total retard, I have still 2 questions though:

    1/ Could you be a bit clearer on how you wired this up? It's confusing me to see 3 wires coming out of the switch. I would've thought there should be 2 wires to make a simple circuit; charger to switch, switch to battery, battery to charger. What's going on with yours?

    2/ Presuming this is your Qingqi, could you show a wider picture of where you mounted it? I'm having trouble recognising bits as i don't have my bike yet.
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  3. #3 Re: Keeping it charged 
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    Quote Originally Posted by felix View Post

    1/ Could you be a bit clearer on how you wired this up? It's confusing me to see 3 wires coming out of the switch. I would've thought there should be 2 wires to make a simple circuit; charger to switch, switch to battery, battery to charger. What's going on with yours?
    .
    Suspect the red wires are the switched ones and the black is just needed for the illuminated bulb function .

    Looks a neat solution and better than the usual cigarette lighter socket etc - off to scan Ebay !
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  4. #4 Re: Keeping it charged 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    Felix, the charger is mounted on the right hand side of the bike (QM250).





    As bojer pointed out, the red wires are "switched" to provide power and the black wire is going from the battery to the switch to provide ground (-) for the little LED in the switch. In the diagram, the dotted black line is the ground for the switch, it's only necessary if you want the LED to light up.



    Cheers!
    ChinaV
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  5. #5 Re: Keeping it charged 
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    Thank you ChinaV for this thread, just had a cigarette lighter socket added to my dashboard last week. It is directly (+ fuse) connected to the battery, but no switch. I was also thinking if I should add a USB socket, but so far I only found some small rubber covers you can stick in there. No idea if that would be sufficient waterproof. Plus adding switches for each socket. I was looking at some of these switches but they might be a bit to fancy and not waterproof!

    Furthermore thinking of adding a hazard light switch, I guess you have some ideas/experience with this as well?!
    Kawasaki Versys 650
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  6. #6 Re: Keeping it charged 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    Barry, you bring up a good point with the fuse connection. That is something I did not add to this particular wiring job, I've never blown one of these chargers, but it would be a good idea to have an inline fuse just to be safe. Those switches look like they will do the job fine, just find one that is rated for 12 Volts and have it installed, without it, your battery is going to be slowly drained by the socket you added. My problem with those sockets is vibration... they usually only last for a month or two and then the dirt and vibration seems to kill them, that's why I like to wire direct.

    I'm not sure what you need to add for flashing hazards, I think it's a combination of switch and flasher relay . I'm far from competent when it comes to electrics...trial and error engineering school.

    Cheers!
    ChinaV
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  7. #7 Re: Keeping it charged 
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    Vibration wise, how about making the socket kind of float in pu-foam? Might be a bit of dirty job but easy diy. Create some kind of metal construction that can be attached to the bike and cover it with pu-foam. Then either put in the socket directly or cut out a hole later. Heat wise? I have no idea!
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  8. #8 Re: Keeping it charged 
    Senior C-Moto Guru Gardo's Avatar
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    This is awesome china V thanks, may need to experiment on a buddy's bike... hell I'm not gonna do it on mine
    Gardo northern NJ/NYC
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  9. #9 Re: Keeping it charged 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    Thanks for clearing that up gents, i get it now! Also thanks for the additional pics ChinaV. I like the tupperware storage compartment, is there really that much empty space under the seat?

    For vibration dampening, i know it's a bit cowboy but i reckon bubble wrap and duct tape would do a damn fine job! If it's hidden behind that panel i don't really care how nasty it looks!
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  10. #10 Re: Keeping it charged 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by felix View Post
    I like the tupperware storage compartment
    "storage"???

    My guess was that Mrs. ChinaV now packs a lunch for the boys, anticipating the next time they get stranded on a Spring Ride.

    Seriously, tx ChinaV - it's a nice, neat & easy solution to a common problem!
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