Keeping it charged

[humanbeing]

...2.0 amp charger, a bit hard to get, until the iPad came along. Now you can find them in most electronic...

A good quality chinese brand charger:
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=9106692078

[felix]

Thanks for the link HB. I had found this one which is a lot cheaper but looks a bit shitty:
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=7334605329

For switches and cables there's this shop which sells all sorts of badass switches for car instrument panels:
http://jhtcp.tmall.com/

Final question: if i was to install an in line fuse, what rating should it be?

[jape]

Final question: if i was to install an in line fuse, what rating should it be?

Hi mate, not back yet, still crook but bored so popped in and saw this.

A fuse in this system as described is between the charger and the bike circuitry so it functions to protect that. The charger is rated at 2 amp so that is probably the fuse you want. Anything less would blow at maximum rated draw. Do check the specs of the charger though, as if it is average 2 amps it may peak higher so 2.5 or 3 would be required. As a rule of thumb, you get as close to the max power draw of any device as you can. To low and the fuse pops, too high and the device melts! I usually start low and increase it if it blows. That is safest with electronics because cheap stuff doesn't necessarily have in built protection, voltage regulators, diodes, fusing etc. and it certainly isn't built for motorcycling conditions on or off road, ie vibration, jolts, dust, moisture.

Also watch the gauge of wire used, too thin will overheat and on a bad day, will burn your bike to the ground.

Be careful with your devices too, check that they are in fact rated at 5 volt not 3.6 as you can overload the voltage regulators. Usually, not always, if they have the capability to accept a 4.8v wall charger they should be OK. Sometimes though, if they rely on a specified manufacturers' charger, that will have the voltage regulator, not the device ... and you could get a nasty burnt smell when you connect your device!

[felix]

Thanks for the clear-up Jape, and good to see you're still more or less with us! My phone (HTC Hero) should be fine running off 5V, i always charge it will wall chargers.

Now if only i had a bike to play with...

[Lucien]

Hi guys I a PDF Manual of a Bosch Relay application and diagrams I´m sure will help just let me know how can i upload it
I tried but it´s 3.5 mb (too big)

[Barry]

Hi guys I a PDF Manual of a Bosch Relay application and diagrams I´m sure will help just let me know how can i upload it
I tried but it´s 3.5 mb (too big)

If this is the guide you were referring to, it looks quite interesting!

[Lucien]

If this is the guide you were referring to, it looks quite interesting!

That´s the one Barry, i used to do car audio/security a while ago and it was very useful to me, i learned a lot...

[corporal_clegg]

Thanks ChinaV for your initiative and inspiration and felix for the motivation.

Mine is only 0.5 amps but I'm very happy with my first DIY "mod". Now I've got a little "dont-push-the-red button" red button on my dash. Awesome! will have to put a plastic baggy around it when it rains tho which will take away from the batmobile feel a bit.

[filipu]

Hi, As I don't know anything about wires I'd like to ask, how to connect this to battery. Very detailed description would be appretiated.
I have found this on chinese forum:
YO_CDR4ME_URA%%{8}VTB(G.jpg

and I'd like to do the same

I bought this:
KPSAGJH%VU)UH4{3)7WHXJT.jpg

But I don't know how to connect it to the battery. The white thing on the right is a fuse? Is it where the black wire goes?
`32V$%U{%5S[{HVR7]HXCWK.jpg

I will just use it to charge my phone with gps so i guess i dont need the switch
I hope I don't

eh, and I have graduated form technical university;)

[corporal_clegg]

you do need the switch filipo because it saves you if you forget to plug the usb out otherwise it'll drain your battery. It's actually not that hard, the switch only adds 10 minutes work and saves you having to detach the usb everynight when you're travelling. Felix might pop in and say how he works without the switch.

is that your battery in the pic? so theres a positive and negative (red & black) usually there's a load of wires attached to the two terminals. Iv guessing one of the terminals is hidden by that red thing in the pic. I'm not sure how that red thing works, is it a cover or part of the wire? Anyway the terminals are just two screws, screw one out a bit, wrap your wire around it and screw it back in then do the same with the other terminal. If you take more pics of the battery maybe I can help you, otherwise maybe someone else with more knowledge will come along.

on my bike it was pretty self explanitory there was a big mess of wires going to the battery's terminals and I just attached my wires in among them the same way they were.

You can also by little loop clip things which I did. I like things to be neat. You can see them on the end of the wires in the first pic from chinaV