Hi Levi,

I’ve not tried the Reactor or the Plug III. However, based on my experience with both the Plug II and the Sinewave Revolution, I’d recommend the Reactor on the basis that my Sinewave Revolution is more reliable. The Plug III might solve the problems I had with the Plug II, but I don’t really know.

Cheers,
Lars

Which one would you use for charging telephone (Galaxy S5) and GPS device (Garmin Edge 1000)?

The Reactor or the Plug III? I’m only interested in these “hid away” solutions.

Thanks!

Used the PedalPower the first half year of my trip round the world. So Denmark to China.

It worked okay, though the connectors gave me some grief. Two connections needed and… well, let’s just say it’s annoying to ride a whole day and not get anything charged because the connectors didn’t. Gave up the ghost due to water damage. After which it did output power, but not 5v, so… meh. Superior Australian design shoddily built in China. Think the company has folded?

Switched to a Reecharge in the US after touring Oz and NZ without a charger. Cablewise much better, just has a USB-port. Rubber skin, so probably a bit more waterproof. I have to turn charging on with a button and off again when done. Works’ish, but indicator LED’s can be hard to see in sunlight.

I tend to run lights all the time so I’m more visible and I guess charging stuff suffers a bit as a result.

Hi Lars, Thanks for the reply. Yes, my Sony Nex is the older, original model 5, and has a USB port, but it can’t charge through the USB. I have been experimenting with a charging cradle from my solar charged battery, but have not had success. I find it interesting that the newer models (like the 5r and 5t) still use the same batteries (FW-50, rated at 7.4v), but can charge through the USB port on the camera (at 5.0v). There much be some sort of onboard charging regulator on the camera to accommodate this. Maybe I’ll have to consider a camera upgrade to be able to charge the batteries from the dynamo hub.
Thanks for the info!!

Hello Josh,

I must admit I haven’t yet tested the Sony NEX-5R specifically with the Sinewave Revolution. However, I was charging it successfully with The Plug without any trouble. Therefore, I can’t see any reason why it would not charge with the Sinewave. Could you confirm which NEX-5 you are using? I think the older version has a separate battery charger, but our NEX-5R didn’t come with a charger. It only charges directly via USB connection, hence the compatibility with USB power (5 V ± 5%).

Regards,
Lars

One question for you regarding recharging: It seems that the USB chargers are set at 5v output (for charging phones and tablets), but can you charge up (with the Sinewave Revolution) batteries that are supposed to take a higher input voltage (like the Sony Nex batteries)? I also have the Sony Nex5 camera–which I dearly love and plan on taking with me on tour. Yes, it is a bit bulkier than a P&S, but so much more capability without the bulk of a DSLR. It would seem that all the other batteries that you are charging will take an input charge of 5v or less to charge, but the Nex5 battery states that it is a 7.4 (or 7.2 on another battery). Have you had any problems charging your Nex batteries? Do they charge fine, but slower because the input is at 5V instead of 7.2V?
Thanks for everything!!