Log 2014111201

My bicycle rim driven USB Generator arrived from usbfever.com in Hong Kong via the US Postal Service today, as well as the bicycle GPS mount for my Garmin eTrex 20.  That came from Guangzhou, a city in the Guangdong providene in the People's Republic of China, which also arrived via USPS.  As noted in this log previously, my former chain driven USB generator also came from Hong Kong.

Before the chain generator started to cease, it would only generate power when the chain was in motion. That was enough to prolong my smartphone's battery, but it wasn't always enough to stabilize it's pre-ride level.  Anyways, it only had a 1350mAh generator on it. I also had the cellphone battery and the chain generator connected on a parallel circuit (they were both directly connected to a 4 USB port hub).

In the past, the bike battery would shut off after about 10 minutes in that configuration when supplying power to both the hand GPS and smartphone.  I'm hoping that when I configure them next time to be in a series circuit, that I can generate enough power to feed them both and stay on.  But I'll say this for the new rim generator... it did not come shipped with any installation or operational instructions all.  But I think that will be alright because there's really not much to it.  Just the generator with mounting forks, two holes, two bolts with butterfly nuts and some rubber gaskets.

On new NiMH AA batteries, the eTrex 20 can stay on for 26 - 39 continuous hours without having to recharge.  Unfortunately, the device itself can not recharge the batteries. That must take place in a separate AC to DC wall charger.  And I don't see myself as needing power from the bike battery, or the rim generator unless the field GPS is out of power and I'm out of charged batteries, or the temperature dips down to less than 37°F.

Log 2014061001

I installed the new 5/8 trailer hitch pins in the rail mounts. They're snug and do the trick better than the 3/8 bolts that I was previously using.

At this time, I don't believe that the rails need to be redesigned. 

The company that sold me the rim for my full size spare, gave me one with a four hole pattern, instead of a five.  Today, they sent me a return label and I dropped it off at the UPS store for an exchange. They told me that as soon as they get confirmation of it being shipped, they'll send out the replacement. But the spare tire apparatus is mounted to the trailer now and is awaiting that wheel.

At this time,  I know that the castor wheels on the utility hauling trailer need to be replaced with larger ones.

Recently, a new Sawzall, jigsaw and 1/2" corded electric drill was procured. I was unable to get the previous nose off of my former corded drill so I could switch it from 3/8" to 1/2". After taking the Sawzall to it in attempt to destroy half of the nose,  I found that I couldn't break through the metal center to lop it off, so I ended up going to Lowe's in Mentor of Lake County and purchasing a superior Skil unit with a rotating second handle. It was necessary to support my new 5/8ths metal and wood drill bit that I needed to bore out the trailer hitch pin holes that mount the rails where it had used 3/8ths before.

Right now, there are a bunch of items being shipped that are late. The new rear rack bicycle bag is one of them. That part of the bike is already tore down and awaiting their arrivial.

Right now, the new detachable wiring harnasses for the trailer's underside deck  separation and rear lights quick wiring bypass are cut and ready to be installed.

Today, I ordered 2 sets of rubber trekking pole bottoms. I purchased them for about $7.50 a pair on Amazon.com.

Log 2014060502

My spare rim, tire and 8800mA laptop battery arrived one day ahead of schedule.

Log 2014042201

I took the bicycle out for a two mile round trip to the convenience store and back.  The truing on the rear wheel and the USB generator worked.  It's like I'm 2 for 2 today and I'm surprised that they didn't give me any trouble. As per how much drag the generator has on the bike, it's hard to say right now and it needs to be tested on a longer route.

So far, it didn't interfere with shifting. With it attached to my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with a 7.5" screen and having it jammed on, the generator produced enough power to keep the battery at the same level it began with.  However, the smartphone alerted me that it was only getting a slow charge. That usually happens when it's connected to a USB 2.0 port. The Note 3 is a 3.0 phone.  Oh well, sustaining the level is good enough for me.

The new kickstand is a bit tall, but I haven't tested it with a full load in the rear carrier, yet.

Log 2014042101

I finally learned how to true my own bicycle rim. With it in the truing stand as shown, I learned from YouTube that you turn the spoke nipple counter clockwise then turn the next one up opposite using 1/4th and 1/2 turns. I'm thinking about using 2 strips of metal that would be bolted to my kickstand's mounting bolt so I could true my rear rim on the fly.