Portable AC Power outlet

25 July 2015, 22:53 UTC

@parrothd Do not open up the battery. Will throw everything off. I'll let the official Onewheel peeps explain from here...

26 July 2015, 01:22 UTC

Ok I just did another thread on this similar one. What is needed to charge the Onewheel while at a park... etc etc. Can I use a vehicle inverter to charge the Onewheel?

26 July 2015, 01:36 UTC

@DocBlock Thanks for the info on your charger! Great to know that will work. I wonder if there's a smaller/lighter unit out there, that is also strong enough for the Onewheel charger.

@Future-Motion I guess what I'm asking is if you know how many watts does the OneWheel charger pull, or any specs I should look out for when choosing a portable AC outlet.

Thanks!

26 July 2015, 01:39 UTC

Voltage x amp = watts
58 x 3.5 = ?????????????
200 plus watt

26 July 2015, 01:41 UTC

http://www.walmart.com/ip/15140201?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227009491717&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40839235232&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78652893392&veh=sem

The link above is what I am going to try to charge it with tomorrow running of my vehicle. It will run 750 watts which I think should be plenty but mine is not a battery just an inverter.

26 July 2015, 01:41 UTC

The OW charger need 200 watts to work.

26 July 2015, 01:43 UTC

Did anybody buy a portable charger that states 100w or less?!
does it still work on onewheel which requires 203watts

26 July 2015, 01:52 UTC

@aikhong16 I have this as a portable charger as well http://www.craftsman.com/diehard-platinum-portable-power-1150/p-02871688000P.

It will draw 400 watts or less but it is a little heavy to carry around.

26 July 2015, 02:00 UTC

@BradK that's too heavy!!!

26 July 2015, 02:03 UTC

@aikhong16 The thing is even a 250 watt inverter/charger will still have weight. I want something that can take me all the way through the Appalachian Trail hahaha.

26 July 2015, 03:32 UTC

Hey @Wayne,

You would need to get a portable inverter that can provide at least 250W and has a minimum capacity of 135Wh.

The Onewheel requires a good amount of power, the chargers meant for portable electronics won't be capable of supplying it.

26 July 2015, 06:38 UTC

@DocBlock So this works? That's great to know! good for one charge only I take it?

26 July 2015, 08:37 UTC

@Julian Thanks for the info! And thanks to everyone who chimed in!

The company that makes the charger that @DocBlock owns also makes a 250 watt version. I might get that for charging my Onewheel and for camping trips.

Even though those chargers are heavy I think I'd rather carry a heavy charger than a heavier Onewheel... but I do hope a Onewheel hiking backpack is in the works for when you need to cross terrain that is too rough, steep, etc. ;)

26 July 2015, 23:01 UTC

@Wayne If you want to share a link for that one i can take a look at it and advice you more if you still have questions.

Also, feel free to send a note to info@rideonewheel.com or support@rideonewheel.com to ask about compatibility of inverters with the Onewheel. We are always happy to help

27 July 2015, 00:03 UTC

Don't worry, it'll be modded sooner or later.. Already been doing research on the charger and getting them.. :)

27 July 2015, 00:15 UTC

Thanks @Julian !

This is the one I was thinking of getting... not only for possibly charging the Onewheel but also for family outtings:

http://www.aspectsolar.com/energybar-300.html

I appreciate you taking a look!

29 July 2015, 03:49 UTC

Hey @Wayne,

Sorry for the slow response, crazy week it's been.

The one from the link you posted is a bit below what you want. It says 200W as the max power, ideally you want at least 250W. Since it's right on the edge, it might sort of work but over time you probably will end up destroying it if it's always used passed it's limits. The 300 stands for Wh, not for Watt output which on the specs page it says 200W :(

29 July 2015, 05:18 UTC

@Julian Yes, I confused the watt hours for the watts. Thanks for taking the time to look.

If you don't mind, could you take a look at this one please... I think it meets the specs needed. Its a 300w inverter, with a 288Wh battery...

http://www.bixmart.com/120V-300W-AC-Portable-Power-Pack-Powered-by-288Wh-Battery--XP300AC_p_285.html

Thanks Julian!

29 July 2015, 05:28 UTC

@Wayne said:

http://www.bixmart.com/120V-300W-AC-Portable-Power-Pack-Powered-by-288Wh-Battery--XP300AC_p_285.html

Hey Wayne,

That's a nice find! That will do the trick and will give you two full Onewheel charges from each charge of the portable charger

29 July 2015, 06:34 UTC

@Julian That's great to hear! Wow, two full charges?!! Awesome! Thanks for the info!

I'm going to order it and will report back on this thread if the quality of the battery/inverter is good, etc.

I'm amazed that, according to the website, the battery only weighs 4.3 lbs and the inverter 1.5 lbs, for a total just under 6 lbs. Not bad :)

29 July 2015, 12:02 UTC

@Julian that's pretty enticing - a battery that will give two charges on the road. Seems a shame that you'd have to carry both an inverter for DC to AC and then the regular onewheel charger for AC to DC. Any way to find a solution that is just a battery with DC output and a DC to DC switching power supply (which seems like it would be small and light)?

31 July 2015, 23:31 UTC

Last night I tested out the portable 300W 120v AC Power Inverter, and it works great with the Onewheel!

The Onewheel was at 15%, plugged the charger into the inverter, and the Onewheel charged as if using the wall AC.

The inverter's battery pack was down to about half capacity after the charge, and even though it looks like it can do two full Onewheel charges, the battery instructions warned not to fully deplete the battery. So I think I'll only use it to charge my Onewheel twice in a row in an emergency situation. But the possibility of a 24 mile ride sounds amazing!

1 August 2015, 01:10 UTC

@DocBlock . Thanks for the info on the Aspect Solar Energy Bar 225. How many charges are you getting out of it? Does it take the same amount of time to charge as if the it were plugged into the wall?

1 August 2015, 01:13 UTC

Funny you should mention it. After my firmware updates, coincidentally it no longer charges my boards 😕. I can't possibly fathom how one thing could affect the other, but I cannot seem to get it to charge.

1 August 2015, 01:14 UTC

I deleted my earlier post about it due to its recent failure.

1 August 2015, 01:17 UTC

@Future-Motion could you weigh in on why the above charger from @DocBlock (Aspect Solar Energy Bar 225) stopped charging after version 3034 was released? Since that is the case do you have a recommendation for a portable battery?

1 August 2015, 02:43 UTC

@Future-Motion what I would really like is a car charger. I think a purpose-built car charger would be a lot smaller than a 120v car inverter just to then be brought down by the onewheel's brick to what the OW needs (48v?). But for me it would be great to drive out somewhere, then use my car or someone else's to get a charge from the cigarette lighter. Seems simple enough, I have a charger that does that for my Mac and it works great and it's tiny.
Thanks!

1 August 2015, 06:38 UTC

^^ second the car charger because sometimes just one ride isn't enough.

2 August 2015, 06:27 UTC

@Wayne I located a power outlet at the park on my way out! Lol I think I'll last a little while longer without the charger.

3 August 2015, 00:50 UTC

@818 Nice! I'm hoping I won't have to use my charger but I'm glad to have it for long distance rides. :)

3 August 2015, 17:05 UTC

@Docblock have you seen in the technical forum how the guys not in the US are having startup/charge problems after 34 update? They're wondering if it's a voltage difference thing. Not sure if this is similar but interesting.

3 August 2015, 19:22 UTC

image (1).jpeg
Ready to go!
Found a shaving bag at Target that stores the inverter, battery, and charger perfectly. Fits nicely in my backpack. :)

3 August 2015, 19:24 UTC

@veryous indeed I did, quite scary. I'm going to ask one of my electronics buddies what he thinks

14 August 2015, 00:55 UTC

Successfully refueled! (Griffith Park, CA)

@Future-Motion I can totally see how the Onewheel can be a new type of board sport. Last week I rode uphill on paved road, with battery down to 5%. I only charged to 65% battery power because I knew the next leg of my route would soon be on a dirt fire road going downhill. Because it was off road, I also deflated my tire from 22psi down to 12psi, for better handling.

Turned out charging to 65% battery was perfect because with downhill regenerative braking, I got up to 98% full. To reduce the regenerative charge and avoid full battery pushback, I rode more aggressively, carving down the dirt track. Sooo fun!

After exploring the old abandoned LA zoo, I rode up hill on the dirt fire road, and amazingly, there was only about 50 feet where where I had to hike with my Onewheel because the trail was too steep. I rode my Onewheel the rest of the uphill and just as I got to 4% battery remaining, the trail merged back to the downhill pavement and I didn't have to worry about the battery. By the end of the ride I was back up to 9% and had fun carving on the last stretch. :)

Because of the variance of the terrain and the extended distance traveled, by managing the battery level and tire pressure, it totally felt like some sort of off-road endurance racing!

@Future-Motion thank you for inventing this machine!

14 August 2015, 02:36 UTC

This post is deleted!

14 August 2015, 16:09 UTC

@utsu Yes, I did check out the elevation gain (accessible when in "bike" mode) and distance on Google Maps but there are several paths you can take so I was partly winging it.

We should totally ride when you get your board! @MichaelW and @818 are also in the area and we try to ride whenever possible.

6 September 2015, 00:35 UTC

Sorry to necro-bump this thread; but going to buy one of these batteries for the bike path unless there's any objections or anyone knows of something larger capacity in this price range.

http://www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-23000-Solar-Generator/dp/B00D5RVMAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441507443&sr=8-1&keywords=300Wh+portable+battery

http://www.bixmart.com/120V-300W-AC-Portable-Power-Pack-Powered-by-288Wh-Battery--XP300AC_p_285.html

Even after researching the power specifications in this thread I'm a little confused..

So, the OW ultracharger sucks 200W to charge the internal battery. Since the OW documentation says it takes 20 minutes to fully charge, that's ~600Wh.

If that battery Wayne bought provides 288Wh, wouldn't it only be 1.5 charges?

The onewheel inverter's specifications say AC100-240V, 50/60Hz 300VA

6 September 2015, 01:54 UTC

Utsu and Wayne, I live near your area also. I don't have my board yet, but we all have to ride together when I do. Griffith Park sounds like a blast. I can't wait to try the OneWheel.

6 September 2015, 07:40 UTC

oh neat, what about bike batteries?

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fedex-Free-Ship-Li-ion-Rechargeable-Battery-Pack-350w-24V-20Ah-Lithium-ion-Battery-with-Charger/32360715557.html

6 September 2015, 15:35 UTC

@utsu and @Wayne
I bought the same setup Wayne has and I always get a full charge from it. I've only gotten a full second charge from it once, though. I can't figure out why the charging is a variable as it is. I always ride the board to first pushback, then charge. And I've always fresh-charged the OW and the backup battery overnight before going out on the bike trails. Sometimes, after I'm done charging from the backup on the trail, the charge indicator on the backup battery shows just the red light; sometimes there are one or two green lights. If there are two green lights, you can get a full second charge.
If you find a battery that isn't too big/heavy and reliably gives two charges, please post back here!

6 September 2015, 17:54 UTC

This is a cool option, though what I'd really like to see is a remove, auxiliary battery that sits on the fender and plugs into the charge socket and draws down as I ride, for extended range. It would be a salable option for FM to get new revenue from existing customers that wouldn't require great reengineering of the main product (only the software change to permit riding while the power was plugged in). Preferably, the OW would draw down the auxiliary battery fully before switching over to the main battery.

6 September 2015, 20:22 UTC

I think the tradeoff with li-ion batteries is that they lose their charge capacity very quickly even if they are being used or not. After 1-3 years they won't hold a charge.

the upside is that they're small and lightweight.

I'm pretty new to this area of electronics so its plenty of reading but interesting stuff, I also liked the boosted skateboard blog's journey of choosing their battery solutions;
http://boostedboards.com/technical-progress-part-iii-lithium-battery/

7 September 2015, 12:14 UTC

I would pay to get a spare battery that would just "work". plug it in, and it charges or double the range, and can be charged with the same charger as the onewheel.. please! Give us!

9 September 2015, 19:22 UTC

Would a gas invertor like this work?
http://amzn.com/B00P2FOX4C

9 September 2015, 19:37 UTC

Sure, you can plug your charger into any such household current generator. But, you won't be Onewheeling carrying one of those with you.

9 September 2015, 19:46 UTC

It's only 18 lbs. I think it would fit in a backpack

9 September 2015, 20:01 UTC

18 pounds (or 20, which is what I saw), plus fluids, and fluid spillage, and the bulk of 16"x14"x8", plus the regular charging gear -- be my guest! :) If you try it out, let us know how it goes.

10 September 2015, 04:55 UTC

I just got this one in the mail and was able to recharge my OW twice. It is compact, light weight, all-in-one design, and works great.

http://amzn.com/B00U5YWKOK

10 September 2015, 05:20 UTC

This post is deleted!

10 September 2015, 06:19 UTC

@MagicD Great find!

10 September 2015, 18:31 UTC

Yes @DVO. It is the same as the one I bought.

10 September 2015, 19:41 UTC

@MagicD thanks bro!

11 September 2015, 17:43 UTC

@MagicD said:

http://amzn.com/B00U5YWKOK

Thanks for the feedback... I've seen that on Amazon, as well as this one:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W3LS0ZG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_9&smid=A2T8ZHDUVT3ED7
and I was curious if they'd work.

12 September 2015, 05:03 UTC

@MagicD Just bought one! Under 10 pounds? Fits right in a backpack! I have a quetion, it has a solar panel hook up but I can't find any solar panels that works with it, Do you know what panels go with it?

12 September 2015, 15:28 UTC

@Wayne

Future Motion (Future Motion)
Sep 7, 19:55

We actually haven't had any luck finding a portable AC outlet that is strong enough to charge the board. Most are unable to handle the power needed and we have seen a few batteries ruined. We are working to extend our range though!

All the best,
Onewheel Team

12 September 2015, 19:38 UTC

@kbern said:

@MagicD said:

http://amzn.com/B00U5YWKOK

Thanks for the feedback... I've seen that on Amazon, as well as this one:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W3LS0ZG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_9&smid=A2T8ZHDUVT3ED7
and I was curious if they'd work.

LOL, there were 5 left in stock now only 1! I know I took one, wonder if the rest of the buyers are onewheelers :P

12 September 2015, 19:46 UTC

@Brutha-Man said:

We actually haven't had any luck finding a portable AC outlet that is strong enough to charge the board. Most are unable to handle the power needed and we have seen a few batteries ruined. We are working to extend our range though!

All the best,
Onewheel Team

Yikes! I haven't had problems with my battery yet, but I guess I could be damaging it without knowing. The battery I bought recommends not fully depleting it, so I don't do a full second charge.

I guess a stronger battery would be better to avoid damage, but I don't think I would want to haul around a battery heavier than the one I currently have (just under 6lbs).

If my battery does get ruined, I'll warn/post about it here. :)
(Haven't gone long distances lately... been a bit hot the past few weeks in Los Angeles.)

12 September 2015, 19:51 UTC

@Wayne Thanks for the update! I purchased http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W3LS0ZG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_9&smid=A2T8ZHDUVT3ED7&pldnSite=1 and @MagicD said it good for 2 charges. I believe that it has 500 watt UPS, and onewheel needs only 200 per charge! I'll let everyone know how it does..one I start using it

12 September 2015, 21:10 UTC

I just bought one too

14 September 2015, 08:41 UTC

@Julian Hey , can I get your opinion on this one? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U5YWKOK/ref=cm_sw_su_dp They bothe seem to use a 288WH battery like the one off of Bixmart

14 September 2015, 10:46 UTC

Hey @DVO, that UPS should do the trick. Looks like you could get two charges out of it but make sure if you happen to have more than one board, to only charge one at a time. -J

14 September 2015, 20:51 UTC

@Future-Motion Thank you very much :) Not only a great product but great service and team too! #TeamOneWheel #FutureMotion #LoyalProductUser

15 September 2015, 19:43 UTC

Update on my newly purchased UPS (http://amzn.com/B00U5YWKOK) : It looks like I can charge the OW twice and still the UPS has ample power left over.. At start of first charge UPS battery is at 100% and the OW is at 16%. After about 25min, OW is fully charged (100%), and the UPS is 76%. At start of 2nd charge cycle, OW is at 15% and UPS at 76%. After OW is fully charged again, the UPS is at 35%. I haven't tried a 3rd charge cycle, but it seems possible. I have also tried to charge this UPS with my solar charger (http://amzn.com/B007SCJDUG). It seems to work well, and charged this UPS in ~6 hours on a sunny day. I am sure other Solar panels will work as well.