USB charging point for my PCX150

[wingz]

I made and installed USB charging point on my PCX150 this morning.

Ingredients:

• USB extension cable from old computer.
  5V regulator from old printer (see photo below).
  Small heatsink from old UPS
  2 capacitors and some wire.

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Finished product:

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Connected +input to the headlight fuse so that it is only on when key is in (arrow on left).
Connected -input/output to negative terminal on battery (middle arrow).
Pushed circuit into the space shown by the arrow on the right.

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Closed battery compartment and fed socket through the perfectly sized hole that Honda considerately put there for me:

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Closed seat:

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Of course, if I was less lazy, I could have installed the socket in the glove compartment or on the handlebars but this works for me.

[Mel46]

I really considered putting an outlet on my wife's PCX but she said no. I had planned on putting it above the place where the gas cap is situated.

[Darth Emma]

It is so easy to just use the little terminal for a battery tender.
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-08 ... sim_auto_2

I have one connected to my Forza and I access it under the seat. I have my battery tender connected to it now.

I put one of those on all my bikes. You can also connect the battery tender 12volt charger to it if you want to charge your phone from it.
This cigarette plug type:
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-08 ... sim_auto_2
or this usb type:
http://www.amazon.com/Deltran-081-0158- ... tender+usb

[wingz]

I really considered putting an outlet on my wife's PCX but she said no. I had planned on putting it above the place where the gas cap is situated.

Where above the gas cap?
I installed mine mainly because my phone runs out of juice quite quickly when using GPS.

I fitted the leftover USB plug (from the extension) to my camera charger cable so I can charge it from the PCX.
Also no need for the bulky power supply and adapters anymore - besides, we have more USB ports in our house than 220V mains sockets.

camera charger.JPG (73.64 KiB) Viewed 3643 times

It is so easy to just use the little terminal for a battery tender.
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-08 ... sim_auto_2

I have one connected to my Forza and I access it under the seat. I have my battery tender connected to it now.

I put one of those on all my bikes. You can also connect the battery tender 12volt charger to it if you want to charge your phone from it.
This cigarette plug type:
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-08 ... sim_auto_2
or this usb type:
http://www.amazon.com/Deltran-081-0158- ... tender+usb

Thank for the links - it makes this thread more useful.

While it is very easy to just spend money when you don't need to, it would have actually been more hassle for me.
I work quite hard for the money I get so I need to think twice before wasting money.
This project cost me nothing, it took about 1 hour of playing (which I enjoyed) to make and install.
Researching, ordering , paying, would probably have taken me an hour anyway and would have been less enjoyable.
Then it would take about 2 months for the stuff to get here unless I pay an extra $100 or so for courier.
I will be using mine in 2 weeks time when I do my road trip.

[dustin91]

It is so easy to just use the little terminal for a battery tender.
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-08 ... sim_auto_2

I have one connected to my Forza and I access it under the seat. I have my battery tender connected to it now.

Darth, this may be a real n00bie question, but I have one of these too (dealer-installed) and keep my trickle-charger connected to it when my PCX is in the garage. Does this mean that I can get any quick-disconnect accessory, and *draw* power from the battery as well?

If so, do you think the battery is powerful enough for one of those heated apparel systems?

Thanks!

[Darth Emma]

It is so easy to just use the little terminal for a battery tender.
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-08 ... sim_auto_2

I have one connected to my Forza and I access it under the seat. I have my battery tender connected to it now.

Darth, this may be a real n00bie question, but I have one of these too (dealer-installed) and keep my trickle-charger connected to it when my PCX is in the garage. Does this mean that I can get any quick-disconnect accessory, and *draw* power from the battery as well?

If so, do you think the battery is powerful enough for one of those heated apparel systems?

Thanks!

I have heard other members say that the heated apparel draws too much power for the PCX system. I do not know this first hand though. Some folks put a spare battery in their scoots to run the apparel though and then just put it on the battery tender when they get home.

You can use the battery tender connecter while you are going down the road for things that don't draw a lot of power though like a phone or gps.

[dustin91]

I have heard other members say that the heated apparel draws too much power for the PCX system. I do not know this first hand though. Some folks put a spare battery in their scoots to run the apparel though and then just put it on the battery tender when they get home.

You can use the battery tender connecter while you are going down the road for things that don't draw a lot of power though like a phone or gps.

Thanks Darth, did a little research on that myself and saw the same thing. I'm already powering a phone as it is, but the heated apparel does seem to draw too much power for the PCX battery.

[wingz]

Just check how much power the heated apparel requires.
People hear "heat" and then assume it is big power like a kettle or hair-dryer or room heater.
But if it is a jacket lining or glove lining then it shouldn't require much power.
For example, a typical heater/kettle/hair-dryer is 2000W while a typical electric blanket is 60W.
Now I have never looked at heating apparel but I would expect it to work like an electric blanket - except smaller.
I would expect a jacket to require <20W in which case it should be fine to run plug in provided the engine is running.

You can save almost 20W by replacing front position lights, rear main light and license plate light with LEDs.

[dustin91]

Thanks Wings... I think LED's are going to be my spring upgrade, and I'd probably only need enough power for a heated vest. One from Tourmaster says it draws 54W, 4.5 amps. Worse case, I drain my battery and call AAA or Honda!

[Darth Emma]

I know a lot of folks who run heated apparel just plug the scoot into their battery tender when they get back for their ride.

I think it depends on how long you will be riding. If it's just a short ride, then you can use the gear and not completely drain the battery. Plug it into the battery tender when you get back.
If it's a long ride, then your battery may not last the whole ride if you use the heated gear.
The question is how long will the battery last?

[dustin91]

Any idea if there's some sort of meter that you can attach to the battery and run to the dashboard that gives you an indication of how much charge the battery is holding? That would certainly help make regulating the gear easier, knowing when to shut it off so that you can let the battery recharge.

<a few minutes pass...>


So the answer to that is, yes, dummy... why not look before you ask?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-LED- ... 1100530239


Might be a few new boxes arriving at my house shortly!