Is this possible?
I want to extend the battery life of my Edge 305 for 12hr+ rides. Is it as simple as just buying an external battery pack and plugging it in, or can you not charge and record at the same time?
If so, is there anything I need to look out for in particular when choosing an external battery pack? Also, would you just connect the battery pack at the start of the ride, or only once the charge has run low?
Its the cable that matters. You need an OTG (on the go) cable which has something different in the way its wired to disable the data transfer pins, otherwise the garmin thinks you are plugging into a computer and turns itself off/into data transfer mode.
Obviously you cannot use this cable to transfer rides to a computer.
It works. I had an edge 305 and didn't need to use the special cable that STATO describes - perhaps because of its age.
I brought one of those portable lipstick sized batteries with USB when I did a long bike ride last summer. I was anticipating having to tape it to the bars, but as it happend we stopped at a Spar just as it reached no bars in the charge indicator. By the time we'd filled our faces it was at 3/4 charge again, so I didn't need to tape it.
So I'd just get a normal battery pack (dunno if they do waterproof ones, but if they did it'd be good) and charge when stopped. Assuming you're stopping, of course 🙂
Cheers Stato, I'll see if I can track down a really short one of those.
It's only the 500 (and possibly the 800) that need the OTG cable AFAIK. The 1000 certainly doesn't.
Molgrips, do you know if it would still record while charging? I prefer the idea of just taping it to the bars and connecting it at the start of the ride and then not having to touch it.
Bingo!
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultra-Compact-Waterproof-Dustproof-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B00K3EUE90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455793952&sr=8-1&keywords=waterproof+usb+battery ]Waterproof battery[/url]
Molgrips, do you know if it would still record while charging?
I'm sure it does. I've done it for 24 hour races back in the day, when I had to wire a voltage regulator up to the battery for my lights. Try it - start recording, then plug it in. The battery charge indicator displays a little lightening zig zag and it continues to work.
Excellent - exactly what I wanted to hear! Thanks all.
Hmm. My 705 definitely needed an OTG cable and the 305 I had previously would turn off when charged with some cables (this was before I learnt there was such a thing as OTG), so presumed it was the same requirement. Not yet tried my 520.