Biking
From Openmoko
The collection of information useful for biking with a Neo.
Contents |
Bike Mounts
- André Gaul documented a complete mounting kit
- It's just a prototype :) but with some foam around the handlebar and careful positioning to avoid bumps, a basic attachment like this might work and makes it easy to "pinch" the screen when you need to finger tap something.
- Images of an interesting bike mount
- Another mount: Description/Parts list (in German) and Pictures
- And another one "which I don't recommend very highly; I've had the phone come off it (without major damage, which is good) twice now while riding over rough road."
Power Supply
If you want to keep the GPS running and have the screen always on or staying on with a long timeout, you'll need a way to supplement power.
Charging via hub
Connecting a hub (Nabendynamo) like the SON to a self-made or prebuilt charger can supply your device while biking.
The FreeRunner has three different charging modes: 100mA, 500mA and 1A. 100mA seems to be too low, as it is said, that the FreeRunner draws 100mA current even when it is switched off. A hub dynamo provides 500mA. If you want to use your lights while charging you need to connect the lights in series to the charger. At least the SON will increase the voltage and still delivers the same current. But you need a bypass circuit in case of less current draw of the charger when the battery is full.
Commercial Chargers
- Zzing
- JaWeTec Bike Charger
- There is a prototype of a hub featuring built-in USB-out which will hopefully be ready for mass market soon.
self-made chargers
- Article (German) in c't 23/2007, page 190
- maybe 6V Forumslader (You need at least one diode in series to be within the maximum ratings of the power managment IC and the FET switches in FreeRunner.)
- Makela
Linear regulator above might be replaced by DE-SW050.
Alternatives
If you decide to try solar, it's recommended to get a flexible panel and attach it to your backpack or something like that. One nice advantage here is it might also charge even when you're not moving. It's unlikely anything below 7 watts will keep things running. (5v * 1A = 5W).
It might work with an dynamo outside the hub like the one on the reelight, but it looks like their coil produces only 3vAC so it makes sense to use a custom coil.
Software for biking
- TangoGPS + OSM Cycle data
- Navit
- Rana (uses Pyroute)
- pylgrim bitmap map viewer. Dead.
- The_Bicycle_Motion_Information_Displayer
- Mumpot
See also
Heart Rate Monitor
According to mailing list discussions some heart rate monitors use ANT. Due to the modern chip cases building a reliable homemade receiver seems to be difficult.
HRM Links
- German Microcontroller Wiki, Circuit diagram and DSP Simulation.
Other Hardware
- oBiCo - An open bicycle linux computer - seems to be alive, but nothing there yet.