How to charge your band on the go

[Tim Young4]

I found something out very interesting this Sunday. I was riding in the Tour de Cure and was doing the 104 mile route. I knew the Band would not last that long so i decided to bring along a battery pack that seems to work. Its a freebee i got at a trade show so i have no idea what manufacture it is. But it is DC 5.0V and 2600mAh. This sucker power my battery for 10 hours!!! Disadvantage is that you have to have the charger under the band and against your wrist. Its a little uncomfortable ( but after a while i didn't even notice it was there) and had to figure out how to route the charge cable so i could bike well. Also it messes up your calorie burn data because the band uses the charge port sensor to help with that. Otherwise i was able to gather all the other data for the ride.

 

[ven07]

Also it messes up your calorie burn data because the band uses the charge port sensor to help with that

I was just going to ask, but.. Thanks for the info. I thought the band could make it through the day?

 

[DroidUser42]

I was just going to ask, but.. Thanks for the info. I thought the band could make it through the day?

IIRC, with the GPS on, it's 5 hours. Plenty of time for couch potatoes (like myself) to up our game, but not enough for serious athletes.

 

[bockersjv]

Yep, 4-5hrs is the limit with GPS on. However if you do a stop you and get back to 80% charge in about 30 mins so that should cover all but the longest of marathon rides.

 

[ven07]

Plenty of time for couch potatoes

Proud to be one.. kinda

However if you do a stop you and get back to 80% charge in about 30 mins

Interesting! and you have managed to do this more than once?

 

[dan.booth]

I've also been trying to find a way to charge on the go (so that I can track full day hikes). I bought an Anker 2nd Gen Astro E5 as they were on offer on Amazon UK, but have found it's clever IQ device detection system cannot detect that the Band is if plugged in on it's own so stops charging after 30-40 seconds. It's luckily got 2 USB ports, so if I plug my phone it at the same time it keeps the Anker 'on' and both devices get charged. I also have tried charging whilst while wearing and found whilst it was possible I didn't have anywhere convenient to put the charger (Band charging cable too short). If I try charging whilst walking with the devices in a pocket, the charging cable too easily becomes detached. The best solution I've found is as the OP described, to charge during a stop (usually lunch) up to 80% - but all too often I'm half way through my lunch before I remember!

 

[goofus828]

Dan, if you charge it while wearing it, would a USB extension cord help to alleviate the shortness of the cable?

 

[dan.booth]

goofus828 - yes I'd considered an USB extension, but it's (a) something else to carry & (b) another connection that can come loose. Haven't tried it though so maybe I should give it a go.

 

[MrGoodSmith]

Does the band fully work when it's being charged while wearing it? I tried that and the band gave a message "where did you go?", because the sensor around the charge port was no longer in contact with my skin. Would it still count steps and monitor heart rate? Would other functions still work?