Is there any way to get USB power out of the Creo battery?

Y

YoGe

Active Member
I'm loving my Creo Turbo. It checks all my boxes.
  • Lightweight
  • Extender Battery
  • 28mph
  • Built-in Power / Cadence / Speed
  • Configurable (via App)
There only one feature that I don't see and that would be the ability to plug in a USB cable to draw power from the battery to power a USB device, like my phone, in an emergency. Is this available via aftermarket?

Thanks for your advice!
 

5V USB port on handlebars

So the BAQI USB Handlebar port arrived the other day. --I was concerned that I would snap off the handlebar mount so I heated up the plastic with a hair dryer and it slipped on with no issues. No need for spacers, it fit the handlebar diameter perfectly. --The power cable is just long enough...
electricbikereview.com electricbikereview.com

Works great, minimal current drain.
 
there probably isn’t a super easy way to do this - but if you can figure out how the Vado SL EQ light is powered, you can do some hacking and use the same outputs to power a USB cable. you might need some step down hardware if the light is 12v. here’s how someone did it on a Levo (NOT an SL)

www.emtbforums.com

Adding USB Charger to the 2019 Levo - EMTB Forums

Adding USB charger to a 2019 Levo (Carbon frame) First I spent a lot of time researching 12v USB devices. I came upon a Chafon product that is made for motorcycles (search Amazon). They have 3 versions to choose from. They’re all waterproof and have an on/off switch which I thought was critical...
www.emtbforums.com www.emtbforums.com

I don’t see the matching ports on the SL motor.

7A073500-FAE4-4B81-A4B0-0E66021BD21D.jpeg
 
Oh, well. It's just a "nice to have". My Bulls E-Stream EVO has a mini USB port. I only used it once on a Century when the Garmin was showing Low Battery toward the end. (Oh, no! To come so far and then conk out at 98 miles... But the Aux USB got me to the finish. :) )

Thanks all, for your suggestions. It looks like it's *possible* but I'm not keen on messing with the internals for this "nice to have".
 
YoGe said:
Oh, well. It's just a "nice to have". My Bulls E-Stream EVO has a mini USB port. I only used it once on a Century when the Garmin was showing Low Battery toward the end. (Oh, no! To come so far and then conk out at 98 miles... But the Aux USB got me to the finish. :) )

Thanks all, for your suggestions. It looks like it's *possible* but I'm not keen on messing with the internals for this "nice to have".
Click to expand...
You could carry a tiny power bank as back up, they are cheap and hold a lot of reserve.
 
JES2020 said:
You could carry a tiny power bank as back up, they are cheap and hold a lot of reserve.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I just ordered this. I was out for 6 hours on the Fourth and the Garmin was reporting Lo Bat around 20 minutes prior to my destination. I made it. I'll keep this in my handlebar kit and snake a USB cable through the zipper when I need it.

It would be cool if Specialized would include this with the next model year. Just a tad inconvenient, one more thing to carry and when you consider that we're sitting on this massive power plant, comparatively speaking. (Like I said - a 'nice to have'.)

Thanks for your suggestion. They came out with a newer model, and this one is dirt cheap - $15.
 
I might consider getting a bank to keep my Garmin Varia topped up. I find it seems to run low at about 50-60 miles and while I'm not doing those distances often, it runs low on Ride 3 where rides are about 20 or so miles each. Although, I don't think it can be charged and used at the same time. But it could be given a bit more power on some brief stops.
 
kahn said:
I might consider getting a bank to keep my Garmin Varia topped up. I find it seems to run low at about 50-60 miles and while I'm not doing those distances often, it runs low on Ride 3 where rides are about 20 or so miles each. Although, I don't think it can be charged and used at the same time. But it could be given a bit more power on some brief stops.
Click to expand...
unfortunately it turns off when you plug it in.
 
mschwett said:
unfortunately it turns off when you plug it in.
Click to expand...
That's okay. The Varia is not keeping any data. What does the Edge do? Does it, too, turn off or reset when charging. I guess I can run a quick experiment.

I do have another Varia question. Not all of the time but occasionally while or probably after charging I get the darn blicking blue light - Bluetooth pairing, perhaps. It is paired and I don't want to mess that up.

I'm also presuming that the Varia in my generally urban situation is reacting to all those damn passing cars, trucks and buses which probably tends to shorten effective charge level or distance/time per charge.
 
kahn said:
That's okay. The Varia is not keeping any data. What does the Edge do? Does it, too, turn off or reset when charging. I guess I can run a quick experiment.

I do have another Varia question. Not all of the time but occasionally while or probably after charging I get the darn blicking blue light - Bluetooth pairing, perhaps. It is paired and I don't want to mess that up.

I'm also presuming that the Varia in my generally urban situation is reacting to all those damn passing cars, trucks and buses which probably tends to shorten effective charge level or distance/time per charge.
Click to expand...

actually the light uses the vast majority of the battery, i wouldn’t worry too much about battery life being reduced from traffic. the blinking setttings use much less, of course.
 
@YoGe if you really want to do this … this is the specialized part you need

www.performancebike.com

Specialized SL E-bike Y-Splitter Wiring For Light

This is a light y-splitter wiring harness for Specialized SL model e-bikes. S216800001
www.performancebike.com www.performancebike.com

it goes between the motor and the TCU. it has a live 12v output, which is limited to .65a, or approx 8w. from there you’ll need a hardwired usb charger (common on motorcycles) for your device, which shouldn’t be too hard to find.

i just saw a write up on this … but now i can’t find it !
 
mschwett said:
unfortunately it turns off when you plug it in.
Click to expand...
In my experience, the Garmin Edge 1000 turns off if you plug it into a *data* connection. If the connection is just charge, no data, it remains on. I plugged it into the Anker with the supplied USB cable and the Garmin remains on while it's charging.
 
YoGe said:
In my experience, the Garmin Edge 1000 turns off if you plug it into a *data* connection. If the connection is just charge, no data, it remains on. I plugged it into the Anker with the supplied USB cable and the Garmin remains on while it's charging.
Click to expand...
Question everything !
 
YoGe said:
In my experience, the Garmin Edge 1000 turns off if you plug it into a *data* connection. If the connection is just charge, no data, it remains on. I plugged it into the Anker with the supplied USB cable and the Garmin remains on while it's charging.
Click to expand...
i was referring to the varia - which turns off for me when plugged into even just a dumb charger.
 
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