Crockej
Member
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 - as I didn’t want the device to use any power if I wasn’t using it. I also chose their product that had 2 USB slots: a 1amp and 2.1amp output which gave me a choice for how much battery power I was willing to use.
The other research was finding the plug-in to tap into the Levo motor that gave the 12v needed. The motor has 2 outputs: one for a headlight and one for a taillight - both at 12 volts. The 2.1 motor rates these plugins at 12v/2amp (the earlier motors only have 6v output). USB devices output 5 volts. Using Ohms Law, 12v@2amps=24watts which is equal to [email protected]=24watts so there should be 4.8amps @ 5 volts available to use from the motor plug which should be no problem. Like everything else, the wire is in short supply and sells out quickly. For the US, check www.universalcycles.com. Search for 'brose light'
Getting the wire up through the frame (best to start from the motor) was challenging until I used a .095 string trimmer line that was fairly rigid. I fished the line through the frame to the TCU port opening and taped the wire to its end. There’s room at the top of the frame on the right side to fish the wire outside of the frame, next to the existing wire that’s used for the speed shift control. (I have a 2019 Carbon Levo frame. Not sure how it would be with the aluminum frame.
As for mounting, there are several options - some easier than others. I wanted it to be as hidden as possible and not have it clutter up my bars any more than they already are. Depending on how your bike is set up, I found it pretty easy to build a simple wood mounting block that fit under the stem. The stem hole is cut with a 1 3/8” forstner bit. I didn’t want to modify my bar height so I had to slightly modify a 1/2” wood block to fit under the stem. To simplify it, you could easily modify the wood thickness to match the riser height of the bar or change the height of your bars. I added double sided tape to the cutout to keep it from rotating on the stem. It’s secured with a zip tie.
For the wiring, to keep it as streamlined as possible, I chose to solder the wires and then use shrink wrap tubes on the joints to make it more waterproof. I soldered and shrink wrapped the individual wires then used a larger shrink wrap tube to securely wrap both. I zip tied the wires to the existing brake housing.
I've ordered a shorter cable (8") which will clean up the look.
Initial results show that with my iPhone 8 at 85%, the 1amp port draws 3-4 watts to charge the phone. I know that the charging watts lower as you get closer to 100% charge but I’d guess that the max load would be 5 watts as all the older iPhone (earlier than iPhone 11) came with wall chargers that were only rated at 5 watts. Don’t know anything about the other phone watt loads.
Obviously, it's not waterproof when it's plugged in so you need to be wise on when to use it. But since it's hidden under my phone mount, I don't even know it's there. You can monitor how many watts it's using by toggling it on and off while watching the stats in Mission Control. Only had it in use for one ride but will report back if I learn about any issues.
I did find that my wireless cateye bike computer that was right next to the charger, had interference from the charger and didn't work so I moved it to the end of my bar. Preliminary tests shows it's working now.
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 - as I didn’t want the device to use any power if I wasn’t using it. I also chose their product that had 2 USB slots: a 1amp and 2.1amp output which gave me a choice for how much battery power I was willing to use.
The other research was finding the plug-in to tap into the Levo motor that gave the 12v needed. The motor has 2 outputs: one for a headlight and one for a taillight - both at 12 volts. The 2.1 motor rates these plugins at 12v/2amp (the earlier motors only have 6v output). USB devices output 5 volts. Using Ohms Law, 12v@2amps=24watts which is equal to [email protected]=24watts so there should be 4.8amps @ 5 volts available to use from the motor plug which should be no problem. Like everything else, the wire is in short supply and sells out quickly. For the US, check www.universalcycles.com. Search for 'brose light'
Getting the wire up through the frame (best to start from the motor) was challenging until I used a .095 string trimmer line that was fairly rigid. I fished the line through the frame to the TCU port opening and taped the wire to its end. There’s room at the top of the frame on the right side to fish the wire outside of the frame, next to the existing wire that’s used for the speed shift control. (I have a 2019 Carbon Levo frame. Not sure how it would be with the aluminum frame.
As for mounting, there are several options - some easier than others. I wanted it to be as hidden as possible and not have it clutter up my bars any more than they already are. Depending on how your bike is set up, I found it pretty easy to build a simple wood mounting block that fit under the stem. The stem hole is cut with a 1 3/8” forstner bit. I didn’t want to modify my bar height so I had to slightly modify a 1/2” wood block to fit under the stem. To simplify it, you could easily modify the wood thickness to match the riser height of the bar or change the height of your bars. I added double sided tape to the cutout to keep it from rotating on the stem. It’s secured with a zip tie.
For the wiring, to keep it as streamlined as possible, I chose to solder the wires and then use shrink wrap tubes on the joints to make it more waterproof. I soldered and shrink wrapped the individual wires then used a larger shrink wrap tube to securely wrap both. I zip tied the wires to the existing brake housing.
I've ordered a shorter cable (8") which will clean up the look.
Initial results show that with my iPhone 8 at 85%, the 1amp port draws 3-4 watts to charge the phone. I know that the charging watts lower as you get closer to 100% charge but I’d guess that the max load would be 5 watts as all the older iPhone (earlier than iPhone 11) came with wall chargers that were only rated at 5 watts. Don’t know anything about the other phone watt loads.
Obviously, it's not waterproof when it's plugged in so you need to be wise on when to use it. But since it's hidden under my phone mount, I don't even know it's there. You can monitor how many watts it's using by toggling it on and off while watching the stats in Mission Control. Only had it in use for one ride but will report back if I learn about any issues.
I did find that my wireless cateye bike computer that was right next to the charger, had interference from the charger and didn't work so I moved it to the end of my bar. Preliminary tests shows it's working now.
