Power bank to charge Shimano 105 di 12 speed

Tech Tech - What to Buy
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Hello all,

I recently moved house, and now my bike lives in a cellar room without electricity, so I want to use a power bank to charge the group set (Shimano 105 di 12 speed)

A quick test with the small power bank I use for my phone showed that it is clearly not working. Opinions online differ, some posts claim you can charge it from even a laptop USB outlet, others mention one needs at least 1 A output.

Does anyone here have experience or can recommend a specific power bank? Thank you!

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Is your power bank shutting off due to low a current draw?

I’ve had this problem with many items like small USB lights. Some power banks seem to handle low power draw items better.

I’m currently using a Cygnett model with a display that seems to charge all of these things perfectly.

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Thanks for the input!

The brand of my power bank is called veektomx, should provide various volt/ampere combination, I managed to read the faded print on the back side, including 4.5A at 5 V

And the group set light does turn on when I connect it, so some current must be there. Except it’s not charching, and the power bank charge is not getting lower.

So yeah, I thought maybe the power bank is not providing enough power, but it’s probably the other way around, power draw is too low.

Cygnett seems easily available here at a decent price. Does your look something like that?

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You need a low current draw power bank. On some models you need to put it into that mode, others will switch automatically over. The Nitecore NB1000 Gen 3 switches automatically. Bonus - will also charge smart watches, earbuds etc.

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Probably not an issue, but I have had power banks that refuse to charge in really cold conditions, such as when I was camping once. I guess the thing would be to try to charge your phone in your cellar and if that works then try the Di2.

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Mine looks like this. An Encore model. It seems to turn the display off but keeps charging low draw devices until they’re full.

I’ve watched my Garmin watch and rear light complete their charge cycle then stop flashing.

it doesn’t have any over ride modes or anything but seems to work.

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I inclined to agree with the other replies, not least because my own power bank switches off when part way through charging some devices, but let’s isolate the issue.

  1. Does the di2 charge if plugged in to normal charger? If yes, likely not the di2.
  2. Does di2 require a particular charge lead? I’m not familiar with di2, but have had devices that won’t charge with some leads, and will charge with others (inc. some bike computers). Are you using the lead supplied with the di2 system with the power bank?
  3. does the power bank charge other devices? Do you have any other low power devices you could test charging via the power bank? This is a little hit and miss, as finding another device that pulls the same low current as di2 when charging may not be possible.

Assuming it’s only the power supply that has changed (power bank instead of wall charger), and everything else is the same, including all the leads, as others have suggested it’s likely a limitation of the power bank that’s the cause of the problem.

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Thank you so much for your input everybody:

  1. My powerbank charges my phone and my old mp3 player with no problem, also in the cold. The old mp3 player is the most “low power” device I can think of
  2. I’m using the original shimano cable for the di2, it has a custom connection. Sadly, the other and is a USB A, so the two charges suggested above would only work with an adapter.

3.When connected (with an adaptor socket to USB A) directly to a wall socket, it charges without problem, so di2 and the shimano cable are not the problem, it is the power bank not dealing well with low draw

So I’ll proceed as follows:

  1. Get a Cygnet that also has a USB A and see if it works. If not, I can still send it back directly.
  2. Get either the Cygnet or the Nitecore NB1000 suggest here in the thread, together with an adaptor and see if that works
    I’ll give a short heads up what works out! Thanks for the support <3
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The Cygnett Encore has 2 x USB-C and 1 x USB-A connections.

I’ve not used the USB-A connection though. It’s possible charging characteristics could be different for this port.

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oh, it has, not sure why I did not realise, it’s written on the webpage. Probably influenced by the picture. Thanks! Then I’ll go for that one directly.

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They do seem to have hidden it around the back like they’re ashamed of it.

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Arrived and working well :smiley: Thanks for all the input!

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Most of my powerbanks do it (at least the 3 that I tried), I use a Nitecore one if I don’t want to move my bike.