Siva Cycle Atom Kickstarter Project

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by spencewine on April 23, 2013 at 4:04pm

Looks interesting, a cheap alternative to a dynamo. One thing of concern is that it's listed as water resistant....I'm wondering what that means exactly. How much water is too much water? If I take the battery off is it water-proof? Also, what kind of resistance does this thing generate? I'll email them.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by spencewine on April 23, 2013 at 4:33pm

I just shot off an email 15 minutes ago...quick turn-around:

 

Hi Spencer,

This is a great question, thanks for inquiring!

The Atom will have provisions in place to keep the wet, weather, and mud where they're supposed to be: on the outside. We are utilizing industry standards for seals and bearings that have well documented track records for water and corrosion. Also, the Atom is designed in a compartmentalized fashion to create a tiered level of defense against the elements.

The Atom holds up to a waterproofing standard of IP-4 (wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code, see Liquid Ingress Section) which means that it can withstand splashing water from any direction. 

In plain english, the Atom will hold up to anything you can throw at it, so long as you're not submerging it.  Rain, even if heavy, will be no problem, battery or no battery.  The Atom will be with you producing power no matter the weather.

The resistance is very small, and is proportional to how large your charging load is.  At full generating capacity, it is akin to riding with your tires at 70 psi instead of 90 psi, or pedalling up a 0.3% grade.  In our use around town, it is very difficult to tell that it's on the bike. 

Thanks for your interest!

Aaron

• ▶ Reply