Hey guys, i want to have a lottle 4 usb charger thing flush mounted somewhere in my dash. I hate cigarette sockets ones as they are absurdly unreliable and slow charging and look like shit so i want to hardwire in something like pic related, except with just 4 usb slots and 1 on off switch which is for all of them. How would i go aboit wiring something like this up, anyone got any wiring diagrams or good ideas? The main criteria is all 4 have to be able to charge at maximum speed and be able to charge any device. Thanks guys
>>924433
>charge
>maximum speed
you do know USB charges at the same rate no matter if its plugged into a 12v cigarette lightter or the wall.. the actual charger only charges with 5 volts no matter what.
you wont get a faster charge by using a direct USB than an adapter since its only going to put out the necessary 5 volts regardless
please google next time
>>924442
It is all about the charger not what it is powering the charger. If you use a 1amp charger in the 12v it will charge slower than a 2.1 amp charger in the 12v...
>>924433
Run a heavy guage wire from the battery to where you need power. Splice in a fuseable link closer to the battery. Then split into 4 smaller wires right before your charger thingy.
That's all I got.
>>924442
Thats just not true at all
OP, there are high amperage chargers for the cigarette socket. I haven't had a problem with mine.
Not sure why you need 4 5v USB devices charging all at the same time, but lets give it a go. Get a good USB charger, one with enough USB ports for your needs.
pic related. I've never used it but amazon reviews are pretty good.
>>924468
Then, get yourself a 12v accessory port from your local autozone or internet retailer. Wire that sumbitch up and hide it under the dash.
There are 2 schools of thought; you could either use a 12v constant source so you could power your devices without the key in the ignition, and put a switch on it so you decide when its powered.
What I did was put it on an "ignition only 12v" source. It only has power when the key is turned on, not necessarily the engine. This would prevent you from leaving stuff plugged in over night and draining your battery.
Then you can thread USB cables wherever you want your devices to be charged.
Can you explain why you need 4 devices? I'm picturing a couple phones, maybe a GPS. Tell us a little more about what your objective is OP.
Op here, thanks for all the ideas. I dont really need 4 but would sometimes need 3 and thought a spare one wouldnt hurt just in case. 2 phones, something else ie my portable speaker. That high amp charger would be ok except i would hardwire it in because i would prefer not to use the cigarette socket but i would still prefer a little flat panel config for tidiness and looks.
>>924477
Alright, cleaner installation and way more trick if you don't mind spending the afternoon doing it.
Get 2-3 of these suckers. You can piggyback off the power supplying power to the cigarette lighters and put the ports anywhere you want in the car. You can put them easily accessible and visible in the center console near the shifter. You can hide them in the center console in the little compartment, or you can hide one in the glove box. Stick one on the back of the center console for the rear passengers also.
What I've done on previous installs is mount them to the plastic in the middle where the driver or passenger knees are. Not obtrusively, but below where your thigh would be as the driver so its visible when you get in, but its not in the way at all.
Just check up on how much amperage you draw, even new cars usually have 10 amp fuses for the 12v or 6v accessories.
What kind of car do you have OP? year/make/model
>>924482
This one looks pretty good, just saw them on ebay. That panel looking on in the post above also looks good but i havent seen these for sale. But why do these ones always have only 3a altogether? I would lrefer if both ports were 2a.
Car is an 06 grand vitara. If i was going this route i'd prob run a designated wire and fuse anyway dont want anything burning out if i was charging 3 or more things.
>>924484
>i havent seen these for sale..
http://www.miniinthebox.com/12v-4-usb-power-port-charger-motorbike-motorcycle-car-cigarette-lighter-socket-power-outlet-plug_p2657819.html
- for example ($15) - that has dual 2.1A? - it also has 1A which is mainly for reasons of compatability, 2A shouldn't blow something up thats designed to charge on 1A, which lots of stuff is - but, it happens.
>>924484
Right, run an inline fuse to each of these even though the central fuse box works just fine. Electrical fires in cars are pretty bad.
I think I had an 08 grand vitara in high school. Hated that car. Put one on the center console, one in the glove box, and one in the far back at the tailgate area.
While you're buying shit, get a circuit tester. It makes finding a decent power line easy, and you'll use it for any car project involving electricity.
I would recommend 12v always on for the driver side, 12v ignition for the passengers. You can always charge your shit, but your passengers can't accidentally drain your battery.
>>924498
A fire would be more likely from using the thin wires already in there than with a designated thick wire that wont get hot when charging a lot of things.
I found these. This might an easy neat solution. Not quite 2 amps each but if i get two of these ill have 2x 2amp ones which would be ok
>>924529
But that says output 3.1a.
Just so you know, some devices are designed to be slow charged, usually ones with smaller batteries like bluetooth headsets.
The cheap rapid chargers are usually the culprits for battery explosions for most cell phones.
>>924538
Yeah i know, 3.1amp total so i think one slot is 2.1 amp and the other is 1 amp.
Interesting point about charging speeds. I thought things just draw whatever they need to charge? So if somethings charger only wanted 500mili amps it would still only charge at that even if the usb port was capable of supplying 2 amps. Is that wrong?
>>924541
Well, I have about 10 USB chargers, one will slowly charge my phone, and another will charge it insanely fast.
They're rated to supply a maximum wattage to the USB port. Some can supply way more than devices are designed for; hence slower or faster charging. Its why you should NOT be aiming toward rapid charging while in your car thinking you'll charge all your shit on the commute to work and saving some dollars on the utility bill.
I literally work out of my car for 10 hours a day; you want something that can charge the device at about its recommended charging rate which will usually be significantly more than the devices power consumption at idle.
