Cigarette light to USB plug?

takman

spadoosh wrote: »

Linked the wrong one, had two up.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARECORD-USB-A-Male-to-12V-Car-Cigarette-Lighter-Socket-Female-Converter-/322321347283?hash=item4b0bd972d3:g:DnEAAOSw5cNYIal3 (dont knwo whats happened with that link but it goes to the right place?!

As for functioning correctly i was always taught if it does the job its working correctly. Like using a iphone charger for an ipad or vice versa. Or charging your phone using your computer (most older computer use 500ma) far from ideal but it works. Ok you might need to turn your phone off or disable certain apps to help with the charge but its still putting juice in the battery.

But that will cost the OP almost £25 with postage and will take a while to arrive from the USA. So it's better for them to just buy a new lead for around £3. Even if they couldn't get a lead for their dash cam then they could buy a brand new dash cam and USB lead for £16 which is still cheaper!.

spadoosh

paddyrg wrote: »

That's a massive bodgebit if ever there was one. There are a lot of 'It depends' things going on here - it's not the same as using an iPhone and iPad charger, there has to be active circuitry to convert the DV level and that means a current loss. If the USB socket in the car is 500mA (actual USB spec) then the 12v will be at 200mA or so - and that's next to nothing. Maybe it can supply more, but then as the spec for the bodgebit suggests a maximum of 12v800mA then that's 2A the car socket would have to provide.

Seeing as to do this, it's being converted 3 times, there's almost certainly a better answer (you always get loss in a conversion).

I agree with everything your saying, it sounded like the OP wanted easy and this would be easiest (providing its close to giving enough current!). Ive given the most energy efficient way thats also quite a cheap option. I was quite surprised to find the lead myself.

takman wrote: »

But that will cost the OP almost £25 with postage and will take a while to arrive from the USA. So it's better for them to just buy a new lead for around £3. Even if they couldn't get a lead for their dash cam then they could buy a brand new dash cam and USB lead for £16 which is still cheaper!.

I know thats why i said earlier thats the expensive way. Personally i'd snip the leads on the dashcam and hardwire it to the stereo probably cost less than a quid. I know this might be a crazy idea but how about offering your suggestions instead of trying to rubbish mine. Ive come up with several suggestions (including close to the cheapest way by providing a link as to how to fit a 12v socket (out of probably hundreds)) all youve done is ask if the lead comes out (which i dont want to insult anyones intelligence but is probably common sense (please dont let me down OP!)).


I thought i was being good by holding back saying that theres a chance it would work fine simply by snipping the lead and soldering the red wires together and the black wires together to a snipped USB. I know most dashcams use a 12v plug but i'd imagine they dont need that much at all. (hence why dash cams mentioned have micro usb sockets they only need 5v and are stepped down from 12v). Again another option, not the safest though nor would i recommend it.

takman

spadoosh wrote: »

I know thats why i said earlier thats the expensive way. Personally i'd snip the leads on the dashcam and hardwire it to the stereo probably cost less than a quid. I know this might be a crazy idea but how about offering your suggestions instead of trying to rubbish mine. Ive come up with several suggestions (including close to the cheapest way by providing a link as to how to fit a 12v socket (out of probably hundreds)) all youve done is ask if the lead comes out (which i dont want to insult anyones intelligence but is probably common sense (please dont let me down OP!)).


I thought i was being good by holding back saying that theres a chance it would work fine simply by snipping the lead and soldering the red wires together and the black wires together to a snipped USB. I know most dashcams use a 12v plug but i'd imagine they dont need that much at all. (hence why dash cams mentioned have micro usb sockets they only need 5v and are stepped down from 12v). Again another option, not the safest though nor would i recommend it.

I just don't want the OP to rush out and buy that second adapter you have posted without checking to see if they can replace the lead first. Personally I have never seen a dashcam that didn't have a removable power lead so I would be surprised if theirs was actually hardwired.

molerat

spadoosh wrote: »

I agree with everything your saying, it sounded like the OP wanted easy and this would be easiest (providing its close to giving enough current!). Ive given the most energy efficient way thats also quite a cheap option. I was quite surprised to find the lead myself.



I know thats why i said earlier thats the expensive way. Personally i'd snip the leads on the dashcam and hardwire it to the stereo probably cost less than a quid. I know this might be a crazy idea but how about offering your suggestions instead of trying to rubbish mine. Ive come up with several suggestions (including close to the cheapest way by providing a link as to how to fit a 12v socket (out of probably hundreds)) all youve done is ask if the lead comes out (which i dont want to insult anyones intelligence but is probably common sense (please dont let me down OP!)).


I thought i was being good by holding back saying that theres a chance it would work fine simply by snipping the lead and soldering the red wires together and the black wires together to a snipped USB. I know most dashcams use a 12v plug but i'd imagine they dont need that much at all. (hence why dash cams mentioned have micro usb sockets they only need 5v and are stepped down from 12v). Again another option, not the safest though nor would i recommend it.

Dangerous advice, most dash cams I have seen are 5v, have you ever connected a 5v device straight to 12v, it aint pretty ! 99% chance all OP needs is a usb to micro usb cable from poundland but until they come back with exactly what set up they have we are all just guessing.

I_have_spoken

I still can't believe the power supply lead to the dashcam is hard-wired and not on a USB micro plug.

psychic_teabag

I_have_spoken wrote: »

I still can't believe the power supply lead to the dashcam is hard-wired and not on a USB micro plug.

It's a relatively recent innovation (one of the good EU directives) that makes USB the preferred standard for powering electronic devices. I still have a boxful of old chargers with miscellanous voltages and connectors.

For devices used in a car, where cigarette lighter sockets are (used to be) ubiquitous, 12V is the obvious power source. I don't think my car even has a USB socket, and it's only 5 years old or so. (I suppose the diagnostic port might be USB, but I wouldn't assume that I could draw much current from that.)