Can you install a DIY built-in USB charger?

[alexaescht]

So I was looking at the front cup holders just before, and noticed that on the left side of the 12V port is a blank plastic cover (on the opposite side as the AUX port).

Do you think it would be possible to easily add a USB charging port (not connected to MDI necessarily) into that blank piece? Would be a nicer solution than having a charger shoved in the cigarette lighter.

[ian]

Mate you can buy one of these and turn your cigarette lighter into a USB port, or just buy a dual cigarette attachment and use this
Car Cigarette Powered Dual 2 Port USB Car Charger for iPad iPhone 4G 4S iPod | eBay

[alexaescht]

Mate you can buy one of these and turn your cigarette lighter into a USB port, or just buy a dual cigarette attachment and use this
Car Cigarette Powered Dual 2 Port USB Car Charger for iPad iPhone 4G 4S iPod | eBay

I've already got one of them in each car, but it would be really handy to have the cigarette lighter free, for the Garmin sat-nav.
Also, having something that looks OEM would be cool

Thanks.

[JustCruisn]

Sweet! Thanks for link i just ordered 2 in black.

[ian]

I've already got one of them in each car, but it would be really handy to have the cigarette lighter free, for the Garmin sat-nav.
Also, having something that looks OEM would be cool

Thanks.

How handy are you with a soldering iron, you could just cut a hole to fit this and connect it to the car cigarette lighter a bit of stickaflex should hold it in place and it shouldn't look too much out of place ?
Black 2 Port Dual USB DC Car Charger Adapter Accessory For iPhone 5 4S iPad iPod | eBay

[LunchboxVRS]

Buy a double cigarette lighter adapter. Your going to have something hanging out of it so no need to be neat. I tried to tap off the power here for a gauge and I keeled getting a electrical fault on VCDS. So a plug here would produce the same unless you go through a fuse at the box.

[ian]

Buy a double cigarette lighter adapter. Your going to have something hanging out of it so no need to be neat. I tried to tap off the power here for a gauge and I keeled getting a electrical fault on VCDS. So a plug here would produce the same unless you go through a fuse at the box.

Why its the same as using an adapter its drawing the same power , the gauge you used might of been faulty,
by linking the 2 cigarette lighter is the same as using a double adapter . with 2 things connected.

[The_Hawk]

I have wired in an additional power socket, starting with something like this tacked in parallel to the stock lighter socket (with the clips cut off of course).

Cigarette Lighter Socket to Battery Clips - Jaycar Electronics

Then used an off the shelf lighter socket to USB adaptor like the Griffin one linked above to get some powered USB ports. In my case I was hard mounting a cradle for my iPhone 5 so the whole shebang is hidden behind the dash and the USB cable is permanently plugged in.

This is essentially what I have seen lots of mobile phone installers do to get power for a hard mount cradle, the bonus being that the second time around you don't have to replace the thing if you get a new phone, just the charger which then easily plugs into the socket (or USB port) under the dash.



If you wanted ports you could use one of the blanks in the dash coupled with ian's flush mount socket + the additional lighter socket. The bonus being that you can do *most* of the cutting and glue-ing of the bits you will see outside the car to make it look good.

[LunchboxVRS]

Not faulty. The gauge connected elsewhere also and just wasn't compatible with the canbus I guess. Just didn't like it.

Depends what he wants to run of the USB is he charging a phone or running a iPad/tablet/DVD player?

[ian]

Most USB devices only draw 5 volts, so you not using a 12volt spotlight so the power draw is minimal