USB Socket

[pearley]

I've got a cigar lighter adaptor plugged into a 3 pin 5 amp 12 volt socket at present with a dual USB adaptor plugged into that to give me two 2.1 amp supplies to run my WiFi and charge phone or tablet but it doesn't look very nice and my wife doesn't like it dangling over the sofa.

 

So I though about getting a flat blanking plate to replace the socket and flush mount a USB adaptor in it together with an on/off switch and LED indicator but it is a case of finding an existing USB socket that is shallow enough to mount in a 25 mm box.

 

Anybody done something similar or know of an adaptor of shallow depth. I did wonder about whether one from a car might do the job but it might cost.

 

Regards

Pete

[Guest]

If you google '12 v USB socket' all sorts of different types come up.

 

You can also get mains ones seemingly.

[Guest]

Maplns and suchlike usually have various types. Ebay too.

[Chalky]

If you're pulling 2.1 amps from a pair of USB sockets you're severely overloading them. The USB standard is for 0.5 A per socket. Sometimes you can get more however if you've got devices pulling more you need to be careful when you plug it into anything else. (having said that I'm pulling 1.5A from a single socket to run the computer stack on a robot I'm working on however I did build the power supply to cope with it)

 

If you're handy with a soldering iron and know how to build electronics then making your own isn't difficult. The USB power supply is 0V and 5V. You can easily get this using a standard 3 terminal regulator (use the LN293x family in preference to the LM7805) and a few capacitors. The power is then applied to the outer pins of the USB socket - obviously you need to get them the right way round. Finding or modifuing a socket to give you the required depth shouldn't be difficult.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Chalky

[pearley]

If you google '12 v USB socket' all sorts of different types come up.

You can also get mains ones seemingly.

But they are all quite deep, those that give dimensions. I did think about cannibalising one to see if I could just use the socket and voltage reducer.

 

I've found these two:

 

https://www.roadpro.co.uk/retail/12v24v-electrical-products/plugs-sockets-and-adaptors-12v-and-24v/procar-12v-and-24v-sockets/pro-car-double-usb-flush-mount-socket-2168.htm

 

http://www.bluesea.com/products/1016/Dual_USB_Charger_Socket/featured

Edited May 16, 2014 by pearley

[youthoftoday]

If you're pulling 2.1 amps from a pair of USB sockets you're severely overloading them. The USB standard is for 0.5 A per socket.

 

These are USB-shaped sockets not USB sockets per se. Here's an adapter specced to 2.1A. If that's what the adapter is specced to then that's what you can draw.

[Paul C]

If you're pulling 2.1 amps from a pair of USB sockets you're severely overloading them. The USB standard is for 0.5 A per socket. Sometimes you can get more however if you've got devices pulling more you need to be careful when you plug it into anything else.

 

 

The USB standard has been extended a couple of times to allow for higher power sockets and devices.

[Clifford]

Yes, 10 watts (5v by 2 amps) is quite common now for usb adaptors.

 

You CAN get usb sockets to wire in, and I'll probably be doing that to free up the fag lighter sockets. But the solution I have now works well if you aren't short of faglighter sockets.

 

You can get VERY SHORT micro USB plugs that go almost completely flush into a fag socket.

 

Here's one, but you can get cheaper in Poundland,etc. Might take a while to find a 2 amp one in a cheap shop, but they do exist

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Charger-Removable-Charge-Lighning/dp/B00B17BE6K/ref=sr_1_72?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1400243585&sr=1-72&keywords=usb+2amp

[blackrose]

Although I have lots of 12v consumers hard wired on my boat, I only have one 12v socket which I use for a small 12v tv when I'm away from shore power. Is my boat unusual in this respect? I have some unused 12v cables which were put in to run a fridge but I run my fridge on gas/AC, so I could use those cables to run my laptop if I wanted to I suppose. I don't really see the benefit as I'd probably be using the inverter anyway for other things. Is there really that much of a power saving running a laptop direct from DC?

[Guest]

Although I have lots of 12v consumers hard wired on my boat, I only have one 12v socket which I use for a small 12v tv when I'm away from shore power. Is my boat unusual in this respect? I have some unused 12v cables which were put in to run a fridge but I run my fridge on gas/AC, so I could use those cables to run my laptop if I wanted to I suppose. I don't really see the benefit as I'd probably be using the inverter anyway for other things. Is there really that much of a power saving running a laptop direct from DC?

Our boat has two 12V sockets - one in the rear cabin one in the main bedroom. It has a multitude of 240V sockets though. We tend to use the 12V ones for charging our phones.

[cotswoldsman]

I have those sockets but they are hooded behind the parts of my curtains that cover the wall if that makes sense