Motoring Discussion > Charging Phone and Satnav? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: PhilW Replies: 10

 Charging Phone and Satnav? - PhilW
I often have to have both plugged in and many (even new) cars have only one power socket/ciggy lighter thing. I had a plug with 2 USB sockets but it didn't put out enough power to charge both phone (HTC Sensation) and Satnav(Tom-Tom One) - both seem to require 1 amp. I 've just bought another plug with double USB output but one output is labelled 1 amp and the other 2.1 amp. I haven't dared to plug either into 2.1 amp USB socket in case it fries either the phone or the Satnav - or can I plug either into the 2.1 amp socket?
PS - Prob doesn't arise in my 2000 Xantia 'cos it has 2 available sockets!
Phil Technotit
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - Old Navy
I use a Tomtom 2.1 amp USB charger for my TT 720. Don't know about the other gadget.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 9 Oct 12 at 11:16
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - -
Most truckstops, even some pound shops (not sure about those..;), sell adaptors that plug into the existing socket and offer up to 4 sockets for your use of, then you can use power up to whatever the main socket offers.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Tue 9 Oct 12 at 11:23
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - Manatee
>> Most truckstops, even some pound shops (not sure about those..;), sell adaptors that plug into
>> the existing socket and offer up to 4 sockets for your use of, then you
>> can use power up to whatever the main socket offers.

Correct, just a splitter for the 12V accessory socket. What he has now is a charger - it won't be supply 12V at the USB sockets.

BTW, do 24V lorries have 12V accessory sockets? I suppose they must...or am I mistaken to think they are 24V?
Last edited by: Manatee on Tue 9 Oct 12 at 11:34
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - -
>> BTW, do 24V lorries have 12V accessory sockets? I suppose they must...or am I mistaken
>> to think they are 24V?
>>

Most have a 12v point, but some still don't (DAF's in particular but 57plate is the most recent i've used)...in practice most lorry drivers use the usual phones and satnavs and these work quite happily at 24v, i've never had a problem...well...

Anecdote warning..;)

I did once have a problem, used to drive an old A series ERF on nights many years ago, no radio fitted so i screwed a good old cassette player (no point in a radio with fibre glass cab) and two wedge speakers to a wooden board and laid it on the bonnet and simply ran a wire with two croc clips to one of the batteries...worked well enough i used a different battery of the two each night to equalise them over time...bet you're already there...made a mistake one night, i thought it was working well, twice as loud as normal for about 20 minutes when the 24v feed melted it...:-)

Still, better than a rather posh new Volvo F10 they rented for me one night, only got as far as the exit gate and nearly died of fume poisoning, some clot had run a live unfused wire direct to the battery for the radio and routed it '''outside''' not through a grommet in the steel cab shell, course the wire chafed through and melted the whole main cab wiring loom with it, staggering about choking i managed to rip the glowing wire from the battery before the whole thing went up in flames...if that had happened at 70mph on the motorway might have been a lot different, as it was i only just got out before the fumes got me at walking speed.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Tue 9 Oct 12 at 11:58
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - Manatee
The accessory socket can nominally provide probably 120W-150W - the one in the Outlandish is marked 12V/120W. That's a 10A current.

So supplying your dual USB charger with a total of 3.1A shouldn't be a problem. The USB charger will have some gubbins in it to make the supply a nominal 5V. The current draw will be determined by the accessory being powered or charged. Plugging it into the higher rated one won't give it an overdose.

What you need to avoid is plugging something that needs more than 1 amp (12 watts) into the 1A socket.

You can plug anything that needs USB into the 2.1A socket.
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - VxFan
>> one output is labelled 1 amp and the other 2.1 amp. I haven't
>> dared to plug either into 2.1 amp USB socket in case it fries either the
>> phone or the Satnav

It won't fry it. The 2.1 amp socket is the maximum current that it can deliver to the appliance that's plugged in. The voltage from the USB socket is still only 5 volts.

It's overvoltage that'll kill an appliance, not the current.
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - TeeCee
Griffin PowerJolt.

Fits flush into a fag lighter socket and presents two USB ports. One amp (5 watts) on each. Does what it says on the tin and available for peanuts on eBay.
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - PhilW
Thanks one and all for replies!
Phil TT
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - movilogo
I use this

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-WAY-MULTI-SOCKET-SPLITTER-ADAPTER-IN-CAR-CHARGER-USB-PLUG-12V-24V-/150661968017?pt=UK_TravelTickets_Accessories_RL&hash=item2314273091#ht_2407wt_962

Last edited by: movilogo on Tue 9 Oct 12 at 14:39
 Charging Phone and Satnav? - Auristocrat
Tom Tom do a Universal High-Speed Multi-Charger which fits a car 12v socket - two usb's and a 12v socket.
We used this to charge our Tom Tom and Dell tablet/phone. About £12 from Amazon.
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