charging stuff from ciggy lighter? (1 Viewer)

[seanoo]

hi , i have just bought a bluetooth speaker to use in the van. it comes with a mains charger but that would mean using my inverter which is a bit inefficient. i have a 12v lead for a pace minibox which fits directly in to the speaker and plugs into the ciggy lighter and i've tried it and it works but could i do any damage my new spaeker ? the mains charger output is 12v and 0.83 . cheers sean

 

[magicsurfbus]

[edit] Might be worth checking the output ampage on the Pace charger, compared to the speaker's charger.

If the speaker can be charged via a USB port (5v) there are various options.

 

[Ed Excel]

The ciggy socket will only work whilst you are running the engine, unless you know different. As the vehicle battery potential could be quite a bit higher than 12V, because the alternator's running, you need to be sure your 12V lead will regulate the socket voltage and not allow a higher voltage to pass. Your mains lead obviously provides a nominal 12V.

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[Jaws]

The output AMPERAGE of a charger does not really matter ( unless it is too low in which case the item will take yonks to charge )
It could be capable of delivering a million amps and it would still be fine ( massive, weird and possibly somewhat bigger than your van but still be ok to use !! )

As long as the output voltage is correct all will be fine :thumb:

 

[hilldweller]

hi , i have just bought a bluetooth speaker to use in the van.

Can you post a link to the speaker.

So many things use a mini or micro USB 5V connector to charge these days things are getting easier.

 

[seanoo]

12v socket in back of van is always live. Speaker is a bose soundlink mini. My only concern is that the voltage can go up to 14v when the solar is charging. The mains charger delivers 12v at 0.83 amps. Everything else i use that needs 12v seems to be ok using the sockets in the van . There is no micro usb charging on this speaker , only mains charger. Cheers for the replies Sean

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[TheCaller]

Bose do supply a 12v car charger for the Soundlink Mini, for which they will charge you £24.95.

That's expensive if it's just a lead that passes through battery voltage, which as you say, with solar panel charging, could be as high as 14v. On the other hand, if it needs a regulated 12v supply, then that's not a bad price for a Bose branded item.

Looking at the picture on their web site, it doesn't look like a regulated power supply, because these are usually bulkier than a straight through lead. But Bose are the specialists in miniaturisation ....

What you really need is for someone who has already got the Bose 12v charger to put their voltmeter across it to see what it really puts out. Trouble is, you may be the one who is leading the way here.

If it was me, I would stick to using the inverter until I knew for sure, inefficient though it is. If you can time it for when you have the inverter on anyway, it won't be all that much worse than charging direct.