Connect 3 cig lighter plugs together?? How (1 Viewer)

Billy23

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I would like to run a cable from my Leisure battery and connect 3 cigarette lighter plugs in a row. Could somebody explain how I would connect the lead, for instance, is it just run the live to all the lives and then connect the other lead to the - connections. I plan on putting a 10 amp fuse on the line.

As you can see electric is not my strong point......so be nice :)

Thank you for any help you may give.(y)

Ps. It is getting cold near Seville, down to about 18c today :p
 
May 8, 2016
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You need to run the cigarette lighter sockets in parallel (all positives connected together), with a 10A fuse in series

I think this does what you want:-

Amazon product ASIN B001CDPVHG
All done for you

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meanders

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Hi.

I'm assuming you mean female sockets rather than male plugs? Yes you wire them in parallel so + to all the bases and - to the sleeves. You need to watch the maximum current. Each outlet is usually rated at 120W maximum, so three in principle would be 360W (or ~30A at 12V). It varies because the wattage is the voltage x current, and the voltage varies from about 14V down to perhaps 10V.

If you are fitting just the one fuse, you need to watch the maximum power you are drawing across the three outlets. You also need to ensure the cable will take at least twice the fused capacity for safety (more so if its a long run) and the fuse needs to be as near the battery as possible to ensure the cable is protected as much as the outlets. NB: Fuses do not blow at the stated current. If the drawn power increases quickly you can often draw over many times the fused rating before it blows. Even steady a overcurrent may not blow for 1.5 to 2 times the rating. Meantime the cable insulation may be melting causing a fire. If in doubt over-rate everything downstream of the fuse.
 

maxi77

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That would certainly work, assuming you use 10 amp+ cable. Presumably you do not envisage needing more than 10 amps from the circuit. If you want to be able to take 10 amps from each socket simultaneously then it would be better to have individual circuits and 10 amp fuses. On the basis most sockets are 10 amp rated a single circuit with 30 amp fuse would allow you to overload individual sockets

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May 8, 2016
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Agreed it does look better, and I share your preferences

On the basis most sockets are 10 amp rated a single circuit with 30 amp fuse would allow you to overload individual sockets

I don't think this could be read as meaning otherwise, but I would be extremely wary about drawing more than 10A at any individual socket. I have seen a supposedly 100W 12v kettle melt a cheap cigarette lighter socket before now
 
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Is this a possible option? I hope the link works

Link Removed

I noticed other arrangements as I was browsing.
 
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Billy23

Billy23

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:)
I was also wondering why @Billy23 didn't go down the todo shop & by a treble, quad etc.?


Well, you could write on the back of a postage stamp in capital letters what I know about electrics, so I went to to that well known shop Maplins
When I was in the UK and the very clever man told me that, this is the best way to solve your problem and promptly sold me everything that may be I didn't need. So I have 2cig plugs and one USB plug. Idea is that I can plug in TV and Snipe sat control panel thingy.

So that's the story so far, and as its starting to cool down here near Seville I thought I would warm up a bit by doing some jobs on the camper. (y):)
 
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Bloody Maplins!

At least you won't be drawing huge amounts of current with those, so a 10A supply to all 3 should be sufficient. But a warning to all, check the temperatures of the plug/sockets and the cables of devices drawing high loads ("camping" 12v hairdryers, etc)

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maxi77

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Agreed it does look better, and I share your preferences



I don't think this could be read as meaning otherwise, but I would be extremely wary about drawing more than 10A at any individual socket. I have seen a supposedly 100W 12v kettle melt a cheap cigarette lighter socket before now


The best I have seen is 15amp sockets from a reputable supplier. Some of the plugs worry me too and I tend to stick to prerly fused ones as a double safety measure. The worrying points are when people wire invertors up to cig plugs and use other power hungry objects of the same circuit. Mind you these days the demand for multiple points is more down to supplying USB power
 

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