usb charging ? (1 Viewer)

greyman1

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having just bought a 12v 150w inverter to temporarily run a small mains only tv off and occasionally charge up a android tablet. i have found that it also has a seperate 5v 0.5amp usb socket . would this be ok to charge the tablet from instead of through the mains charger it came with ? the reason i ask is that the mains charger is rated 5v 2000 mA . common sense tells me it will charge it ok but it will take longer ! but as my record is not too good with anything techi i would rather ask for the opinion of the more informed on here. cheers garry
 

DuxDeluxe

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Some tablets need a bigger power output than that - about 2 amps I think. We had to buy a bigger USB charger as the phone one would not charge the tablet. Other people will know much more about this...."
 

DBK

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I wired a USB socket directly into the MH electrics for charging things like tablets. It provides up to 2.0 amps.

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Kool Kroozer

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Hi Beekeeper, where did you wire the USB to ? am thinking of putting one in the rear of the van somewhere running it off the 12v supply - i already have a 12v cigar socket which the TV connects to when off EHU, would it be safe to tap into this you think ?
 

sean n maggie

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we use something like this ,,,,,,,,,,,
AVANTEK R22 3-Socket Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter DC Outlet Splitter USB Car Charger for Cell Phones, iPhones, iPads & Tablet Computers, White
 

pappajohn

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0.5amp will not charge a tablet no matter how long you leave it connected.

I had the same problem with my new TomTom.
Connected a 0.5amp USB to a 230vac/12vdc power supply to charge in the house without having to leave my laptop on for hours doing nothing.
It was on overnight (12hrs) but showed the same charge level as previous night.
Swapped the USB for the supplied 2amp version and it was charged in around 3hrs.
 

DBK

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Hi Beekeeper, where did you wire the USB to ? am thinking of putting one in the rear of the van somewhere running it off the 12v supply - i already have a 12v cigar socket which the TV connects to when off EHU, would it be safe to tap into this you think ?
That's what I would do, it should draw only about an amp at 12 volts which the electronics in the USB socket turn into 5 volts and about 2 amps.
I'll try and remember to post tomorrow a suggested socket. I used this one but I have found a better one since, if I can remember where I made a note of it!
 

Kool Kroozer

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LOL Thats the same one i have purchased, am just awaiting its arrival - thx for the reply (y)

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GJH

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We have a couple of multi-socket adapters similar to the Avantek mentioned above, one from Aldi which is cigarette lighter socket only and one from Lidl which also has USB. The Lidl one is used most frequently, as most of our devices have USB cables supplied with them, but both work fine for charging phones, e-readers, tablets, cameras (one through an inverter) and my Vivobook.
 

magicsurfbus

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There's a useful little adapter gadget that has a 12v lighter plug at one end and a female USB socket at the other. That way you can use the standard computer USB cable for charging instead of having to buy a specialist 12v charger cable. I bought a few in our local Pound shop's closing down sale.
 

DBK

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LOL Thats the same one i have purchased, am just awaiting its arrival - thx for the reply (y)
There's nothing wrong with the Blue Sea socket, and it is a double, which is a bonus. But I fitted it by converting an existing cigar lighter socket, which wasn't difficult but it did need the centre drilled out to make it fit.

While doing this I noticied the cigar lighter was made by a company called CBE and they make USB sockets which are a direct replacement. Here is an example: Broken Link Removed
What I can't find out is what current it produces. Which could be an issue for tablet charging. Also that one if very cheap compared to other CBE USB sockets you can find. Might be a warning it is not kosher!

The advantage of a dedicated USB socket over a cigar lighter with a plug in converter in my experience is they work when driving. I found the converters tended to fall out when the socket was on the wall. OK if the socket points upwards as they do on the dash of our Ducato but the other sockets were all mounted on vertical walls.

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