USB Charger

G

Grazer

New member
I am looking at installing a Blue Sea Dual USB charging socket.
USB_Charger.sized.jpg

I was thinking of mounting near existing cigar lighter socket and piggy back off the existing power supply. Or should I find a dedicated terminal with it's own fuse. Any suggestions as to where others may have installed it and powered a USB charger?

Thanks,
Grazer
 
I would consider just putting in standard 12v sockets then using something like this to plug in USB cables. Then you have both choices.

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Ba ... archidx=38

As far as placement, I put one in on the port side, upper dash and there was already one on the Stbd side at the helm. I added another inside the Stbd stern hatch for a quick 12v connection there and may put another on the ceiling corner in berth in the future. We carry a couple of smart phones and one tablet plus a few other 12v powered or at least rechargeable boating accessories such as a small fan and one light. Our Torqeedo battery will also charge from 12v which was the primary reason for the stern connection.
 
We use a 400w inverter plugged into a 12dc cigarette lighter type socket and plug in six way power strip into the inverter. You can use it for a variety of things like camera ,phone chargers, laptop etc. We have the Ipad type charger that uses a wall wart (120 volt plug in type transformer) and the USB cable plugs right into that. As previously mentioned an extra 12VDC socket/s comes in handy for a lot of things. We ran a dedicated circuit to the additional one we added. Fuse size dictated by wire size and what the socket is rated.
D.D.
 
Aurelia":3jzqtzzl said:
I would consider just putting in standard 12v sockets then ... plug in USB cables. Then you have both choices.
Click to expand...

I considered the Blue Sea USB sockets, but then decided the same as you -- that I would put in more cigar lighter sockets, which could serve multiple purposes, due to the availability of USB inserts for them. That's not to say the USB sockets aren't good of course.
 
I have put in three of these around the boat (new holes).

Beware that they draw about 20-30mA continuously, even when nothing is plugged in.

Because of that, I have build a really, overly geeky, overly complicated, push button timer/relay that feeds all of mine. I push a button and they get 12V for about 3hrs and turn off altogether with zero standby current.

I'll post something about it soon if anyone is interested.

Although quite geeky, etc. It has been something (including the outlets) that I have really come to appreciate.
 
Just as an aside question:

Does the unfiltered nature of the 12 DC current from the battery/alternator when the engine(s) are running, make any difference to the electronic devices one would be likely to plug in to the USB outlet?

Eg.: voltage that may approach 15 or more volts, and a rippling voltage curve?

Would this be filtered out by most device's internal power supplies?

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Ray":1frjm3fh said:
I have put in three of these around the boat (new holes).

Beware that they draw about 20-30mA continuously, even when nothing is plugged in.
Click to expand...

Do you know if this is just the Blue Sea USB ports (as opposed to the Blue Sea regular old "cigar lighter" ports)? What I'm really wondering is if my Blue Sea cigar lighter ports are drawing current continuously, and figured you might have checked in your research/project.

Thanks,
Sunbeam
 
As you know, that device uses 12 VDC to provide the 5 VDC to power USB devices. It's maximum output, per blue sea is 2.1 A, or a maximum of 11 watts. Say 20 watts input. Just tie it into the power lead for the cig lighter. That has a maximum of 120 watts, so the USB charger is only 1/6 of the cig lighter. By the way, I assume the lighter is fused.

The location is up to you. Where do you put the cell phone and tablet when you're using them? Put the charger near there so the cords will reach and don't get in the way.

Boris
 
Sea Wolf":2ps6ospz said:
Just as an aside question:

Does the unfiltered nature of the 12 DC current from the battery/alternator when the engine(s) are running, make any difference to the electronic devices one would be likely to plug in to the USB outlet?

Eg.: voltage that may approach 15 or more volts, and a rippling voltage curve?

Would this be filtered out by most device's internal power supplies?

Joe. :teeth :thup
Click to expand...
Joe,

Most of these devices use switching power supplies to generate the 5V USB outlet. Switching power supplies are very tolerant to voltage variation.
 
A good recap on this is found here:

https://activecaptain.com/articles/mobi ... sories.php

Today I was in a Radio Shack and saw multiple USB adaptors, all around $20:
AC to USB, DC to USB, even USB docks 1 to 3 split. There are also one-to-two
12v (DC) cigar lighter splits.

For charging cell phones, iPods, iPads and the like, it seems to me the easiest
and most versatile is to hard mount one or two 12v (DC) cigar outlets. From
one of these, you can get 1 - 3, maybe more, USB outlets to do the required
job(s). And, it still leaves an outlet to plug in a handheld spotlight or, for you
diehards, your favorite stogie.

Aye.
 
Blue Seas give the parasitic (when not in use) drain of 15 milli amps. But that is enough that I would not leave them on--thus if you put one, in, then put it on a separate circuit--fused at 5 amps.

We have used the cig plug adaptor for at least 6 years to charge many USB devices on the boat, RV and car/truck--no issue. These are cheap, some have dual ports--and why not use these rather than putting in a dedicated port. We also have multiple cig type plugs, one under the gunnel for the inflator we use for the dinghy, and any device in the cockpit, one under the dinette, an extra one on the console, and one over each bunk, for extra fans, or other appliances…

It uses a lot more power to use an inverter, wall wart etc to charge USB devices than the direct DC to DC converters. (Max output is 2.1 amps @ 12 volts).
 
Be aware that different devices have different requirements for charging. Generally speaking, a tablet will need 2 amps, a smartphone 1 amp, a dumb phone or an MP3 player about .7A. Be sure to get a USB unit that will supply outputs with sufficient current.

In some cases a lower amperage than recommended will just mean longer charge times. However, some devices will not charge at all if the current is insufficient.

I always buy converters that have at least 2A outputs. These will work with all devices (so far).
 
Thanks for all your responses. As for the parasitic draw of 15mA, this has me somewhat concerned. I sure am interested in the timer switch. That sounds like a smart move, as invariably things get left on or plugged in.
 
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