Cig lighter to Dual USB conversion (1 Viewer)

[TheForger]

I see that the blue sea 1045 dual USB charger has a parasitic draw of 1 mA. Would it be okay to hook it up on the right power outlet of the lower dash and do the always on acc mod? How long would it take to drain the battery or is it negligible? Thanks!

A 1mA parasitic draw is completely negligible on a car battery unless you leave your car sitting for months (maybe years) on end, and by that time you have other issues to worry about such as fuel/oil/tires. Your radio presets, clock settings, and alarm system draw more than that. For the sake of an example say you have an Optima Yellow with 55Ah (car batteries can sometimes be measured in amp hours). That means that battery can deliver 1amp for 55 hours. There are a thousand milliamps in 1 amp so if you do the math then that comes out to a very long time of no worrying.

 

[92LXAZ]

Since my thread is back...why not update it!! Almost a full year later, got the 1045 in!

 

[greenseaman]

Thanks so much! This is my next mod!

 

[cc93cruiser]

Since my thread is back...why not update it!! Almost a full year later, got the 1045 in!

View attachment 1478570

Sorry maybe a dumb question, but is this basically a plug and play and not have to rewire the cig lighter to thicker gauge wire?

 

[greenseaman]

I just clipped off the OEM connectors and put on some new terminals and plugged them in. It is working like a champ. I have mine hooked up to where the power outlet was, not the cigarette lighter.

 

[beachbumin]

I did the same swap and was able to do it all without pulling the dash out. Just pulled the ashtray and had enough room (barely) to get everything done.

 

[CreasyBear]

I started doing this exact same thing a few days ago only to find out those wires have no power.

I checked the fuse in the left kick panel, it's still good. Any ideas?

 

[greenseaman]

Make sure the ignition is on unless you have jumpers the acc relay under the hood for the always on mod.

 

[DanInDenver]

I made up pig tails so I could leave the OEM connector alone and could always return to stock.

 

[92LXAZ]

Sorry maybe a dumb question, but is this basically a plug and play and not have to rewire the cig lighter to thicker gauge wire?

Correct, plug and play.

 

[abuck99]

Correct, plug and play.

It's close but not literally plug & play- the OEM blade connectors that come off the lighter or ACC plug are two different sizes- Neg is large, pos is small and the blue sea USB port has typical larger blades that don't fit either. You'll have to snip the OEM connectors off and crimp correct size connectors for the USB port, or run some jumpers.

With all the right parts & tools on hand it's 30-45min job.

 

[92LXAZ]

It's close but not literally plug & play- the OEM blade connectors that come off the lighter or ACC plug are two different sizes- Neg is large, pos is small and the blue sea USB port has typical larger blades that don't fit either. You'll have to snip the OEM connectors off and crimp correct size connectors for the USB port, or run some jumpers.

With all the right parts & tools on hand it's 30-45min job.

Not true in my case, maybe some years vary. No splicing, crimping, jumpers. I just split the factory connector in half and plugged them in. Another member even corrected me on the need for cutting the plastic factory connector housing as he just polked out the terminals and plugged in.

 

[THEIZZARDKING]

do you guys ever worry that these ports are going to become obsolete?

i hear the type C connector is going to take over this style of plug..it'll probably be a while but it looks like these are actually going to be obsolete after a 30 year run, lol.

luckily it's a cheap part, but i don't think i'd be doing irreversiable modifactions on something that is likely to be phased out in a while.

probably a stretch to be concerned on my part, just something i was thinking about as i was considering doing this and playing with my new phone, lol.

 

[abuck99]

^ Because the spade terminals on the back of Cig lighter were different sizes, and different size to the USB Port spade terminals I didn't even think to try to and plug the small one onto the USB port to see if it would fit. I stand corrected- thanks. (albeit too late for my application)

 

[ftzgrlds1]

Yes, you can definitely do this simple upgrade w/the factory connectors, there’s a little “door” on the side of the factory plug, flip those open and the connectors slide right out. Heat shrink and plug them into your Blue Sea USB ports and you’re as good as gold.

 

[RootMeanSqr]

I give you guys kudos for taking the time to swap out the cigarette lighter outlet for the USB outlets, but I have to ask, why not just pick up one of these low-profile adapters for $10? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M6QODH2

 

[ftzgrlds1]

that's a slick adapter...for me, I enjoy the permanent upgrade and the process of adding some current upgrades to a 14 year old rig

I give you guys kudos for taking the time to swap out the cigarette lighter outlet for the USB outlets, but I have to ask, why not just pick up one of these low-profile adapters for $10? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M6QODH2

 

[reznunt]

I give you guys kudos for taking the time to swap out the cigarette lighter outlet for the USB outlets, but I have to ask, why not just pick up one of these low-profile adapters for $10? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M6QODH2

That's what I did. Sometimes some of us need to use the cigarette lighter.