12V Cigarette lighter socket extension

Harsh

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
3,568
Reaction score
2,614
Location
Delhi
Country
India
I've been using a 1 metre cigarette lighter socket connected to a fuse-tap to power the GC and the Mobius.

In order to combine them and shift the install to the glove box, I plan on using a Aukey 4 port USB 12V adaptor and cables from Amazon basics, which'll power both the cams and at times a third cam, leaving the orange quick charge port for mobile charging if needed. The mentioned setup works as intended with the current 1 metre version.

As the distance has increased in order to reach the glove box, I've purchased the 2 metre version from the same seller on special request, as he/she doesn't sell it as regular inventory in their online store. A 2 metre version online is sparse too.

1 metre version of the kit
Aukey USB charger

I've checked the wire gauge, amps, wire length and voltage drop calculators but am still confused if the following setup is electrically sound.

Wire length - 2 metres.
Wire gauge - 16 AWG - 1.5mm²
Amp draw - I'm guessing 1A max per camera and 1.5 -2A for the phone when connected to the QC port. Total - 5 to 6A max. (Each port on the charger can deliver 2.4A.)
Fuse intended to be used - 7.5A or 10A (again confused)

Please help..
 
Last edited:
the extension will be fine, I believe there are others here using that same power supply as well and it should be fine also
 
A simple way is to calculate the maximum wattage, so 5v ports x 2.4amp = 12watts (48 watts total for 4 ports)

48watts / 12v = 4amp. So it will draw about 4 amp from the car battery. So fuse for 7.5amp

I personally wouldnt use a fuse tap in this case as its a fair bit of current your adding on to an existing circuit. I would just wire it to the existing cigarette lighter.

If you do use the fuse tap, tap into the ACC/cig lighter circuit.
 
Last edited:
Plan on using the same 20A cigarette lighter socket fuse that's being currently used with the 1 metre version.

Some calculators online gave me a result of 14 AWG to be used, some said 16 was fine, hence the confusion.
 
Or.. use the existing assembly by cutting off the male end .. splicing in as long a wire as needed to reach the fuse box of whatever gauge of wire you want.
 
Most dashcams use less than 1a but few new ones are coming with 2.1a car chargers so just read the specs.
16 or 14, should work fine as long as you don't max out the power supply and I don't think you'll do that with dashcams.
 
Plan on using the same 20A cigarette lighter socket fuse that's being currently used with the 1 metre version.

Some calculators online gave me a result of 14 AWG to be used, some said 16 was fine, hence the confusion.

The reason its not ideal to tap an existing fuse to add a high current circuit is because if the existing ACC fuse is already 20A, and you add another 7.5A on top of that, you can now draw a possible maximum of 27.5A through the factory wiring, which may not be gauged for.

Its highly unlikely you'll be drawing the full amount but just had to point that out.

16AWG is fine. You dont need to worry about the voltage drop on the 12v wiring. Even if the input voltage to the USB hub drops to 11v, it will still output the full 5v.

The voltage drop you need to worry about is the USB cable from the hub to the dashcam. If it drops below 5v the dashcam wont be happy.
 
With the 1 metre version and the Aukey charger + Amazon basics cables, both dash cams are working fine.

Though rated at 20A, all I have plugged in is the TPMS receiver, which I doubt even pulls 0.5A. I use the 2nd port available for the Capdase quick charger, which isn't tapped.
 
Here's a cheat sheet i use for DC wiring, as you will see 16AWG at 6 foot is good up to 10A for critical use.

Wire%20Gauge%20Chart.jpg
 
I did come across this one while looking around. Thank you for your inputs.
 
Last edited:
Nice Chart- Thanks ;)

One thing I suggest when using a cigarette lighter extension is to tape the plug into the extension's socket well- I've had several get bumped or jarred loose from driving and many of those sockets will stretch to oval through time, giving less tension for the plug to hold on with. But I've never lost a well-taped connection even after 5 years plus of banging around in my work vehicles.

Another thing to be aware of is that sometimes there's an unused space in the fusebox for an accessory your car didn't have. Usually the 'hot' terminal will be there but not the 'load' terminal. Check your owner's manual or fusebox to see what that fuse would have been rated at, and you can safely draw up to that much current from that unused location. As often as not those unused circuits will be 10+A. I tap in that by breaking up a fuse and soldering my wire to the part I'm going to stick into that terminal which gives a perfect fit, then I add an inline fuse as close to there as is practical. Sometimes you'll get lucky and find both switched and unswitched open terminals giving you a choice :) It's not always like this but it's nice when it is and you won't have to worry about adding up to an overload of an existing used circuit by using a fuse tap. It's worth looking for.

Phil
 
That is what I did as well. The tape holds it so that it won't vibrate out anytime soon.This way if I want to take the cam and power supply to put into another vehicle, alI I need to do is unplug the the power supply from the cigarette lighter extension and away I go. I have it placed where it is pretty easy to get to as well to disconnect.
 
Nice Chart- Thanks ;)

One thing I suggest when using a cigarette lighter extension is to tape the plug into the extension's socket well- I've had several get bumped or jarred loose from driving and many of those sockets will stretch to oval through time, giving less tension for the plug to hold on with. But I've never lost a well-taped connection even after 5 years plus of banging around in my work vehicles.

Another thing to be aware of is that sometimes there's an unused space in the fusebox for an accessory your car didn't have. Usually the 'hot' terminal will be there but not the 'load' terminal. Check your owner's manual or fusebox to see what that fuse would have been rated at, and you can safely draw up to that much current from that unused location. As often as not those unused circuits will be 10+A. I tap in that by breaking up a fuse and soldering my wire to the part I'm going to stick into that terminal which gives a perfect fit, then I add an inline fuse as close to there as is practical. Sometimes you'll get lucky and find both switched and unswitched open terminals giving you a choice :) It's not always like this but it's nice when it is and you won't have to worry about adding up to an overload of an existing used circuit by using a fuse tap. It's worth looking for.

Phil

I do have the 1M version taped as well.

Ok, from what I've read around and understood (please do correct me if I'm wrong). The ECU is mapped as per the electronics, equipment and corresponding fuses that exist in your car, adding a fuse to an unmapped slot may/could cause errors. With the ever increasing amount of wiring and electronics in cars nowadays, I would rather tap off a mapped non-critical fuse with a listed rating.
 
Nice Chart- Thanks ;)

One thing I suggest when using a cigarette lighter extension is to tape the plug into the extension's socket well- I've had several get bumped or jarred loose from driving and many of those sockets will stretch to oval through time, giving less tension for the plug to hold on with. But I've never lost a well-taped connection even after 5 years plus of banging around in my work vehicles.

Another thing to be aware of is that sometimes there's an unused space in the fusebox for an accessory your car didn't have. Usually the 'hot' terminal will be there but not the 'load' terminal. Check your owner's manual or fusebox to see what that fuse would have been rated at, and you can safely draw up to that much current from that unused location. As often as not those unused circuits will be 10+A. I tap in that by breaking up a fuse and soldering my wire to the part I'm going to stick into that terminal which gives a perfect fit, then I add an inline fuse as close to there as is practical. Sometimes you'll get lucky and find both switched and unswitched open terminals giving you a choice :) It's not always like this but it's nice when it is and you won't have to worry about adding up to an overload of an existing used circuit by using a fuse tap. It's worth looking for.

Phil

Hi SawMaster, I'm confused about taping the power supply into the female socket. Do you mean to wrap tape (Electricians tape) around the power supply so that it fits snugly into the female socket or something else?

In my situation with installing a Vico Power Plus, I intend to cut off my trucks female Cigarette holder and use the Vico female socket wired to the trucks original wire with a male/female disconnect .
 
Stick plug or PS into socket firmly, then wrap outside both parts with tape so the two do not separate ;) Though the spring tip on the plug or PS doesn't seem strong, with enough joggling it is strong enough to push a plug or PS out of the socket creating an intermittent or broken connection. Electrical tape (preferred), duct tape, or any tape which will endure the conditions will do the job. I have tied the wires into a knot for security before when no tape was available but that is not recommended as it will likely damage the wire conductors.

Phil
 
Stick plug or PS into socket firmly, then wrap outside both parts with tape so the two do not separate ;) Though the spring tip on the plug or PS doesn't seem strong, with enough joggling it is strong enough to push a plug or PS out of the socket creating an intermittent or broken connection. Electrical tape (preferred), duct tape, or any tape which will endure the conditions will do the job. I have tied the wires into a knot for security before when no tape was available but that is not recommended as it will likely damage the wire conductors.

Phil

Thanks Phil, that's a great tip. I probably shouldn't have called the plug a power supply (since it's not), but a converter or controller.:D
 
It's generally called a power supply (abbreviated "PS" pr "P/S") even though it's actually a regulated output DC voltage converter. "PS" is just a lot easier :D There are other better solutions to the same problem but they have their own issues- harder to implement, harder to un-do, permanent alteration which may make re-use tougher, etc. The 'tape' solution is what works best for most and you'll very rarely need the more extreme solutions for normal road cars. Everything has it's place :cool:

Phi
 
Back
Top