USB power from Cigarette lighter?

[RickWhite]

Hi, apologies if this has already been covered extensively (I did a search but couldn't find anything), but does anyone have a solution for ensuring a snug fit between the male lighter to USB adapters and the female cigarette lighter port on our cars? Mine is so loose that I can't get constant power, so I was thinking that I needed to create some sleeve to hold the USB cigarette adapter in the port.

Otherwise, has anyone gotten more aggressive in trying to hardwire a USB cable into the factory wiring harness? Perhaps splicing a USB cable into the Webasto heating feed?

[68911+1]

At one time, some early power plugs came with an adapter sleeve, however I haven't see one for sale on the regular places for many years. There have been some threads on the Porsche sites regarding replacing the entire lighter socket with a FLAPS new off the shelf item. I recall there being some swapping of parts involved. I have, only slightly embarrassed to say, cut up a plastic milk/juice container and secured a wrap around shim with electrical tape to snug up a plug. There is also info on direct wiring a USB plug out of sight under the dash or even in the side of the ashtray. Good luck.

[911GP]

I had the same issue. Very intermittent connection. I ended up asking my restorer to hard wiring a couple of discreet power supply sockets similar to those found on a laptop computers, one under the dash and one in the glovebox, wired to be permanently on. The one under the dash is useful for the battery maintainer and saves having to pop the bonnet open:






Then I made a couple of these fused boxes, one USB and one 12v.





They are stowed away when not in use. I tend to use the USB one in the glovebox socket for my phone charger. I am yet to use the 12v but when i do, I plan to stick it under the dash with some velcro (hook and loop) tape. This makes the old cigarette socket redundant, which is a good thing.

Kind regards
Gitesh

[blucille]

I've purchased a few USB plugs with voltage meters on amazon, they work great. I have wrapped a few turns of black electrical tape around the body of the plug to successfully address any looseness. works great, no complaints.

[NorthernThrux]

Yep, about 5 wraps of black electrical tape and it stays nice and snug. No issues at all.

[RickWhite]

All wonderful suggestions - I particularly like 911GP's set-up. Five wraps to start and then I'll graduate to a more permanent solution.

Any indication on where to procure those fused USB & 12V boxes as they look great?

I was mulling installing some rare earth magnets and a Qi charger somewhere on the dash to make it all invisible, so it is helpful to have the interim step.

[uai]

What a coincidence. I just redid this today as the thing wasn't delivering enough to keep an Ipad alive for a day. The new electronics supply 4.8 amps - that should work

[911GP]

All wonderful suggestions - I particularly like 911GP's set-up. Five wraps to start and then I'll graduate to a more permanent solution.

Any indication on where to procure those fused USB & 12V boxes as they look great?

I was mulling installing some rare earth magnets and a Qi charger somewhere on the dash to make it all invisible, so it is helpful to have the interim step.

I bought the extruded aluminium boxes on eBay and cut them shorter. Same source for the usb and 12v sockets. The fuse holder and blade fuse came from a vehicle wiring company in the UK but I’m sure you can get these easily in the US. The plug and socket were hard to find since I was looking for ones with sufficient amperage. I don’t recall where I bought them from but I think they were from the US.

[RickWhite]

For reference, this bad boy on Amazon works very well with our oversized cigarette lighters. I've found one initial fiddle will keep power for the entire ride. A good interim solution until I decide to play with the electrical system and install the permanent USB ports. It fits much better than a standard USB adapter with five wraps (I tried three, including my radar detector's).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071FHZRQN

I also got one of these which is fantastic, except I've knocked the phone off shifting into second gear. When I tire of the occasional phone launch, I might order the RHD version to stick on my fuel gauge (I assume the clock and the fuel gauge are the same circumference).

https://www.rennline.com/Porsche-911...tinfo/PM01.06/

Thanks again for everyone's input.

[blucille]

I do like this one, mostly for the quick-charge and the volt meter

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-input...0104289&sr=8-1