usb ports in truck?

[0rion]

Since the kids have phones and notepads and shit like that now I was thinking about putting some power in the rear of the truck for this summer when we go on vacation and spend a lot of time driving. I was originally going to just mount cigarette lighter ports in the doors but now I'm kinda thinking about just putting a couple usb ports in each door. Not sure which would really work best...the usb ports would be lower profile and then they would only need their cord and not an adapter so that's my thinking on why usb. Anything I might be missing that would make me wish I would've went cig. plug? Should I do only 2.1a usb receptacles? Any reason to have a 1a? Any certain usb receptacle I should look for?

[sjgreen6]

Cig lighter with a USB adapter gives you a bit more flexibility but there are plenty of USB charging ports available that will do what you want. I didn't find any on Crutchfield which is my normal go-to for car audio but did find a number on Amazon. Of course quality varies with price and manufacturer. Ports that are rated for marine or motorcycle applications look like they are the most rugged in general. Just make sure you hook it up with an inline fuse that you can access and appropriately sized wire all the way to the power source and ground to avoid problems. As to 1a or 2.1a, you need to check the items that your kids will be using. Some (especially older gear) can be damaged by charging on a 2.1a while stuff that is designed for 2.1a can usually use 1a fine, it will just charge slower. A number of the ports that I saw had a separate 1a and 2.1a outlet in the same port. Might have to teach the kids which can plug into which if you have some 1a gear.

[CJREX]

The 2.1A ports are usually labeled for tablets and the 1A for phones.

That said, if you're using the GPS on your phone, the 1A will probably not be enough to keep it charged and it will slowly discharge.

[0rion]

I thought pretty much all smart phones could charge on the 2.1a? I was under the impression 1a was mainly older phones. I'll have to do some reading evidently and make sure I understand that better. The cig plug chargers are normally pretty junky and don't last very long.....at least in my experience. That was another reason I was just going to go with usb back there. I could always do both....not a big deal to run an extra wire.

[CJREX]

I thought pretty much all smart phones could charge on the 2.1a? I was under the impression 1a was mainly older phones. I'll have to do some reading evidently and make sure I understand that better. The cig plug chargers are normally pretty junky and don't last very long.....at least in my experience. That was another reason I was just going to go with usb back there. I could always do both....not a big deal to run an extra wire.

You're correct in that a modern phone will charge off of either with no problems.

My bad. In my mind I was thinking of the cig adapters that have 2 ports on them, usually labeled for tablet or phone.

I was just pointing out that if you are going to be using both ports, the 1A will probably be enough for a phone unless you are using the GPS or streaming online video.

Since you are going to be running a custom setup, I'd put the 2.1 everywhere unless someone still has an older device.

I bought a setup off of Amazon for my Bronco that includes dual USB, a digital voltage gauge, and a standard cig plug, all in a little gauge enclosure for ~$12.

Looks very similar to this...



So far it's great but I've only had it for a few months.

[0rion]

something like that would work pretty good actually.....if I could find a place to mount it in the middle somewhere I would only need to run that and all 3 kids could plug in. I could actually tap into one of my amp's power for the 12v source which come up in the middle of the back seat. Just have to find a good place to mount it where it's out of the way and easily accessible. Beats punching holes in the door although I'm not completely opposed to that.

[allbaugh_04]

I'd make em look out the window

[0rion]

I'd make em look out the window

spoken like someone that hasn't been trapped in a truck for 12 hours with 3 kids........they're lucky I don't spike their drinks with nyquil.

[allbaugh_04]

spoken like someone that hasn't been trapped in a truck for 12 hours with 3 kids........they're lucky I don't spike their drinks with nyquil.

My parents had 5 kids. Most of the time we were all passed out though. So maybe my parents used the nyquil trick.