Fuse tap to MicroUSB?

[spector]

I bought a vent mount for my smartphone (music + google navigation + trapster ftw) and I have it on the vent right next to the driver's door (left of steering wheel). I love the setup, except that I have to run my DC adapter all the way from the cigarette lighter, over the steering wheel, into the phone. Is there a way to wire this so that I don't have to do that? Ideally, a fuse tap that runs into a micro-usb power head would be PERFECT, since the fuse box is right there. Google isn't helping me here.

Anyone know how I could power my micro-usb phone when it's sitting to the left of the steering wheel without running cords across the cabin?

[bigblue]

Pull your vent out and fuse tap into something in the fuse box which is right below the vent. Or tap a cig adapter behind the dash an run the wires through the vent?

[Coderedpl]

Will that work fine without frying the phone for example? I'm VERY interested in this too. I have in-car navi already but also have a phone mount and use that for traffic updates many times

[imnuts]

I don't know how to do it, but it shouldn't fry the phone. Electrical devices only request so much power, and the line will supply that if possible, unless a fuse/breaker goes and stops flow altogether. The cigarette lighter has its own fuse that you could possibly tap into. I guess you'd just need to know which wires in a USB cable supplied power really to be able to do it.

[spector]

Pull your vent out and fuse tap into something in the fuse box which is right below the vent. Or tap a cig adapter behind the dash an run the wires through the vent?

Well, right, what I'm wondering is if anyone makes something that you can run directly from a fuse to a microUSB connector. I have no intentions of splicing it myself and ruining my phone, which will be the inevitable result.

[MikeWire]

USB is 5V IIRC. I bet you can find a 12V -> 5V converter, or find someone who has electrical engineering experience and maybe make your own.

[imnuts]

It is 5V. Wikipedia has the pin configuration and standard wire colors to correspond to the pins as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB

[Coderedpl]

Was doing some googling and it sort of seems you'll need a 12v to 5v converter of some sort.

[spector]

Thanks, guys, I'll let you know what I find out. Right now I'm thinking it'll just be easier to mount an extra cigarette lighter plug to the left/underside of the steering wheel (near the vag-com port) because that can be accomplished with a $10 kit from walmart/radioshack. And Just use my existing cig lighter adapter.

[bigblue]

Ya like I said very easy, we sell them ad advance auto parts as well. I did that before for my radar detector since hardwiring it would blow it up without the cig adapter to drop the power down.

[widgget]

my plan is to solder a few leads to my cig charger and connect the other end to the bottom of the cig lighter, then the whole thing can just sit behind the dash and i can still use my cig lighter for other devices.

[Coderedpl]

Did anybody actually do this?

[Coderedpl]

Anybody have more info?

[spector]

*bump* for coderedpl.

[Jflow23]

I used one of these.



I used a wire that I tapped for my dvd player in the fuse panel and soldered it to the tip. I then soldered a ground wire to the side terminal. It's all tucked behind the dash and it works like a champ to power my iphone.

[Antekaudi]

You can use simple circuit with voltage regulator and small radiator.