Cell phone charging and the Model A...

[329s]

OK...so you are on a tour and thinking your cell phone is completly charged for the trip you discover it isn't!

Now what?

Is there a device one can use, like in the dash light socket, one could plug into, to plug into the charging cord to the cell phone?

It would have to work for either 6, 8 or 12 volt system, what ever type of charging system you have.

This is a good question for Mr. John LaVoy and a future article in Model A Times.

Pluck

[WTSHNN]

Pluck, I have looked into getting a solar power charging unit that is designed for cell phones so that I can keep my phone charged while in my A. I've heard good things about them from other people in various applications and figure it would be perfect for an A.

Go to amazon and search solar power charger, you'll see several results for under $40.
-Tim

[John LaVoy]

Pluck,
That does sound like an interesting article. I will research it when I'm at the SEMA show the end of October.

[Kevin in NJ]

Most phones charge from a USB plug today. That only needs a well regulated 5 volt supply. It would not be hard to build one. You may be able to use a 12V lighter plug on the 6 volt system. If I had a 12V usb adapter I would try it.

[Pete]

If you have 12 volts, there are many chargers on the market that plug into a lighter socket which all modern cars have. Be sure to get one that is proper for your particular phone.
You can get a universal lighter socket and mount it up under the dash rail out of sight. Be SURE to use the inline fuse it comes with.
Takes about 10 minutes to install.

[Bruce,Upstate NY]

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My Garmans work fine in my 6V A's. Reverse the polarity using a plastic two wire lighter unit glued under the fuel tank. I bet it will work fine.

[Bruce Adams]

I bring a 12 volt JUMP BOX under my seat with a double cigarette plug wire for GPS, cell phone, CB etc.
It has plenty of juice for the day and can be plugged in for charging at night.

[Jack '29 Sport Coupe]

I vote for Bruce Adams Jump starter box. I carry mine in the rumble seat floor. It can also
be used to plug in my little air compressor I carry for the tires. I also carry a 12V DC
impact wrench which also can be plugged in just in case the lug nuts are a tad tough to remove. I paid 40 bucks for a good one from Tractor Supply.

Jack

[James Rogers]

USB chargers that plug into the cigarette lighter are readily available and should work with 8,8 or 12 volt systems. You can get a remote lighter socket and wire it directly to the battery grounded negative and charge away. You will need a USB cable with a male connector that fits your charge port on the phone. Most phones today come with one included. You might also find that the greenies have gotten legislation introduced that requires all chargers to fit all phones made after 6-1-12. I always charge my phone by connecting it to my computer.

[kingbee]

Many 12vpower adapters that come with your phone, gps, etc., charge through the USB jack on the unit, which is 5v, and 6v works just fine with them. Cheap aftermarket ones sometimes don't. My Garmen and Samsung ones work just fine. Just wire up a charge receptacle as mentioned above - your unit may just work fine on 6v without needing a voltage booster.

[Roadster62]

Reminds me of the lady with the new Jaguar. I asked her how she liked the new car, "Hard to shift while I'm on my cell phone."........................ you can't reply to something like that. Bob

[jmeckel]

I installed a 6 volt pos ground to 12 volt neg ground converter on my Tudor. It is small and I mounted it with a on/off switch on the top side of the steering "pipe" under the gas tank, it can not be seen unless you put your head under the dash and look. I mounted a cig lighter dual port socket on the right side under the gas tank on the fire wall, it is black so it also is hard to notice. It works great. I purchased mine on "the bay". Here is what you need to search for: Ford-Model-A-6-to-12-Volt-Voltage-Booster-Positive-Ground-Converter

[TinCup]

I had a club member convert his car to 12v just so he could charge his phone. When I showed him my charger pluged in to my 6v car he was not a happy camper. With all the expense of bulbs, battery, horn resistor he was out some bucks. I reminded him of the demonstrtation I had done at a club meeting showing how to install the adapter and how it worked with a gps unit as well as a phone charger.

[jr-41ford]

If I was desperate enough to have the need of a cell phone for a tour, I can go four to five days before I need to charge.

In addition to my present cell phone, I have two other, older cell phones. Only need to change the chip out to a fully charged phone and ready to go again.

If I'm touring, I let a passenger talk on the phone, if caught driving and talking on a cell phone it's a ticket. No passenger, i use a bluetooth device.

[Tom F OHIO]

Originally Posted by jmeckel

I installed a 6 volt pos ground to 12 volt neg ground converter on my Tudor. It is small and I mounted it with a on/off switch on the top side of the steering "pipe" under the gas tank, it can not be seen unless you put your head under the dash and look. I mounted a cig lighter dual port socket on the right side under the gas tank on the fire wall, it is black so it also is hard to notice. It works great. I purchased mine on "the bay". Here is what you need to search for: Ford-Model-A-6-to-12-Volt-Voltage-Booster-Positive-Ground-Converter

I did mine just like this and I can plug anything that is 12 volt with no problem and you would never know it was there because of its size. My inverter was $42.00 on line.