My Cell Phone / GPS charging solution (under $20 w/pics)

[montanafordman]

I'm getting ready for the big road trip to Bend, OR with my coupe and worked up my own charging solution for my cell phone and GPS. I did know that USB devices (such as phone and GPS receiver) only actually use 5 volts, and the cigarette adapter steps down the current supplied to the device. After reading this thread https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ne+gps+charger

I decided I would find a power outlet solution to wire up directly to my electrical system ( Important!!WITH THE CORRECT POLARITY! ) I was really happy with how it turned out, and it cost me less than $20 and does a great job charging my cell phone.

The biggest thing you have to remember, is to have the correct polarity in the proper place for your power outlet. Meaning the red wire (the hot wire for the center conductor) will go to ground if you have a positive ground system. The black wire, the circular conductor, or outside one will connect to your junction box, or negative side of the battery (wherever you decide to hook it up). Whatever device you plug in will probably die a horrible death if you have your wires crossed.

My biggest fear finding a power outlet is that most are designed for a traditional negative ground system - because of this usually there is no insulating material on the outside of the receptacle because it wants to ground the outside (or circular) portion of the contact with the vehicle chassis. Leaving that exposed with an accidental bump where it could touch your chassis would introduce a short. The perfect solution I found was an all weather power outlet I bought at Autozone. They are also available at amazon and other vendors. Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Automotiv.../dp/B000IG205O



The cover says 12V power outlet but I just removed the cardboard adhesive label. The nice thing about this outlet is that its well insulated and has a spring loaded cover which is further protection against accidental shorts. I also used an in-line glass fuse holder (on the negative, or "hot" side in my positive ground scenario) and installed a 2A fuse.

When I was figuring out where / how to place it, or mount it (drilling was out of the question) I was pleased to find out that the mounting plate has a gap lengthwise along the top. The idea hit me to use a rubber steering wheel clamp insert and a hose clamp and attach it upside down to the steering column right behind the gas tank / column clamp. This hides it pretty well and provides a solid unmoving mount that requires no drilling and can be removed quickly without leaving any marks. I then wired my negative wire to the terminal box, and grounded my positive wire to my firewall speedometer cable clamp screw. I also had some black cloth wire loom that helps make the install even more stealth and professional looking. A person could even paint the hose clamp to make it hide even more. Here are some pics of the final result...









Here it is with my cell phone charger plugged in. You can see the light is on showing it has power. I also have a USB aux plug in on the charger so I can charge my cell phone and GPS simultaneously.



This was a pretty easy and cheap solution for our modern "needs" and the cost was less than $20 and about an hour of my time. I have tested it on my cell phone and it works great!

-Aaron