Electric Power Conversion Options?

[mrraford]

Ok sports fans, here is the quandary I find myself in. Yesterday, we got the pickup out for a drive on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We were out quite a while tootling around town. My spousal unit started to observe that her cell phone battery was quite low and we have no way to charge it in the A.
Is there a convenient and practical device available that can be attached to a 6 volt system that will convert power to a 12 volt output and be conducive to providing a USB port at the end of the contraption? I haven't run across one yet so I thought I would pose the question here.
Please don't tell me I need to convert the car to 12v cause it ain't gonna happen.

[kelley's restoration]

cell phone charge on 6 volts
put in a cigarette lighter and your good to go
tk

[CarlG]

I use one of these in my PU. Has 2 USB & 2 Cigarette Lighter type sockets. Just make sure your polarity is wired up correctly.

[Vern]

Do a quick search for the nifty installation by Montanafordman: My Cell Phone / GPS charging solution (under $20 w/pics). He has really done a nice job with his power supply.

[newshirt]

Here's what I use. Runs for 12 hours, no ugly wiring on the Model A, recharges in less than an hour.

[JohnLaVoy]

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I have seen a separate battery that has usb ports and says it will charge several cell phones on a single charge. You can charge it on 12 volt or 120 volt which ever is convenient and carry it in the Model A for just such an occasion.

[Kevin in NJ]

I think what people really want to look at to power their USB devices are the portable battery units that you can buy today.

I bought my wife the Anker 12000 Mah battery and she just loves it. I believe it can to like 7 or 8 full recharges (that is from almost dead) on her Iphone 5. You can get larger units, it is just a matter of what you are trying to run and how big a unit you wish to carry with you. The best part, which your heavy smartphone using wife will just love you for, is she can take it anywhere. So walking in the mall and posting on Facebook all day long- no problem. Out at the kids sports event, no problem. Some you can even power up 3 USB devices.


The Anker Portable Batteries

Another neat thing (which is USB powered) are the Bluetooth portable speakers. No need for a radio. Just load up your favorite music in your smart device or let Pandora stream. When you get to the car show, no problem, keep playing music in the back ground. The speakers can be up to 30 feet from the smart device.

Lots of options, plus some have found the USB 12volt adapters are running off the 6 volt battery directly.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Kevin in NJ

I think what people really want to look at to power their USB devices are the portable battery units that you can buy today.

I bought my wife the Anker 12000 Mah battery and she just loves it. I believe it can to like 7 or 8 full recharges (that is from almost dead) on her Iphone 5. You can get larger units, it is just a matter of what you are trying to run and how big a unit you wish to carry with you. The best part, which your heavy smartphone using wife will just love you for, is she can take it anywhere. So walking in the mall and posting on Facebook all day long- no problem. Out at the kids sports event, no problem. Some you can even power up 3 USB devices.


The Anker Portable Batteries

Another neat thing (which is USB powered) are the Bluetooth portable speakers. No need for a radio. Just load up your favorite music in your smart device or let Pandora stream. When you get to the car show, no problem, keep playing music in the back ground. The speakers can be up to 30 feet from the smart device.

Lots of options, plus some have found the USB 12volt adapters are running off the 6 volt battery directly.

My son called AAA when his car would not start. The guy gets out of the truck, raises the hood, pulls a small box from his pocket, hooks it to the battery and jumps the car. The guy told my son that the box has about 15 attachments and ports for usb. Look it up. If it can jump start a car how long can it run your electronics?

[Tom Wesenberg]

These work great for positive or negative ground cars because you just clip the red terminal to the positive source, whether it be ground or some terminal. I bought these sockets off ebay and soldered some speaker and clips wire to them. Total cost is about $5 each. I use this in my Model A and 1950 Studebaker to run my GPS. Both cars are 6 volts positive ground.

I don't own a cell phone, so I wasn't aware of the battery pack that Kevin mentioned, but that seems like another very good option.

[jmeckel]

Because I like to have the right power feed to my devices I purchased a 6 volt positive ground to 12 volt negative ground converter. They sell them on eBay or most A parts suppliers ( eBay is cheaper).

[Boston Bruce]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I don't own a cell phone...

[bart78]

Good for you not owning a cell phone. I use mine so much for work. That I feel naked without it. Wish it was not that way.

[marc hildebrant]

USB uses a 5 volt power source to the device it plugs into.

An adapter that reduces 6 volts to 5 volts would work. So would one that reduces 12 volts to 5.

Marc

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by marc hildebrant

USB uses a 5 volt power source to the device it plugs into.

An adapter that reduces 6 volts to 5 volts would work. So would one that reduces 12 volts to 5.

Marc

most of your cell phone chargers have a voltage regulator that regulate it down to 5 volts anyways. do what the others have said and wire in or clip in a regular ol cig lighter socket to your 6v model a and its good to go. Just remember the center terminal should be positive and the outer jacket should be negative for the cell charger to work correctly

[tbirdtbird]

Tom is too busy repairing generators and dreaming up incredible Model A fix-it jigs to have time to use a cell phone. And he certainly could care less about twitter, facebook, and all that other artificial stuff going on out there

[KGBnut]

It may not seem like much of a difference, but USB is 5 volt, and a Model A is 6 volt. You might think "close enough..." I made that mistake.

When you really get moving, that little generator can easily put out 8 volts or more. I burned out a good MP3 player that way.

I used a gizmo similar to the one that CarlG recommended. I handles the voltage variation just fine, and always puts out 5 volts. I hard-wired it in, and hid it behind a kick panel. I then ran a couple of USB extension cord. I have one hidden under the dash, and another that pops up behind the seat by the package tray.

They don't show at all, and are very convenient.

[P.S.]

A cellphone vehicle charger will work just fine on 6 - 8 volts in your Model A. No converters necessary.

As for the modern cellphones constantly needing to be charged dilemma, that is why I still use a pager. A single AA battery runs the pager for 3 months or more. And, when it does get low, it gives you 1 to 2 weeks notice that it needs to be replaced. Pop in another AA battery from any store, and you're good to go. Also, pager service is only $60 for the whole year, including voicemail. Just turn the cellphone on when you want to actually call someone back, otherwise leave it off and always have a fully charged battery.

[oldwoodsman]

A word of caution. When you have a positive ground vehicle with a charging adapter plugged into a outlet, make sure you unplug the adapter from the outlet when you remove the phone or device from the cord as the plug on the device end has a negative charge on it's outer shell. Don't ask how I know this. I have a new phone cord now.

[jmeckel]

Originally Posted by oldwoodsman

A word of caution. When you have a positive ground vehicle with a charging adapter plugged into a outlet, make sure you unplug the adapter from the outlet when you remove the phone or device from the cord as the plug on the device end has a negative charge on it's outer shell. Don't ask how I know this. I have a new phone cord now.

That is one reason for using the proper voltage converter, these solve the issue for $59.00 +shipping. There are many ways to patch something together to "make it work", that is not the best answer, there is something to be said about "doing it right the first time". It is those who like to "rig' that keeps those who fix or sell electronic devices in business.

From E-Bay: Ford Model A Flathead V8 Converter 6 8 volt + Positive Ground to 12 Volt Neg - $59.00

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by oldwoodsman

A word of caution. When you have a positive ground vehicle with a charging adapter plugged into a outlet, make sure you unplug the adapter from the outlet when you remove the phone or device from the cord as the plug on the device end has a negative charge on it's outer shell. Don't ask how I know this. I have a new phone cord now.

hmm that metal phone end of the charging cord should be isolated from everything...otherwise it would be no different than having the cord plugged into your modern car with neg ground...