Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing USB Charger Socket

These days navigators, phones, MP3 players etc all charge with power from USB sockets. Strangely very few cars are fitted with USB charging sockets and most rely on adaptors that plug in to the cigarette lighter socket.

I have just fitted a USB charger socket. Actually I purchased two single units and then discovered one with two ports so I fitted that.

I would recommend spreading an old sheet or some-such to catch dropped plastic shaving from cutting the hole, solder, bits of wire etc. Naturally you need to take care with tools so as not the damage the leather, timber, paint, etc.

I had some suitable faston connectors and I wired the USB charger in to the connector that goes to the lighter socket. Power is on permanently but I don't think the battery drain will be very high when not in use and the small LED won't use much power.

I purchased a 29mm hole saw to make the hole, the packet says 30mm but the charger will screw in to the 29mm hole. I put a dab of solder on the connectors as I don't trust home fitted fastons to have a perfect connection. Care has to be taken to connect the + and - power correctly. The black wires are negative.

Mine is a LHD car so I suppose positions would be reversed for a RHD car. The USB charger socket is positioned on a line half way back to the diagnostics socket from the cigarette lighter socket so that the connectors clear the array of warning lights.

It was not necessary to remove the dash, just the black plastic under the dash on the passenger side only. It is flexible enough that you can pull it down and outwards (to clear the two supports above the radio/air vent box). Take care to remember to slide it in above those two supports when re-fitting.

What would I do differently if I was to do it again? Firstly I would move it just a little further away from the existing sockets. I forgot about the lighter socket cap and almost touched the retaining strap with the hole saw. The second item is that I realised there is already two wires fitted to the back of the lighter socket for the optional map light. I would use those connectors and save struggling with the connectors at the plug that connects to the lighter socket.

The optional map light was fitted at the factory but in a fairly amateurish way and I could have easily doubled in to the map light connector and even fitted something more professional. You can see the blue connectors for the map light in the first photo just behind the lighter socket

I purchase USB charging sockets from the following sources:
The double from http://www.mobilecentre.co.uk/
the rectangular plate in the photo on their site slips off if you don't use it (it is not needed really)
The single sockets from http://www.adapter-universe.net/
but I see the Mobilecentre has a single socket too.

Neat job

What an excellent idea. Is the diameter of the USB adapter the same as a cigar lighter. I have two additional cigar lighter sockets installed either side of the gear lever, so it would be great to replace those with a USB adapter.

I think the single USB sockets are the same size but the double USB is about 2 mm larger. Making a hole a fraction larger if necessary should not be a problem.

Thanks - another little job to keep me out of mischief.

I also mounted a USB-socket. My one sits in the alloy panel beneath the instruments. It is intended as a charger station for my mobile phone. It could not be used for the navi because the navi needs a cable with TMC antenna. The socket was bought at Ebay. I connected it to a switched circuit because the manual said it could discharge the battery. Formerly I used a charger for the cigar lighter but that one blow a fuse. Hopefully the new socket will prevent that.

Keep mogging,

Christian

Neat addition and so useful these days.

Christian. I was a bit unsure about that myself but the one I have fitted is quoted to have a parasitic current draw of 15mA and I figured that, with existing parasitic drain, the car should still start OK after at least 10 days if not two weeks. I use a battery conditioner so I thought it would be ok and I wanted it to function when the car was not running. In hind sight perhaps it would have been better to wire it in to a circuit that was live when the key was in the accessories position.

If it presents a problem I can always change it.

Peter. My manual said nothing regarding how many mA the socket will need. So I took the more secure way.
I found two photo which I made during the installation. The first worse one shows the plug I used to connect the socket. The second one shows the position in the alloy panel. It is near to the glove box on the passenger side and under the dash board. So it could not been seen from the outside nor the normal driving position.

Christian

Not to throw a very large spanner in the works, but i wonder have any of you DIY men thought of the consequences (God forbid) if one of your vehicles caught fire due to an electrical fault.

Then the insurerer decides not to pay out due to a non standard additional fitment !!!!

INSURANCE COMPANIES....VERY FICAL