Help Cigarette lighter VS: 12V Cigarette Outlet

[Bob Dobalina]

I was wondering if anyone knew why the cigarette lighter in my car will not work for the DroidInc car charger? The same charger will work in my glove box 12V outlet, but not the regular cigarette outlet. I have used other chargers in the past that worked and still work in that same outlet. Glove box outlet is a pain to use and I have to leave it open, etc....Thanks for anyone input.

 

[sail4fun201]

That's odd, I always thought those were pretty universal. Are you sure the cigarette lighter isn't just shot? Does anything else work from it?

 

[Bob Dobalina]

That's odd, I always thought those were pretty universal. Are you sure the cigarette lighter isn't just shot? Does anything else work from it?

Yea I thought it was all universal too. It still works. I can use chargers for other types of phones, etc.

 

[zemerick]

Actually they are far from universal. While most American ports will have a nominal voltage of 12v, this can still vary. The amperage however can vary significantly. Finally: They rarely have any protection or filtering on the circuit. This means that the nominal 12v varies quite dramatically during use, as does the amperage. Finally the ports are just not good for maintaining a proper constant contact, instead vibrating/flickering/etc.

It is recommended to only use a car charger when you absolutely need it.

As for the exact problem, I can not say for sure. If I had to guess, either the Inc or the charger for it are detecting a difference in either voltage or amperage and disabling itself to prevent harm to the phone or battery. It is very possible the 2 ports are not putting out the same Voltage and Amperage; if you have a multimeter you might want to check. (It is not uncommon for glovebox or other utility ports to actually have proper circuitry, while the main lighter ports are left unproteced )

 

[ShortBusHEMI]

Actually they are far from universal. While most American ports will have a nominal voltage of 12v, this can still vary. The amperage however can vary significantly. Finally: They rarely have any protection or filtering on the circuit. This means that the nominal 12v varies quite dramatically during use, as does the amperage. Finally the ports are just not good for maintaining a proper constant contact, instead vibrating/flickering/etc.

i want to know what you're smoking dude. find me any car that delivers exactly 12V and ONLY 12V to the cig lighter/power outlet.. they all deliver system voltage. which can be anywhere from 13.5-14.5V when the car is running. (depends on the alternator.. if the alternator is any good it'll only fluctuate a tenth of a volt while running.)

 

[barrister89]

Yeah, I don't know about newer cars but all the lighters I've seen are wired to the harness just like the rest of the electronics. They are fused to guard against shorts, which is the most likely disaster given that the design of the female connector is for a cigarette lighter. The design should be changed but it has evolved into the standard connector to power external devices.

I have an older Garmin GPS that has a fuse in the male connector, which I somehow blew one time though it did not blow the car's fuse. I suppose a short could be a phone killer, but over the last eighteen years or so have plugged many different cell phones into my vehicle's lighter and haven't damaged one yet.

 

[wkd1]

I was wondering if anyone knew why the cigarette lighter in my car will not work for the DroidInc car charger? The same charger will work in my glove box 12V outlet, but not the regular cigarette outlet. I have used other chargers in the past that worked and still work in that same outlet. Glove box outlet is a pain to use and I have to leave it open, etc....Thanks for anyone input.

Did you turn the key on when you tried the cigarette outlet? I know, just one of those Duh things, but it happens. Also, if you're a smoker and use the cigarette lighter (over years), it will corrode. Maybe it just needs cleaning. Just two things I've experienced over the years (trouble shooting in the car audio field).

 

[zemerick]

i want to know what you're smoking dude. find me any car that delivers exactly 12V and ONLY 12V to the cig lighter/power outlet.. they all deliver system voltage. which can be anywhere from 13.5-14.5V when the car is running. (depends on the alternator.. if the alternator is any good it'll only fluctuate a tenth of a volt while running.)

Uhm...I specifically said that 12v was the nominal ( ideal ) voltage, and stressed several times that it "varies quite dramatically". That was the point of my post.

 

[emma123]

I think zemrick is right 12v is the nominal. I also used to use the same.

 

[freddyttt]

use mine... no problem