14' Series USB charging when off grid

[Boots in Action]

There has been quite a development in charging the latest gadgets of late. Mobile phones, "I"pads, "I" phones, Tablets etc, not to mention a lot of rechargeable torches and LED lights, GPS equipment just to name a few, and all seem to need 5 volts DC. Once again on my travels I came across something that can be done differently and BETTER. Fellow camper with low battery complained that the only way he could charge up his mobile phone was to start tug, turn on his inverter, connect 240 transformer plug into inverter and USB cable into back of transformer. What he was actually doing was converting 12 volts DC into 240 volts AC, then stepping down the 240 volts AC to 5 volts DC for USB charging!!! What a waste!! When I asked if he had a 12 volt socket somewhere, he said he did, so I gave him the attached item which he could plug into his cigarette lighter socket and charge anything that needed 5 volts DC. I have several of these in my van to plug into any of the 12 volt outlets to charge all my equipment. At a cost of only $3.60 on Ebay, they provide charging ports at 5 volts at 2.1A, 2.0A and 1.0A. With a max current load of 5 AMPS, I can charge several items at once on the same unit. If you look carefully at your 240 volt adaptor you use at home, you will see that most are rated at 5 volts and 1.55A and some go as high as 2.1A. So this plug with 3 outlets can cover any charging task you are likely to need when off grid by just plugging it into a 12 volt outlet. I have charged mobile phone (not smart phone) on the 1A line and wife's tablet on 2.1A line at the same time without any problems. Rechargeable lights and torches are the same. Small, simple and cheap!! Great Christmas presents.

2A2.1A1A Triple 3Port USB Cars Charger Power 12V Adapter For Samsung S5 iPhoneH1 | eBay

Fit for electronic appliances that use a USB charging cable(USB Cable not included). Compatible with: Apple iPad; iPhone 6/6 Plus/5/5S/5c/4s;Samsung Galaxy S5/S4/S3/S2,Note 4/3/2;Sony Xperia Z1/Z2/Z3;HTC;BlackBerry;LG;Motorola;Nokia,and other Smart phones,tablet, mp3 player, etc.

www.ebay.com.au

 

[mikerezny]

There has been quite a development in charging the latest gadgets of late. Mobile phones, "I"pads, "I" phones, Tablets etc, not to mention a lot of rechargeable torches and LED lights, GPS equipment just to name a few, and all seem to need 5 volts DC. Once again on my travels I came across something that can be done differently and BETTER. Fellow camper with low battery complained that the only way he could charge up his mobile phone was to start tug, turn on his inverter, connect 240 transformer plug into inverter and USB cable into back of transformer. What he was actually doing was converting 12 volts DC into 240 volts AC, then stepping down the 240 volts AC to 5 volts DC for USB charging!!! What a waste!! When I asked if he had a 12 volt socket somewhere, he said he did, so I gave him the attached item which he could plug into his cigarette lighter socket and charge anything that needed 5 volts DC. I have several of these in my van to plug into any of the 12 volt outlets to charge all my equipment. At a cost of only $3.60 on Ebay, they provide charging ports at 5 volts at 2.1A, 2.0A and 1.0A. With a max current load of 5 AMPS, I can charge several items at once on the same unit. If you look carefully at your 240 volt adaptor you use at home, you will see that most are rated at 5 volts and 1.55A and some go as high as 2.1A. So this plug with 3 outlets can cover any charging task you are likely to need when off grid by just plugging it into a 12 volt outlet. I have charged mobile phone (not smart phone) on the 1A line and wife's tablet on 2.1A line at the same time without any problems. Rechargeable lights and torches are the same. Small, simple and cheap!! Great Christmas presents.

2A2.1A1A Triple 3Port USB Cars Charger Power 12V Adapter For Samsung S5 iPhoneH1 | eBay

Fit for electronic appliances that use a USB charging cable(USB Cable not included). Compatible with: Apple iPad; iPhone 6/6 Plus/5/5S/5c/4s;Samsung Galaxy S5/S4/S3/S2,Note 4/3/2;Sony Xperia Z1/Z2/Z3;HTC;BlackBerry;LG;Motorola;Nokia,and other Smart phones,tablet, mp3 player, etc.

www.ebay.com.au

Hi,
I suspect there is an error in the link you supplied. Seems that the seller has cancelled this item.

take care
Mike

 

[Drover]

Yep I have a couple of those sort of things along with the dedicated wall mount jobs, have found that some phone/tablets need a specific amperage or they just won't work at all, Mrs D's Samsung tablet is only happy with a certain cable and prefers 2 amp thank you very much......... Some of those multi USB units you will find if you plug a couple of leads in won't supply the stated output, they tend to share it..... can even charge a phone from USB socket on TV....
Advisable not to leave those plug in jobs in the socket when not in use though, they still burn power....

 

[Boots in Action]

Hi,
I suspect there is an error in the link you supplied. Seems that the seller has cancelled this item.

take care
Mike

Yes Mike @mikerezny, it would seem that that seller is no longer available. Sorry I did not check as I already had mine. Item still available by other sellers. Here is another site with the same item only cheaper.

2A2.1A1A Triple 3Port USB Cars Charger Power 12V Adapter For Samsung S5 iPho.ji | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2A2.1A1A Triple 3Port USB Cars Charger Power 12V Adapter For Samsung S5 iPho.ji at the best online prices at eBay!

www.ebay.com.au

 

[Boots in Action]

Yep I have a couple of those sort of things along with the dedicated wall mount jobs, have found that some phone/tablets need a specific amperage or they just won't work at all, Mrs D's Samsung tablet is only happy with a certain cable and prefers 2 amp thank you very much......... Some of those multi USB units you will find if you plug a couple of leads in won't supply the stated output, they tend to share it..... can even charge a phone from USB socket on TV....
Advisable not to leave those plug in jobs in the socket when not in use though, they still burn power....

@Drover, have not had any of those problems about current need, as I check what the original 240 volt original charger is rated at. Nor any problem with multiple charging at the same time with low current devices. Some of my home chargers (single outlet) are rated at 1.55 amps and I only have one so far rated at 2.1 amps. I guess if your van battery voltage was low??, that might affect total output to some extent and make charging slower. Or if tablet battery is nearly dead, a good initial voltage may be needed to get started. I have had only one instance where a rechargeable LED light was connected to one of these items and although on for hours, did not put juice into rechargeable battery light. Although the little light on unit was on, found out that unit was not providing ANY current to charge.....failed unit!!! Used this other little item to discover fault. Another handy little gadget in the field - measures/records current and voltage output over a set time, and you just reset it for each usage. Hence I can confirm what is actually happening at any time.

USB Charger Doctor Capacity Time Current Voltage Detector Meter Battery Tester | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for USB Charger Doctor Capacity Time Current Voltage Detector Meter Battery Tester at the best online prices at eBay!

www.ebay.com.au

 

[Drover]

Damn I deleted my post instead of edit of it ....... anyway haven't found any drama with those little jobs but the bigger units with cig and usb points did seem to cut back if too many plugged in, have found it with usb hubs for computers but probably because of regulated supply... we have about 6 or 7 devices and of course they require anything from .5 to 2.5 amps, some don't care which slot they get while others must have everything just right.......... Samsung Tab being the biggest pain certain cables it doesn't like either, has always from new been a pain to charge........... I have used my computer Hub in the car to keep phones charged up, works well.............

My Chrome Cast unit it gets its USB charge from the set top box while the speakers get theirs from the TV USB port, any Port in a storm , Mobile Broadband I fitted a dedicated USB socket for it and it stays plugged in all the time as I removed the battery so it doesn't cook.
Your a right gadget man Booties, I just plug in works good, if it doesn't plug it in another.............that gadget would be handy to just see whats what, bit like my 240v one, checked things out, now it lives in a drawer and I hope I taped the instructions to it as I forget how to use it now.

I'm surprised that fella didn't know about USB charging of phones, been around for donkeys, I even have power points at home with USB sockets, saves having to have a charger just need a cable.............

 

[Boots in Action]

Damn I deleted my post instead of edit of it ....... anyway haven't found any drama with those little jobs but the bigger units with cig and usb points did seem to cut back if too many plugged in, have found it with usb hubs for computers but probably because of regulated supply... we have about 6 or 7 devices and of course they require anything from .5 to 2.5 amps, some don't care which slot they get while others must have everything just right.......... Samsung Tab being the biggest pain certain cables it doesn't like either, has always from new been a pain to charge........... I have used my computer Hub in the car to keep phones charged up, works well.............

My Chrome Cast unit it gets its USB charge from the set top box while the speakers get theirs from the TV USB port, any Port in a storm , Mobile Broadband I fitted a dedicated USB socket for it and it stays plugged in all the time as I removed the battery so it doesn't cook.
Your a right gadget man Booties, I just plug in works good, if it doesn't plug it in another.............that gadget would be handy to just see whats what, bit like my 240v one, checked things out, now it lives in a drawer and I hope I taped the instructions to it as I forget how to use it now.

I'm surprised that fella didn't know about USB charging of phones, been around for donkeys, I even have power points at home with USB sockets, saves having to have a charger just need a cable.............

Yes @Drover, don't ever lose or throw out the "destructions", you never know when they may be needed to cover something you have forgotten, especially if equipment NOT used often. Got one of those 240 volt current/voltage checkers too. Like you, interesting to start with checking how much power being used on television and set top box etc. Now in drawer with instructions too.
As for that fella with the motor home, he probably did not know about the little plugs that not only provide a USB port/s, but also provide a 5 volt outlet from a 12 volt line (as in cigarette lighter socket) in a motor home/van or even car. There are lots of less knowledgeable people out there. I was (still am?) learning, and not too proud to copy/steal someone else's idea that will benefit me.
I like the idea of having test equipment with me in the field. Sometimes in cases of emergency for immediate fix, and other times for "on the spot" diagnoses for repair/adjustment at a later time at home. Sometimes hard to replicate same problem at home!