The 'E' Type Forum

Has anyone ever seen of found an adaptor that will go into a positive earth cigar lighter and allow a normal phone / sat nav connection. Just thought it was worth a shot before I add a 12v connection under my dash.

Cheers D

I am pretty sure no such adaptor will exist. Why not convert the car to negative earth, or try powering the satnav from a mobile phone external rechargeable power pack. When you say install a 12v socket, do you mean another cigar lighter fitting but wired for negative earth? If you do you would need to mount it in an insulated box ( plastic ) to ensure no metal bodywork could ever touch the new socket and think carefully about fusing arrangements . I think the perceived wisdom is dont do it, don't run negative earth devices like radios or satnavs in a positive earth car, just not worth the risk. Ask an auto electrician to quote you to install it, if he refuses you know then its not a good idea.

This is not difficult. Cheapo USB sockets can be found on your favourite online resource. Also obtain a plastic switch mount. Plastic is important as it matters not whether the frame is +ve or -ve. I’ll take a photo of my installation later.

Simply mount either a lighter socket or USB connector into the cubby hole and you can decide which polarity you want; it is made of fibre board so electrically isolated. More info here: http://forum.etypeuk.com/viewtopic.php?p=721#p721

What, one of these?

Hi Dale......this could be of interest......http://www.mossmotoring.com/negative-gr ... round-car/ or far simpler to just reverse the pos/neg wires in the fly lead that you will plug into the socket....... Steve

“I’ll take a photo of my installation later.”
David beat me to it.

Cheers Guys, lots of ideas here. Swapping the leads … such a simple idea, never thought of that … must be an age thing :-)

Bear in mind you cannot just swap the leads on the standard lighter socket as the case is earthed through the console. You could replace it with one of the plastic bodied ones though but the auxiliary socket in the glove box is the best solution, not least because as you change gear you will knock the Sat Nav plug out of the console cigar socket; this invariably happens just when you need the directions!

The auto electrician who sold me my car 16 years ago gave me a male plug cross wired to a female socket on a very short lead. It has worked for emergency phone charging, but I will be switching my cars polarity over on restoration.

Cheers,
Glenn

Has anyone installed a power supply that actually charges a sat nav using a cable and not the one that comes with the unit (ie the one that plugs into the cigar lighter)?

Heuer wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 03, 2019 12:19 pm

Bear in mind you cannot just swap the leads on the standard lighter socket as the case is earthed through the console. You could replace it with one of the plastic bodied ones though but the auxiliary socket in the glove box is the best solution, not least because as you change gear you will knock the Sat Nav plug out of the console cigar socket; this invariably happens just when you need the directions!

Again ... never thought of the 'knocking out' when changing gear. God I'm getting old. Curious about the earthing though. If the cigar lighter is earthed through it's body via the gauge / switch panel, why does it have two leads ?. I assumed, rightly or wrongly, that one was positive earth and the other was neg supply.

But in any case will go with the additional glove box socket. Thanks David

Dale

1954Etype wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 03, 2019 3:31 pm

Has anyone installed a power supply that actually charges a sat nav using a cable and not the one that comes with the unit (ie the one that plugs into the cigar lighter)?

This is my setup. All my satnavs have USB leads which allows me to have satnav and phone plugged in while driving. This unit is approximately the same size as the ash tray, and slots into that hole when I'm touring. Not a lot of use for the smokers among us.........




Wired into the fused side the appropriate fuse it is only hot when the ignition is on. All components were bought online.

Thanks Chris, I'll see if I can find the same on line.

I used the installation kit of a Garmin Zumo designed for Motor Bikes (rainproof and "take the most beatiful/curvy route"). This kit comprises an antenna (for traffic information to be hidden under the dashboard or at the bottom of the windscreen) and a pair of cables you fix to + and -.
The other end of this cable set is one cable with one plug coming up from the hole in the front center of the dashboard next to the mirror-rod. So if there is not SatNav, all you see is just a short black cable with a relatively small plug laying on the dashboard. Plug it in the SatNav, it has power and Antenna.
Happy driving!

Here is what i have done: