Don't know if this is the place to put this, but I want to hardwire an open USB wire to my fusebox. I have a few USB Type A to Mini B cables lying around the house and would like to use these to power my cell phone, aftermarket navigation unit, mp3 player, etc.

USB Type A to Mini B cable <-- for those that don't know what I am talking about...

The question I have is the car is a constant 12V, but the USB can only handle 5V directly and 2.5V from a laptop and/or computer. How does one hardwire this into the fusebox so it can be used for multiple things....

I want to cut the USB end (connection to computer) off and splice to the fusebox... let me know if you have any ideas.... thanks...

 

Nothing is outputted from the fuse panel in 5v or 2.5v

 

there has got to be some way to convert the power. i have a kenwood tv and the ipod hook up made by kw has to convert that power somehow, it couldnt be pushing 12v to my ipod constantly(i dont know for a fact). the kw hooks up to the brain and plugs into the disk changer input on the brain, then there the small box that must convert the power between the brain and ipod plug.....

 

With my basic knowledge of physics, according to the law V = I x R where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance, can't you add a resistor to the USB cord to lower the voltage to 5V?

 

^ Yes, You would have to create something to convert it down. How?? Stop into a radio shack. I bet they can tell you

 

indoMFP.....this is a good idea, strange but good! let me know if you can get it to work.

 

There are car chargers for USB devices, why not open up the converter usb input, and connect it any 12v source, then you connect your usb cable into the converter, so then you'll have a usb port which you can connect anything to.

 

GENIUB. thats what i would do. just buy the one meant for the cigarette lighter, 12v power, wtv. and hard wire that.

 

 

I have a USB converter in the car and have a 4 port hub connected for other devices... just did not want to deal with all the wires and re-routing of them....

This is what I was thinking of doing.... I was gonna buy a (generic) car charger and take it apart (where is connects to the cig lighter)... then hardwire the part before the fuse and board components are... that way the fuse is in place as is the converter... I just wanted to know if anyone else had done it and had any luck... I hate being the experiment....

 

wait... you're trying to connect it to the fuse box? why would you want to do that? wouldn't that make things a lot more complicated? more wiring since you would need to run wires to the fuse box, then out the fuse box, then add a fuse, then wire it to where you want it to be.


either way, the charger would be designed to run on a 12V source, it has resistors in the charger that will lower the voltage to your phone, camera, etc. So you can just wire it to the charger behind your dash.. or any other 12V source.

just my

 

You need a 5V voltage regulator...get them from Radio Shack...a couple of dollars. It coverts any voltage above (~5v-32V) 5V, down to 5V.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062599

The problem with this method is the amount of heat you need to remove from the regulator. Standard car battery runs ~14.2V. If you need to drop down to 5V, you need to drop 9.2V. If you are running 1 Amp @ 5V, you need to dissipate 9.2V x 1 Amp = 9.2Watt. This is ALOT of heat in a small package, you need a big heatsink or active cooling.

Best choice is a DC-DC converter. ~10-16V down to 5V...these convertor are usually more expensive...your looking at atleast $30.

 

Here's something for $12
http://www.gadget4all.com/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00068