Electrics: Volvo 850 cig. lighter capability

[Clark]

Hi all,

I was wondering if my 1996 850 would be ok with one of those USB chargers that can accommodate 2 USB cables as opposed to the one. I know it's a silly question for newer cars (as it's a yes) but can my 25 year old cig. lighter power 2 USB cables? I would assume the current drown down would double...would that be an issue?

[volvo again]

I suppose it really depends on what you want to power, I have sat nav & dashcam plugged into one usb charger without any trouble.

[andrewc1267]

And it works great no problem

[DaveNP]

USB ports are usually 5volt 1/2 Amp so two would be 5watts, the cigar lighter is 12v fused 10amp = 120watts. Only problem I'd foresee is if the contact surfaces in the cigar lighter are dirty, corroded or burnt from use, the contact will be poor and may cause some heat in the socket and plug.

[Clark]

Thanks David. Great to see the use of the P=VI equation. Haven't used that for a good few decades All systems go my end - the missus will be happy to know that she can charge her phone along with mine on long drives haha.

[BlueDevil]

Originally Posted by DaveNP

USB ports are usually 5volt 1/2 Amp so two would be 5watts, the cigar lighter is 12v fused 10amp = 120watts. Only problem I'd foresee is if the contact surfaces in the cigar lighter are dirty, corroded or burnt from use, the contact will be poor and may cause some heat in the socket and plug.

I think USB ports are 5V-1A


Still, 120W is more than enough to power 2 USB ports.

[turboboy]

Bought a couple of these a while back and have one wired direct to the fusebox, Handy for powering a sat-nav and a dashcam at the same time. Outlets are both 5V and 1A and 2.1A.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383663991...wAAOSw4C5fKTjv

See that there are now low profile plug in adapters which are much neater than the previous offerings which were comparatively huge.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144036155...wAAOSwAwRg3V9H

[ITSv40]

Originally Posted by turboboy

See that there are now low profile plug in adapters which are much neater than the previous offerings which were comparatively huge.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144036155...wAAOSwAwRg3V9H

I bought one similar to those and it works very well. Another plus is the adaptor is finished in piano black which matches the car trim and makes it look original equipment. Those things matter😀

[Derek UK]

Originally Posted by ITSv40

I bought one similar to those and it works very well. Another plus is the adaptor is finished in piano black which matches the car trim and makes it look original equipment. Those things matter😀

I note that this "fast charger " outputs 2.4 amps if used singly and 3.1 amp if used with 2 phones. Is 2.4 amp safe for all phones?

[Luxobarge]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

I note that this "fast charger " outputs 2.4 amps if used singly and 3.1 amp if used with 2 phones. Is 2.4 amp safe for all phones?

You can have a supply with as many amps as you want. Amps are a measure of current, and any electrical device will only draw as much current as it wants, so the answer is yes, perfectly safe.

If a device draws more current than the supply can deliver then that can be unsafe, that's what fuses are there to protect against.

Voltage is the one that you need to watch, if you supply a higher voltage than the device is designed for then it can damage it, but not relevant in this case.