Can I get my "cigarette lighter" to stay on all the time?

[Vibe]

I stooped by a stealership and they said it can't be done. I want my power port/cigarette lighter to be on all the time so I can charge my phone. Does anyone know if it can be done?

1998 Camry, I4, Auto, 130k. (sent from my Droid Bionic)

[slavie]

It's an "accessory", along with your stereo and other things. All accessories are powered up when you turn your ignition key to "acc" mode, which is the first click, and turned off when you remove the key. This is so that you don't drain your battery by forgetting to turn something off.

You can make it work, but your would need to re-wire it so that the port is powered directly from the battery, and you would need to add an appropriate fuse into the equation. If it's a low-power device, you can even tap into the 12v constant that is fed to the radio (to keep radio memory), but you have to be very careful then not to plug any higher powered device into the port as that will blow a fuse somewhere - you have to know what you're doing if you want to go this route. Not impossible, but requires a bit of fiddling.

[71Corolla]

To do this, go to a salvage yard and get part of the wiring harness that plugs into the cig lighter socket. Run that from the socket to the steering column and connect to the white/red stripe wire (could be solid white) using an inline fuse holder.

Always be very careful not to run wiring that will get tangled up with the accelerator and brake pedal.

[AlmightyCamry777]

Its a piece of cake to do this! I had to do this once for another car - I wanted to use a solar battery charger. The easiest way is get some wire - 10 gauge is the usual size - a fuse tap and some solderless connectors (assuming you don't want to solder). A fuse tap is simply a small piece of metal that let's you tap into the fuse box. Tap into something that uses the same voltage and has power all the time (the number on the fuses plus you're owners manual will tell you what you need to know). Pop out your cigarette lighter socket and use the solderless connectors to re wire the socket. I suggest by passing the existing wiring completely, just run a new wire - as already mentioned be sure and splice in a fuse holder in line with the wire.

[Daijoubu]

Does that mean a solar charger plugged into the cig lighter does nothing?

The weird thing is that if I put a voltmeter on the cig lighter, it it will show me the battery reading, how is that possible?

[BMR]

Just another option, if your phone cable plugs into a USB port. Leave the lighter socket alone and add this bulkhead connector somewhere. It's a little spendy at $37 though.

http://www.amazon.com/BLUE-1016-CHARGER-SOCKET-PORTS/dp/B00AS4J2Y8/

http://www.amazon.com/BLUE-1016-CHARGER-SOCKET-PORTS/dp/B00AS4J2Y8/

[slavie]

Originally Posted by BMR

Just another option, if your phone cable plugs into a USB port. Leave the lighter socket alone and add this bulkhead connector somewhere. It's a little spendy at $37 though.

http://www.amazon.com/BLUE-1016-CHARGER-SOCKET-PORTS/dp/B00AS4J2Y8/

...not to mention $9 shipping. It's a much better idea, though, as you don't run the risk of someone plugging something into the power outlet and forgetting about it, draining your battery or blowing a fuse. At least with this dedicated plug, your car's original design isn't impacted much, and there are no power hungry USB devices.

Oh, and here's one for $25 + free shipping :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA1260CF6713
or $18+ S&H
http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/ind..._detail&p=8670

[Vibe]

Thanks for the ideas. I like BMR's idea the best. I'll let you know if I do it.

1998 Camry, I4, Auto, 130k. (sent from my Droid Bionic)

[Vibe]

Originally Posted by AlmightyCamry777

Its a piece of cake to do this! I had to do this once for another car - I wanted to use a solar battery charger. The easiest way is get some wire - 10 gauge is the usual size - a fuse tap and some solderless connectors (assuming you don't want to solder). A fuse tap is simply a small piece of metal that let's you tap into the fuse box. Tap into something that uses the same voltage and has power all the time (the number on the fuses plus you're owners manual will tell you what you need to know). Pop out your cigarette lighter socket and use the solderless connectors to re wire the socket. I suggest by passing the existing wiring completely, just run a new wire - as already mentioned be sure and splice in a fuse holder in line with the wire.

Thanks for the info about the fuse tap


1998 Camry, I4, Auto, 130k. (sent from my Droid Bionic)

[BMR]

Originally Posted by Vibe

Thanks for the ideas. I like BMR's idea the best. I'll let you know if I do it.

Thanks Vibe, but I gotta 'fess up and say I stole it. I forget who posted it and where; might've been the "What did you do to your Camry today" thread. I've been thinking of doing it myself too. It'd be nice to have a way to charge up an iPod or phone while it's sitting in the car in the parking lot. I'm still deciding where I'd mount it, so I'd like to see what you do.

[RonR]

Playing the devils advocate, I would be a little concerned over any device connected directly to the battery, anything that can draw power when key is off.
If you have an automatic transmission you are hooped if battery level gets to low.
I know "it will never happen" but batteries do get older and hold less power, so can strand you if you don't watch for the signs.
Adding a direct draw also adds the possibility of an out of spec current draw, more power being drawn than you counted on.

For this type of thing I might look at adding a smaller 12v battery mounted in the engine compartment and charged by the alternator via an isolator, then hook that battery to the 24/7 outlet.

[Daijoubu]

You can also add a auto shut off circuit when voltage drops below a certain point and/or a separate switch

Edit: I couldn't find any cheap, readily available circuit on eBay but here's a sample design from MAX with a very low quiescent current

http://www.maximintegrated.com/app-n...ex.mvp/id/2015

[bolink654]

Or what about a solar panel sitting on the dash that would keep the battery topped up while charging something?

[BMR]

Yeah it should definitely be fused. That goes without saying. I might tie into the existing lighter wiring, in which case I don't think it's necessary as that is already fused. But I'll check the fuse amperage Vs nominal current draw of the lighter to be sure there's enough headroom for another 1 amp draw (roughly what that should take). And the power draw of an iPod or iPhone charging like this is so minimal, if it drains the battery... well, it was probably taking its last breaths anyway.

[BamZipPow]

The power outlet has it's own fuse and direct circuit. This is the only one I would jumper. Do not jumper the Cig lighter circuit!!

Pull the 15A Stop fuse
Pull the 15A Power Outlet fuse
Install a mini fuse Add-a Fuse power tap into the Stop fuse slot
Install both 15A fuses into the power tap
Route the power lead into the Power Outlet side (not the 12V side of the fuse slot) using a power tap accessory. You can use a burned out fuse to keep the tap in place. Do not use a working fuse!

This will provide constant power to the Power Outlet until you pop the fuse.

Add-a-Fuse mini fuse tap

Amazon

Amazon

Power tap installed under the fuse...