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Author Topic: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS  (Read 631 times)

K1QQQ

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CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« on: January 01, 2023, 10:54:06 AM »

Cigarette Lighter Adapter gadgets...

Should be simple BUT got the question does anybody sell a 12 volt power supply with a cigarette lighter female plug ? All these adapter things that come with HT's for example that have a male cigarette lighter plug to get 12 volts to the HT and not use its battery.

Got the question from one with few tools. (now)

If the HT had a receiver that covered 530 khz through the Ghz's one might think about possible terrible NOISE !!! (can be filtered)


Complicated ? NO.
 

Sometimes others experience can avoid endless 'playing around'..






Many things with a cigarette lighter plug to get 12 volts but you need a cigarette lighter female plug ! If such was connected to any 12 volt power supply ok...

« Last Edit: January 01, 2023, 10:56:57 AM by K1QQQ »
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WA3SKN

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2023, 11:05:43 AM »

MFJ has a few.
Alinco dm330mvt.
Diamond gzv4000.

Just to name a few.  Gotta budget?

-Mike.
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K7AAT

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2023, 11:27:56 AM »

In addition to what Mike just cited,   Astron makes a nice P/S with a cigarette socket - the VS-20M.   Nice unit that has served me well for years.
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K1KP

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2023, 11:53:02 AM »

My advice to you is to RUN, not walk away from using cigarette lighter plugs. Based on many years of using them in RVs I have owned, I can unambiguously say they are the absolute WORST means of making a connection to 12V. The original design was intended to be used with a heating element which spring released when it got hot enough. All subsequent uses as a power delivery device are forever burdened with this design - not for the intended use case! Think of it - it has a spring which acts in a direction so as to DISCONNECT the plug! Almost all cigarette lighter plugs are cheaply made with crappy plating that corrodes almost instantly into a non-conductor.

Make a better connection using power poles (not the best either, but light years better than cigarette lighter plugs). Solder a pigtail inside the supply, or make proper connections and use power poles.

Use a connector that was originally designed to be a connector, not a fire starter!

-Tony, K1KP
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KC6RWI

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2023, 12:43:29 PM »

I agree with the last poster, seems the lighter outlet is so poor, I am always twisting the connection to make a compressor work to fill the tyres.
But its a good place to tap into some wires that can supply 12v.
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W9WQA

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2023, 01:34:34 PM »

i got a switcher from r ans l, that has a lighter socket. i charge stuff with it. some later sockets in cars  are made for connection, not smoking...
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K4PIH

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2023, 06:55:51 PM »

I've had several of the male cigarette lighter plugs overheat and melt.
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K4GTE

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #7 on: January 02, 2023, 05:33:02 AM »

The cigarette lighter connection is by far the most unreliable connection. PowerPoles or spade/ring terminals are your best bet.
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K1QQQ

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2023, 07:43:07 AM »

Not necessary but just back to say thank you for now...


Myself endless things that plug into an auto cig lighter and NO power supply sitting around to do the same elsewhere. Easy to add it to a power supply normally but need hole cutters or who knows what for somebody minus tools.

-- just read all the posts...

YES !!! These things have power limits !!!


Question got raised by somebody with a big HT collection and a common accessory is a DC cable to a cig lighter. o-can't just have one going to 12v ? Common Ebay...DC cables for HT's...

If I have any memory though many times a cig lighter cord for power and...
« Last Edit: January 25, 2023, 07:48:11 AM by K1QQQ »
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WB6BYU

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2023, 05:55:08 PM »

You can find the matching female cable ends.
Like this.

I have a couple cables using them that I attach
to other power supplies or batteries as needed.

That makes it cheaper to replace the receptacle
if/when it melts or otherwise goes bad.

Or add one to an existing supply.



If you don’t need much current, I think I’ve seen
supplies with lighter sockets sold for CB radios,
at least legal ones that don’t draw a lot of current.
Certainly putting it on a low current supply to
start with is likely to help prevent the sort of
“unintentional thermal disassembly” that can
occur with a high current supply.

K6CPO

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2023, 12:05:40 PM »

My advice to you is to RUN, not walk away from using cigarette lighter plugs. Based on many years of using them in RVs I have owned, I can unambiguously say they are the absolute WORST means of making a connection to 12V. The original design was intended to be used with a heating element which spring released when it got hot enough. All subsequent uses as a power delivery device are forever burdened with this design - not for the intended use case! Think of it - it has a spring which acts in a direction so as to DISCONNECT the plug! Almost all cigarette lighter plugs are cheaply made with crappy plating that corrodes almost instantly into a non-conductor.

Make a better connection using power poles (not the best either, but light years better than cigarette lighter plugs). Solder a pigtail inside the supply, or make proper connections and use power poles.

Use a connector that was originally designed to be a connector, not a fire starter!

-Tony, K1KP

If someone wants to power an HT from a power supply, using an OEM lighter plug is the easiest way. Most HTs will not transmit when connected to their wall wart chargers but will when connected to a lighter charger. The low power of an HT is not going to put a whole lot of strain on the connection. Now, powering a 50 or 75 watt mobile is a different matter altogether...
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K1QQQ

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Re: CIGARETTE LIGHTER CONNECTIONS
« Reply #11 on: January 27, 2023, 01:23:15 AM »

As I gt into this..hmmm...how dumb I am ?

Easy way to take all these things that have a cig lighter male plug and use outside of a car ?


Never got into HT's and heavy usage from cars etc.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Car-Cigarette-Lighter-12V-Cigarette-Lighter-Female-Plug-Extension-Socket-with-Ring-Terminal-Fused-10A/512040758?athcpid=512040758&athpgid=AthenaItempage&athcgid=null&athznid=si&athieid=v0&athstid=CS055&athguid=esvLAPLRmoT8ajPhT9rw5j4UxDn3M94KgaeL&athancid=null&athposb=0&athena=true



That says 10 amp fuse if that means anything. I see cheaper ones that say max 500ma etc. NOW how much does the normal public consumer know about 500 ma ? Not much. Fire danger maybe.

Other than that I have heard allot of tales about failures here and great scientists that got into rating all thse plugs etc. and taking them apart.


BUT how easy to buy a cig lighter female plug and connect 2 wires that go to a 12v male/female connection(s) I was fast thinking of drilling holes in larger 12v power supplies and fusing etc.


So many things now...cig lighter male plug....small low current draw things....
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