12V Outlet Mod

[Jack]

I hate the 12V car plugs as much as I hate 110V wall-warts - always an awkward jumble of plugs and a mess of cables.

I augmented the 12V outlet panel with a 5V USB outlet and a 6V mini-rca jack. The USB runs the iPod and charges the cell phones. The 6V powers the speaker. I actually didn't get rid of the car plugs, but at least they are out of the way, behind the outlet. And, well, the cables are still there, but a lot less of a mess.

I also wired an LED across the 6V to show when the 12V is on to remind me to turn it off when not in use.

We choose not to permanently mount the speaker so we could use it outside (a 6V rechargeable battery back runs it then).

By the way, Wikipedia is a great resource for things like USB pin-outs, wire colors, and voltages, and even how to calculate the value of the current limiting resistor for LEDs.

 

[HERR42]

so you added two more 12v sockets....behind the panel. into those two new sockets you plugged in a 6v and 5v converter and wired each to its associate receptacle.

right?

take a look at this.. http://www.rselectronics.com/Catalog/ViewPart.aspx?Part=DFC10E12S5&MFG=PWR

 

[Jack]

Yup.

I was going design and build my own circuit, but then I realized that there was enough space behind for both converters. And if a converter dies, it will be easy to replace. The off-the-shelf converters are reasonably efficient. I took an old one apart and it used a switching regulator that was about 83% efficient. For voltage drops from 12V to 5V and 6V, the ones I used almost surely have to also use a switching regulator.

A word of caution: check the polarity if you use a 12V converter not made for the device.