

| Subject: | Livin' in the USB fast lane--electrical intrigue |
| From: | Jim Felder |
| Date: | Mon, 10 Aug 2015 12:06:00 +0000 |
Well, it's intriguing to me because I know so little about it. I made two changes to my camper on the same weekend. I installed two (actually four, because each of the USB outlets has a 1 amp and a 2.5 amp socket) USB outlets, front and rear, in my vanagon. They have a pilot led in each, plus the rear one has a voltage indicator that has old-school LED numbers. I also bought a TDI jetta that weekend and quit driving the camper on a daily basis. I noticed that in two or three days I could not start the car and needed a boost. I could see by the LED meter that it was dropping. So, I added Harbor Freight's cheapest trickle charger (which won't charge at all, but it will hold a charge in place up to about 13.1 volts). After a recent overnight camping trip, I left an iPhone 6 charger cable plugged into the 2.5 amp socket. When I went to retrieve it I felt that USB end was HOT, almost too hot to touch comfortably. I removed the cable to see if it was the outlet or the cable, and the outlet cooled down. Is this normal? I think the 1 amp outlet is for phones, and the 2.5 amp outlet is for tablets and such. I have often swapped those around unthinkingly in the house with their respective chargers and have never felt a cable get that hot. I am trying to figure out what is going on here. I have no problem starting after using lights and sink camping, and my batter is from November 2014 and has been taken care of, so while I can't rule out the battery it seems OK. I would like to know how much current one of these units draws, with the with out the voltage indicator. I have a spare, I would mail it to anyone who cares to do the test or I could be walked through it by someone who knows what they are doing. Jim
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