DC Power plugs

[Pshudson5]

We recently purchased an Entegra Coach Emblem. When we went to put our GARMIN GPS in the Coach, we found that there is not a DC/Lighter plug available. USB adapters are getting pretty hot when plugged in to charge/power the Garmin.

I was considering having a DC adapter installed.

What have y'all done?

 

[John From Detroit]

It is very easy to install a 12 volt accessory outlet.

in fact any auto parts store and many Department stores (Auto dept) sell 'em Usually they have leds. and a mount. Some have safety covers Find spare fuse slot and put a 10 amp in it.

 

[A Traveler]

Get a larger (2.1 amp) USB charger.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

1. Added a small fuseblock for load expansion:



2. Connected a multiport cigarette and USB socket connector unit to the fuseblock:



These are mounted to a bulkhead near one of the chassis fuseblocks under the instrument cluster for more or less full time accessories (GPS, TPMS, etc).

3. I mounted three of these to the front dash panel, driver side, center and passenger side:



These take care of any temporary power/charging (phones, tablets, flashlights).

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[DonTom]

We recently purchased an Entegra Coach Emblem. When we went to put our GARMIN GPS in the Coach, we found that there is not a DC/Lighter plug available. USB adapters are getting pretty hot when plugged in to charge/power the Garmin.

I was considering having a DC adapter installed.

What have y'all done?

I also own a Entegra. There are a couple of ways to solve the issue.

1. Use your stock inverter and use the AC outlets up front to run your GPS with 120 VAC. Or use these and run it from 12 VDC.

2. Remove your totally useless USB outlets and put in 12V outlets in their place. They are all fed with 12V and you can buy them the same size. And if you still want USB charging, plug in a USB adapter. And you can feed one of those 12V outlets to many more and use 5-volt USB or 12V from any of them.

You can buy the 12 to USB adapters for a $1.25 each at a Dollar Store.

Or pay a little more for higher current dual output USB adapters.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[CharlesinGA]

I have spent a lot of time on Amazon shopping for the "best" USB outlets I can find. I use ones marked QC 3.0 as that specification is still valid for a fast charging protocol, PROVIDED the device accepts QC 3.0. All USB ports have a smart chip in them with all of the protocols and they handshake with your phone, tablet, etc to determine what they should output for the device. Much the same way an electric car charging pedestal handshakes with the car.

In my trailer I installed USB ports on either side of the dinette, one having a power socket for a laptop adapter or other type of USB adapter, while the other unit has two QC 3.0 USB type A ports and a volt meter, the other side has one of the QC 3.0 ports and a USB C PD port rated at 65 watts, plus a rocker switch to turn them all off (they DO draw current even if they have their own switches on the front of them)

By the bed I installed a dual USB QC 3.0 with a USB-C PD 65 watt port, and a rocker switch.

PD is becoming the "thing" nowdays, especially for smaller laptops. The one I bought has a cocentric power plug so I bought a PWR+ brand "lighter" socket cord for it. I highly recommend this brand of power adapter. I have one for my older laptop also, and both are quality products made in Taiwan that work as advertised.

In my RAM truck I have a plug in USB adapter that is, again, the QC 3.0 (QC by the way stands for QualComm, not quick charge) ports .

These all fit 30mm holes and the good ones have machined aluminum bodies.

The plastic housings are available with one, two or three positions, and are referred to as "tents"

Tent Type Panel Two Hole, Quick Charge 3.0 Dual USB Car Charger+12V/24V Cigarette Lighter Socket for Car Motorcycle Boat Marine ATV RV

12V USB Outlet 1 PCS 2 Hole USB Socket Tent Panel

12V USB Charger Tent Panel Plastic Housing 2 PCS 1 Hole for USB Socket

Charles

 

[Kirk]

One of the most important things to consider when adding things is the power source that you plan to connect to. There are bound to be more than one place under the dash where 12V wires exist but some will be power via the ignition and probably a few from the coach side of the 12V systems. If you wish to be able to use them with the ignition off, then you will want to make sure you pick the right source. If you have someone else do the installation make sure that they know what they are doing. I also suggest that you get one with a fairly high wattage, similar to this one from Amazon or some other source. If you choose to have it powered from the chassis I would run a source wire directly to the battery but with a fuse in it. If you use the coach side it will be more difficult to connect to the 12V distribution panel or the coach batterys but that is still the best way and also fused.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

If you use the coach side it will be more difficult to connect to the 12V distribution panel or the coach batterys but that is still the best way and also fused.

My DC distribution box had two unpopulated breaker positions for another model of RV. It was academic to source a common breaker, and run a 4ga wire from there to a stud on the firewall next to the OEM one, and from there to my auxiliary fuse block which then powers anything I care to plug in. This is way easier than doing surgery to the existing wiring, and takes the variable of OEM facilities out of the equation. Stock stays stock, anything added is on a completely different and robust source.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[meierjn]

These are nice. Built in relay, multiple fused circuits, can choose between constant or ignition power for each circuit.

The Fuzeblocks.com FZ-1 : Compact, switchable power distribution block with onboard relay allows you to safely wire your 12V accessories with ease!

 

[Matt_C]

I have been forced to put in many DC mouseholes. I hate them. They completely suck at everything. Not only do they have no physical connector retention, but the positive connector has zero wiping action and fails as a contact frequently. For my own builds, I won't use them. I use a plastic version of a military round with gold plated contacts.
Matt_C

 

[Excalibur]

I have been forced to put in many DC mouseholes. I hate them. They completely suck at everything. Not only do they have no physical connector retention, but the positive connector has zero wiping action and fails as a contact frequently. For my own builds, I won't use them. I use a plastic version of a military round with gold plated contacts.
Matt_C

OMG Is that an EM-50 in that pic?

 

[Matt_C]

No, it is not an EM-50. It is the small civilian version. Kind of like the old CJ version of Jeeps.
Matt_C

 

[Excalibur]

No, it is not an EM-50. It is the small civilian version. Kind of like the old CJ version of Jeeps.
Matt_C

I am so disappointed. But at least you got the reference. So many people would not have gotten the joke.