AlastairA Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 For information, in case anyone else is having a similar experience: During the build, I added a USB charge point to the fuse box as a permanent fixture (rather than using the cigarette lighter socket). It also has a switch and an LED display showing the battery voltage which I thought might be helpful. When the charging socket is switched on, sufficient electromagnetic interference is generated to create problems with other devices - in particular the ignition immobiliser (will not register the fob) and the sound recording on my camera (background hiss). It's more of a nuisance / awareness point really. I have found a supplier (Blue Sea) that produces a very high quality charge port, but the cost is equivalently high. Normally RFI emissions are limited in devices that comply with FCC regulations, but it seems that some manufacturers advertise FCC compliance without actually meeting the requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Kay Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 Yes, there's one previous victim in the archives. IIRC it was interference on an intercom system. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlastererPete Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 Had a similar issue when I retrofitted a usb charger to my old work radio. I went through 5 or 6 before finding one that didn’t mess with the radio signal. Strangely it was a brand I never heard of. Is there any type of shielding you could wrap round it to mitigate the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlastairA Posted August 29 Author Share Posted August 29 Since there's an integrated switch, it's not so much of an issue for me - the noise disappears when I switch the USB port off. However, I might play around with ferrites and some shielding over Winter to see if it can be supressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Mcalvert Posted August 30 Leadership Team Share Posted August 30 There's a story in next month's Lowflying that would appear to involve exactly this experience too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ainsley Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 *Disappointed* I was expecting to read about someone complaining they had issues with their radio in their Caterham 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlastairA Posted August 30 Author Share Posted August 30 1 hour ago, Ainsley said: *Disappointed* I was expecting to read about someone complaining they had issues with their radio in their Caterham 🙂 😂 Well Ainsley - if you did fit a radio and a used a USB charging socket you would have issues! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ainsley Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 Yeah, it would just add one more to a long list of them ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownmonster Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 I was thinking of adding a dedicated socket as you have done Alistair but given I never have a need for using a cigarette lighter other than a USB plug before, I've decided to just fit a permanent plug in the cigarette lighter slot. I'm just curious if I've missed an obvious reason as to why a dedicated socket is better/needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ainsley Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 I too thought about this, but just use an adaptor for my wife's phone which is USB in the existing lighter socket. I did fit a Ctek charge point with an LED red/amber/green indicator for battery checking charging. Unless you have a need for more than one power output, I would just use an adapter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownmonster Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 4 minutes ago, Ainsley said: I did fit a Ctek charge point with an LED red/amber/green indicator for battery checking charging. I'm curious, does this allow charging of the battery and checking the level without taking the bonnet off? Do you have a link to the parts you used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ainsley Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 (edited) Yes. This is a link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335462202739?chn=ps&_ul=GB&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1OF44gxjsToiOOsHcES-K_A12&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=335462202739&targetid=2338077059442&device=c&mktype=pla_with_promotion&googleloc=1006631&poi=&campaignid=21393317964&mkgroupid=165875445066&rlsatarget=pla-2338077059442&abcId=9448318&merchantid=101474496&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw28W2BhC7ARIsAPerrcL7uR2AerIxVb12LOp3KGi9ITYyCksIKhwuNXJZqopmdfR3JiTzBjoaAkctEALw_wcB Edited August 30 by Ainsley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownmonster Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 Thanks, I also found this which seems to do the job through the cigarette port as well. Not quite as elegant as a flush mounted dedicated port though. https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/accessories/car-accessories/indicator-cig-plug?srsltid=AfmBOopZgUlaZv3B4Yvau4isvP-x4DK32ZMO5mawBqG_8sQDgIASP-ei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlastairA Posted August 30 Author Share Posted August 30 38 minutes ago, Brownmonster said: I was thinking of adding a dedicated socket as you have done Alistair but given I never have a need for using a cigarette lighter other than a USB plug before, I've decided to just fit a permanent plug in the cigarette lighter slot. I'm just curious if I've missed an obvious reason as to why a dedicated socket is better/needed? I use the cigarette lighter as a charging port - per your ctek link - but I wanted a permanent USB port to allow my phone to charge (magnetic Qi mount on top of the tunnel) plus I liked the idea of having a display of the battery voltage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ainsley Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 Yes, I have a voltage display on one of my motorcycles, which is useful / nice. It also displays a % so you can see how much you have left. The Ctek one I got is flush mount, so you don't have any dangly bits to annoy your inner OCD 🙂 At the moment the car is being used so much the indicator / charger is redundant. But once the weather is pants and its hibernating in my garage, it will be nice to know when it needs a charge. I normally keep my cars on the Ctek anyway, as they trickle in a charge when needed. I believe its beneficial especially in a cold garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Kay Posted August 31 Share Posted August 31 1 i don't know why interference has only been reported from built-in USB units rather than plug-in adaptors 2 One advantage of a built-in unit is better mechanical contact than with a plug-in adaptor into a cigar lighter socket. 3 Make sure that least one of the USB sockets is rated at 2.1A. Lower current means slower charging. 4 At some point it will be smart to include a USB-C charging socket. 5 There's only a couple of reports but the built-in digital voltmeters do seem to respond quickly enough to show the voltage when cranking, which is the best indicator of battery condition. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAT170 Posted August 31 Share Posted August 31 I have been successfully using this ultra cheap plug in adaptor: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386138540897?var=653683683032 I'd used the 3.1A version B one for some time as a battery monitor in my daughters car which had a parasitic voltage drain I couldn't solve. Worked fine so bought a second one for the Caterham and both read consistently 0.2V low between 12 and 14 V . It is a nice tight fit so doesn't disconnect, no EMI/RFI issues to my knowledge and it charges iphone rapidly with no issues. I also have the CTEK plug/indicator. Works okay although their spec says it should show yellow between 12.4 and 12.65 which seems super accurate, but in fact it trips from green to red at 12.55. Not a big deal but not quite to spec either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted September 3 Area Representative Share Posted September 3 Quote 4 At some point it will be smart to include a USB-C charging socket. Why? Doesn't everyone have a USB-A to (whatever your handset/other electronic device needs). Many of us will have mains sockets like these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR400D Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Golf Juliet Tango said: Why? Doesn't everyone have a USB-A to (whatever your handset/other electronic device needs). Many of us will have mains sockets like these. I guess he means because across Europe everything has now to have a USB C connection so eventually that’s all there’ll be. Frankly I don’t see it as being at all important either way. I can’t remember ever having the need to charge a device in the 7. I seriously wonder if these things are being fitted ‘because I can’. There, I’ve said it. I’ll await all the explanations of how essential they are……… 😉 Edited to add that I’ve just remembered that 1 of our tintops has 3 USB C ports. 1 on the dash and 1 in the side of each front seat. They remain unused too………. Edited September 3 by ScottR400D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Kay Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 On 31/08/2024 at 11:20, Jonathan Kay said: 4 At some point it will be smart to include a USB-C charging socket. Outside the world of Sevens USB-C has big advantages over USB-A. Faster data transfer, faster charging, one connector rather than three different connectors and cables. Same cable can be used to charge most 'phones. Better mechanical connector and it's reversible so you don't have to fail half of the time that you try to plug it in, and there's less impact on it. For new devices the migration's just about done but of course there's a lot of old stuff around. Inside Sevens Most devices will be USB-C RSN. Charging can be much faster. It's possible that devices will be charged at 45 to 100W that couldn't be charged at 12W. You can buy USB-C charging adaptors that fit cigar lighter sockets and as mountable units, just as with USB-A. It's probably worth getting adaptors that have at least one 45W socket if you'd like faster charging or laptop charging. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware#USB_Power_Delivery Jonathan PS: And what will happen to those mains faceplates? They'll be replaced, or the USB-A sockets will be unused or have a USB-C charger plugged in next to them. And we'll look at them and ponder the strange world of standards. PPS: And now back to work on clinical data standards, which aren't going as well as the migration to USB-C.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevehS3 Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 23 minutes ago, Jonathan Kay said: Outside the world of Sevens USB-C has big advantages over USB-A. Faster data transfer, faster charging, one connector rather than three different connectors and cables. Same cable can be used to charge most 'phones. Better mechanical connector and it's reversible so you don't have to fail half of the time that you try to plug it in, and there's less impact on it. For new devices the migration's just about done but of course there's a lot of old stuff around. Inside Sevens Most devices will be USB-C RSN. Charging can be much faster. It's possible that devices will be charged at 45 to 100W that couldn't charged at 12W. You can buy USB-C charging adaptors that fit cigar lighter sockets and as mountable units, just as with USB-A. It's probably worth getting adaptors that have at least one 45W socket if you'd like faster charging or laptop charging. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware#USB_Power_Delivery Jonathan PS: And what will happen to those mains faceplates? They'll be replaced, or the USB-A sockets will be unused or have a USB-C charger plugged in next to them. And we'll look at them and ponder the strange world of standards. PPS: And now back to work on clinical data standards, which aren't going as well as the migration to USB-C.... A 2 min read proving a useful insight. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlastairA Posted September 4 Author Share Posted September 4 16 hours ago, ScottR400D said: There, I’ve said it. I’ll await all the explanations of how essential they are……… 😉 Very simple really - if you're on a 200 mile plus blat, or on roads that you don't know, the likelihood is that you'll be using a satnav, or a phone with a routing app. It's very unlikely that you'll find a device with a battery capacity to last long enough without a charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted September 4 Area Representative Share Posted September 4 Yes Jonathan but in my world... I, and I expect most others, already have A to C cables (I have four, possibly five). (also a selection of A to mini & micro USB, all supplied with the external drives, cameras and other devices) - no doubt destined for recycling when the devices fail) On a long drive I don't need faster charging. Similarly, plug your handset in overnight and the speed of charge isn't relevant and is managed by the handset. On my sockets no data transfer is involved. Most synchronisation (but not mine at the moment) will be by Bluetooth/WiFi not over cables (although I prefer a wired connection). A slimmer connector is weaker mechanically, my wired moulded in-ear headphones fail regularly at the adaptor UDB-C to mini-jack (the latter being highly reliable) as for the comment below, this is neither challenging not time consuming. Quote you don't have to fail half of the time that you try to plug it in, Quote It's very unlikely that you'll find a device with a battery capacity to last long enough without a charge. My Pixel 6 phone lasts for long journeys. True I turn the screen off and just listen but driving audio & Bluetooth is fairly demanding too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR400D Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 5 hours ago, AlastairA said: Very simple really - if you're on a 200 mile plus blat, or on roads that you don't know, the likelihood is that you'll be using a satnav, or a phone with a routing app. It's very unlikely that you'll find a device with a battery capacity to last long enough without a charge. I’ve done almost 200 miles today with a couple of stops using my phone. It’s still at 70% charge. How DID we manage in the days before Satnav and smartphones?😄 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAT170 Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 2 hours ago, ScottR400D said: I’ve done almost 200 miles today with a couple of stops using my phone. It’s still at 70% charge. How DID we manage in the days before Satnav and smartphones?😄 It's not the journey that exhausts the battery, it can be (my!) lack of preparation beforehand, or the use the phone gets before returning home. Before Satnav's I found maps to be perfectly usable, but only when travelling alone as it's difficult to argue for too long with oneself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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