Installing multiple USB charge ports in a vehicle

[Protdo]

Hi guys



I'm interested in installing usb charge ports in a 14 seater passenger vehicle, Please understand I'm not a auto electrician but I'm keen on learning... my queries are :



(1) How many ports can I safely install?

(2) Is there enough power from the vehicle, it uses a 12V battery

(3) What components would be necessary to accomplish this task?

 

[dogbob]

Common USB ports are 5V/0.5A (2.5 watts) each. I assume that's enough for your needs. You can buy 12V to 5V USB adapters from many places, including ebay, amazon, etc. The hardest part will be installing the ports and making them look good.

For each port you install, you'll need 2.5 watts. With 14 ports, that 35 watts plus loss, or ~40 watts. At 12V, that's 3.3 amps. Common car wiring (AWG 16 with a 5A fuse) is good for 3.3 amps and the car battery can supply 3.3 amps for quite a while. Assuming it is a 40 amp-hour battery (wild guess), you can run 3.3 amps for 12 hours before the battery is dead, but virtually forever if the engine is running.