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Anyone integrate a USB port into their dashboard for GPS charging?

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Kaido

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
The 12V jack in all of my cars is down near the gear shifter, so I have to snake a long Micro-USB cable up to the windshield to power the GPS devices. I was thinking about integrating a USB port into the dashboard, so I could just run a short 6 or 12" cable up to the GPS - less mess, more convenient. Clarion makes a hole-mount extension cable with a cover:

http://www.amazon.com/Clarion-CCAUSB...dp/B001GXQMXE/

Garmin also has a 12V hardwire kit, although then the cable would just be hanging out:

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Hardwir.../dp/B001M09L20

Anyone do this before? Ideally I'd like a 12V brick to USB male (then add on the Clarion piece, or even better, a 12V brick to hole-mount USB female, but I haven't come across something like that yet. That way if I switch out devices (cell phone, GPS, whatever) I can swap cables to a 30-pin, Micro-USB, etc., and also not be stuck if the Micro-USB connector breaks.
 
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My friend did this for a radar detector once. You could just make a custom cable and solder it in somewhere instead of an actual USB port. I figure it'd be a little harder with a USB port since you'd have to cut a bezel up somewhere.
 
hans007 said:
My friend did this for a radar detector once. You could just make a custom cable and solder it in somewhere instead of an actual USB port. I figure it'd be a little harder with a USB port since you'd have to cut a bezel up somewhere.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd like a factory look if I did it. It looks like the easiest way is to use 4 cables:

1. Garmin 12V hardwire adapter: $13 on Amazon
2. Micro-USB Female to USB Male adapter: $3 on Amazon
3. Clarion mountable USB extension cable: $23 on Amazon
4. 12" USB to Micro-USB cable: $4 on Amazon

So wire the Garmin 12V to USB adapter into the car, use an adapter to convert the Micro-USB to regular USB, then run the Clarion mountable adapter to the top of the dashboard. From there, just use a short 12" Micro-USB cable to hookup the GPS. About $43 total. I could probably just hot-glue all of the connectors together under the dash so they won't vibrate apart.

Plus pretty much every Micro-USB GPS connector has bent on me, so this way the short cable from the dashboard to the GPS is replaceable in case it breaks off :thumbsup:
 
thedarkwolf said:
You could also snake a cable out the defroster vent rather than cutting up your dashboard.
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Yeah, I've seen that done. However, with the layout of say the Civic's vents, I might as well just run the cable up from the 12V jack. The nearest vent to the middle is on the cutoff vent on the right side in this picture:

http://i.imgur.com/5a5LTTs.jpg

That's why the Clarion unit is nice...makes it look somewhat factory-stock with the flip-cover.
 
Just splice a 12V outlet to your fusebox and get one of those flush USB ports. I did this in my Scion xA for about $12.

DBL-YYI1-KV0312.jpg
 
Fritzo said:
Just splice a 12V outlet to your fusebox and get one of those flush USB ports. I did this in my Scion xA for about $12.

DBL-YYI1-KV0312.jpg
Click to expand...

Ah, even easier. Did you put a 12V outlet underneath and then push the USB adapter through the top of the hole and use some glue or something to hold it together? Haven't done much hardware modding other than speakers in a car before.
 
Kaido said:
Ah, even easier. Did you put a 12V outlet underneath and then push the USB adapter through the top of the hole and use some glue or something to hold it together? Haven't done much hardware modding other than speakers in a car before.
Click to expand...

I had an unused console punch-out on my dash, so I drilled a hole there and mounted it. It was very easy and looks stock. The hardest part was routing the wire through the dash.
 
I wired a spare 12v outlet into my old car and used one of those car adapters to a usb port that went behind my dash and out the dash vent to my phone cradle. Worked very well that way.
 
I wired up a 4-outlet 12v brick in my glovebox and run everything around the back of the dash and into the back of the glovebox, including an Aux-in for the stereo. I have a few mini and a few micro USB cables running on 1 watt chargers, plus I can plug in a mini AC/DC inverter to use for camera battery chargers. It's all hidden away when I close the door. Combined with my regular outlets, I was once powering a GPS, a GoPro, a radar detector, three cell phones, and a camera battery charger.
 
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