cargo area - swap utility port for USB plug

[KriegTiger]

The rear cargo area 12v utility port is fine and all, but being mounted horizontally I find that the item in it (in my car that's the dash cam power connection) will always gradually slip free and so I'm in the habit of pressing that in every time I ever open the back hatch. It's dumb and I hate it.

Anybody familiar with whether something like this could be used as a drop-in replacement for that utility plug?

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-DGW7VMSYQNO/p_074USBRQC/Beuler-USBRQC-Power-Pod.html

If you know of something else please do share

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[JeffGo]

Why go through the trouble of hardwiring it? Just get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085LKLCYX

 

[KriegTiger]

Why go through the trouble of hardwiring it? Just get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085LKLCYX

I mentioned that in my original post: the mounting surface in the cargo area is vertical making the socket itself horizontal. So gravity plays zero part in keeping whatever you plug into that spot in place. Over time the typical utility port adapters like that one (and the one my dashcam kit came with) will migrate outward and eventually lose their connection.

 

[hartmms]

This style of adapter won't fall out: https://a.co/d/jg1sqob. I have one similar and if fits snug and requires pulling firmly on the flap to remove.

 

[KriegTiger]

This style of adapter won't fall out: https://a.co/d/jg1sqob. I have one similar and if fits snug and requires pulling firmly on the flap to remove.

Nice find. I can give that a try, thanks for the link

 

[BenW1976]

That would be easy to swap but yanking it out of its holder and then rewiring it. Only reason I’ve kept mine is for the tire inflator if I ever have a flat.

 

[bbulkow]

The rear cargo area 12v utility port is fine and all, but being mounted horizontally I find that the item in it (in my car that's the dash cam power connection) will always gradually slip free and so I'm in the habit of pressing that in every time I ever open the back hatch. It's dumb and I hate it.

Anybody familiar with whether something like this could be used as a drop-in replacement for that utility plug?

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-DGW7VMSYQNO/p_074USBRQC/Beuler-USBRQC-Power-Pod.html

If you know of something else please do share

I don't have experience with anything like that.

If it was me, and something was wiggling out, I would look through my stock of adhesives and pick one that's least asthetically janky and the best possible fit for use. In general, my go-to here would probably be gaff tape. Alternately, I'd consider punching some number of holes in the plastic and building some kind of restraining thing. Eg, I could source a 1-into-3 "12v port" adapter with a right angle, drop some holes into either side, zip tie the thing into place "forever" and use the now-three ports. I can't think of a glue-type adhesive that would be suitable, at least, not in my collection.

Same concept could be used less janky by simply splicing in the 1-to-3 behind the panel and nicely wiring it so it comes out.

I'd go with the gaff tape first, until it bothered me enough and I had a "free day", which would probably be in 2030+.

 

[RickMachE]

Punching holes and wire ties? Are you kidding?

 

[HuntingPudel]

My Blazer’s cigarette lighter socket is likewise mounted so that its cylindrical axis is horizontal. The adapter I used in it for decades never wiggled out, no matter what I was driving over. My suggestion would be to try another cigarette lighter adapter that fits the socket better.

 

[KriegTiger]

This style of adapter won't fall out: https://a.co/d/jg1sqob. I have one similar and if fits snug and requires pulling firmly on the flap to remove.

Unfortunately this ended up not working for me, the dashcam needs a base/dumb 5v 2A source, and the PD/QC protocols on the ports which are great for smart devices aren't usable by my dashcam (verified by contact with VIOFO customer support).

 

[hartmms]

Sorry about that. I see that dashcam has a micro-USB port on it. I too have a dashcam with a micro-USB port on it. Such an old port format. I suspect they still use those still because 5v, 2A is not an officially supported mode. Most folks threw out all their micro-USB cords years ago. You are stuck with their included cables or their optional "hard wire" 12v to micro-USB cord.

Even if the device had a USB-C port on it, it may not actually support USB-PD. Without that, the power supply defaults to USB3.0 standard: 5V, 0.5A. I have several "cheap, no-name" devices with USB-C plugs that just don't work with USB-PD supplies. Not sure why they don't use USB-PD in these dashcams.

 

[HuntingPudel]

<SNIP>
Even if the device had a USB-C port on it, it may not actually support USB-PD. Without that, the power supply defaults to USB3.0 standard: 5V, 0.5A. I have several "cheap, no-name" devices with USB-C plugs that just don't work with USB-PD supplies. Not sure why they don't use USB-PD in these dashcams.

This is true, but it's not just cheap-o no-name stuff that suffers this. There are many DSLRs out there that have USB-C ports on them that won't work with any non-PD high power or PD power sources.

 

[KriegTiger]

Sorry about that. I see that dashcam has a micro-USB port on it. I too have a dashcam with a micro-USB port on it. Such an old port format. I suspect they still use those still because 5v, 2A is not an officially supported mode. Most folks threw out all their micro-USB cords years ago. You are stuck with their included cables or their optional "hard wire" 12v to micro-USB cord.

Even if the device had a USB-C port on it, it may not actually support USB-PD. Without that, the power supply defaults to USB3.0 standard: 5V, 0.5A. I have several "cheap, no-name" devices with USB-C plugs that just don't work with USB-PD supplies. Not sure why they don't use USB-PD in these dashcams.

No worries at all And no, the one I have is all type-C connectors but as you pointed out that's just a port type and doesn't dictate electronics behind it.

If I had to venture a guess it's because none of the dash-cams have batteries in them; why would you when you're hooking it up to a giant electrical system any time you use it?

Smart phones and other devices that use smart or fast charging protocols all have to be on first in order to benefit, because they negotiate their power charging with the source port. For most laptops/phones this is not an issue because even when they've self-shutoff for low battery they have a bit of reserve juice in the batteries to try and stave off degradation of the battery layers by letting it go FULL dead, so even the slightest bit of power from a smart source can at least kickstart that portion and let them start charging.

But without even that tiny reserve, there's no online/aware electronics to do that negotiation in a dashcam. So you've got to resort to dumb/brute methods of getting something powered. There's probably a case to be made here about having a coin-cell battery that could manage this kind of thing like they do for BIOS systems in computers.

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