Is what I have been told an urban myth or fact. I was thinking about fitting a cig lighter to my 848 to use for a phone charger, I have a couple of long European trips to do this year. Whilst discussing this with a work colleague, he said 'why not put an Optimate plug end on your USB charger cable'. I have looked at the Optimate or otherwise known as Tamiya plug, that is easily obtained from somewhere like Maplins. Can anyone with electrical / phone knowledge assist, would it be feasible and practical to but one of those plugs onto a phone USB charger, will it work without buggering the phone or bikes electric up. Pete
Prob be safer with the optimate plug on a cigarette lighter fitted and use a bullet type USB plug in that, the bullet would fuse before the phone would get damaged
You could always visit the pound shop and buy one of their cigarette lighter to usb converters and butcher that to get the bits you need. I'd recommend you fit an inline fuse with it as well to save your phone.
You get in car charging cables that you shove in the cigarette lighter socket so why shouldn't it work for a power socket on a bike. You run the sat nav off the power socket on the Multistrada 1200. Sounds like a trip to Maplins. Andy
Run a.cig lighter type socket straight off the battery with an inline fuse on my 2003 multi. Use it to power my tom tom as the power cradle broke use a cig socket usb converter about£3 off eBay and a usb lead. Also it charges up my Samsung note when stopped plug it in and lock it in the compartment never had a problem. Cig socket also does my heated gloves for winter .really easy to do
Waterproof in line fused power sockets on eBay from£1.99 to£15 connect direct to battery usb adaptor £1 to £8.99 and away you go
You'd be better off putting the cigarette lighter socket onto the Tamiya type plug then putting a USB charger in that as most phones charge well under 12v.
You want one of these that plugs into the Optimate battery charger. Made for the job. Optimate USB Charger
