How much current can I get from cigarette lighter

[Neville MADDEN]

Good morning,

I have a 2005 Imprezza GX. I would like to use a GPS (Garmin GPS12) and a
Tablet PC using a double adaptor from the cigarette lighter. The GPS uses
virtually nothing and the tablet is rated at 16v and 3.36 amps when
running off mains power. The car adaptor(still coming from the US) is a
genuine Fujitsu OEM so somehow it ups the voltage to what is needed for the
Tablet.

What is everone's opinio9n about running these 2 together?

Thanks

Neville
Brisbane
Australia

 

[Cliff Top]

Will be no problem. Usually you can get 10-15amps depending on what fuse is
fitted.
You're only asking for at most 5-6amps.
AW

 

[Backfire Bob]

Good morning,

I have a 2005 Imprezza GX. I would like to use a GPS (Garmin GPS12) and a
Tablet PC using a double adaptor from the cigarette lighter. The GPS uses
virtually nothing and the tablet is rated at 16v and 3.36 amps when
running off mains power. The car adaptor(still coming from the US) is a
genuine Fujitsu OEM so somehow it ups the voltage to what is needed for
the
Tablet.

What is everone's opinio9n about running these 2 together?

Usually the cig lighter outlet is NOT a good place to get power for
electronic equipment.
It's "dirty" with a lot of electrical noise.
Your power supplyfor the tablet is a "Upconvertor" and takes the 12 volts to
about 19 or so with the use of a chopper circuit. Since it does this, noise
in the cars electrical system wont bother it.

For other equipment, consider a outlet wired DIRECTLY to the battery
terminals thru a seperate fuse or breaker.

 

[Al]

Usually the cig lighter outlet is NOT a good place to get power for
electronic equipment.
It's "dirty" with a lot of electrical noise.
Your power supplyfor the tablet is a "Upconvertor" and takes the 12 volts to
about 19 or so with the use of a chopper circuit. Since it does this, noise
in the cars electrical system wont bother it.

For other equipment, consider a outlet wired DIRECTLY to the battery
terminals thru a seperate fuse or breaker.

Your car battery voltage can vary from 12.2VDC when the alternator is
off to about 16VDC when it is on.

Your Garmin should work OK with the auto cigarette lighter adaptor
supplied by the manufacturer.

You should run your tablet through it's adaptor. I bought a 12V to 120V
inverter for $15 at a local discount store. It puts out a maximum of
90W. It works well with my laptop. Sorta inefficient as it takes a
nominal 13 volts and steps it up to 120 VAC and then down to the 18VDC
my laptop needs.

Your current capacity from your cigarette lighter will vary from vehicle
to vehicle. The one in my car is fused at 20 amps.

BTW, it's a good idea to turn off all electronics in your car when
starting or turning off the engine. Why? Because the electrical system
can generate up to 400 volts intermittently while this is going on.

I am a private pilot and learned to make sure all electonics are turned
off when starting the engine and to turn off all electronics when
shutting down. Although modern electronics are designed for this purpose
can usually handle the surges, they seem to last longer when the proper
procedure is followed.

Al

 

[AS]

I have used the configuration you propose with no problem whatsover. I
bought a 1 to 3 cigarette adaptor from radio shack and i can power the
pc, gps and cell-phone charger without problem.

Good luck.

 

[QX]

Good morning,

I have a 2005 Imprezza GX. I would like to use a GPS (Garmin GPS12) and a
Tablet PC using a double adaptor from the cigarette lighter. The GPS uses
virtually nothing and the tablet is rated at 16v and 3.36 amps when
running off mains power. The car adaptor(still coming from the US) is a
genuine Fujitsu OEM so somehow it ups the voltage to what is needed for the
Tablet.

What is everone's opinio9n about running these 2 together?

My (USA) 05 Forester manual advises NOT to use the cigarette lighter
outlet for anything other than the cigarette lighter, something about
damaging the plug, rendering the cigarette lighter useless for future
cigarette lighter use..
They advise to use the Accessory plug (provided inside the arm rest)
for accessories. I don't know if the Imprez has the same limitations.
You may want to check your manual if you ever plan to use the lighter
again.