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ELECTRONICS

Charging mobile devices on board

How can I recharge my Q Pixelbook and mobile phone from my boat’s 12V electrical system?

Maurice Williams

Longtime subscriber

ANDY HAINES REPLIES:

If the boat has a cigar lighter socket (most do), the easiest solution is to purchase a ‘cigar lighter socket to a USB socket adaptor’. This effectively converts the existing cigar lighter socket to a USB charger.

A better solution, however, is to wire in a separate USB charge socket as this takes out the vulnerability of the connection of the USB adaptor coming loose in the cigar lighter socket. If installing one yourself, care must be taken to get the positive/negative power connections the correct way round.

Something else you’ll need to consider