The adapter arrived just as it looks in the picture, and it sports a much better form-factor than the clunky alternatives found on Amazon. It's worth noting that the black circle next to the USB input is a blue LED indicator light, letting you know that the device has power. However, the blue light is rather bright. While I like the blue light, some might find it distracting when driving at night; it lights up a good bit of the car.
In my older Infiniti, I have to twist the adapter to find the sweet-spot to get it to hold a charge in the cigarette lighter. I think the problem may lie more with my car than the adapter, though. Once I find the sweet-spot, the adapter works just fine.
When I used the adapter in a 1996 Camry, I had a different result. The adapter worked just fine immediately. I tried twisting the unit to recreate the problem from the first car, but it never lost charge. I actually ran into an unexpected problem. The 1996 Camry has a recessed cigarette lighter, and the nice, small adapter fit into it absolutely flush -- so flush that I couldn't pull it out. I ended up having to loop string around the adapter and pull it out that way (worked like a charm).
The adapter seems to work just fine, and I have no problem recommending this for purchase -- just make sure your car doesn't have an overly-recessed lighter. Universal Mini USB Car Charger Adapter, Black
I'll start with the good: It looks good, feels relatively sturdy, and does put out 5 volts over USB. Now for the bad: First off, the red LED that comes on is WAY too bright. I wouldn't want to drive at night with it on, which is annoying. Also, While i was testing it, i noticed that the unit felt warm after only 2-3 minutes of charging. It was emitting a burning electronics smell. thats not good! So, considering that the device cost less than 3 bucks, i just took it apart to see what was up....
The device uses an MC34063a voltage converter chip. This chip is tiny- maybe 5mm by 2.5mm. This is the source of the heat!!!! I plugged my Droid X into the charger (which was connected to 12v through an ammeter) and after 5-10 minutes of charging, the surface of the chip was 186 degrees F. Not only is this insane, it's also way past the operating range of the chip (about 150 degrees). At this time the charger was pulling .5 to .6 of an amp from the power source to charge the phone.
While technically it works, i wouldn't rely on it. I doubt it will last long considering how hot it gets.
In one of the product reviews... the person mentioned that the big light on the front is blue, but on the version I recently bought from the Eforcity storefront, it illuminates red (which is fine by me). The light turns on immediately once it is plugged into a running car. I have yet to charge my device fully in the car, so I don't know if the light changes color or not. However, I think the mobile phone has its own control function when the battery is fully charged anyway.
Essentially, this adapter converts your cigarette lighter port into a USB port. The adapter is called "mini" due to its general size as it is much less bulkier than your regular car adapters/chargers. Thus to help with those that may still be confused, the port is not for a mini-USB connector, as it sports a standard USB port. You will need to also purchase a seperate USB cord for charging. For my HTC Evo, I bought a micro USB to standard USB cord which works perfectly so far. Great product and very affordable!
Have to admit, this thing is a sturdy little bugger. I use it to charge my Microsoft ZuneHD and my Motorola Droid. And it's flawless. The thing I love the best is that when I need to switch cables this thing sits like it's cemented in so that pulling the USB end out doesn't actually pull the charger out. Just turn it so that the top of the USB connector is ^up^ and you'll never fumble around trying to plug into it.
I may just buy another one of these in case I lose mine and they stop making them.
This is a great idea and I was very excited about receiving my chargers (got two of them) but was very disappointed after plugging in my iPhone. Although it will "charge" the phone, I am very concerned about the power it's throwing out. Both the charger and the phone get extremely hot and on some cases, the phone will rapidly cycle in and out of "charge mode."
Also, this charger doesn't fit flush in the dash like I had hoped. It goes in all the way to where the lip is near the front.
Last, there is an extremely bright blue LED that remains on whether a device is plugged in or not. Normally, I LOVE blue LED's but this is similar to having one of those mini LED flashlights shining out from your dash.
The one plus is that it was cheap but if you're looking for a plausible USB iPhone charger, I would look elsewhere. - Iphone - Car Charger - Car Adapter - Usb Charger'
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