What is power draw when plugged in but without phone present? My car accessory port is always powered-worried about how fast will drain car battery?
2016035
I have a live all the time 12 volt port. I can let the car sit for a week and I've never had a problem.
2016036
That is a good question. Our port is always on and we haven't noticed any issues in either of our vehicles.
1169291
Yes, the USB charging circuit in this outlet does use power even when nothing is plugged in. I tested by wiring a Mastech MS8264 digital multimeter in series with the hot lead that powers the outlet. With nothing plugged into the outlet, the multimeter read 0.42-0.44 milliamps at 120VAC. Note that this is not a true-RMS multimeter; the actual power draw was probably more like 0.66 milliamps. That's less than 1/10th of a watt, which might be so little that it doesn't matter to you, but it is definitely nonzero and does add up over time. For comparison, I also measured a FastMac U-Socket, a competitor to this device. The U-Socket reading showed about 2/3 of the current that this one drew (with nothing connected to either device). I chose to keep this one because it is easier to fit into a gang box and seems to have a sturdier USB port design.
1890989
Hi, I just tried charging two Galaxy S4 phones with this device. They are displaying a charging status. What I don't know for sure is what charge current they're drawing. If there's a way to get the phone to tell me that, let me know and I'll check (yeah I could cut the cable and put an ammeter on it, but I'm not quite that curious...).
1525387
I would recommend a separate power supply. This phone case turns off and while in your pocket.which then uses all the battery back up power.
1244096
It will draw power from the car battery but the alternator will recharge it fine. Only issue would be if you recharged it a few times without running you car. Then you might have to get your car jumped!
1634506
Unless you leave the car parked for weeks at a time this will not be an issue. The draw from this device is very low. You will need to turn the device off then back on to resync with your phone, however. I always just turn mine off when I get out then back on when I get in. Again however no need to worry about your battery.
150766
You must plug it into the cigarette lighter of your car to work and the car must have a good working fully charged battery in it. It will work with the car turned off as long as your car battery is fully charged. BUT it will in fact drain your car battery if you use it while the car is turned off for a long time. I have used it for up to 30 minutes to charge a cell phone, and I've used it for about 20 minutes to run my lap top, both times with the car turned off and I had a fairly new car battery but I would not go any longer than that and I would not use it with the car turned off if your car battery is not new or is not a high quality brand.
468139
I do not unplug mine whether in use or not. However my power is only on when the car is on.
1824543
I only use it in my car. I drive about 30min to/from work 5 days a week, but the end of the week it has about 20% battery left (or less). I stop my player from my phone when I leave the car so the adapter stays on until it automatically powers itself off. Not sure if it helps, I haven't really counted the hours, but I'm pretty happy with it.
716311
Mine works perfectly. I plug it into my monitor USB port at work so i never take it home. I plug in my iphone charge while at work and i'm good. I never have to worry about my phone losing power while at work or on my commute home. I have the charge cable at home that came w/ the phone, and I only use it on weekends. My phone is charged up til at least 9am the following workday morning when i get in to work.
1800819
Okay, do you keep the charger cable plugged into 110VAC outlet? I Don't, but I do plug it in from time to time. I (and neighbors) have used this device lots of times and never run it down. I've used the 110VAC outlet for drilling holes in fence poles and to run a pole saw pruning trees. I've used the "jump charge" feature for starting cars stalled on the road. I've charged a cell phone. I've used it for pre-setting our GPS. It is a little heavy to use as a flashlight but fills low tires on cars. Our neighbors like it a lot and have "suggested" what a great Christmas gift it would make (hint...hint). When we get our new Cessna, I will probably keep another in the luggage bay. Don't buy a cheap copy. Okay, do you keep the charger cable plugged into 110VAC outlet? I Don't, but I do plug it in from time to time. I (and neighbors) have used this device lots of times and never run it down. I've used the 110VAC outlet for drilling holes in fence poles and to run a pole saw pruning trees. I've used the "jump charge" feature for starting cars stalled on the road. I've charged a cell phone. I've used it for pre-setting our GPS. It is a little heavy to use as a flashlight but fills low tires on cars. Our neighbors like it a lot and have "suggested" what a great Christmas gift... » Read More Okay, do you keep the charger cable plugged into 110VAC outlet? I Don't, but I do plug it in from time to time. I (and neighbors) have used this device lots of times and never run it down. I've used the 110VAC outlet for drilling holes in fence poles and to run a pole saw pruning trees. I've used the "jump charge" feature for starting cars stalled on the road. I've charged a cell phone. I've used it for pre-setting our GPS. It is a little heavy to use as a flashlight but fills low tires on cars. Our neighbors like it a lot and have "suggested" what a great Christmas gift it would make (hint...hint). When we get our new Cessna, I will probably keep another in the luggage bay. Don't buy a cheap copy. « Show Less
1271766
Its powered by car's 12 V output. USB output is for charging mobile or other devices which can be charged from USB port
1189479
The BLUE outlet provides 2 amps and the other side provides 1 amp. You have to review your specific phone charging requirments to determine if that is enough power. Generally speaking, most phones and tablets will charge (although slowly if you are also using the phone/tablet at the same time) on the 2 amp side. The units will charge more quickly if they are not being used. This works well if you are in the car and your charge is running low. You can be powered up again by the time you get where you are going. Hope this helps.
605606
I have it plugged into an "always on" power port and no problems turning it on. Touch my galaxy S4 to it, they connect, I play and it works nicely with my 1kW car audio system. Sound profile is nice, and output is much hotter than the phones built in port.
146252
Depends. If the device is powered off it will almost always charge (slowly). If it's turned on it might either charge *very* slowly, or not at all, or even still lose charge if you're actually using the device. (You'll see the latter with high-end phones or tablets if you are running a 3D-rendered game -- the device will be using more power than any USB charger can safely deliver, so the battery will slowly drain even if it's plugged in. With a crappy charger this can happen even if the device isn't doing much.)
1634504
I would recommend unplugging when not charging. I plug mine into the charger every couple of days while driving and it has never run the battery down dead.
1070020
It depends on the specific vehicle and which plug that you connect it to. Some vehicles turn off the power to their plugs when off while others do not. Some vehicles have a "power point" plug that remains powered at all times. Plug in your automotive mobile phone charger or other charging device into the outlet to verify.