Hot 12volt power point
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 11:02 am
After working at the PD for 33 years and retiring, I got a call a few months ago to see if I was interested in some part time work working on radios, radars, lights, sirens, etc. I took the job. I know I won't get rich doing it, but its something to do and I get a little extra folding money.
I went to work yesterday on a complaint of a 12volt power cord not charging the in-car computer (Dell). I checked out the power cord and it tested OK. When I was talking with the officer who drives it, he told me the computer is showing 100% battery but when its unhooked from the power source it drops back to about 3% in a matter of minutes. The batter is only a few weeks old. What concerned me though was the officer told me whenever he plugs anything into that 12 volt port (cigarette light plug), the plug gets hot...so hot he cannot touch it. Even low current devices such as a GPS or cell phone charger, the plug gets hot. I went in today and removed the old 12 volt socket and installed a new one, running heavier gauge wire back to an aftermarket fuse block. I don't know what the current draw is on the computer, maybe 2-3 amps, but certainly a cellphone charger or GPS is not going to draw enough to make the plug that hot. I took a picture of the plug and wiring and you can see the heat discoloration on the red lead. I will see how this works out for him.[/img http://s918.photobucket.com/user/1hogri ... sort=3&o=0]
I went to work yesterday on a complaint of a 12volt power cord not charging the in-car computer (Dell). I checked out the power cord and it tested OK. When I was talking with the officer who drives it, he told me the computer is showing 100% battery but when its unhooked from the power source it drops back to about 3% in a matter of minutes. The batter is only a few weeks old. What concerned me though was the officer told me whenever he plugs anything into that 12 volt port (cigarette light plug), the plug gets hot...so hot he cannot touch it. Even low current devices such as a GPS or cell phone charger, the plug gets hot. I went in today and removed the old 12 volt socket and installed a new one, running heavier gauge wire back to an aftermarket fuse block. I don't know what the current draw is on the computer, maybe 2-3 amps, but certainly a cellphone charger or GPS is not going to draw enough to make the plug that hot. I took a picture of the plug and wiring and you can see the heat discoloration on the red lead. I will see how this works out for him.[/img http://s918.photobucket.com/user/1hogri ... sort=3&o=0]