USB Port

[ikeja]

Can this port be used for charging a mobile phone? If so, do I have to activate the port?

All I can find in the manual is how to use it to connect an iPod or similar to play music through the sound system.

Any help most welcome

 

[matt8]

It charges my phone, but very slowly. 

I've instead purchased a 12v Cigarette socket to dual USB port and leave that in. At 2.4A output, it charges my devices much quicker.

They cost about a fiver on amazon. 

[rayaans]

As above - I would also use the 12v cigarette socket for charging the phone.

Luckily my car has a wireless charging pad so makes it much easier

[Mr Vlad]

Personally I'd stay well clear of cheap none genuine phone chargers. I've had 2 phones knackered by them.

As above have said use a (genuine to your phone) cig lighter socket charger.

[sorcerer]

I replaced the cigarette lighter with something almost like this USB socket on eBay. Mine also gives 5V @ 2.1A from each socket but it doesn't have the LED illumination. Very easy to fit and works brilliantly for charging two phones quickly or whatever you want.

[ikeja]

Thanks for all the suggestions. They all mention the cigarette lighter socket but I cannot find one on my car (IS300H Advance MY2016) or an ash tray. Have I missed something?

 

[Martin F]

The cigarette lighter socket is inside the centre console, right next to the USB sockets ! 

[Ben1001]

Are you looking under the armrest below the USBs

[ikeja]

Thanks Martin and Ben. I have found it at last! Amazing how you miss things when you are looking for them, is that just a reflection of my age??

[Mr Vlad]

Might be your age ikeja. I found mine only this weekend and that's after one weeks ownership. 

[ikeja]

In my defence, as I no longer smoke :) I have had no need to use a cigarette lighter. It was only when my wife wanted to charge her phone that I realised (on advice) that I needed to plug her charger into the lighter. Having said that, I have only just started to use the sports setting.......whoohooo :)

 

[BigChange]

If it makes anyone feel any better, I have had my 2015 IS for nearly 2 years and have only now found the lighter socket, thanks to the above thread.  It is certainly well camouflaged.  Never too old to learn!

[sorcerer]

As I mentioned in another thread earlier this afternoon, I changed the front cigarette lighter in my RX300 for one of these and they work really well, charging my phone quicker than a 'normal' USB socket:

 

[Sparklehedgehog]

On 31/10/2017 at 8:01 PM, sorcerer said:

As I mentioned in another thread earlier this afternoon, I changed the front cigarette lighter in my RX300 for one of these and they work really well, charging my phone quicker than a 'normal' USB socket:

 

where'd you buy one of those please?

[sorcerer]

Have a look here on eBay

[Rabbers]

Independently of slower charging (which may concern some users more than others), is there any potential technical problem about leaving a 

phone connected via one of the USB ports so as to play the music content via the car speakers while getting the benefit, slow as this might be,  

of simultaneous recharging?

I have heard that there may be a risk of draining the car Battery and damaging the phone Battery through overheating or overcharging but, if

this is true, I have never noticed it after many years of almost invariably connecting via USB except for very short drives.

[sorcerer]

No problems as far as I know, except that the phone Battery probably won't get enough charge at all and eventually go flat. People who use their phones for navigation sometimes find that because the screen is on all the time, the USB socket can't provide enough power to keep the navigation going as well as charging the Battery - that's why I specifically went for a USB socket that provides up to 2.1A from each socket, rather than the more common 1.0A.

[Vince Donald]

If you have your screen on whilst running sat nav, sometimes the charging can't keep up, this is usually if its a standard USB port as this only delivers 500mA.

If it is a higher power one then it may be able to keep up and keep it charged.

If you're playing music, your screen is normally off, and even though its transmitting over Bluetooth, even the standard USB port will keep it topped up.

This is from many years of using phones as sat nav, and music  (in my case, podcast) playing.

 

Don't worry about overcharging, the phone will control the charging.

 

Vince

[Lexman59]

If your plugged in USB port you don’t need to play music via Bluetooth, you can select the USB port and play direct of your phone.

[Andrew888]

I use a decent brand dual USB for the 12v socket, as my handset is equipped with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 the charger I use has the fast charge chipset and charges a full batt in 60mins. Be careful with eBay chargers thats cheap - I'm in the Accessories Telecoms Industry for 20 years as a senior buyer that deals with the Far East and the samples I get to test in the office I wouldn't touch with a barge pole. The CE certification, RoHS, FCC etc are most likely to be fake to fool consumers, as each testing certification from reputable testing houses like Intertek and SGS costs the factories probably 4k USD per report/certification. Best to go with brands like Anker, Belkin or the actual phone manufacturers themselves as they will factor in this cost when doing their due diligence in factory auditing.

However the caveat is, you must buy these brands from reputable outlets like big retailers or amazon (direct not marketplace) and as you've guessed it, the chinese has smartened up and COPIES the originals as well.

I've had simple things like datacables go up in smoke due to the crap materials they use to save a quick buck.

 

Mains chargers and powerbanks? Thats a whole new story and I usually select factories that has credibility as I do not want deaths on my conscience (this is no exaggeration either).