Connecting a cigarette lighter to separate battery

beer enigma

Hey all,

I have a camping coolbox that runs off of the car battery via the cigarette lighter socket.

I take a spare battery with me to run basic lighting, but I'd like to run the coolbox off of it as well. This means rigging up a female cigarette lighter socket to the battery via crocodile clips.

Anyone know how this is done - ie which lead to neg & which to pos ?

ta

Andi

Stoner

if you go into the euro value shop in thomas street dublin they have a splitter, i.e one male splitting to two females. Last time i was in a Euro Value shop they were €2 each, or something like this

http://cpc.farnell.com/CP03734/car-leisure-hobbies/product.us0?sku=i-xt-23603

you should get on cheaper though.

Is this what you are looking for?

if you are looking for one to wire up from scratch

http://cpc.farnell.com/CP00046/car-leisure-hobbies/product.us0?sku=unbranded-348-01

or

http://cpc.farnell.com/CP02380/car-leisure-hobbies/product.us0?sku=unbranded-351-01

they both seem to be fused.

I have never seen a twin one with terminals , but I'm sure they exist.

beer enigma

Stoner wrote: »

if you go into the euro value shop in thomas street dublin they have a splitter, i.e one male splitting to two females.

Thanks Stoner, but the problem isnt the shortage of female sockets in the car - I actually have four in there !! - its that I want to run it off of a separate battery.

If I leave it connected to the battery overnight with the car locked & alarmed, the slight trickly of current sets off the car alarm, so I need to run it from its own battery unconnected to the car.

I need to know how to wire up a cigarette lighter socket to the independant battery.

Stoner

the last two links i gave have cables coming off them, red and black, with the red being fused, this can be connected to the battery via your clips as the fuse will protect the small cables.

the more expensive one looks better, heavier cables with better connections and fuse position.

Note this will have to be fused, dont leave it out please

5500

Your best bet is a split charge relay system and to be using (if your not already) drycell batteries,the likes of optima bluetops.

If you have space to mount the second battery go with a split charge that will isolate itself once the ignition is off,meaning when your alarm is armed the second battery wont be trickling from the first.

If your just using croc clips its red to + terminal and black to - terminal,how are you currently charging the second battery?

beer enigma

Stoner wrote: »

the last two links i gave have cables coming off them, red and black, with the red being fused, this can be connected to the battery via your clips as the fuse will protect the small cables.

the more expensive one looks better, heavier cables with better connections and fuse position.

Note this will have to be fused, dont leave it out please

Thanks again Stoner - didn't see the last part of your mail - appreciate the help

beer enigma

eireal wrote: »

Your best bet is a split charge relay system and to be using (if your not already) drycell batteries,the likes of optima bluetops.

If you have space to mount the second battery go with a split charge that will isolate itself once the ignition is off,meaning when your alarm is armed the second battery wont be trickling from the first.

If your just using croc clips its red to + terminal and black to - terminal,how are you currently charging the second battery?

I'm ok on red to pos, black to neg & with lighting, just have the second battery in the tent with the 12v lighting connected.

The coolbox is hard wired to a male cigarette connector, so i have to wire a female socket to the battery - that my prob - which wire from the socket to which terminal

Stoner

Andip wrote: »

The coolbox is hard wired to a male cigarette connector, so i have to wire a female socket to the battery - that my prob - which wire from the socket to which terminal

ok this is a female socket

http://cpc.farnell.com/CP02380/car-leisure-hobbies/product.us0?sku=unbranded-351-01

the red is positive (+)
the black is negative (-)

the battery will have the + and - on it.

I hope i have the right end of the stick, but as far as i can see this is a simple exercise, buy the unit above, throw away the lighter bit from it , then you are left with the female socket. Hook it up to the battery as discussed above, then plug the cooler via the male connector into it.

Have I got it wrong are you looking for something fancy? are you looking to have the battery being charged at the same time or simething?

DublinDilbert

I'm sure maplin would sell one too....

Andrea B.

The coolbox is hard wired to a male cigarette connector, so i have to wire a female socket to the battery - that my prob - which wire from the socket to which terminal

If I'm reading this the OP is worried about polarity to cooler?

The centre pin on male from coller should be positive (+) and this will follow through to female and through to red lead out of female to battery.................says he with the fridge heating up:rolleyes:

Or is it that you don't want to use the female socket and want to snip off male and wire direct?

Then you need to clarify through the hardwiring, which wire is soldered to centre pin. Hammer.

You won't have any fuse protection on cooler though.

beer enigma

Thanks Guys,

sorted - I'm not worried about charging the battery - its mainly polarity to cooler & the info has sorted me.

Cheers !

A

10-10-20

OP, just a note about these cooler boxes...
They usually consume 3 amps when running so this can consume a whole battery overnight.

Don't leave them running on the main battery for more than 4 hours.
I learned this the hard way. I killed a hire-car battery in France and has to jump start it off a 911 Porsche!