Rear USB wiring questions

[TrivialT]

Hi all. I've got myself a centre console with the USB sockets under the rear air vent to replace the standard one without USBs. The wiring has been cut from the previous car so I have the red plug to the USB and about 6 inches of wire. Do I wire this to the 12V socket or straight to the fuse box? Does anyone know the part number for the wire? Or could I use the wire from a dash cam hard wiring kit?

I'd really appreciate your help on this guys, I'm reasonably practical but not well versed in car electronics!

 

[Wastedagen]

USB sockets are 5v... Do not wire this directly to your fuse box or outlet socket as these are 12v. You will have to use a 12v to 5v step down adaptor between fuse box/outlet socket and USB socket.....

 

[TrivialT]

USB sockets are 5v... Do not wire this directly to your fuse box or outlet socket as these are 12v. You will have to use a 12v to 5v step down adaptor between fuse box/outlet socket and USB socket.....

Thanks. That makes sense, I didn't know whether the USB outlet included this within the unit or not, thanks for confirming.

I have a hard wiring kit for a dash cam which has a step down adaptor but it only outputs 1.5A.

Is there an official part number for the wiring and step down adapter?

Thanks.

 

[Wastedagen]

Thanks. That makes sense, I didn't know whether the USB outlet included this within the unit or not, thanks for confirming.

I have a hard wiring kit for a dash cam which has a step down adaptor but it only outputs 1.5A.

Is there an official part number for the wiring and step down adapter?

Thanks.

Sorry I wouldn't know. Amazon sell step downs for about £12 that do upto 5A.... You can use any wires, as long as they can handle 5A continuously..... Personally I wouldn't go to a dealer....

 

[TrivialT]

Gone for this. I'm assuming tapping into the cig lighter socket wire and wiring into this and then into the USB sockets should do the trick. I'll let you know.

 

[Wastedagen]

Yep that's the one i was looking at. Should do the trick.

 

[TrivialT]

Right, everything is now in place ready for the actual electrical connection to the cigarette socket wire. What is the best, most commonly used connector for this in a car? Don't want to do anything that would look too odd should anyone look under the plastic centre console tray in the future?

 

[TrivialT]

So, just in case anyone is thinking of doing this, so far I removed the tray section from the centre console and pushed this section backwards to release the top of the vent panel.

 

[TrivialT]

Then I pulled the lower section loose by pulling it backwards, gripping at the sides.

I'd bought the 12v to 5v converter from Amazon and had wired this as follows:

 

[TrivialT]

I poked the red connector for the USB hub through to the side of the air duct and clipped it to the side:

 

[TrivialT]

Then I connected the red plug to the new panel and pushed it in place:

 

[Wastedagen]

Great job getting usb sockets in the back. Nice clean install....

 

[TrivialT]

OK so I went for soldering the wires into the white 12v connector which goes into the cigarette socket. Measured output at the other ends at just under 12v, rewired into the Tobson 12v to 5v converter, turned on ignition and got a whistle, pop and burning smell. Turned off ignition and found the Tobson device to have failed. Wires still giving around 12v, cigarette socket still works. Do you think I got a dodgy Tobson unit?

 

[TrivialT]

OK sorted it. You DO NOT NEED to buy a 12V to 5V converter! The USB ports have this built in, as I originally thought might be the case. Ah well. Found this out whilst checking the Audi forums, did many searches on the part number but nothing included this information. Anyway, I am happy now and hope some of you may be able to benefit from my experience.

I have read from other forums that you can get the wiring loom from Ali Express with the parts for Audis or Golfs but I'm not sure if you can buy them separately. I bodged it by soldering which still looks quite tidy.

 

[carl^]

Not sure why your Tobson would fry, it's just a buck converter, unless you wired the 12V and 5V sides wrong. Good call @ inclusive downconverter in the USB's

 

[TrivialT]

Not sure why your Tobson would fry, it's just a buck converter, unless you wired the 12V and 5V sides wrong. Good call @ inclusive downconverter in the USB's

It was definitely wired right, you would have to be a complete idiot to get it wrong, so I must have had a faulty unit or they are fussy about how they are orientated. Either way, everything is in the one tiny USB unit, just wire it to 12v and you're golden.

 

[Seriously?]

Then I pulled the lower section loose by pulling it backwards, gripping at the sides.

I'd bought the 12v to 5v converter from Amazon and had wired this as follows:
View attachment 23182

Not totally clear in the pic, but it doesn't look like you have any connection to the +V side of the output?

 

[TrivialT]

Not totally clear in the pic, but it doesn't look like you have any connection to the +V side of the output?

I assume you are referring to the red plug which goes into the USB module. There are two wires there, the wires are really thin, looks like they go into pins 1 and 2. Just bear in mind that the black step down in the centre of that picture is not required, in fact it just won't work with it.

 

[Jay5959]

Apologies for the thread revival, but you seem to be the only person on the forum that has done this and put up a guide. I’m thinking of doing the same to keep the small human’s kindle charged on long journeys. Anyway, is your Leon a pre-face lift model or face-lift? The vents and usb trim I have found on eBay are facelift, is this a direct swap even for a pre-facelift model? I assume they are the exact same size? Don’t fancy wasting £70 if it won’t clip into place. Also, the trims I have found don’t supply any wiring, but I have found a loom that I assume clips into the cigarette lighter input then splits off to the lighter and usbs. It’s listed for an Audi, but again I assume (lots of assumptions here ) that it would fit and work fine. What do you guys reckon? Link below

RETROFIT Rear console USB HUB Spillter cable adaptor Cigarette For audi A4 B9 8W | eBay

It is for RETROFIT Rear console USB HUB Spillter cable adaptor and power from Cigarette For audi A4 B9 8W.

www.ebay.co.uk

Cheers, Jay