Phone not charging in the 12volt port

[truckone176]

I know my 12volt ports work on the dash of my boat, but when I plug in my phone charger nothing happens. The charger works as I have tried it in my truck but doesn't work in the boat. Any suggestions?

 

[TomS]

I know my 12volt ports work on the dash of my boat, but when I plug in my phone charger nothing happens. The charger works as I have tried it in my truck but doesn't work in the boat. Any suggestions?

I actually found that our 12v lighter outlet was wired backwards when it blew a plugin charger. Switching the wires on the spade terminals on the back solved it. Red should be on center, black on outside shell.

 

[1Blderbob]

Did the charger you mentioned ever work on your boat? I've had some issues with after market accessories that don't work properly. 

 

[TomS]

Did the charger you mentioned ever work on your boat? I've had some issues with after market accessories that don't work properly. 

It let the smoke out, so no! Someone else on the board reported this issue, also with 2013.

 

[WaveRunner]

I'd check the adapter in your car first, just to make sure it works there.  Then I'd maybe check some other 12vdc device in your boat's outlet to see if that works in your boat. 


With no good results after that, I'd get the voltmeter out and start checking things out.  If you're not comfortable with that, maybe you have a friend who can help with the voltmeter.

 

[gnc1017]

As with TomS, we had one wired backwards too. Hopefully that's all it is. A simple fix but it can destroy chargers too.

 

[goldnrod24]

It let the smoke out, so no! Someone else on the board reported this issue, also with 2013.

Yup, once you let the smoke out, there's no getting it all back in! ;-)

 

[Michiman]

My wife and kids complained about the same thing most of the season. Being that I don't have a smart phone, I didn't really investigate it all that carefully.


Although the 12v outlet worked great (once I hooked it up, that is) with a portable air pump we use for the water toys, it didn't seem to want to charge a phone. I guess the blame was directed to a cheap charging cord, but not really sure that is in fact the culprit given the comments above.

 

[Steve J]

Keep in mind it could be a question of amperage, not voltage. First generation iPhones only needed 1.0 amps to charge. Newer generation iPhones (and all iPads) need at least 2.1 amps. Check to make sure the 12V to USB adapter you're using puts out enough amperage for your device. Current gen Samsungs and other Android phones also like the higher amperage.


P(ower) = I(current)V(voltage)


If the 12V outlet is working, but you're still not getting enough "power" to charge your phone, then I'd bet you need a better adapter. The $5 ones at the gas station won't cut it.


Something like this (around $12) should do the trick if you want to have a dedicated port with two USB charging outlets: http://amzn.to/2r63WCa


Or you can just plug in something like this (also around $12) to a standard cig adapter to charge up to three devices at a time: http://amzn.to/2q98ass


Lots of options for both approaches. I just ordered one of the hard-wired ones.