# Car chargers while on EHU?



## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Hi I am in the process of replacing a couple of car chargers, one for the second time. That one is for my Samsung phone.

I was wondering if the higher voltage in the van when on EHU through the 12v system is causing them to fail. In my case it goes up to 13.5 volts.

Anyone else had the problem? I will make sure they are not plugged in next time on EHU anyway. Another thing to remember :roll:  

Dick


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

If you are buying cheap ones off ebay then they are dangerous cheap tat from China.

There was a programme on TV the other day Ripoff Britain. They showed how they blew up when tested and said the country was awash with all kinds of similar stuff. The message was - do not buy if it is cheap.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

They were genuine OEM stuff 747 difference not worth it when you consider the value on the end of it.


Dick


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

if its causing them to fail then it's your system

12v is 12v unless it's not producing 12v and it's pushing out more


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

bigcats30 said:


> if its causing them to fail then it's your system
> 
> 12v is 12v unless it's not producing 12v and it's pushing out more


Surely yours operates at at least 13volts when it is charging the batteries Bigcats? If not how does it charge them?

Dick


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

Glandwr said:


> bigcats30 said:
> 
> 
> > if its causing them to fail then it's your system
> ...


Because thats charging the batterys....not powering the 12v (your batteries do that)

And the special boxes in your van only let the right amount of power to be distributed otherwise things would keep blowing.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

But how can the voltage at the battery terminals be higher than 12volts and the voltage at the cigar lighter not?

Dick


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## bigtwin (May 24, 2008)

bigcats30 said:


> if its causing them to fail then it's your system
> 
> 12v is 12v unless it's not producing 12v and it's pushing out more


Not so!

Your '12V' socket is connected to the battery - there is no regulator between the battery and the '12V' socket.

If you're seeing only 12V at your battery terminals, your battery doesn't contain much charge!

Ian


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

bigtwin said:


> bigcats30 said:
> 
> 
> > if its causing them to fail then it's your system
> ...


Guys come on

the device plugged in will draw whatever amperage it needs....

Hence why a 12v TV works and also a phone.....they both draw different amounts of power.

But you can have 'spikes' (like you can at home) where to much power is PUSHED to the device (hence why we have fuses etc)


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## bigtwin (May 24, 2008)

bigcats30 said:


> Guys come on
> 
> the device plugged in will draw whatever amperage it needs....


With respect! The discussion was around the voltage not the load applied/current drawn!


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

bigtwin said:


> bigcats30 said:
> 
> 
> > Guys come on
> ...


Hence why i said it might be the vehicle causing the problem IE pushing to much to that socket.

and not the problem of the phone/cable/car charger


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## pomme1 (May 19, 2005)

I was under the impression that, when on EHU, the current - no pun intended - Sargent power supplies, described as Dual Channel, provided a regulated 12v to the sockets alongside whatever is needed by the battery.

Roger


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## bigtwin (May 24, 2008)

bigcats30 said:


> Hence why i said it might be the vehicle causing the problem IE pushing to much to that socket.
> 
> and not the problem of the phone/cable/car charger


13.5V (as stated by the OP) at the battery terminals is not abnormal.

The Motorhome electrics and charging system is not fundamentally different from a car system (they're both charging a lead acid battery).

The OP asked if the voltage (at 13.5V) was the cause of the problem - for the reasons outlined above, in my view, this is highly unlikely.

Ian


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## HarleyDave (Jul 1, 2007)

I'm with you on this Ian

If the OP was to measure the voltage when the engine is running (ie off EHU) I'll wager the voltage across the battery is higher than 13.5v and it would be the same in a car.

The charger will (should) have been designed with this in mind and will (should) should accept an input voltage up to about 15V

The failures, unless there is more info that we don't have, will just be coincidental

Cheers

Dave

PS is there a fuse in the plug end of the charger???


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## Spiritofherald (May 18, 2012)

I use cheap chargers and have had no problems even when plugged in for extended periods (11 hours continuous when driving to Skye). 

A battery should always be somewher between 13V and 13.5V under normal running conditions (sometimes higher) therefore 13.5V from a charger should not be a problem in my opinion. Perhaps you have just been unlucky, but if you're really unsure then try a better quality charger.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Glandwr said:


> They were genuine OEM stuff 747 difference not worth it when you consider the value on the end of it.
> 
> Dick


Dick, they are still probably made in China. 
Look on the back of many OEM chargers and adaptors from Sony, Casio or Mac and like as not they will have PROC on them.

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Glandwr said:


> Hi I am in the process of replacing a couple of car chargers, one for the second time. That one is for my Samsung phone.
> 
> I was wondering if the higher voltage in the van when on EHU through the 12v system is causing them to fail. In my case it goes up to 13.5 volts.
> 
> ...


Posted by Chris at Premier in another thread.


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## Jeannette (Aug 7, 2012)

Standard output for a 12v charging system is 13.5-13.9v. Once charging is complete the system then puts out a float charge at around 13v. Again charging is about amps not volts so a charging system will be many amps in use , a float charge may only be a fraction of an amp. The battery just acts as a big sump to smooth out fluctuations in the charging system. 

All in car adaptors are designed to work with a high margin either side of this range and in fact most of them are designed to work up to 28v. 

The device being charged is the driver as it pulls the CURRENT it requires not voltage. 

So basically I think you are just unlucky. The cheaper they are the quicker they fail. OEM stuff tends to be built to better quality control hence the higher price and slightly better life. The cheap eBay stuff is built to lowest cost with little or no quality control.


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

Jeannette said:


> OEM stuff tends to be built to better quality control hence the higher price and slightly better life. The cheap eBay stuff is built to lowest cost with little or no quality control.


Sorry, can't wholly agree with that statement, as a lot of the OEM units are made in the same factories, and simply badged accordingly, thus raising the perceived value and a higher price is applied.

Steve


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## HarleyDave (Jul 1, 2007)

Hi Steve - you are confirming what a lot of us probably think but may I ask how you definitely know this?

Cheers

Dave


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Jeannette said:


> Standard output for a 12v charging system is 13.5-13.9v. Once charging is complete the system then puts out a float charge at around 13v. Again charging is about amps not volts so a charging system will be many amps in use , a float charge may only be a fraction of an amp. The battery just acts as a big sump to smooth out fluctuations in the charging system.
> 
> All in car adaptors are designed to work with a high margin either side of this range and in fact most of them are designed to work up to 28v.
> 
> ...


Sorry Jeanette, you can't dismiss Ebay stuff as rubbish although there obviously is a lot, but my CTX charger came from Ebay, and that is a worldwide brand and very good, there are other equally good brands on Ebay, but buyer beware is paramount wherever you choose to shop.


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## Spiritofherald (May 18, 2012)

HarleyDave said:


> Hi Steve - you are confirming what a lot of us probably think but may I ask how you definitely know this?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Dave


To support Steve's view I can say that many years ago I worked for a white appliance company that would simply fit different manufacturers labels, facias or panels according to whoever had placed the order. The internals were identical so that production runs remained as constistant as possible.


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## Jeannette (Aug 7, 2012)

sorry, some of you may have missed my point about the eBay stuff. It is indeed made by the same people in the same plants. What is different is the quality control sampling rate. Apple for example have a full time team on site in factory doing quality sampling and rejecting a high number of units that don't meet spec. A smaller reseller may not be doing this so a higher proportion of sub standard items enter the supply chain. This is offset by a lower price.

So yes you are often buying the same product but it can be of more variable quality. This is no bad thing in itself as it helps drive the cost down.

There are however a good number of less scrupulous factories who are knocking off stuff and that while it may look the same is built using inferior components and no quality control. These are the ones that you usually have to be more suspicious of when they seem like a real bargain!!

All I am saying is don't assume that everything is made to the same quality just because you think it might come from the same factory as a more expensive item.

cheers
steve


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I don't think you've made the Ebay is rubbish point though, but I have to agree with the bulk of what you say, badge engineering is common nowadays and it does pay to be careful, but buy the brand leader if it does what you want and you can afford it, Ebay provides very stiff competition, and can lower off Ebay prices and price matching in stores, so it's a very effective tool in the buyers armoury, but as I said buyer beware, research is essential as sometime you can fin the same thing in the high st at lower prices.


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

HarleyDave said:


> Hi Steve - you are confirming what a lot of us probably think but may I ask how you definitely know this?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Dave


I have been in the IT industry for far too many years to remember, I have my own company, and have imported goods direct from factory, and visited those factories.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Many thanks for all the replies guys. Problem now solved    see here

Dick


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Speaking as someone who has actually worked in China, may I say the following:

There are many new factories in China with the latest manufacturing equipment and quality control.

There are just as many little back street operations churning out dangerous electrical rubbish.

I have never tried but if you were to google something like 'Trading Standards' or 'Pirated electrical goods' you would possibly get the full picture. I don't need to, I know not to buy cheap 'bargains'.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Does the rubbish stuff find its way here and is it sold complete with the EU safety symbol 747?

Dick


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Glandwr said:


> Does the rubbish stuff find its way here and is it sold complete with the EU safety symbol 747?
> 
> Dick


Yes Dick. This was the subject of 'Ripoff Britain' on the BBC recently. One market trader was found selling them. he also had a shop with a large basement area. It was chock full of all kinds of fake electrical gear.

Dick, they can successfully copy anything. The US Presidents aircraft Air Force One was found to have had fake parts fitted to its engines. :lol:

Most of the fake cigarettes are now coming out of China, there was something on TV the other day about it.


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