Club 80-90 Forums

How can I use various 12v gizmos that plug into the cigarette lighter without switching on the ignition??

There is a 12 volt plug socket (for shavers?) at the back with two small slots for a plug, one smaller than the other. Is this an alternative? Can I get plugs to adapt my gadgets (fairy lights for the missus etc...!)?

Am new to this camper game so please excuse the ignorance!

Cheers

the easiest way is you can get the lighter socket bit which ataches directly to the battery terminals, assuming of course you have the battery inside the van like me,

yes you can get plugs for those 12v sockets try http://www.camperlands.co.uk or some other campervan suppliers.

or you could rewire the cigarette socket to the leisure battery, or better still install a hella socket, which is safer, and designed for the job, unlike the cig socket, which was, erm, designed for getting hot, not as a aux power point

www.camperlands.co.uk

can't see anything there bob or I'm missing it

Try www.GOoutdoors.co.uk then go to 'caravanning' & then to 'electrics'.

They have lots of electrical accessories at reasonable prices.

Better still, wire in a dc to ac inverter. It saves a fortune on adapters

But an inverter uses power to convert and soon chomps through a leisure batteries charge doesn't it?

Like everything it depends what your up to and if your systems in good order, I use mine as a mobile office I have one inverter for my printer off the main battery and on the lesure battery I run my laptop and when I get really bored I can get a couple of hours with the PS2 and a 18inch L.C.D. tv and when not in use mine have an off switch.
I have had a flat battery even though they are supposed to give an audible warning at a certain point of discharge.
Despite that I reckon they are fantastic and well worth the investment.
Oh one small failing. You can't use them to light your smoke's when you lose your lighter

tootingblue wrote:How can I use various 12v gizmos that plug into the cigarette lighter without switching on the ignition??

There is a 12 volt plug socket (for shavers?) at the back with two small slots for a plug, one smaller than the other. Is this an alternative? Can I get plugs to adapt my gadgets (fairy lights for the missus etc...!)?

Am new to this camper game so please excuse the ignorance!

Cheers

Most campers have these 12 v sockets

I found one of these handy gadgets at my local camping shop
[/img]
You just plug it in to the socket,then the other end will fit just as it would in to a cigarette lighter,no messing,plus it works off the leisure battery,which supplies the light water pump etc.costs around £5 very handy.

Regards Lee.[/img]