Posts Tagged ‘USB’

I’ve been driving around Minnesota breaking their law about talking on cell phones while driving for a while now.  With the advent of my home state Wisconsin doing the same now, I figure I’d better start cracking down on my wayward ways.  I used to use a bluetooth headset for a while, but one thing always kept bugging me.  Every other day or so, the headset would run out of charge while I was in the car.  I’d have to take it in to charge and more often than not, I’d forget to bring it back with me into the car.  (Same thing as lunches, paperwork, and my identification badge.) So now that I have to drive through 2 states every day, it’s about time that I start using bluetooth AND charging it in the car.

So here is what I had to work with.  I’ve been given a Jabra GN Netcom headset along with a small compact base.  There was a larger base available, but I couldn’t see the need for it.  The output on the ac adapter lists output as 5-6v with a max of 5W (6v .3A).  A car’s voltage system is 12v and I already have an adapter to USB.  Easy enough, USB operates at 5v with 500-900ma.  Quite frankly, that is close enough for me.  I simply spliced the cable onto a usb end and there we have it, success.  Now I just need to dig out the usb car adapter, mount the small base in my car with removable adhesive and I will be all set.

Forum member Cerberus (aka Geek-Republic’s Jim) posted a tutorial on how to rig up an always-on USB charging port for your PC using a spare USB port, a resistor, and a few pieces of wire.

It requires a small bit of soldering know-how, but anyone who has used an iron at least one time can pull this off.  It is a great option for someone looking to reduce clutter while saving energy, since it enables and USB device to charge while your PC is turned off without the need for yet another wall wart.