Car Charger with eTrex

[kos]

Hi,

Just wanted to check if anyone here has had problems using 3rd party car chargers (via cigarette lighter) on their eTrex units. Reason I ask is, I tried using one today (bought a car charger, DUB brand, the ones you see in Blade stores) and it seemed to work fine. Not sure if there are any long term negative effects though.

Logic in going for this was, since the USB ports all seem to supply 5 volts anyway, that there wouldn't be any difference which USB charger we used. I still used the USB cable supplied by Garmin and just plugged one end to the car charger and the other end to the unit. The unit turned on (without the battery) and I tried using it for a few minutes.

Hope to hear from you regarding your experiences with this one. thanks!

[arvin555]

Don't use an etrex but if it uses USB and MiniUSB as a power source then I would say should not be a problem.

My only concern would be.

1. Assurance that the device you got puts out 5V and not more (there is a bit of tolerance anyway).

2. That the powersupply is rated the same or higher than what your device needs, it's in mAH miliamperes per hour. I suspect however that this should not be much of a problem as well.

So I think you should be okay. I still use the charger that my Nuvi came with, but I would not hesitate using any USB to miniUSB cable with a USB output cigarette lighter adapter, even from CDRking for example.

TTFN
Arvin

[gtv]

Try to check if the charger has a fuse. The Garmin car chargers have built-in fuses. Car current can be relatively unstable.

[lyndon]

i've seen a DUB 5V cigarette lighter USB power supply from Blade, the one with a rounded glass end where you can see the electronics inside. no info on how much maximum current it can handle. though etrex are powered by 2 AA batteries, have no idea how much current it requires. but one original Garmin AC charger for nuvis i saw has a specs of 500mA. pls check the maximum current rating of the DUB 5V supply. IMHO, if it's 500mA or more, then you're safe.

[kos]

Thanks Arvin555, GTV and lyndon. I'll have to check out what actual output the cig lighter charger puts out while plugged in. I don't have the DUB charger with me right now but I recall seeing a sticker on it with the 500mA rating (will confirm it when I see it). Thanks again guys, it makes me feel a lot better as I now have a better understanding of it.

[Wroure]

Hi,

Just wanted to check if anyone here has had problems using 3rd party car chargers (via cigarette lighter) on their eTrex units. Reason I ask is, I tried using one today (bought a car charger, DUB brand, the ones you see in Blade stores) and it seemed to work fine. Not sure if there are any long term negative effects though.

Logic in going for this was, since the USB ports all seem to supply 5 volts anyway, that there wouldn't be any difference which USB charger we used. I still used the USB cable supplied by Garmin and just plugged one end to the car charger and the other end to the unit. The unit turned on (without the battery) and I tried using it for a few minutes.

Hope to hear from you regarding your experiences with this one. thanks!

Sorry, actually i didn't use any third party element yet on my car. So i can not help you either. If i face any problem i concern with those people who can give me a solution. All i can say if you don't facing any problem you can use it.