The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[Crispin]

Well, my first DIY project. Small yet pretty handy if I may say so
I have a sat nav and phone which both charge of a mini USB. Each though has a stonking great plug for the cig lighter and cables running across the dash.

I was looking at one of the (many!) blank plates I have in the lowly LC4 (Like I said on another thread - one day I want a car that has no empty holes. All full of toys) and though I could cram two USB plugs into it.
Each of the devices only uses 5V. USB is rated at 500ma max but these devices can edge over it when charging.

So, armed with two USB sockets and a 7805 voltage regulator from Maplin for a princely sum of £1.50 I set about carving up one of the blanking plates.

Here are some pics:

The untouched plate. Mr T made sure it's strong enough for something:


A quick side view of it:


A view of the inside carved out:

A note on the above (You figure these things out once it's too late!) Leave the middle set up upright "fins" in place. I hacked the inner portion of them off. You can see the short piece sticking up. Leave more of this sticking up. It makes a nice cage for the reg and heatsink.

Top view of the hole carved out for the usb plug. Make sure you carve the hole close to the upright support. This way you can glue the whole plug to the fin which should give a nice strong bond. Failing that the plug will be suspended in the case. Not strong. Use a 5.5mm drill to drill out three adjacent holes. Square them off with a dremel (I wish) or a scalpel.


The voltage regulator in it's heatsink. The heatsink, by shear luck, is the perfect size. The wide part of the fin is exactly (well, 0.2mm wider) than the blanking plate. As it's ali, a few rubs with sandpaper would sort it out.


The USB plug in place: (I've since straightened it up a bit and unbent it)


The heatsink, voltage reg and usb #1 in place.



Tomorrow I'll to the other one and wire it all up. Once it's working and tested I will drown it all in potting compound which, once set, is permanent. It is good up to 130c and does a far job at heat transfer (not that there will be a lot of it)
The voltage regulator is rated at 1A with it's own current limiter and thermal cut off so for car use it is pretty safe in the small area behind the dash. That said, there will still be a 2A QB fuse before it for shorts etc.

Not sure where I will pick up 12V though. I'm sure I'll find something behind the dash. Worst case would be cig lighter.


Once I've done the other USB and wired it up I'll post a follow up.


My first (little) mod.
_________________
Cheers,
Crispin
Have Snorkel, Will Swim

[Google]

[RADIOTWO]

[Crispin]

ahhh - google does not like hotlinking images.
Fixed now via photo bucket.
_________________
Cheers,
Crispin
Have Snorkel, Will Swim

[leon]

couple of things am stuck with here

Why ?...you can get USB things to plug in the cig lighter <------- forget that just read your fist post again  

Have you given any thought as to how to hold it at 12v most cars will put out between 12-14v depending, were as a USB devise may be very upset at any thing over 12v i beleave a PC will even run on 11.5v when switched on under load  ....i dont know just was first thing to spring to mind

[Crispin]

[leon]

you can get extension slot's for PC's were by they plug in to the mother board (metal strip of 4 usb's 0you could have hot wired them in some place  

or even wired up some USB extension lead's


_________________
Should I have these bit's left over ?
1998 V8 LC Amazon VX work in progress
2008 pug boy
2009 pug boy
2010 pug girl
         ^ dogs

[Crispin]

True but I like the idea of the plug. I'll solder everything onto the back of it. No dangly cables in the front.

Just need to see if I can pickup permanent 12v from the ignition which will be able to supply whatever it currently does and my extra 1A.
Might find a way into the engine and pick up off the battery. Seems a lot of effort though.
_________________
Cheers,
Crispin
Have Snorkel, Will Swim

[Landcrusher]

Dude. Awesome. Love it. I'm on it.
What for? Who cares. USB in your dash. Exxxcelent.
LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

[SpinDrift]

Hi Crispin

great idea.  One problem we had in Morocco was the queue of usb devices waiting to get plugged into the laptop to get charged.  This would solve that problem.  I'll put this on my to do list.  


cheers

Reinhard

[Crispin]

Thanks Folks!

I was hoping to finish it yesterday but alas....

Here is the almost finished product.

The two sockets with the heatsink in between. I have since turned the heatsink 180 degrees so it is touching the metal usb socket chassis instead of the plastic portion. This will sink some of the heat which in turn will warm whatever is plugged in. It will also allow you to feel how things are inside? Not great if it is running hot under your dash and you don't know it!


What the world will see.
http://s945.photobucket.com/albums/ad295/CrispinProctor/?action=view&current=DSCF0046.jpg

I have used the empty socket neat the mirror / idle up switches.

I don't have any decent wire at the moment so will stop in at Maplin during the week and get some. Nothing much left to do (other than dismantle the dash to get to the ignition)
_________________
Cheers,
Crispin
Have Snorkel, Will Swim

[Nuclear Chicken]

Nice idea Crispin. As LC says, who cares what it's for. It's cool.  
You might consider putting it to the LHS of the steering wheel so that you can leave what's charging on the centre console. Just a thought.
Can you explain that PSU gubbins from Maplin a bit better please? Will it give 5V out from +/- 12V in at 1A?
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'04 KDJ120R LC5. Died 17th Dec 2010. RIP.

[Landcrusher]

...and what's potting compost? Can you get that from Maplin too? Sound like a handy sort of glue for electriks. Yes?

LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

[Ecky Thump]

Awesome little blog there Crispin.

Takes me back to my electronic repairs days, messing with 555 timers etc. A wee while before USB was even thought of.
Quite fancy dusting off the old soldering iron now with half the c**p in my car capable of charging from USB.

Have you tried the temperature guage mod yet?
I believe it is just a resistor soldered into the back of the dash which makes the guage read over a greater range.
The Ausies use it a lot.
_________________
Les
TLOCUKSB Member No.80
1998 VX Ltd Auto 4.2TD 24 valve beast!! OME 50mm lift & Safari Snorkel
1997 auto petrol 80 (for Er'in'doors)

[Crispin]

I had actually thought about the "LHS is better for general use" and might put one there. The RHS suits me now as the satnav is mounted in the corner. Once the carputer / satnav is done this will not been needed any more.

The potting compound (not compost   ) is just an electrically inert (correct erm?) epoxy. Once set, forget about digging it out. It can also be machines / sanded or filed. (LC: Good for waterproofing electrics)
Potting Compound It's a neat way to keep all the innards in. Not necessary though.

The voltage regulator is as easy as changing a light bulb.
7805 (TS7805CZ)
You give it anything between 7 and 40v on the left hand pin, ground on the middle and and presented with 5v on the right hand pin (when looking at it from front / black casing) If you try pull more than an amp it will shut down. If it overheats, it will shut down. It's pretty solid. It will (should) fail safe as well and give you nothing instead of your Vin.
I'll post some pics of the wiring which might make it easier to understand. Here's a random google result on how to use it as well: http://www.mrvfone.com.au/sega/7805.htm


Ecky Thump: What mod? Why would you want to increase the range? It's only cool or cold in here.
_________________
Cheers,
Crispin
Have Snorkel, Will Swim

[Ecky Thump]