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View Full Version : Replaced cig lighter with 12V USB voltmeter and charger



ssocal87
04-03-2021, 11:45 PM
Thought I'd share a small project that was fairly easy to do below and looks factory.

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Purchased a $15.00 YONHAN brand Quick Charge 3.0 Dual USB Car Charger with Voltmeter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0893392N3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. The charger seems well made, with a metal housing and on/off switch.
Removed the radio trim panel (with the help of posts here (https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/showthread.php?63-How-to-Remove-the-Dashboard&highlight=combination+meter))
Removed the cigarette lighter and wire clip to the wire harness
Disconnected the green and red wires to the small bulb that lights up the cigarette lighter- decided to "delete" this so I took the bulb out, taped the socket off, and totally remove it from the cig light housing

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Connected the van wire harness red/black to the solid red of the 12V voltmeter/charger
Connected the van wire harness black/red to the solid black of the 12V voltmeter/charger
Drilled the cig lighter hole a bit larger and grinded off the two tabs behind the trim panel

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Sorry, the photos are a bit glary as the blue LED display is bright- in a dark garage. There are two USB 3.0 charger sockets with above and below the display. The USB 12V charger/voltmeter has a cap with a window- I ended up cutting it out, but using the the round back part as a washer between the mounting of the charger and into the hole so it grips better and less likely to loosen over time. There is a round threaded ring the secures it in place.

I used solder and heat shrink to secure the connections ad pushed the wires behind the dash for a clean look, reusing the factory wire harness. The wires that come with the USB charger/voltmeter are long, so I had to trim and strip them On the heat shrink, remember to insert the heatshrink tube on one end before you solder the connections (lesson learned!).
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Just my small contribution to this forum, you all have been helpful. Thank you.

JDM VANMAN
04-04-2021, 06:42 PM
NICE JOB, thank you creating this detailed post:thmbup:

JDM