GordonThree wrote:
I wish we could move away from the cigarette lighter connector, it's such a terrible connector.
It works fine for holding a small accessory, like an actual cigarette lighter plug. As soon as you add a few USB cables, or worse, 18-16ga wire going to a small inverter, the poor lighter socket just can't hold on.
I don't see more expensive sockets working much better, how can they? It's just a metal barrel and a metal button at the end. How do you make that work better? I guess tighter tolerance on the diameter of the barrel, heavier material that doesn't deform under stress of a connection?
Higher quality plugs on the other hand, they seem worth it, but seldom used in mass manufactured devices. Rarely is more than one spring contact employed to hold plug into receptacle, with cords hanging off the face, every bump and jostle walks that connection a little more out of the socket, away from the button supplying the +12v buffet.
the marinco or blue sea marine plugs and sockets have much better springs, much better contacts, and if you use the matching plug it is a insert and twist to lock it in place. Even pulling 15-20A through the plug results in no noticeable temperature rise. very good contacts. unlike the cheap ones that get hot quickly even with low current.
