We all have lights conveniently located by the bed for reading. I have a class C with an overhead bunk that has a light fixture but there is no power anywhere around it (other than the light). If someone made light fixtures that either had a 12VDC receptacle or a couple of USB charging ports, don't you think they would sell the heck out of it? Everyone in every bed in the coach has a cell phone that needs charging at night. Most people have a habit of checking Facebook, Twitter, RV Forums, or whatever before going to sleep. The last thing you do is reach over and plug in your phone.As it stands, they do sell wall plate that have charging ports and/or USB charge outlets on them. The ones I see are about two inches deep. I need to mount one on the ceiling for the overhead bunk so I guess I'll have to come up with a two inch deep box to mount it in on the surface of the ceiling next to the light that is up there.

I solved this problem with a small inverter (200W) with a USB outlet, & 2X 110 outlets. Use the 110 outlets for laptop & white noise machine, USB for phone.

Most of the USB receptacles in conventional cover plate that I've seen require 120V AC. Most RV lights are 12V DC. I have a few 12V connections in conventional boxes mounted near the bunks but rely on the USB ports in the inverter or a laptop for charging phones. Here is a 12 V dual USB receptacle that looks easy to mount on a wall or ceiling.

You're looking for a 12V camper light with a built-in USB port?

Leave the phone out of the bedroom, better yet turn it off when you sleep. When we take the camper to get away we don't need the phone ringing. I only charge I phone about once a week.

No one makes a 12V light receptacle with a charging port?

dewey02
Explorer II
May 01, 2017
mobeewan wrote:
Do either of you have a link or manufacturer/item info for these.
mgirardo wrote:

on/off switch
Triple Depot outlet link
mobeewan
Explorer
Apr 29, 2017
dewey02 wrote:
mgirardo wrote:
We bought one of these:And mounted it in the Motorhome. I replaced the 12v socket on the right with another dual port USB. Works great for charging phones, Kindles and anything else that charges with USB. It also comes with a basic DC volt meter which is nice to get a general idea of what the batteries are doing. -Michael

X2. I installed it adjacent to the bed. I also installed an on/off switch so I can shut off the volt meter light and also the USB port (which has a minimal draw when on). I kept the 12volt socket so I can run my O2 Cool fan from it. I wired it all to a light fixture in my crawl through that I never use, and put fuses on the line. All the wiring is hidden beneath the bedside stand.

Do either of you have a link or manufacturer/item info for these.
DrewE
Explorer II
Apr 28, 2017
thestoloffs wrote:
Jim, you keep going back to your same idea -- which 2 pages of responses have told you that it's unrealistic for several reasons (which I'll summarize):

1. RV lights run off the 12VDC side of the house, but aren't usually stable enough to be reduced down to 5VDC to meet USB specs.

2. Most lights are mounted overhead, which isn't a safe place to have charging cords hanging from (snagging while sleeping, accidental choking, etc.).

Go with Dutch's or Roy's suggestions; they're workable without the safety hazards. But, don't hold your breath for the lights! Wanting won't make it so.

Reason #1 is hardly valid. You would need to have an appropriate 5V voltage regulator (usually a buck regulator these days, though a linear one would also work albeit considerably less efficiently). So long as the house 12V supply is somewhere between, say, 6.5V and whatever the regulator's maximum input voltage is, you can get plenty clean enough 5V power out. That's exactly what the little lighter plug chargers or the various other USB port chargers for car use that have been posted work.

If the hypothetical light were to have a wall switch controlling it, you naturally could not charge when that switch was off as there would be no power available.
thestoloffs
Explorer
Apr 28, 2017
Jim, you keep going back to your same idea -- which 2 pages of responses have told you that it's unrealistic for several reasons (which I'll summarize):

1. RV lights run off the 12VDC side of the house, but aren't usually stable enough to be reduced down to 5VDC to meet USB specs.

2. Most lights are mounted overhead, which isn't a safe place to have charging cords hanging from (snagging while sleeping, accidental choking, etc.).

Go with Dutch's or Roy's suggestions; they're workable without the safety hazards. But, don't hold your breath for the lights! Wanting won't make it so.
Jimf1234
Explorer
Apr 28, 2017
Thanks Dutch that looks like a good option. It's crazy no one makes a light with built in usb plug though. We have 4 bunks in our camper and they each have there own light fixture. It would make charging of devices much easier.
dewey02
Explorer II
Apr 28, 2017
mgirardo wrote:
We bought one of these:And mounted it in the Motorhome. I replaced the 12v socket on the right with another dual port USB. Works great for charging phones, Kindles and anything else that charges with USB. It also comes with a basic DC volt meter which is nice to get a general idea of what the batteries are doing. -Michael

X2. I installed it adjacent to the bed. I also installed an on/off switch so I can shut off the volt meter light and also the USB port (which has a minimal draw when on). I kept the 12volt socket so I can run my O2 Cool fan from it. I wired it all to a light fixture in my crawl through that I never use, and put fuses on the line. All the wiring is hidden beneath the bedside stand.
jodpel
Explorer
Apr 28, 2017
Man this is a really old post but the item posted by Dutch is pretty much what I installed last year. I put 12 volt DC ports at the sofa, dining table, each side of the bed, and a surface mount one on the ceiling in the cabover bunk.

Then I took the coach camping in the mountains in Southern Colorado for two weeks. With two large 6 volt batteries and the ability to charge all our electronic goodies directly from DC power, we hardly ever had to crank the generator.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Apr 28, 2017
Here's a surface mount dual USB port that could easily be installed next to a light fixture.

Single Surface Mounted Dual USB Port
mgirardo
Explorer
Apr 27, 2017
We bought one of these:

And mounted it in the Motorhome. I replaced the 12v socket on the right with another dual port USB. Works great for charging phones, Kindles and anything else that charges with USB. It also comes with a basic DC volt meter which is nice to get a general idea of what the batteries are doing.

-Michael
troubledwaters
Explorer III
Apr 27, 2017
I don't find it to be a problem. My phone came with a 120VAC charger. I have plenty of 120VAC receptacles in my camper.