- Joined
- Jul 13, 2020
- Messages
- 18
- Points
- 9
FYI I've just converted the TomTom/Blue & Me charging mount to USB, here's how:
1. Buy second hand mount at great expense
2. Buy a 12V to 5V converter, pre-wired with USB sockets. (I used this one, quality TBC as it's a generic brand https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XSCCLCD)
3. Take apart the mount - it's held together by screws and friction tabs, comes apart quite easily without broken plastic. Don't let the spring for the clips ping across the room...
4. I decided to remove the arm that holds the TomTom; planning to fit a RAM ball somewhere later. But you could keep it if desired.
5. The electronic components inside are simply sprung-loaded contacts and 2 wires. CHECK THE POLARITY OF THE WIRES - on mine, the black wire was +12V and the red one was GND
6. Splice the DC-DC converter onto the wires - I would have used solder + heatshrink, but opted for crimp terminals so I could replace the 12V -> 5V converter in the future if it fails (as I'm not sure of its quality)
7. You may need to remove a little of the plastic on the inside of the mount to make room for connections.
8. Reassemble and (optionally) attach the DC converter to the outside of the mount. MEASURE THE CLEARANCE FROM THE DASH FIRST. I glued mine on nice & neatly, dead centre - then realised it bumped in to the dash when the mount was plugged in. Had to remove it + re-glue in a new position
9. I used a bit of cable sheath to keep the USB cables tidy
NB. I don't know what current the mount socket is rated for. The DC converter I used claims it can do up to 3A @ 5V (i.e. mount would draw ~1.5A @ 12V). In practice my phone charges at ~800mA. How phones negotiate higher currents from USB A sockets is a bit of a dark art, so possibly a different/better DC converter would provide a higher charge current - BUT maybe don't go bananas and try charging 5 x tablets @ 2A each...
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/9wow0nl
1. Buy second hand mount at great expense
2. Buy a 12V to 5V converter, pre-wired with USB sockets. (I used this one, quality TBC as it's a generic brand https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XSCCLCD)
3. Take apart the mount - it's held together by screws and friction tabs, comes apart quite easily without broken plastic. Don't let the spring for the clips ping across the room...
4. I decided to remove the arm that holds the TomTom; planning to fit a RAM ball somewhere later. But you could keep it if desired.
5. The electronic components inside are simply sprung-loaded contacts and 2 wires. CHECK THE POLARITY OF THE WIRES - on mine, the black wire was +12V and the red one was GND
6. Splice the DC-DC converter onto the wires - I would have used solder + heatshrink, but opted for crimp terminals so I could replace the 12V -> 5V converter in the future if it fails (as I'm not sure of its quality)
7. You may need to remove a little of the plastic on the inside of the mount to make room for connections.
8. Reassemble and (optionally) attach the DC converter to the outside of the mount. MEASURE THE CLEARANCE FROM THE DASH FIRST. I glued mine on nice & neatly, dead centre - then realised it bumped in to the dash when the mount was plugged in. Had to remove it + re-glue in a new position
9. I used a bit of cable sheath to keep the USB cables tidy
NB. I don't know what current the mount socket is rated for. The DC converter I used claims it can do up to 3A @ 5V (i.e. mount would draw ~1.5A @ 12V). In practice my phone charges at ~800mA. How phones negotiate higher currents from USB A sockets is a bit of a dark art, so possibly a different/better DC converter would provide a higher charge current - BUT maybe don't go bananas and try charging 5 x tablets @ 2A each...
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/9wow0nl
Last edited: