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Old 08-18-2022, 07:52 PM   #1
JimJohnson
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Default USB charging ports

Has anyone in this forum seen documentation indicating the power output for the USB ports? Yeah, yeah, I know 5vdc ... but what about amperage or wattage (voltage X amperage = watts)?

I have a USB powered alarm clock on my side of the bed. It works great - until I plug anything into the other USB port in the wall plate. Then the clock goes dead. Pretty sure the clock uses minimal power, and the fan I used in the other port draws 2.5w (500ma).
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Old 08-19-2022, 01:04 AM   #2
NavyLCDR
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Replace it with a USB port of known capacity.

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Water.../dp/B08LQK889Z
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Old 08-19-2022, 07:06 AM   #3
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Replace it with a USB port of known capacity.

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Water.../dp/B08LQK889Z
Two reasons: The existing installation is still under warranty - I'd like the requested information to decide whether or not it is defective.

And given the existing plate is mounted on an outer wall with the only wiring access at the plate, I'd prefer to not start making that kind of modification.
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Old 08-19-2022, 03:25 PM   #4
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I can't tell you the actual output watts but will tell you my 4 yr old cheapest Samsung is plugged in to any USB port in the camper gives a warning to use the original charger to charge faster. I'm not sure if the USB/ 120 outlets are low profile or not. If they are, replacement may be a challenge.
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Old 08-19-2022, 04:17 PM   #5
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Not surprised the USB ports don't support Samsung's quick charge. That requires additional smarts in the charging port and the ability to shift voltage.

I am waiting for some additional information from the clock manufacturer. The clock has one USB port to accept operational power, and a second USB port to operate another device or charge something like phone. When I plug two devices into the camper's dual USB outlet, the clock shuts down. For grins & giggles, I plugged the second device (a 500ma fan) into that second USB port on the clock. Both devices worked just fine! What the heck? Never had this kind of trouble in the previous camper. While it isn't convenient to plug the fan into the clock, it solves the immediate urgency.

Would still like to know what's going on at the camper's USB outlet.
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Old 08-19-2022, 05:09 PM   #6
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That is odd.
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Old 08-19-2022, 05:29 PM   #7
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That is odd.
Isn't it?

Just to flesh out my need...
We typically make a 1,600 mile trip late each year starting with sub-freeze temps. On my 2022 189DD the ONLY part of the water supply NOT inside the cabin is from the water pump to the cold water low drain point. Gulf Stream could have also run it inside the cabin. Instead it runs between the bottom of the floor deck and the plastic wrap - no insulation. You can feel the line from the underside with your fingers.

I insulated the entire run of this line. I used rigid foundation foam where I could seal it to the side of the camper and the frame. In areas where this doesn't work, I applied black expanding foam insulation. I also replaced the low drain points with ball valves and used pipe insulation for the parts containing water. But insulation isn't enough. It only slows the movement of heat. You have to stoop way down and look under the camper to see anything other than the pipe insulation on the low drain points.

The fresh water tank and pump are inside the cabin but under the bed. To get heat into this area, I added 5 inch round brown PVC soffit vents on either side of the bed frame above the top of the water tank. And then I secured a 5 inch USB fan to the frame above the water tank. Only in cold weather is there a need to run the fan to pull heated cabin air and circulate it under the bed. A USB extension cable gets the needed power from a USB outlet next to the bed. A side benefit is nothing else under that bed is going to freeze either.
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Old 08-19-2022, 06:01 PM   #8
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I have a feed line from the tank under the bed to the water pump that was unprotected hanging in the breeze under the trailer. Pipe wrapped that and did the switched 12VDC 3" power supply fan to blow warm air under the bed. Although we normally settle in Ft. Morgan on Oct 1st and leave May first, last year we got delayed 2 months going down and did hit two nights of mid 20's. Mine will never be an all weather camper without extensive work to heat that external waterline and blow heat into the hidden compartments.
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Old 08-19-2022, 07:02 PM   #9
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Although we normally settle in Ft. Morgan on Oct 1st and leave May first, last year we got delayed 2 months going down and did hit two nights of mid 20's.
Lake Superior region of Michigan and South-Central Texas (Hill Country). The 189DD is our 'rolling hotel room' for my wife and I and our 3 pets during the 4-day drive. We have a much larger RV trailer that stays at a Texas RV Park as our winter home.

I prefer to leave Michigan around mid-November and we return in early May. Like you our departure was delayed in 2021 for family reasons. We planned to leave 12/27, but with a major storm coming found a place in central Wisconsin we could park overnight, rushed our shutdown procedures and left mid-day 12/26. 'Only' had 4 inches overnight in Wisconsin. Got on the road by late morning for our regular stop in Waterloo, IA. Found out the park had no water due to sub-freeze weather - didn't matter as we had some ice adjacent to the low drain points. Used gallon water jugs for the toilet. But also found out a second storm was going to hit NE Iowa early in the morning and expected to shut the area down for two days. We got up at 4am and hit the road. The road hit back SE of Des Moines with freezing rain. We spent almost half a day parked in a grocery store parking lot. Pulled into Lawrence, KS late that night - first time we have been caught by hard freeze that far south. No water to the camper; luckily the park showers were available. Frost heaves across Kansas bounced the camper hard & often enough the little weight on the rear bumper still caused it to tear. Had to shuffle all our packing to clear the camper bumper until we got to Texas and found a welder.
We ARE leaving in mid-November this year. The camper stays dry until it is thoroughly pre-heated, and I have done everything I can imagine to avoid a frozen water line while on the road. Oh, and I installed bumper reinforcement brackets!
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Old 08-19-2022, 07:19 PM   #10
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Quote:
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Lake Superior region of Michigan and South-Central Texas (Hill Country). The 189DD is our 'rolling hotel room' for my wife and I and our 3 pets during the 4-day drive. We have a much larger RV trailer that stays at a Texas RV Park as our winter home.

I prefer to leave Michigan around mid-November and we return in early May. Like you our departure was delayed in 2021 for family reasons. We planned to leave 12/27, but with a major storm coming found a place in central Wisconsin we could park overnight, rushed our shutdown procedures and left mid-day 12/26. 'Only' had 4 inches overnight in Wisconsin. Got on the road by late morning for our regular stop in Waterloo, IA. Found out the park had no water due to sub-freeze weather - didn't matter as we had some ice adjacent to the low drain points. Used gallon water jugs for the toilet. But also found out a second storm was going to hit NE Iowa early in the morning and expected to shut the area down for two days. We got up at 4am and hit the road. The road hit back SE of Des Moines with freezing rain. We spent almost half a day parked in a grocery store parking lot. Pulled into Lawrence, KS late that night - first time we have been caught by hard freeze that far south. No water to the camper; luckily the park showers were available. Frost heaves across Kansas bounced the camper hard & often enough the little weight on the rear bumper still caused it to tear. Had to shuffle all our packing to clear the camper bumper until we got to Texas and found a welder.
We ARE leaving in mid-November this year. The camper stays dry until it is thoroughly pre-heated, and I have done everything I can imagine to avoid a frozen water line while on the road. Oh, and I installed bumper reinforcement brackets!
And we do this for fun
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Old 08-19-2022, 07:26 PM   #11
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LOL. What's fun got to do with it? Our Michigan residence got 325.6 inches of snow last winter. After 30+ years of ma nature teaching me how to move snow, we decided we weren't learning anything new, retired and moved well below the regular snow line ... although when the big winter storm hit Texas 2 winters back, only two of us in the park had a shovel to clear RV steps (small trunk shovels) and not many more had ice scrapers to clear windshields!
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Old 08-19-2022, 07:44 PM   #12
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I'm considerably south of you being about 25 miles north of I70 in east central Ohio. We don't get near what you did but it was enough for me to reply to neighbors texting pictures of the snow with pictures of us on the beach.

Do you carry a generator with you on your trips to and from? I do and had thought about getting heat pads for the two tanks if we got delayed again. Our trip can be made in two good days if we had to and again if we had to could go dry and use gallons of water to flush instead of hauling water in tbe trailer tank.
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Old 08-19-2022, 08:14 PM   #13
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No generator. The 189DD is 3,000 dry / 3,850 gross. Our tow vehicle is a Subaru Ascent (max 5,000). Pounds count, both on the trailer axle and the tow vehicle.

I put a 12vdc heat pad on the old camper's exposed fresh water tank. I don't think the water froze, but it didn't do any good with a water line freeze at a critical point. If we couldn't get AC power overnight, I would have gotten up during the night to check the battery and if need be, start the car and let it run.

Don't have a generator at the big RV either. All the critical systems in RV trailers run off 12v (and propane). And it might look weird, but the big RV has the same 7-pin power plug so I can back up the Subaru and recharge the battery in a pinch. The biggest need would be to run an air conditioner if we were in residence when it gets hot. Travelling down to Texas in the camper also means I can scavenge both its battery and propane tank if it gets really rough.

At the big RV, I also now have a tank-top catalytic propane heater. I can set it outside (NOT under) the RV and direct the heat toward the underside of the RV to help clear frozen water lines - I've figured out that ice usually starts in the low-point drain lines and crawls up into the primary lines. Assuming I have AC power, I also have heated water hoses for both trailers along with insulating materials to cover the park's water tap. All this is 'just-in-case'. I like sending photos of us and our friends sitting in the sun with a cool beverage.
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Old 08-28-2022, 11:29 AM   #14
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For the cost of ($8.00 of a KNOWN output outlet, there is no way it is near worth your time to spend more than 3-to-5-minutes contemplating this issue vs DIY replacing. YOU will spend MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN THE COST of the outlet just on gasoline, much less phone, travel time?
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Old 08-28-2022, 12:57 PM   #15
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Not sure where you come up with $8. Cheapest exact same 12vdc to 5vdc wall plate I can find is $18.95. And without figuring out the 'why' (the problem might not be the existing wall plate), I could be just wasting the money.
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Old 08-28-2022, 09:24 PM   #16
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Amazon link or search had a PAIR for $16, and install/replace will tell you if fixed; guarantee any dealer interaction will be months inaction, or $100-$400 service fees+ your time and trouble and gas expense. THIS NOT THE ONES i SAW THE OTHER DAY, BUT SIMILAR? https://www.amazon.com/WYMECT-Charge...%2C268&sr=8-14




Personally, I PUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN ALL MY VEHICLES: https://www.amazon.com/Alivation-Dig...NsaWNrPXRydWU=
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Old 08-28-2022, 11:42 PM   #17
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Not sure where you come up with $8. Cheapest exact same 12vdc to 5vdc wall plate I can find is $18.95. And without figuring out the 'why' (the problem might not be the existing wall plate), I could be just wasting the money.
Have you pulled the USB ports out of the wall and looked on the back of them for ratings stamped or labelled on the back? It's like 2 screws you have to remove.
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Old 08-30-2022, 05:57 PM   #18
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Amazon link or search had a PAIR for $16
As I said, not identical to what is already installed. I'll have empty screw holes sticking out like a sore thumb.
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Old 08-30-2022, 06:09 PM   #19
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Have you pulled the USB ports out of the wall and looked on the back of them for ratings stamped or labelled on the back? It's like 2 screws you have to remove.
I have not. Good suggestion. I did see that a unit that appeared to be identical are 2.1a, or 10.5w.

I got word back on the power requirement for the USB clock - 100ma, or 0.5w. I moved the clock to another identical outlet in the camper and then plugged in a fan. I got the exact same behavior - the clock died. 2.1a is way more than what is needed to operate both devices.

As this behavior doesn't happen with past outlets, I am going out on a limb to speculate that the electronics in the outlet temporarily drop power when a second device is plugged in in order to 'decide' how power should be applied.

As I now have a work around, the issue isn't quite as critical. But I will pull a unit to see if there is any additional information on the back side.
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