Need 12v Cigar Lighter To USB C With 12v Output - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2023, 05:06:58 pm
content: Hello there,I need a cigar lighter plug that plugs into the car lighter and provides a straight 12v output through a USB C connector. This may be unusual, but it is sometimes done, apparently.I have found many that go 12v to 5v USB C, but that's no good.Also found 5v USB C to 12v output, that's no good either.It has to be 12v to 12v with no conversion, unless it just happens to regulate the output 12vdc.The input has to be a cigar plug and the output has to be USB C and deliver 12v to some device that has a female USB C connector.Thanks for any ideas or if you actually find one.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2023, 05:27:11 pm
content: I don't think you can find an official product that will do this. If you really want it you would have to make it yourself, or obtain it from a vendor who does not mind being sued.A USB C connector must provide a 5 V output unless the device negotiates otherwise. You likely could find a cable that contains the appropriate (Power Delivery) electronics to do this.If you had a USB C connector with a bare 12 V on it, and you plugged it into almost any device expecting 5 V then you would probably damage that device. Therefore nobody ought to make such a cable.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2023, 05:29:45 pm
content: Here's an example of what you should be able to find:https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/chargers-and-batteries/chargers/40ak0065ww

author: jc101
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2023, 05:30:17 pm
content: Not sure that 12v is part of the USB-C PD standard, and it should *never* be presented on a USB-C socket without negotiation beforehand. Stuff could easily get damaged if it was just attached to a 12v supply.Grab the specs from herehttps://www.usb.org/document-library/usb-power-deliveryThe voltages are 5v, 9v, 15v, 20v in the standard range. Heading up to 28v, 36v, and 48v in the extended ranges.Attach some LARGE warning labels to the supply if the device is just using a USB-C connector but not actually attempting to do anything USB-C related. Someone will blow something up otherwise.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 12:00:39 am
content: Quote from: IanB on August 12, 2023, 05:27:11 pmHi there Ian,Thanks for the reply.I agree that nobody *should* make one, but at least one company did and so that's why I am here. It's a wall adapter that puts out 12vdc to a USB C male plug, and no other voltages that I can see.At first I thought it was strange too but then i realized that we've been dealing with something similar for years now. That is, dealing with the barrel connectors like the 5.5mm OD and 2.1mm or 2.3mm ID that provide all sorts of different voltages, and they are all constant voltages. We see 3v, 4.5v, 5v, 6v, etc., even 30v or higher.I realize that the USB standard is *supposed to be* different, but you can't rely on *supposed to be* the way you used to. Thus, I am stuck with this problem and I need a way to wire it up or find an adapter.I too have a feeling I am going to have to make one.Just so you know, I had found 100's of those adapters you had linked to, and they will not work because they want to communicate over the USB as well as deliver power. I believe they will just put out 5vdc.Thanks for any other ideas too.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 12:03:52 am
content: Quote from: jc101 on August 12, 2023, 05:30:17 pmHi,Yes, it should never be done, but it already has been done so I am stuck with either finding an adapter or making one myself. I don't like it that's for sure, but the only other choice I have is to use a 12vdc to 120vac converter and then plug the original wall adapter into that to run the device. I want to get around having to do that which wastes more energy.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 12:22:47 am
content: I think you would have to make it yourself. Just chop the end off an existing USB C power cable and solder the wires to a cigar lighter plug.To keep it simple, you could let the original cable be a charging-only cable rather than a charge and sync cable. That way you will have fewer wires to deal with.Then stick a great big label on it with red letters: "DO NOT USE THIS CABLE!"

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 12:13:46 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on August 13, 2023, 12:22:47 amHi Ian,Not a bad idea. I thought about doing that with another wall wart for this device but I don't have a 2nd one yet, it's coming from China and it takes some time to get here. I didn't want to ruin the wall wart though, so using a regular charging cable sounds like a better idea.I was thinking of cutting the insulation to the 2nd wall wart once i get it to examine how the connection is made, but i hate to mess up that wall wart it will be brand new. It's true though i could always heat shrink it.Thanks for the idea. This is a very unusual problem usually they use a barrel connector for this i am not sure why this manufacturer decided to use a USB C connector. I have read however that non-standard USB C charging/power cables are possible as there is no "law" that stops that. The only laws in place that I know of are to force manufacturers to use USB C for all new cell phone charging devices, but only in some countries. Maybe they were trying to comply with that law so it could be used in places where that law is in effect. This is from China too and China did make that law about the USB C charging cables. They want every charging cable to be the same. In Europe I think this is about to become law also, the goal is to eliminate some electronic waste.It's amazing how the barrel connector wall adapters changed so much. There are so many sizes it's really nuts. They can't even make the 5.5mm outside diameter connector standard, they have inside post sizes of 2.1mm, 2.3mm, and 2.5mm, and maybe more I don't even know about. There is no standard there at all. This got me accustomed to checking the wall wart carefully before using it for any devices, and what's more is I like to label ALL my wall adapters with the device they are used for. I use a paint marker but also a label attached to the end of the wire just before the connector that has the name of the device written on it.So now we may end up with a standard end connector, USB C, but it's still going to be watch out for the right wall wart. We already seem to have one accepted variation, some have 12vdc and others do not have that, and thus the new circus opens and we will all be forced to be part of it

author: TZ400T3B
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 12:43:51 pm
content: Original Samsung USB C car charger provides full 20V at up to 45W if needed, so will do 12V also.

author: jc101
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 12:54:31 pm
content: Well, whatever that device is, if you plug it into a standard USB-C power supply, it will never get 12v. It may get 5v 500ma, but nothing more unless it actively then negotiates a higher voltage or current.It is simply the application of the wrong connector. If it was supplied with a PSU, it could be deadly to every other device with a USB-C port. Crazy stuff.How hard could it be for them to add a tiny IC to negotiate 15v and drop that down to 12v as required?I know of another device with a USB-C that has nothing to do with the spec. A box used in aviation, which is stunning in itself. It has a USB-C port but nothing to do with USB-C. In fact, when powered on, it directly connects its two 18650 cells (in parallel) to the USB-C port, so it outputs 3.6v. If you then plug it into something that sinks power or even a faulty cable, you can get a couple of Amps out of it before it dies horribly. It smells a bit before it dies too.They say you must never use anything other than the USB-A to USB-C cable to charge it and never charge it when in the aircraft. That is quite an understatement to cover a serious design flaw IMHO.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 01:54:22 pm
content: Seems like the best compact, low cost solution would be some sort of LDO to provide a bit of 5V just long enough to complete the negotiation to the full voltage and then switch to pass through mode. Are there any chips on the market that do just that?

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 07:15:07 pm
content: Hello,Well the device I have does not negotiate anything it just expects to get 12vdc period. If it gets 5vdc it will do nothing, and certainly not turn on. I would gladly use a regular power adapter that can negotiate 5v, 6v, 9v, 12v, 15v, etc., but it would never work because they always start at 5v and stay there if there is no communication.

author: uer166
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 07:06:55 am
content: I just had a similar requirement, there is a cable that does just that:https://www.adafruit.com/product/5450?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoeemBhCfARIsADR2QCtX_FrL6aMfcaeK2aaVBzeCvSmwcwWYm61fgKsA5P0W2We5Oaf5j0caAv2MEALw_wcBThe negotiation IC is in the cable.

author: TZ400T3B
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 02:10:52 pm
content: Of course, you'll need PD controller. Either use that cable or former Cypress madehttps://www.infineon.com/cms/en/product/universal-serial-bus/usb-c-charging-port-controllers/ez-pd-barrel-connector-replacement-bcr/cypd3177-24lqxq/Standalone HW configurable PD controller

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 03:47:05 pm
content: Quote from: uer166 on August 14, 2023, 07:06:55 amIf I understand the OP's requirements, his device has a USB-C port, not a DC barrel jack. I supposed he could cut off the barrel plug and wire in the power lines of a USB-C plug, though. For $8 it might be worth a try.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 04:27:38 pm
content: Quote from: uer166 on August 14, 2023, 07:06:55 amHello there,That might work, but right now I am in a conversation with the manufacturer to see what they recommend. That might be one cable that could work though so I'll be keeping that in mind. I hope shipping isn't too much.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 04:29:34 pm
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 14, 2023, 03:47:05 pmHi,Yes I was thinking something like that too. I could cut off the barrel and solder in a cigar lighter plug, or just use adapters to join cables.It is $8 USD yes, but I bet shipping is equal or greater than that.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 04:54:28 pm
content: Quote from: MrAl on August 14, 2023, 04:29:34 pmI was thinking you'd use a PD lighter socket charger that supports the 12V PD profile. No point in a PD negotiating cable if you're just going to hardwire a USB-C cable to a 12V lighter plug. Although now that I think it through, this PD approach is really no safer, since it would be negotiating 12V regardless of the device attached, so might as well hardwire it. The main benefit would be you'd have a PD charger capable of charging legit PD devices as long as you didn't use this 12V cable.All in all, it still seems risky and ill-advised. I think I'd be looking to engineer an adapted solution that didn't risk mixing up cables and destroying another device.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 01:26:39 am
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 14, 2023, 04:54:28 pmHi,I was advised to try a cigar lighter adapter like you said that can do PD USB C charging. I am in the process of getting that experiment together.The thing is though, I don't think it will work because the original wall adapter was NOT a PD compliant device, it was simply a 12vdc wall wart with a C connector at the end of the cable. I cannot see a PD compliant device working on a device that originally used a simple wall wart that was 12vdc. If it was 5vdc I could see it, but not 12vdc because 12vdc has to go through the negotiation process.TEST:When you measure a PD compliant charger you measure up to 5vdc and no higher, and that is because to be compliant it has to start out at a lower voltage like 5vdc although it may be able to be lower like 3.3v or something like that. There is no way you can measure 12vdc because that would destroy devices that use only 5vdc. When I measure the original wall wart however, I measure 12vdc without any negotiation circuitry (chip). That tells me the wall wart is a simple 12vdc wall wart with a C connector at the end of the cable.This tells me a PC compliant charger wont work, unless of course they made the device such that it can take a full 12vdc at start up and also be able to negotiate if you happen to plug in a real PD compliant charger.I will see for sure in the coming days, but it takes time to do this because I have to round up some items for the test.As far as risk, if you remember back when we were using only the barrel type connectors used on a lot of wall warts, we always had to match the wall wart to the device. A portable vacuum cleaner might take a 6vdc wall wart, while a portable drill might take 12v to even 18v to charge the batteries. This means the risk factor was always present since day 2 of the invention of wall warts and that is because every manufacturer wanted to use their own wall wart design. Some had different barrel connectors, but many had the very same ones yet they would not work in all devices with that size connector. That meant that a 17vdc wall wart with the same plug as a 12vdc wall wart could work fine with one device but easily blow out another device. This was an ever present risk, so we had to match wall warts to their respective devices.I have a bag of older wall warts that still work, and I do not think even one is the same as any other one. That's maybe 50 wall warts that are all different. Some have the same connector as others though, but will never work in the same devices, and some will blow out some devices.When I buy a new product that comes with a wall wart, first thing I do is mark the wall wart or at least take a photo or write down what it goes to in a log. One thing I would never do is take a random wall wart out of the bag with the right connector and plug it into a device of which I don't know what wall wart it takes. That's just stupid. I never do that because I know the risk is not only high, it's almost guaranteed that it will not work and worst case blow out my precious device.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 02:22:38 am
content: We were talking about the $8 ADAFruit cable posted above that negotiates PD 12V in the cable. Using this with a PD charger (that also supports the 12V PD profile) will provide 12V at the USB-C connector, same as the original power adapter.As I recall, the 12V PD profile was either added in a later revision of the PD spec, or some profiles are considered optional, because not all PD chargers supports a 12V profile. So you would need to make sure the charger you choose supports 12V. I have a lighter PD charger that supports 12V @ 3A.If you're not going to use the special PD cable, then you would only ever get 5V out of the charger.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 03:29:11 am
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 15, 2023, 02:22:38 amNo, it won't. It will provide 12 V at the the DC barrel connector when the USB C end is plugged into a USB C power adapter. That's not at all what MrAl is asking for, unless he were to chop off the barrel connector and solder on another USB C connector in its place.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 12:21:35 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on August 15, 2023, 03:29:11 amExactly, which is what we discussed further up.Quote from: Veteran68 on August 14, 2023, 03:47:05 pm

author: Martinn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 04:55:59 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on August 13, 2023, 12:22:47 amNot sure if this has been mentioned or if you intend to plug into a cigarette lighter socket of a running car, but a car 12 V supply (when engine is running) has lots of high energy transients, that will destroy regular "12V" devices. You'll need beefy protection devices to be on the safe side. AFAIK these days cars have a central clamp to 40 V or so, still keep in mind.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_dump

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 05:28:44 pm
content: Hi Martinn and others,Well, it turns out it does work with a PD compliant 12vdc cigar lighter plug to USB C outlet, along with a PD compliant USB C to USB C cable.This surprised me, but I can guess they made it both compliant and also able to take in a direct 12vdc from a wall wart. That means they don't have to ship a high-power PD compliant wall adapter.So, I guess that wraps this up, and I am surprised it worked.

author: uer166
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 06:38:05 pm
content: Are you sure the wall wart wasn't broken? I'm sure most devices that require the 12V would also probably work if you hardwired 12V into the USB C port with no negotiation..

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 08:01:54 pm
content: Quote from: uer166 on August 15, 2023, 06:38:05 pmIt most likely would, but as pointed out early in this thread, doing so runs a high risk of inadvertently killing other USB-C devices that could NOT tolerate 12V. Say your spouse or kid comes along and plugs in their phone or tablet. *Bang*It's pretty reckless. Using such a ubiquitous and universal standard in a very non-standard way would be akin to someone in North America wiring up a NEMA 5-15 120V wall socket to 240V and trusting people to know not to plug their stereo into it.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 08:45:56 pm
content: Quote from: uer166 on August 15, 2023, 06:38:05 pmHi,What wall wart are we talking about here?There was no broken one as far as I know.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 08:52:26 pm
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 15, 2023, 08:01:54 pmHello there,I have a different view on this. That's because, as i said multiple times, you MUST match the wall wart with the device, except in some circumstances, but then you still must match it up with the device. You cannot just grab any old wall wart without knowing what it can do and plug it into something that costs you $100 or more.Think about when the last time you plugged your phone in to charge it. Were you unaware what wall wart you were using and what that wall wart could do? I don't think so.If you have kids, you have more problems than wall warts :-) You have to take steps to make sure they don't get into trouble no matter what the case is.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 09:29:16 pm
content: Quote from: MrAl on August 15, 2023, 08:52:26 pmAgain, I think you're missing the entire point of standardized connectors. Wall warts with barrel jacks arenotstandardized. They can support just about any combination of voltage, current, and polarity. So obviously one must be cautious as to what you plug into a given wall wart. Most people with even a modest clue about electronics don't see any wall wart and assume it works with any device.However USB cables are ubiquitous for low voltage charging. Nobody expects a standard USB cable to blow up their phone when plugged in, because by definition it should be limited to 5V until negotiated higher. What people *should* do is irrelevant to what a reasonable person would expect in a situation like this. And especially kids, who don't always have an adult hovering over their shoulder every waking minute.The responsibility as both engineer AND parent is on us to create safe(r) solutions to problems like this. Dismissing this concern with USB as a non-issue is pretty reckless and short-sighted, IMO.Fortunately, all of this debate seems to be moot in your case, since your device apparently negotiates PD 12V as it should.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2023, 10:16:37 am
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 15, 2023, 09:29:16 pmHello again,First, thanks for posting your view on this too, always good to hear where different people are coming from.All I can say is that the USB 'standard' is just another attempt to make a 'standard', and they SAY it's a standard, but there is a LOT of fine print that says otherwise.First off, there is no law that says that any company must follow the so-called 'standard'. What that means is that they can use the USB connector just about any way they want to. Sure, they 'should' follow the standard, but they don't always do that, and this is actually mentioned in various places around the web. Nobody is breaking their arm to do this. The wall wart I have puts out 12vdc, period. If you plug it into some phones it may burn out the charging circuit. I don't like it, but it's the way the world works. The world doesn't follow anything unless it becomes law.In the Eu I understand they want to enforce using a USB C connector, or at least in the near future perhaps. That doesn't mean that they will force them to also use the PD3.0 standard or the newer PPD standard. Maybe they will someday.So if you think about this, then compare what is actually going on, not what is read about this but actually going on, to the barrel era and I believe you will begin to understand that we are just going through the same mish mash again. There's a standard in writing, but no actual standard in practice. This means there are going to be wall warts floating around that cannot be used for everything, and that's the only way it can be.Think about this also because it gets even worse. Would you plug a device that needs a PD port rated for 60 watts into a PD port that is rated for 20 watts? You or I might do that, but then the device will not be able to power up. They both follow the standard, so why doesn't this work. It's because manufacturers are not forced to make everything the same, exactly. That means that in spite of the 'standard', you and I both will have to watch out what we plug into, or it won't work. Luckily if you plug a 20 watt PD device into a 60 watt PD port it will work, but not the other way around. So AGAIN, we have to always be aware of what device we are trying to use and what we plug it into or it might not work.If there are people who can't grasp this concept, it's their loss, because manufacturers cannot guarantee every device will work with every power delivery adapter. It's not in the nature of technology anyway to try to do anything like that. It's only sometimes we get lucky and it happens to be like that, but there are so many variations and meanwhile even newer standards are coming out; it's just not going to be possible to make everything everywhere compatible with everything else everywhere.I hope I made this clear but feel free to explain your point of view in more detail also.Here's a little bit of a comical view on this.The standard is: "Follow our written standard or else do whatever the hell you feel like doing." (chuckle).Unfortunately, that is the reality of the standard, and that means that we will always have to be aware of what we are plugging into.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2023, 01:18:34 pm
content: Obviously the USB standards are not legally enforceable, so sure, a company *could* do whatever they want with it. Some cable companies build dumb cables that refuse to work with some devices. But they don't *damage* those devices -- they just don't work. Can you name a company that uses a USB connection to drive >5V by default into any device plugged in? I can't think of one. Companies know that this is a Bad Thing(tm) to do that could hurt their business or reputation, and open them up to legal liabilities. The standard may not be legally enforceable on the front end, but I guarantee you it will carry weight in a civil litigation proceeding after they get sued for destroying people's devices. So they typically won't open themselves up to that kind of liability. It just makes no sense when there is a wealth of non-standardized connections (like barrel jacks) they could use.You seem to really be going out of your way to defend the use of a USB cable here, and honestly I'm unsure why.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2023, 03:38:57 pm
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 16, 2023, 01:18:34 pmHello,Thanks for the reply again, this stuff is interesting to discuss and learn what is what and what isn't what.I am not defending a USB cable not sure what you mean by that.Yes, there are companies that make a USB C adapter that puts out a fixed voltage and there is no negotiations going on, and that voltage is above 5v. I thought i mentioned that already but maybe not. That's the whole reason i started this thread. The company I am dealing with is GMK and they are a decent company with really good customer service.Can they get sued if someone blows out their device due to their adapter? You'd have to be a lawyer to know that for sure, and it could depend what geographical area of the world you happen to be in. So you'd have to be a lawyer that passed the bar in that general location.Since this topic is so complicated, it doesn't make sense to discuss this because we can never guarantee what either of us says is going to hold true in all parts of the world or possibly even in our own areas. Even calling a lawyer might not work because things are often settled on a case by case basis. So i can't really discuss the legal issues. I am tempted to say that if there is no law that prohibits the use of the USB C connector for unusual applications then the responsibility falls on the user, but there could be cases where this doesn't work either. It could also be that the company researched this area beforehand.But it does make sense to do something unusual like this. It means the wall wart you have to ship with the unit can be cheaper than having to deliver a high power PD wall adapter.There are a lot of angles to this so it's hard to nail anything down, but since companies are doing it already, and since they are allowed to, i don't see how we can force them to do what we want them to do. Maybe in the future?The wall wart I have is stamped 12vdc 3 amps 36 watts, and has a USB C connector on the end of the cable. Measuring the output, I see that there is a 12vdc constant output even with no load (except the meter of course). With no load, a PD compliant adapter would put out either almost nothing or around 1v but nothing greater than 5vdc. It would then ask if the voltage can go higher. If the device response with affirmative, it will pump it up in voltage and eventually it will get up to 12vdc. It would never put out 12vdc all the time. Thus, this wall wart could not be PD compliant yet it has a USB C connector on the end.NOTE that there are also cables that are POWER ONLY cables. They have less pins.If I am defending anything I am coincidentally defending the right of companies to use the USB C connector *almost* any way they want to. There could be limits of course, the power, the voltage, and the current ratings, have to be such that they don't exceed what the pin spacing can physically work with (I think it might be 48 volts) and what current the wire gauge can handle.It's a good point that all USB C devices should be made such that they can never blow out a device, but due to the nature of the business I just don't see that happening. Perhaps 90 percent of the companies out there may follow. You may be able to write to the USB organization maybe they can do something about it, but it's probably too late.It's funny though that in my entire life with wall warts since maybe 1980 or something like that, I never, ever, used a wall wart that I did not understand would work with a device BEFORE I plugged anything in. If other people are not like that, I pity them :-)This could be because I've seen connectors of the same type being used for various purposes not just one type of application. I've "grown up" with many types of connectors and wall warts, so maybe someone younger won't understand how this works. The only way I see them not making any mistakes is through teaching them all about wall adapters and related.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2023, 04:51:33 pm
content: Quote from: MrAl on August 16, 2023, 03:38:57 pmIs it a captive cable fixed to the wall wart? Then this is slightly excusable, since it doesn't look like any normal USB C power adapter. Normal power adapters have a USB C socket to plug a cable into. It's not ideal, but it is not as bad as it could be.Out of curiosity, what is the exact device that is being powered by this? GMK sells many products.

author: uer166
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2023, 06:51:53 pm
content: Looks like this POS:https://www.battery-vendor.com/gmk-kb1-mini-pc-charger-12v-usb-c-185846?source=ad&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw5_GmBhBIEiwA5QSMxIzWyVu6ZdW4qjdCWMlpts2wzB9sl0fp0EY1v6WWnYKWX4vgjmwjhxoCEXgQAvD_BwE.Honestly this is plenty enough to sue GMK and win if this device damages someone's expensive bit of gear, you don't have to realize that. Putting stuff like that out is an asshole move regardless of absolute legality.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2023, 07:19:01 pm
content: So apparently the device being powered is a NucBox KB1 palm-sized computer. The NucBox KB1 is evidently able to be powered by a genuine USB C PD power supply. However, it seems the power adapter described in this thread is a "fake" USB C charger that presumably for reasons of cost does not implement the PD spec and just forces a fixed 12 V on the output.From this I would say that considerations of "quality" and "trustworthy" are not as applicable to GMK as one might hope.Furthermore, there are apparently a multitude of NucBox clones available from Aliexpress under different brand names. This leads to the question of whether GMK actually designed it and others cloned it, or whether GMK is putting their own name on a generic product?https://www.makeuseof.com/gmk-nucbox-kv-1-mini-pc-review/https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-usb-c-chargers-whats-safe-whats-dangerous/

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2023, 11:41:58 am
content: Quote from: IanB on August 16, 2023, 04:51:33 pmHi Ian,Oh that's a good point, and yes it is a cable that is attached to the wall wart not a USB C outlet on the wall wart. So it is just a wall wart with cord on it, and at the end of the cord is a USB C male connector. No USB C female connector.The device is a mini computer about the size of two packs of cigarettes.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2023, 11:46:58 am
content: Quote from: uer166 on August 16, 2023, 06:51:53 pmHi,Yes, but as i said over and over, who hooks up a wall wart that is not PD compliant to a PD compliant device. I don't, and I never did.Who is the a-hole if they do? Think about it. Did you ever do that? I seriously doubt it.You see that wall wart (BTW thanks for the link) that's similar to mine in spec's but mine is more rectangular. Their customer service is great then sent me a brand new wall wart for FREE when i asked to buy one. I needed a new one and they sent one with no questions asked. Hard to beat customer service like that.

author: MrAl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2023, 11:55:33 am
content: Quote from: IanB on August 16, 2023, 07:19:01 pmHi again Ian,Yes that's it. These are amazing computers for their size. I was surprised how good they perform.And yes, it may be unconventional to make a wall wart like that, but that's life. We have to remember that the USB C connector is JUST a connector, it does not have a standard wired into it permanently. It's a passive device with no electronics connected to it until you or a company connects something to it, either temporarily or permanently.For me I guess I don't care one way or another. As long as it works I'm ok with it :-)There is no way in hell I am going to connect it to my phone or anything else for that matter, along with the 50 other wall warts I have on hand from various devices from the past.I do like the PD standard though. That is something that can power multiple devices, from what I have read. That can be very handy.The best bet is to check the wall wart before you use it to make sure it is PD compliant, if that is what you really need.Thanks for the links too.

author: Hellbent706
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 28, 2025, 01:55:01 pm
content: Here's the solution. You need a DC5.5x2.1mm Male to 12V Car Cigarette Lighter Plug. Then you need a Female 5.5x2.1mm to USB-C. They both plug together to make the cord you need. Both can be found on Amazon. You're welcome. 👍🏼