Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Been trying to find source for an adaptor to plug into the 6 volt cigar lighter in my 1940 Packard to power an iPhone. Is such a thing even available?

Someone else will give you sources but yes, 6-volt positive ground to 12-volt negative ground converters are commercially available for exactly the purpose you state.

You may find that the adaptors that plug into cigar lighters do not fit the earlier lighters. You could install a later lighter assembly (available at auto parts stores) or hard wire in an adaptor to your electrical system. I would prefer doing the latter and leave the original lighter as is.

(o{}o)

I went to Lowes and bought a back-up battery pack/jumper cables, etc. Stanley, if I remember correctly, and cost around $50. It has USB ports and plug-in ports. Sits on the front floor and I plug my gps, phone and whatever into it while traveling. Nice, because you can listen to Pandora on your iPhone, too, eliminating the need to restore the dashboard radio.
Of course, it also gives you the back-up needed in case your car battery needs a jump.

Supposedly there is such a battery back-up system that is about the size of a phone, but I haven't heard much good about those.

Here's about the same thing at Walmart, with compressor.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/38243753?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227027518957&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=62688801888&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=89025291648&veh=sem

Quote:

Aside from the points JW mentions, you may have to do the hardwire for using something besides the battery pack.

Looked at several sites and have found numerous plug in 12v units that can convert to various DC voltages and even to 110AC but so far not one 6v plug in type that converts to 12v or has a USB charge port. Hopefully someone has one marked and comes along.

If not, there are 6 to 12v modules you could wire in a couple of ways -- hardwire the input and then add a socket mounted under the dash for a 12v cigar liter type power outlet or place the module inside a small plastic electrical box and add a cigar lighter plug on a cord for the input and a socket on the box for the output. There are different type and mfgs for plugs so you might have to experiment to get one with a good fit for the old cigar lighters.

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Inverter-6v-Positive-Ground/dp/B004P9NX9C

I too searched for a way to add a power port for my cell phone/gps. In the end I decided to keep one of these in the glove box of my 41, because it serves 2 purposes; charging devices, and jump starting. Plus I wasn't sure that the generator was quite up to powering a modern accessory (or 2) such as a phone or GPS.

http://shop.antigravitybatteries.com/micro-start-xp-3/

It has adapters for iPhones and android phones, and most any other device that can be charged via USB, plus a built-in flashlight. I did test start my 120 once, it had plenty of power to do so. Just have to be quick and careful because it does put out 12 volts.

It's very small and lightweight.

Attach file:

---

  (60.46 KB)

I hard wired two 6V pos grnd to 12 V neg grnd units in my 38. One powers my Am/FM radio and the other goes to a cigarette lighter socket for either my GPS or cell charger. I used two because the ones I have are only good for about 3 amps each. Got them from EBay

6 to 12v adapter is listed in projects page

http://pnwpackards.com/styled-2/index.html

Quote:

From the description I would read that converter as being a hardwire module since there is no mention of a plug. Is it actually a plug in to the existing 6v cigar lighter as the original poster is looking for?

Yes it plugs into the cigerette lighter socket