Electronic Schematic - help please

[lordofduct]

I'm getting an Acura TSX and in the center console is the auxilary input for whatever you'd like via a 3.5mm midi-jack. There is also a cigarette lighter power jack there. The jack is rated at 12v... but of course with how dirty car electric is it jumps up a bit.

I've been reading around that due to this iPods sometimes really don't like car jacks and freeze up when hooked to them. I've seen some regulated adapters out there but don't woh is me... I have one other little pickle.

I also have a PPC-6700 I'd like to plug in down here as well... this means I'll have a LOT of wires down in here.

1) male-male 3.5mm midi cable
2) Y cigar adapter
3) Ipod plug
4) PPC-6700 plug

The other problem is that my PPC-6700 can be used as an EV-DO modem hooked up to my laptop... but I need to unplug it and then feed it to the laptop draining it's battery even faster!

SO!

I wanted to kill 2 birds with one stone and decided this. The two jacks in the car are fed into this little plastic chasis inside of the center console that can be unbolted. I figure I'd unbolt the chasis, remove the cig lighter and snip its wires. Then I'd use the extra room to fashion a +5v voltage regulator, heat sink, and self powered 4port USB hub into the little bugger.

Now I can plug the two devices in and charge them as I please AND if I want I just plug the iBook I own right into the hub and can sync right to both the devices simultaneousily for internet access and iPod storage. This also reduces the clunky wires to just 3 smaller less clunky wires:

1) 3.5mm male-male midi cable
2) 2 USB cables!!! much smaller! a third one only required when syncing to the iBook.

Now... the problem I need your help with...

here's a schematic



Do you think this schematic is clean enough? Or should I be adding anything else?
Also do you think there will be a problem with the fact only 1A is going into the USB Hub as opposed to the rated 2.6A it wants. I figure this only means there will be less Amps to share across the hub meaning I can only plug a limited amount of stuff in...

but as the phone and iPod easily charge off of USB ports via a computer rated at 500mA then it shouldn't really matter...




if you think I might need more amps I have to other options... find someone with a 78S05 voltage regulator... hard to find, but puts out 2A

OR, I can fashion two usb ports in... one is just power and no data for the iPod. The other has powered by the regulator but the data goes off onto another cable to sync with the iBook. This way only allows for one device to be synced at a time... but there is certainly enough Amps across the system to power everything.

Like so:

[Clockwork]

looks good lord. i did the same with my car for my ds aso. just without the capacitors.

the prob is, i would first look with a multimeter, what the hub sucks with all three ports plugged and used, because as you figured out the transisitor delivers only 1A...

the better thing would be to use a dc/dc-changer, with a wide input range, that delivers stable 5v with about 3A...

[lordofduct]

oh yeah... i forgot.

I will be fashioning a switch into the hole where the cig lighter was to turn the whole thing off and not give power to any of the USB ports so that way when I crank on or off the car I don't surge the fuck out of it.

[lordofduct]

looks good lord. i did the same with my car for my ds aso. just without the capacitors.

the prob is, i would first look with a multimeter, what the hub sucks with all three ports plugged and used, because as you figured out the transisitor delivers only 1A...

the better thing would be to use a dc/dc-changer, with a wide input range, that delivers stable 5v with about 3A...

Thats a good idea... hrmmm...

Downside... 40-50 dollars for them.

The thing I have drawn can be built for 15 dollars.

[lordofduct]

tell me something... am I an idiot or is it that freaking hard to find a 12v input 5v output DC/DC converter at around 10-15W?

IS IT!?

I've hunted and the only places I find are those bulk dealers who are expecting orders of like 10 or more and at like 50 bucks a pop!

[Clockwork]

yeah, that`s the prob. we have local dealers here, where you`re able to buy this things single, but the price is still at 35euros.

the good thing is, you`d have a WIDE input range (which is necessary with a car batterie) and a really stable voltage coming out plus an overheating-shut-down-and-reset-function in case of too much power drained.

and i wouldn`t build a switch, i would use a simple relais, which switches through in case your car-key iss in pos.1, because then you`ll have a "switch" you won`t forget to turn of

[lordofduct]

I relay would be more difficult as I'd have to send some wire all the way up to the ignition... and seeing this is a brand new car I don't want to be tearing up that much.

Wait... that reminds me, there is this local dealer here. shit what is their name. ktlg or something.

[Clockwork]

ignition power also comes to the radio above the cigarette-lighter

[lordofduct]

That is right... you've been VERY helpful in this process.

I found a converter that puts out the right amperage I want (well it's 5.1v... but that minor difference isn't much. USB doesn't mind a little change between 4.75 and 5.25) and if I pull from that switch there it will be ALL good. eeeeey! I'm still gonna put a switch in though to ignore the ignition switch so that way when the car is off if I want to I can charge my phone.

I'm thinking of spending the extra cash and getting a 12v to 24v converter so I can charge my iBook. But that is 60 dollars and requires me to run a whole new power cable to probably under my seat or something. It's a little larger (8"X5"X2") and gets pretty warm at times when working hard... so in the center console wouldn't be a good idea for it.

[Clockwork]

which amperage do you need for your iBook, i`d have here a converter (150x85x70 mm) at hand which delivers 10A at 24V for 35eus.

btw: were i really helpful, or was that ironic?