Tiny flush-fit dual USB adapter for cars

boing
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Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/18/tiny-flush-fit-dual-usb-adapte.html

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Just make sure it works in your car 1st. I bought a couple only to find out later that they don’t work in my Mazda 3. Aukey wasn’t ever able to provide a flush-fit version that works in those so ended up having to get something else.

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What makes this better than any of the countless models you can find in convenience stores for $5?

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Boing Boing gets to keep the lights on?

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[quote=“kmoser, post:3, topic:99193, full:true”]
What makes this better than any of the countless models you can find in convenience stores for $5?
[/quote]
As a guy who’s bought Aukey adapters in the past (I have one in my car now, though not a flush-fit) AND $5 adapters from the Kwik-E-Mart, I’d say that the differences are: durability/lifetime of the device, and confidence that the device actually is delivering 2.4 amps at 5 volts. I’ve found that the extra $2 is a small price to pay; your mileage may vary.
Aukey is definitely not a household name, and isn’t likely to become one. But they (whoever the heck “they” are) have been building a pretty solid reputation in the USB-gadget market over the past few years.

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I have one similar to this, but I worry that leaving it in will drain my car battery because the plug gets constant power.

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At this point it might be better to future-proof the charger and get one of the units that have one USB-C and one normal USB port. The good USB-C units are 3 amp units which will give you a bit more headroom. This Vinsic is very popular with the USB-C chromebook and nexus/pixel users. https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Adapter-Standard-Outputs-MacBook/dp/B014F2NQ36/

(bb: feel free to add your referral tag to that link. I didn’t want to try and then screw up the link. -wsr)

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Unless the thing is shorted (something I’d worry about for the dimestore variety mentioned above), it should consume exactly zero power until something is plugged into it that completes the circuit.

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