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Archive 2015 · 12volt splitter?

  
 
Dustin Gent
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · 12volt splitter?


end of next week, i will be heading to Zion and other places for 7-8 days. As i am getting all the details and logistics lined up, we have come across a dilemma. The vehicle we are driving in is an FJ, but only has one auxiliary port, which is very surprising. The last time i headed to the SW on a 9 day trip, we were in my buddies' SUV which had like 3 ports.

So my question is do the 12V splitters work? We will no doubt need to charge batteries, and "waiting in line" to charge one at a time is not ideal or feasible. The 12V splitter would only be used to charge 2 batteries at once. No laptops, etc. We have an inverter.

Currently I have 2 Nikon batteries. I could pick up another one, but I rarely go through that many batteries to justify buying more than 1.

I was thinking of buying a jump box that has an AC/DC converter, and could charge from that as well, but kind of expensive but useful to keep in my personal vehicle.

Any thoughts? I looked at amazon and other sites for reviews and it seems that they work. The D600 charger output is 8.4V (1.2A).

Thanks for any advice



Oct 21, 2015 at 04:44 PM
dmcphoto
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · 12volt splitter?


These "splitters" are just multiple 12 VDC outlets wired in parallel. Their only limitation is the amount of current that can be drawn from the single 12 VDC outlet you plug it into. Battery chargers draw very little current so that's no problem.

Are you charging batteries using normal chargers with a 120 volt input through a 12 VDC to 120 VAC converter, or are you using battery chargers made for a 12 volt input? If you're using DC-AC converters, especially in multiples, there's a loss in efficiency and thus more current draw, but I still doubt it would pose any issue.

If you're using a DC-AC converter and normal 120 volt battery chargers I'd suggest a single DC-AC converter and plug all of the chargers into that one converter via an outlet strip or similar.



Oct 21, 2015 at 06:37 PM
Dustin Gent
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · 12volt splitter?


thanks for the input. They are the normal Nikon battery chargers for "home" use. So it would be better to use an "extension cord" for our purposes?


Oct 21, 2015 at 07:07 PM
dmcphoto
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · 12volt splitter?


Dustin Gent wrote:
thanks for the input. They are the normal Nikon battery chargers for "home" use. So it would be better to use an "extension cord" for our purposes?


There will be less current draw if you use an extension cord or outlet strip to connect multiple battery chargers to one DC to AC converter than with multiple DC to AC converters (one per charger). Your DC-AC converter will need a current capacity at 120V that's adequate for all of the chargers, which is probably around 0.25 amp max @ 120VAC each. In other words, 1 amp at 120VAC would handle about 4 chargers.



Oct 21, 2015 at 07:29 PM
Dustin Gent
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · 12volt splitter?


thanks for the info! This may work the best for our needs!



Oct 21, 2015 at 11:03 PM





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