Ciigarette lighter problems

edward.conant

I have a Sporty's dual USB charger, and when in flight it will not charge steadily when pushed in to the cigarette lighter. Vibrations seem to cause it to lose contact with electrodes in lighter. Any ideas to make it more reliable by either repairing/changing the lighter, or modifying the charger so it doesn't vibrate loose.
Thanks!

Scott Sherer

Hi and thanks for writing. Do you know for a fact whether the cigarette lighter socket or the Sportys USB plug is bad? The lighter socket is (my guess) very old and it or it's wiring could be intermittent. Try the USB plug in your car or another airplane to see if that's at fault. We have to know what the problem is before we can replace the bad part. Good luck

edward.conant

I verified the USB charger is working just fine. So I'm hoping someone has simple steps to improve the electrode contacts without having to replace the lighter itself.

Scott Sherer

Hi and thanks for the update. Seems to me there are a few options that you can consider. One, of course, is to replace the cigarette lighter socket and put in a new one. Email me at scotts@jonespublishing.com and I'll get you the information. Two, get a little sand paper or something abrasive and shine up the inside of the existing cigarette lighter socket. After cleaning the inside of the socket, see if you can pull up the center contact a bit to make better contact with the usb plug. Three, replace the cigarette lighter socket and install a usb port (not a plug and socket). Let me know what you decide.