Is there a way to keep the USB port powered?
 

Is there any way to keep the USB port powered with the ignition off? My phone only charges while I'm driving.

No setting anyplace. I have looked. No doubt you could wire it into a harness though. Didn't want to go that far though.

I would just wire in something like this... Inexpensive, simple to hook up, could be ran through the sound generator tube hole. (if you haven't removed it yet, now is a good time!)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MICTUNING-S....c100005.m1851




EDIT: NEW LINK. (BETTER KIT WITH A FUSE! ONLY $12.21)

Or just put one of those iPhone battery packs in there that charges up while car is on and allows you to charge while car is off. Cheapest and simplest solution. You might be able to hide it so it’s out of the way if you get the right one. There is a plug in the glove box. Stick the battery pack in there and run the usb charging cable out from under the glove box.

Don’t have to worry about getting stranding by running your battery down

Both of these are good ideas, but I was hoping some software genius out there might know a way to modify the software. Maybe with the OFT?

The ECU has no interaction with the HU so OFT will not help. I had considered modifying my port so it would charge at 2A by clipping the power lines and hardwiring them to a 2A charger but leave the datalines as is, connected to the HU. Never got around to it, like most of my projects. Hahaha

I was under the impression that the USB Port is connected directly to the Radio Head Unit because it is not just a charging port, but also a digital audio interface that allows playing music files on the smartphone.

You are correct. Which is why if I hacked my port I would leave the data lines in tact. USB ports have 4 lines. The outers are power and the inners are data. I think we could disconnect the +/- outer lines from the HU and connect them to another 5v power source which could be fed with or without the ignition depending on what you are trying to accomplish. My goal wasn't to have always on power but to have more than 1A charging.

Warning: If someone wants to try this, DO NOT connect the power lines directly to 12v. USB runs 5v. If you try to wire it direct to a 12v source you will destroy any USB device you plug into it. You would need a DC-DC power supply to take the 12v down to 5v. I have a 2.4A USB cigarette adapter which I pulled out of its case which has perfect solder lands for this project. I just never got around to pulling the dash apart to install it.

May be Techstream has an option for keeping enabled the infotainment while car is off

nope

The kit is soooo easy though, it's literally two wires and a fuse.... Then you will have two USB ports. I have one mounted in my glove box. (that way my phone is not visible when left in the car to charge)

Ordered 2 just now. One for me and one for the wife's Impresa. Damn new cars that turn all the sockets off.

Don't forget there's a second power port in the glove box (it's what my dashcam plugs in to). It's not hot either, but it might be handier for keeping stuff tucked away.

If anything could be modded it'd be the cigarette lighter I'd think. That being said, you'd be surprised how fast a modern cell phone battery can deplete a standard car battery to below the point it can start the car. I did it to myself once and it didn't take long (though to be fair, it was the original battery and it was on its way out anyway).

My usb plug isn't powered. Is it supposed to be? It doesn't charge my phone but works fine for music if I put a flash drive in.

Not all phones charge. It depends how they register as a USB device when plugged in. Many android devices won't charge in my experience.

I have one vehicle that I keep on a battery maintainer throughout the winter months. The maintainer plugs into the cigarette lighter...couldn't get it to work, at first. Turns out, I have to have the ignition key turned to accessory, THEN plug in the maintainer, then I can turn the key to off and remove it. Only way to get the maintainer going and it will then continue its mission for days, weeks, or more.

It supplies 5v at 1a. So yeah it will charge. A lot of cars only run 500ma so ours actually charges better than many. But I have a 2013 FRS with touch screen. Other years with different HUs may be different.

I gave up on that dumbass OEM port years ago. I have an add-a-fuse plugged into the fuse panel under the dash powering twin 2.1A USB ports hidden under the dash. I have cables running from them to the door to power my engine monitor and to my phone mount next to the head unit.

I have a quad unit I might swap in there eventually. Or maybe not.

Power coming from it is very weak. My Galaxy 3 wouldn't charge from it. I don't know if my current phone will, since I have better charging options now.

Or maybe it’s an Android thing. Ive only tested iPhones in my car and they charge fine.

I'm allergic to iPhones so yeah... my Android phones don't charge. I usually just use a charger plugged into the lighter but I'm tired of wires in the way and losing the console space. Guess it's time to look at a better solution this spring.

I would prefer hardwired USB over Bluetooth but with rapid charging. Luckily I rarely need to charge my phone other than at night so it hasn’t been much of a priority.

Theres the extra lighter port in the glove box. Works great. Just run the cord out the side of it and up the center consol

My scosche mount has a clip to hold the cord even so dont have to fish around for it

Absolutely not, I've been through techstream for days and have never found a setting that touches on accessory power really.

@ermax

The USB port definitely doesn't output the proper power ratings for a lot of newer modern android devices. I think USB A to C limits things to 1.5 amps in a legacy environment like our stock older cars. I Installed a JVC android auto unit for a friend and it retained the stock USB port and it maintains a reliable charge with high load on the device like waze or google maps, spotify and other apps running. Yet my car with the stock nav module head unit swap no longer powers my newer Oneplus 6T enough to hold it's charge long enough.

I also believe that fast charging on some phones with different quick charging methods uses the wires that transfer data so it's one or the other, or both with some caveat. My friends JVC head unit fast charges his pixel with the stock factory google cable in the head unit fine. It'll take some finaggling to figure out whats the limiting factor on android devices.


Perhaps at the point where you start tearing apart the dash to add another charging solution it'd be more prudent to hide a battery bank somewhere? Or even change the head unit so you can fast charge to get the power you need before you shut the car off?

The USB standard is actually 500ma. The manual for my head unit says it puts out 1a which is enough to slowly charge my iPhone 7 while running Waze (with screen on) and Apple Music. I also own a Suburban which runs the standard 500ma and it drops in charge while running Waze and Apple Music. With no apps running it will charge but slowly.

Androids typically have monster batteries to make it through a day so I wouldn't be surprised if they run higher wattage.

The headunit in my car is this one:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7...9c765435_c.jpg

.....

Okay so before I posted this I did some reading on how Androids work. Looks like you have to short the data pins to force it to look like a dumb charger or else it will be limited to 500ma. Obviously to short the data pins you would have to disconnect those lines from the HU so you would lose your connection for playing music and it would become a charging port only. So it looks like Android is limited to 500ma on our head unit which explains why it can't keep up with Waze while the screen is on. I suspect 1A would be fine for an Android if you were actually using it. I also saw some info on rooting the phone so you can force fast charging may work.

Flaky at best. When i plug my galaxy 6 active (BTW, it's an active not because i'm active, but because the phone is, falling down all the time and jumping around, watched it to cartwheels down some stairs once, impressive!), i get an error message of device drawing too much power and will shut off usb device and has a confirm "button"...but if i ignore it, or even hit the confirm, it still charges, so i leave it in and it charges

Also because USB C is designed is designed for more than just phones, it's a multi device thing, they max out at 4.5-5 volts and 20 amps for things like laptops or bigger tablets that allow it.
The increased power on some oem android auto head units, for instance mazdas, is so that you can keep your charge level. It's the reason why they swapped out the old USB hubs as part of android auto upgrades on the mazda connect systems.



Also not turning this into an android debate but the "monster" battery statement is invalid that's totally manufacturer related, 3700 mah on my OP6t makes it last past a whole day for me and the dash charging is crazy fast, alot of these android phones have quick charge or a rapid charge tech to compensate.