USB socket

[Brixsis]

My Avensis sat nav, Joyce, is a waste of space.  She never knows where to go, gets confused easily, and has an obsession with u-turns. 

As I can't sack her, the best I can do is leave her in her little room and rely upon the Tom Twins to get me roughly where I need to be.  My Start 25 device fits nicely in the storage compartment in the top centre of the dash.  However, there's always a mess of leads coming from the cigar lighter which just get in the way and are prone to being nudged and disrupted.

Has anyone ever tried to fit a USB socket inside the aforementioned storage compartment?  I'd imagine there'd be air vent ducting underneath the compartment but would there be space to the left or right to accept the depth and wiring of a typical USB car socket, the sort of thing you find on eBay?

[gazza1286]

I have a micro USB lead threaded into that box. It's fed from a secondary cigarette lighter socket which incorporates a USB adaptor. This unit is hidden inside the space beneath the gear lever gaiter.

As it's only a micro USB tip on the lead I only had to drill a small hole. It gives enough power to keep my phone fully charged when I use it as a sat nav. I made a small cradle which sits inside the box and holds the phone at the right viewing angle.   

The top box is only held in place with two screws. These are acceptable behind the plastic trim which incorporates the cup holder and spans the dash. The trim is only clipped into place as eases away from the dash, starting from the blind corner with the passenger door open. There may be enough space to fit the usb directly onto the box. Once you remove it you'll be better able to assess the options. 

[Brixsis]

Thanks Gary.

Removing the top box will definitely cast more light on things.  My hope would be to run wiring from the  cigar lighter connections.  I'll let you know how I get on and maybe post some pics if it works out.

[Brixsis]

And here's how I got on.

[Brixsis]

Absolute doddle to fit as there's plenty of room and the wires are easily run to the cigarette lighter.

[Brixsis]

Adding a £3 mounting disc from Halfrauds  (visible in the first pic) provided a secure footing for the sat nav and completed the job.