design flaw?

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Tue May 30, 2006 7:09 am

I went to actually use the two pronged outlet in the Vibe yesterday, and I see a design flaw. I went to plug my MP3 player into it and just use that instead of the battery, but I couldn't plug it in because of the hinged part at the bottom that makes the cover swivel. So today I went out to buy a converter to extend the reach, and I couldn't plug that in either because of the hinge. It almost fits, all I need is an 1/8 of an inch. I will have to keep looking to see if I can find a smaller one that will fit. It looks like Pontiac had thought of that by turning the plug upside down, but it wasn't good enough. They needed to design a smaller hinge or attach the cover plate in a different manner. Has anybody else had problems like this. Or should I just totally become a product tester and problem solver.

engineertwin2 · Post by **engineertwin2** » Tue May 30, 2006 7:12 am

Are you talking about using a plug that has a transformer on it? (so the plug is a bigger black box - like a cell phone's plug or like you'd see on some USB power cords) If so, I'm not sure that is actually intended to go in the plug (I could be wrong). I don't know what kind of heat they dissipate or what kind of wattage they consume...any idea what wattage your charger is?

Mase · Post by **Mase** » Tue May 30, 2006 7:32 am

Yes, fitting problems is a common thing for the few of us who actually use the outlet. You can just buy a .99 cent grounding adapter (3-prong to 2-prong) and use that as a spacer to plug more things in. In the last Toyota sponsored show I went to, they had a feedback forum at the meet. I filled out a card commenting on the poor accessibility of the 110v outlet.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue May 30, 2006 8:13 am

At some point I had some AC device with one of those bulky boxes on the end (a transformer, but I call 'em wall warts), and I used an small 2 prong extension cord. I keep the cord in the car in case I need to use it again. I have also used those 2 to 3 prong adapters (like Mase recommends) without problem in the Vibe before.

damronjr · Post by **damronjr** » Tue May 30, 2006 8:18 am

Who uses this outlet and for what? I found that many things I tried to use from that outlet wouldn't work. (i.e. small vacuum, rotary tool, etc...)

Smokin' Rubber · Post by **Smokin' Rubber** » Tue May 30, 2006 9:14 am

I re-routed the power from the outlet to my glove box and soldered a new end onto it that is easier to plug into so it powers my Xbox and 7.5" LCD just fine granted it only gets used for long trips when a passenger is board and wants to watch a movie/play xbox

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Tue May 30, 2006 10:30 am

Thats what I bought, but it was a little too big and it wouldn't fit correctly. I just need to find one that is a little bit smaller. I just thought that having the outlet and hinge placement the way it was, was poor design. Just need to keep looking for the proper size. Hopefully without spending too much money.

tangerine · Post by **tangerine** » Tue May 30, 2006 11:19 am

I used to love running a vaccuum in mine, never had a problem plugging things in. Also usewd to use it to charge my laptop driving.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue May 30, 2006 11:51 am

What vacuum consumes <100 watts??? I've never seen one!

P-Fernandez · Post by **P-Fernandez** » Tue May 30, 2006 12:17 pm

I use it to charge a cellphone, laptop ( for navigation ), an XM Myfi.. (when i forget the car charger) and many other things.... i also plugged in a hair dryer once, and the car was on acc

binary · Post by **binary** » Tue May 30, 2006 12:19 pm

Laptop... and it uses 68 watts!Vacuum cleaners use a sick amount of power... my shopvac is rated in horsepower, and house vac is rated for 12amps... neither would work in my car without blowing a fuse.I've ran into the same problem, and also use a short extension cord for wall warts... I toss them into the glove compartment.

GMJAP · Post by **GMJAP** » Tue May 30, 2006 12:35 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»What vacuum consumes I've seen keyboard vacs that plug in I have to say the best use I've heard, if I recall correctly, is joatmon using it to power the blower on his wood-burning stove during a winter blackout!But to be back on topic I agree with accessibility problems. It seems to be more of a novelty than a well-designed accessory. It's a great idea, though, as evidenced by the aftermarket converters that have popped in Wal-Mart, Fry's, Target, & everywhere else over the last several years.

P-Fernandez · Post by **P-Fernandez** » Tue May 30, 2006 2:10 pm

like GMJAP says.. good idea, bad place / design..i wonder how hrd it id to move it.. and to cover it up

Smokin' Rubber · Post by **Smokin' Rubber** » Tue May 30, 2006 3:35 pm

Quote, originally posted by P-Fernandez Â»i wonder how hrd it id to move it.. and to cover it upNot hard, like I said my outlet is in my glove compartment and I used a household 120 watt extension cord with 3 plug spots (for using several low amp/low watt things) cut the plug side of the cord off and soldered/taped the connections to where the outlet connections were, then bought a blank faceplate thing for the area where the outlet was supposed to be so now you would never be able to tell one used to be there

2006Vibe · Post by **2006Vibe** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:04 am

1 electrical hp = 746 watts.so if you have a 1hp vac, it'll need 746 watts of power, which is 6.21 A @120VAC

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed May 31, 2006 1:15 am

Quote, originally posted by 2006Vibe Â»1 electrical hp = 746 watts.back in the 1800s, an international community of physicists were arguing about how many watts should be the standard value of one horsepower. The Italian, Spanish, and Portugese representatives wanted it to be 1492, to mark the year Columbus discovered America. The British, however, were still pretty pissed about the American revolution and the 1812 war, so they were opposed. Finally, they compromised, and settled for half of that.(or at least that's the story a high school teach of mine made up to help us remember 746)

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Wed May 31, 2006 11:58 am

I got to thinking that the piece on the extender that wouldn't fit was just made out of plastic, so why not trim it down. Works like a champ now.

omega2551 · Post by **omega2551** » Sat Apr 27, 2013 5:27 pm

Sorry to bump this, but I've purchased a 2 prong to 3 prong adapter for use with the 110V outlet. Is there any harm to using a 3 pronged appliance (like my laptop) in this fashion?

A Psycho Martyr · Post by **A Psycho Martyr** » Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:35 pm

I've used my laptop on mine and it went fine.

Tried a shop light tho and it lit up, went dim, then cut out.

I guess some stuff it just WON'T push.

I would imagine worst case scenario it'd blow a fuse

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:48 pm

omega2551 wrote:Sorry to bump this, but I've purchased a 2 prong to 3 prong adapter for use with the 110V outlet. Is there any harm to using a 3 pronged appliance (like my laptop) in this fashion?

I believe the adapter has been used here before, as far as I can remember it worked.

Your equipment will not be grounded when using one, of course.

design flaw?

design flaw?

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