Cbe 12v Outlet Socket

[Pete C]

I built one of these into the panel beside the sliding door on our van. It hasn't been used much, but seemed to work fine the odd time we have used it with a bike washer.

I tried it today with a new awning light, and it doesn't work. There is something about the shape of it internally that means it doesn't connect to the "cigarette lighter" type plug that the light uses. I thought perhaps maybe we had damaged the socket, but I tried the awning light on a spare CBE socket that I wired up, and it didn't work on that either.

So I have just tried every single device of this type that we have on the CBE outlet and the outlet in the dashboard, and whilst the dashboard one works perfectly every time, the CBE ones only work on about 25% of the devices.

So it looks like I need to replace the CBE one. Before I make a purchase, has anyone else had this experience, and is there a 12v cigarette lighter type outlet that you would recommend.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[Wills]

Assuming they’re LEDs? Have you checked the socket polarity has been connected correctly?

 

[Pete C]

Assuming they’re LEDs? Have you checked the socket polarity has been connected correctly?

Yes, that's definitely OK. It seems to be about variability in the shape of the plug. The VW dashboard one works with everything, and the CBE one doesn't, from what I can see.

Pete

 

[Phil_G]

Its most unfortunate that the 'cig lighter' socket has become the standard for all 12v accessories. Its a terrible design, it relies on
insertion friction for contact pressure. That friction varies with plug design and reduces with wear, and the subsequent lack of
contact pressure causes heating and melted plastic. Its unneccessarily huge in diameter and in depth, and it can short if the plug
is angled on insertion. When vertically-mounted as they are in many car consoles, they're prone to shorts through odd coins
falling inside. They're absolutely awful things. Cig lighters, not coins. Coins are good

There's no concensus on whether the plug or the socket is sprung for contact pressure.
Some sockets are sprung and will apply pressure to any plug its able to retain with friction, but some are simply a metal tube
with a rigid contact plate are the end, which are fine if the plug has both a sprung-contact and sprung friction-retainers - but this
type of socket is useless with unsprung plugs. Evil things.
For inline connectors I use XT60's which are proper connectors, happy up to 60 amps continuous, and if thats not enough theres an XT90 variant.
These connectors originate from model-aircraft lipo batteries, where they have to carry heavy current with minimum loss - in other words
they're designed for their specific purpose, just like a cig-lighter is designed only to light cigs

Cheers
Phil

 

[Eclipse Custom Vans]

yep, sometimes th CBE does not provide a good connection, loose, intermittent etc. Not very good

 

[Pete C]

Thanks Phil - I agree. Every single thing I plugged into the socket to test it had a different shape !

I have sorted it as best I can, but it's still not perfect. The plug I was pushing in had a spring loaded positive terminal, which was so strong that it pushed the plug out of the socket, and disconnected the negative terminals. I dismantled the plug, and shortened the spring, and this has improved things i.e. it stays in just about.

I am going to look at other options now, but that's going to be more of a project.

Pete

 

[Daffy]

I have had the same issue on mine, 2x CBE sockets in the rear and 1x VW socket in the front, the VW one works every time and the CBE ones are temperamental to say the least, the issues that I experienced were

• The socket isn’t deep enough to allow the plug to go in far enough to prevent it from tipping and breaking the contact.
• My main problem was that I was forever plugging my fridge back in as it would lose the connection.
• There is only approx 1.5mm of ‘gap’ between the negative ring and the positive supply, if I pushed a certain type of plug in hard it would short them and blow the fuse.
• The dual type plug that fits both the DIN type sockets and cigarette lighter sockets is too long to make the negative connection.

I came to the conclusion that they were complete rubbish so swapped them out for CBE 12v DIN type sockets which make a really positive connection as it carries out the function for which it was designed.

The CBE part number for the socket is 270302, its a straight swap.

Pretty much everything can be swapped to the DIN type plug except the cigarette lighter usb charger, so i use these in the VW socket although i did make a short adaptor with a DIN plug and cigarette lighter socket but I have never used it.

 

[Pete C]

That’s really useful thanks @Daffy - will have a look at that type of connector.

Pete

 

[Daffy]

If you do go down this route, the plug is commonly called a ‘Hella plug’, if you type this into the eBay search bar you will also see adaptors to take it to a cigarette lighter socket for the odd things you cant change the plug on.

Interestingly, almost every hella type plug or socket has screwed terminals where most of the modern cigarette lighter plugs are now solder connections making the hella stuff easier to fit.

 

[Skyliner33]

Hella plugs are much better. Used by BMW on their motorcycles, never had an issue with bad connections on mine.

 

[walnuts]

Typical, I see this thread just hours after ordering a CBE Cigar Socket

Oh well, better to find out now before I've actually fitted it. Thanks for the tip Daffy, I'll order the Hella.

 

[Deaky]

After a few issues with my beer getting warm , I've changed the lead on my coolbox/fridge for a hella type and fitted a hella socket at the front and rear of the van. No problems since