Since the new GoPros were just announced and confirmed to have USB-C, I figured I would give a more-than-basic how-to on how I hacked together a USB-C charger.
RSI Racing sells a USB-A (what most things are using now) charger but they did not respond to my email when I asked if a USB-C variant was on the horizon. You could purchase this and use a USB-A to USB-C adapter and have it work decently but it will not support Fast Charging which is exclusive to USB-C.
Since the bullet connector in the wiring harness under the hood is 12v and fuse protected, we can plug into that as recommended by the manual.
All you need to do is get the matching bullet connector and wire it to a standard car charger's connectors. However, USB- C is a relatively new standard and many of the accessories on the market have not performed as expected/required upon testing. Benson Leung works for Google (or has some other sort of credibility I am forgetting) and has reviewed a bunch and gone into detail on Google +. I found this Google Doc Spreadsheet that shows what has been OK'd. I went with the Vinsic option listed. Notes show it voltage will sag when using both ports but it will have Fast Charging via the USB C. I couldn't find any double USB-C car chargers that passed the test so that will have to do for now.
From there, disassemble the unit and connect to the electrical contacts appropriately -- Center is +, Outer is -
I dropped mine in an electrical enclosure. Mouser is a great place to find that. They have more than enough to choose from. I went with a waterproof option even though I had to drill holes to allow the cables to enter and exit. I used some electrical caulk to seal those holes back up. Its probably not completely waterproof but should stay dry enough behind the instrument cluster.
I have an underhood bag and ran the USB cable through the dash into that bag so I can charge whatever devices I need. I also ran the USB connector for the PIDD into that bag so I can pop in my flash drive without undoing any latches etc.
I apologize for lack of pictures but did not bother since it was relatively straight forward once I had all the parts. Let me know if clarification is needed on anything and I will edit this main post.
RSI Racing sells a USB-A (what most things are using now) charger but they did not respond to my email when I asked if a USB-C variant was on the horizon. You could purchase this and use a USB-A to USB-C adapter and have it work decently but it will not support Fast Charging which is exclusive to USB-C.
Since the bullet connector in the wiring harness under the hood is 12v and fuse protected, we can plug into that as recommended by the manual.
All you need to do is get the matching bullet connector and wire it to a standard car charger's connectors. However, USB- C is a relatively new standard and many of the accessories on the market have not performed as expected/required upon testing. Benson Leung works for Google (or has some other sort of credibility I am forgetting) and has reviewed a bunch and gone into detail on Google +. I found this Google Doc Spreadsheet that shows what has been OK'd. I went with the Vinsic option listed. Notes show it voltage will sag when using both ports but it will have Fast Charging via the USB C. I couldn't find any double USB-C car chargers that passed the test so that will have to do for now.
From there, disassemble the unit and connect to the electrical contacts appropriately -- Center is +, Outer is -
I dropped mine in an electrical enclosure. Mouser is a great place to find that. They have more than enough to choose from. I went with a waterproof option even though I had to drill holes to allow the cables to enter and exit. I used some electrical caulk to seal those holes back up. Its probably not completely waterproof but should stay dry enough behind the instrument cluster.
I have an underhood bag and ran the USB cable through the dash into that bag so I can charge whatever devices I need. I also ran the USB connector for the PIDD into that bag so I can pop in my flash drive without undoing any latches etc.
I apologize for lack of pictures but did not bother since it was relatively straight forward once I had all the parts. Let me know if clarification is needed on anything and I will edit this main post.
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