Anker power supply - hard wiring modification

[Graham Elvis]

The ubiquitous cigarette lighter socket is a notoriously unreliable connector.  I have had radio failure due to such a plug/socket working loose.  All is well when new but eventually corrosion creeps in and the problems start.

Sadly, Anker do not make a panel mount version so I have stripped one down to establish the best way of making a secure connection.
The attached drawing "Anker Flying Leads.jpg" shows the steps needed to solder flying leads directly into the circuit board.

04-19-18 I added information about fuse protection and  a neat mounting solution using a low cost clip.

[exfirepro]

Hi,

Nice out of the box thinking GE. Looks an impressive mod. Just remember to wire it through a suitable low amp circuit breaker or fuse.

Regards

Peter

[Graham Elvis]

Thanks and a good point exfirepro.  At 12V the current will be 2A maximum (24W) so a 3A fuse/breaker would do it.
I should also have stated that the red wire goes to positive and black to negative/common.

[Keithvinning]

Dont forget as a rule of thumb a fuse will blow at twice its rating so 2A will be OK

[GeoffreyC]

Thought I would share my own photos and experience of converting an Anker powerdrive 2 into a permanent power supply for my PAW.

Following Graham’s instructions and photos, when I sawed the nose off I found that the tip of the Anker had a spring underneath that was in turn connected to the top of the circuit board by a pressed metal loop.  Carefully I used a small screwdriver to lever up the metal loop, freeing the spring and giving an excellent connection point for the live connection cable.

To remove the side connectors I put the Anker in a vice and used a soldering iron to heat up the metal side connector, then with a screwdriver levered it out as the plastic around the connector went soft.

When connecting the cables to the Anker, remember to feed them through the tip you cut off earlier.  The hole will need enlarging slightly, either with a drill or I used the soldering iron.

I wired a fuse connector inline with the Anker, a few pounds for 5 off eBay.

Then to cover the Anker up I used 25mm heat shrink. 19mm was too tight and wouldn’t fit over the Anker body.

[GeoffreyC]

Photos:

• Exposed live terminal connection inside the tip of the Anker
• Heating the side connection with a soldering iron to loosen it
• Levering up the side connection
• Leads fed through the previously removed Anker tip, neutral ready for soldering

[GeoffreyC]

More photos:

• Live cable fed under the metal loop, ready for soldering
• Both cables soldered in
• Heat shrink fed over the cables and pushed up onto the Anker
• After heating with a hot air gun, ready for fitting to the plane

[GeoffreyC]

And finally, fitted to my plane with velcro to hold the Anker in place, snuggled on top of the base bar next to the battery.

Thanks for the great idea, I'm much happier with this fitted to give a dedicated stable power supply.

[Young_C]

Many thanks Graham & Geoffrey,
I followed your modification instructions on my Anker power supply today, and they worked a treat!
See photo below.

Best Regards,
Chris.

[neilmurg]

This looks great, but, what next?
Wire it in to replace of the cigar lighter?
I guess this might be a problem in a certified aircraft, but I'd love to do it to improve my PAw / tablet power supply

[GeoffreyC]

For me I wired this in as a dedicated power supply for my pilotaware and had it signed off by the inspector as part of the standard minor modification for the pilot aware installation.

For a certified aircraft you might be better with fitting a charge 2/ 4 usb supply as these are already approved

https://charge4.harkwood.co.uk/

[steveu]

For a certified aircraft you might be better with fitting a charge 2/ 4 usb supply as these are already approved

https://charge4.harkwood.co.uk/

Plus one for Charge 2/4. Path to certified install IIRC and a very high quality product.

[CliveJ]

I’ve been using one of these for over a month now.
Dirt cheap and it drives the PAW and it’s 4G dongle without and power supply issues.
Wired in under the panel and freed up my cigar lighter socket.
The circuit is fused of course and I can pull that to reboot the PAW tho TBF I have had to do that for a long while.

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! ￡3.90 | Waterproof 12V/24V to 5V Converter DC-DC Step Down Module Power Adapter USB-A Female/Type C/dual USB/open Wire Connector
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EIeNlet

[JCurtis]

If you saw what was inside those you wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole.