USB gadgets

Most of us will have a USB socket in the camper van, but are you using it for more than just charging your phone?

Fan

An 8 inch fan powered on USB will keep you cool in summer and can be purchased for under £15. We have one similar to the one in the picture and it hangs neatly upside down from the roof aperture on the Dormobile.

Power pack

If you are charging your phone then going out, sometimes you need just that little bit extra. Or if you have no leisure battery and only use USB when driving to avoid flattening the starter battery, this is another option.

A Power bank is a battery with a USB or two to keep your mobile charged when away from a power source. You can also use it when outside to power the fan when sitting outside enjoying the warm weather. Power banks are readily available but be careful buying the really cheap ones – they are often very small capacity. Look for at least 10000mAh (milli amp hours) and avoid anything with claims of more than 100,000mAh – they are not that powerful! Expect to pay around £20.

If you own an iPhone, you do not need to buy a battery pack that says that it is suitable for an iPhone. They are all USB and they all work fine!

Toothbrush charger

We used to take out bulky toothbrush charger with the 2 pin shaver plug and the 3 pin converter. Then every few days whilst at a camp site with a shower (we cannot go too long without a proper shower and have not invested in the Karcher portable shower as featured last issue), we were plugging that into the socket in the shower blocks! Then we discovered the joys of USB. Now we charge when we want, in the van and the charger is a lot smaller – every little helps! These can be purchased online for under £5 and now we have the big one at home and the little one permanently on board!

WARNING – if you have the 240-volt charger for a toothbrush, do not use it with an inverter on your vehicle. The electronics in the charger will flatten your battery.

Voltmeter

Upgrade your USB socket! Whether you have 1 or 2 USB sockets in the standard round hole, replacing it with a built-in voltmeter will give you easy access to check the charge level of your battery. Available for about £5, there are 2 pins on the back that you can pull the cables off the existing one and replace with a new one. Or supplement a new pair! You can never have enough USB sockets – we have 1 in the front, 2 by the sliding door and 2 each above where we sleep (charge the phone and run the fan at the same time!). Available for about £7 each which is almost the same price as buying a pair of USB sockets without the voltmeter.

Just be wary of buying a really bright voltmeter and fitting it right where you sleep! They can be very bright!