Is there an issue or something I need to do to get the cigarette lighter adapter cell phone chargers to work? The lighters themselves all heat up just fine and the little lights come on the charging things. The phones just don't register themselves as being on the charger.
Does the charger work in OTHER cars? Because I think it's your charger if the LED indicator light is lit. I use the cigar lighter all the time in my '58 wagon with no issues.
Yeah, I use mine in my '79 Ranchero with no problems. My portable air pump does, but all I have to do is jiggle it around until the emergency light comes on.
If you have to jiggle anything to make it work, that suggests a grounding issue usually caused by corrosion or a loose locking ring.
If you have to jiggle a cigar lighter plug then that silver ground tab needs slightly bent more to ground. Or the hot tip needs cleaned off by simply scraping it on something. If I had one that wasn't charging my phone I'd try it in another vehicle.
I encountered a similar problem with a universal charger/power supply. The socket was too deep and the plug tip didn't reach the contact at the bottom. So the circuit was not completed. Compare it with a plug you know works and see how far each plugs in.
Get a bigger hammer. We get universal chargers at flea markets for a few dollars. Seem like even then we need at least two. One might not work for the phone we take with us. Never had one that didn't hit bottom but sometimes they fit too loose and need the ground bent.
If it's an iPhone, they also need a lot of current before charging is permitted by the software. I have one USB connector that is rated for 500 milliamps and it will not work. I have another rated at 1000 milliamps that does work.
Okay - I found the issue after much procrastinating and finally looking. The knock-off brand gas-station charger I bought somewhere in south Georgia one business trip because I forgot mine was just a touch shorter than a good one - so the connection was being made, but just barely. Which would probably be fine for an older clam shell phone or something, but not a power hungry HTC.
