Cell Phone Charger

[AndrewBird]

Ok, this isn't exactly ICE installs, but I want to hardwire a cell phone charger into my car. I hate seeing a bunch of wires and crap hanging out of my 12v outlet. Instead of just buying a normal one and hardwiring it, I would just like to make my own out of part from Radio Shack as it would be cheaper (About $5 compared to almost $30). I need to convert 12 volts down to 3.4 volts. What will I need to do this?Any help would be great. Thanks.

Andrew

[KenC]

I think you'd need to convert it to AC first and then use a step-down transformer (essentially just two coils) to drop the potential from 12 to 3.4 volts. You'd be better off dropping the $30.

[AndrewBird]

I assumed this is what I need to do, but what exactly do I need to do it? I've seen the inside of some chargers and they look as if they only have a resistor or two to lower the voltage.

Andrew

[KenC]

I'm not sure how you'd drop voltage in a DC circuit. You'd also want to make sure that the correct amount of current is flowing.