I'm considering installing a cradle for the phone in a 2014 R57S (convertible cooper s). The craven garmin mount will probably do the job. The phone has a cradle with a ball socket on the back of it. I've had decent luck in the past using that with other garmin mounts. Otherwise I'll shop around with Arkon and the like to find the necessary bits to make it work.

My question is where to steal power for the phone? I'd rather avoid having a cable snaking all the way up from the accessory/lighter outlet down in the console.

Does anyone make a kit to leech power for a micro-usb plug? If not, whose pieces would be ideal, and where would I tap into the car for powering it?

 

I know someone makes a hardwire option for the Garmin, so I imagine someone out there has one to fit your phone. you can still wire it to the lighter circuit under the console, but it will be switched power. Eventually I'm going to do that for my Garmin, which I also have on a Craven mount.

 

I saw some cabling in the PDF for the R56 install documentation for the factory kit. But I only gave it a quick read, so I don't know what cabling is involved or what it offers over just splicing something manually.

I suppose if there's a 'delay circuit' for other accessories it'd be nice to tap into that. I don't know if the R57 does this or not, but other vehicles we've had will keep the radio running and the door windows operable after you turn off the engine, until you open a door. Does the USB socket down in the console stay powered as long as the radio?

 

Our GPS Mount Pro-Series actually includes a solution to the problem you are describing. There is a socket that can be wired in under the console near the oem 12V socket. The mini-usb cable from Garmin can be plugged into it and the wire traced up to the steering column.

 

Not all chargers are created equal. Due to the limitations in the USB spec, phones cannot draw over 100mA until high current charging is enabled by a USB host.
Manufacturers use various methods to signal the phone to begin high current charging.

Apple uses two voltages on the USB data lines (as per the USB spec)
Some Android uses the two voltages too
Other Android uses the data pins shorted together
Other Android devices use the data lines shorted to GND

Only one combination will suit your phone and 100mA is probably more that the phone will use just with the LCD backlight and nav running meaning you will still (more slowly) discharge the battery.

I get around this by installing an in line cigarette lighter behind the dash from the radio Acc line and use a cigarette-USB charger to suit my handset.

 

Having had in-line cigarette lighter chargers overheat, and one actually CAUGHT FIRE, in the past I'm not eager to install one permanently behind the dash. And no, they weren't just chinese junk ones either.

 

There is no way to convert 12V to 5V for charging without using a DCDC power supply. Wether it be mounted in a rectangular box or a cigarette lighter shaped tube is no indication of the quality of the electronics circuit design inside and hence the risk of overheating.

Excess heat is caused by using a regulator to drop from 12V to 5V, and the heat generated will be proportional to the charging current drawn.

The correct way to do it is to use s switching power supply down to say 6V followed by regulation from 6V to 5V. this will generate less heat for the same charging current drawn.

In practice it is possible to switch down to 5V as the phone will have some charing regulation inside that can handle minor fluctuations.