"Steve W." wrote in message
...
robobass wrote:
When the family makes a road trip I bring along a 12v 4 amp cooler.
The ciggie plug melted long ago and I wired up one of those 3/16"
cannon shaped connectors used for low voltage home stuff like
laptops, external HDs etc. It also gets very hot and is starting to
melt. What's a good off-the-shelf solution which doesn't take up
much
room? The whole ciggie plug thing is the dumbest convention ever, I
must say. I can't believe it's still extant.

http://www.andersonpower.com/product...onnectors.html

--
Steve W.

Andersens are great electrically but difficult to mount in a panel or
connect by feel in the dark, and not sealed against dirt or liquids
such as spray cleaner. Crimping the 45 Amp pins is difficult without
the expensive special tool, so I use the 30A pins and solder them
carefully at the front end, not allowing solder to wick all the way
through which would create a brittle weak spot. If deformed by
crimping they may not fully seat and then pull out of the housing when
disconnected. As with all connectors they should be checked with a
pull test. How hard to pull is something you learn on the job from the
foreman.

A decent lighter plug shouldn't overheat from 4A, or 10A. The trick is
fnding a good one. They do have the advantages of dust caps, no sharp
protrusions, and being easy to connect by feel with one hand.

-jsw