power outlet pulsing

The power outlets in the Prius seem to be a little bit deeper than standard. See if you can push the adapter in further into the power outlet so the tip at the end, in the center, can make good contact with the terminal in the outlet.

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Also try pulling the adapter out then rotate it say 30 degrees and plug it all the way back in. See if that helps.

As xliderider said, the hole is a little deeper than some of the others. My charger gets flaky at times too, a simple push in on the adapter solves the problem. Got a lot of stuff in the center console along with the adapter...

Congrats on the new to you Prius and "Welcome to Prius Chat"!

 

Is this a generic power adapter? Look at the power ratings on the power adapter label and compare it to the one on your OEM wall charger.

Many modern smartphones require pretty high charging current, some in the 800 miliamps range or close to 1 amp or 1000 miliamps. Some generic power adapters are rated 5v DC output, but much lower than the typical smartphone charging requirements.

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Very interesting. I have a Samsung Galaxy S3, and my phone seems to charge slower when I have it plugged into the transformer coming from the outlet adapter (as opposed to charging it at home). Perhaps the transformer has a maximum draw of less milliamps than the phone can draw?

I recently bought a 12v to 5v step-down DC adapter which I plan to use to power my Garmin GPS and possibly a dash cam in the future. I believe it can draw up to 3 amps. I plan to hook it up to a combination auxiliary audio input and USB port. Perhaps I'll try to compare the two and see if the 3 amp transformer charges the phone any faster.

 

Yes, if your USB adapter can supply up to 3A, then it will charge as fast as your wall charger at home. Use of a regular usb cable would be a plus as well with the step down adapter with USB port.

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