Most cars are
equipped with an electric cigarette lighter plug that fits in
the socket. Its internal heating element becomes glowing orange
hot in seconds when the device is activated, and is capable of
lighting cigarettes, cigars and tinder (among other things).
The lighter's socket doubles as a 12 volt power outlet that can
be used to power many small electrical devices. In some newer
cars, due to the decreasing popularity of smoking in some
countries and the popularity of in-car electronics, the lighter
plug has been omitted while leaving the socket behind as a power
source.
The car cigarette lighter socket or car adapter that most
automobile drivers and passengers are familiar with is properly
called a cigar lighter receptacle, since it was originally
designed as a lighter for cigars — hence its large size and
unheated center that make it less than ideal to light a
cigarette.
These sockets were not originally designed to provide electrical
power, and are not an ideal power connector for several reasons,
notably the fact that three sizes exist (two for 12-volt DC and
one for the older 6-volt DC systems) and the mating of the
different sized 12 V DC plugs and jacks is problematic. Because
of this, and the small-gauge wiring sometimes used, the power
connections they provide are sometimes unreliable and not
suitable for high-power devices.
Despite these limitations, they are often used for many
purposes; for example, electric razors, portable spotlights,
laptop computers, mobile phones, PDAs, USB adapters, digital
audio players, lamps, or even thermoelectric coolers. For
devices that run on regular line voltage, a plug-in inverter
will convert to alternating current, and transform it up to 120
or 240 volts AC. Inverters have become so popular that some
larger vehicles (minivans, pickup trucks, SUVs, and especially
recreational vehicles) come with them built-in, along with
domestic AC sockets.
Low-power devices that run on even lower voltages can be plugged
into these sockets by using a DC/DC converter. Universal ones
have a switch that allows selection of 3, 4.5, 6, 9, and 12
volts. Some instead supply 5 volts to a USB "A" socket, allowing
USB devices to be used or recharged. Likewise, the USB socket
has become the cigar lighter socket of the computer world, with
dozens of unrelated devices now using it for power, especially
because of its ubiquitous connector (unlike the many sizes and
voltages of coaxial power connectors).
Lighters in Pop Culture >>
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Lighters
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Car cigarette lighters
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