QUESTION = Why do we still have car lighters instead of regular electricity plugs GENERATION = It's a throwback to the days when cars had a wall outlet (essentially the same thing your extension cord does). You had to put the socket on the wall outlet, so you had to put the plug in the socket. Just a throwback from a time when people used to be more prone to accidentally putting their plug into a power cord, so you'd need a replacement. Nowadays, there's not a need for that sort of thing. You've got a lightbulb (or better yet, a radio, of course) and not a wall outlet to connect to. The same can be said for a car lighter; it doesn't have an electrical plug. Modern electronics don't require high-current conversion, so there's no reason to go out of your way to add a light plug to the lighter. It's fine to plug in an outlet to an existing light socket, so why bother adding a plug to the lighter when the light will work fine. It's much safer, and *lighter* than switching to the lighter. RETRIEVAL #0 = Auxiliary car power outlet---which high current (~10 amperes) passes when the device is activated, usually by pushing it into the socket as though it were a push-button. When pushed in, the lighter is held against the force of a spring by a clip attached to a bi-metallic strip. The heating element glows orange hot in seconds, causing the bi-metallic strip to bend and release the mechanism, and the handle pops out, eliminating the need for the user to time the heating operation. If the lighter is then promptly removed from its socket, it can light a cigarette, cigar, or tinder. Section::::Use as an electrical outlet. In newer cars, the socket is equipped with a plastic cover without the lighter heating element. However, the socket has been repurposed and continues to be used to power consumer electronics in vehicles. Often, a vehicle may come with several outlets for convenience, some in the rear passenger area of the vehicle or even the cargo area, for powering portable devices. These outlets usually have a plastic cap tethered to them, and are usually labeled as being only for DC power, because they are not intended to withstand the heat produced by an electrical cigarette lighter. The use of cigarette lighter receptacles to supply 12 volt DC power is an example of backward compatibility to a de facto standard. As a power connector, the lighter receptacle is RETRIEVAL #1 = Auxiliary car power outlet---power outlet include lights, fans, beverage heating devices, and small motorized tools such as air compressors for inflating tires. Many portable electronic devices such as music players, mobile telephones and power banks use an adapter (usually a USB charger) connected to the car power outlet to recharge their internal batteries or to directly operate from the vehicle electrical system. Adapters for electronic devices often regulate the output voltage to be compatible with the supplied device, e.g. 5V for normal USB chargers. Higher output voltages such as 9V or 12V can be outputted by some fast chargers, while some others use higher output currents only. Devices that require alternating-current mains electricity can be operated with a plug-in inverter, which outputs voltage levels and patterns similar to the home electrical outlet. Automobiles may provide several 12 V receptacles that are intended only to operate electrical accessories, and which cannot be used with a cigarette lighter, despite of having the same shape and diameter. Car manufacturers may offer a cigarette lighter only as an optional extra-cost accessory. Usually, only one 12 V receptacle near the driver will be able to accommodate an actual cigarette lighter, with other receptacles designated as "12 V auxiliary power outlets" which are not physically able to power a lighter. Section::::History. The electrical cigar-lighter was invented and patented in RETRIEVAL #2 = Auxiliary car power outlet---second socket in American automobiles expressly for DC power connections. Plugs often include a pilot light LED indicator to indicate that electrical power is connected. Optionally, the plug may be equipped with an internal fuse for electrical safety, usually rated at 10 amps or less. In some designs, the tip of the plug may be unscrewed to reveal a cylindrical glass fuse; other variants may use a blade-type fuse inserted into the side or back of the plug. Section::::Use as an electrical outlet.:Design considerations. Since the cigarette lighter socket was originally designed only to heat a cigarette lighter, repurposing these sockets as generic power connectors can lead to many problems. In addition to the issues with partially-compatible physical dimensions, the plugs can vibrate out of the socket under normal driving conditions, owing to poor retention. Also, there have been reports of melted plug tips due to poor contact and heat generation from ohmic resistance. Non-vehicular use in stationary settings may avoid vibration problems when used as an alternative to 120 volt AC outlets, but low-quality connectors may still develop high resistance or intermittent contact. As a DC power connector, it has the disadvantages of bulkiness, relatively low current rating, and poor contact reliability. However, due to it's large diameter, the connector and appliances can have a robust design RETRIEVAL #3 = Auxiliary car power outlet---harder to use and less reliable than other DC connectors. Cigarette lighter receptacles are in widespread use in many highway vehicles and some boats. Portable cigarette lighter receptacles attached to cables and alligator clips for connection directly to car batteries are available for temporary use. In newer vehicles, one or more USB connectors may also be provided. Standardized 12 volt DC automobile plugs are defined in the United States by UL Standard 2089 regarding vehicle battery adapters. This standard covers plugs and cord sets that insert into cigarette lighter receptacles. In Europe, 12 volt plugs and sockets are not specially regulated, and do not require approvals for the CE mark. The male plug is sometimes used to feed power "into" a vehicle to recharge its battery, because it usually has no regulatory circuitry between the outlet and the car battery. For instance, portable solar battery maintainers generally connect to a vehicle's battery in this manner. Trickle chargers also sometimes connect in this way, eliminating the need to leave a vehicle's hood open, as well as eliminating the possibility of reversed polarity. Most cars nowadays are designed with a battery-negative earthing system and therefore have +12v positive power distribution. In such case the centre pin of a plug/socket will be +12V DC and the outer casing 0V. While polarity is not an issue for RETRIEVAL #4 = Lighter---a catalytic coil. An electric spark starts the initial flame, and soon the coil is hot enough to cause the fuel–air mixture to burn on contact. Section::::Other types. Section::::Other types.:Jet lighter. As opposed to lighters of the naphtha or standard butane type (whether refillable or disposable), which combust incompletely and thus create a sooty, orange "safety" flame, jet lighters produce a blue flame that in some cases is almost invisible and invariably burns at a far higher temperature. The spark in such lighters is almost always produced by an electric arc (as seen below), but some arc lighters burn with incomplete combustion. Disadvantages to the jet lighter include a "roaring" noise in operation, as well as higher fuel consumption. Section::::Other types.:Electric arc lighter. Arc lighters use a spark to create a plasma conduit between electrodes, which is then maintained by a lower voltage. The arc is then applied to a flammable substance to cause ignition. Section::::Other types.:Automobile lighter. Some vehicles are equipped with an electric lighter located on the dashboard or in the well between the front seats. Its electric heating element becomes hot in seconds upon activation. The car lighter was claimed to have been invented by Alexander Kucala, a tavern owner and inventor, on the south side of Chicago RETRIEVAL #5 = Auxiliary car power outlet---verify correct matching of polarities when connecting other kinds of accessory. In some models, the cigarette lighter outlet is not powered when the ignition key is removed and charging is not possible. Section::::Use as an electrical outlet.:Technical details. The sockets and mating plugs are defined in the ANSI/SAE J563 specification. For the 12 volt systems, the center contact is the positive terminal and the shell is the negative terminal. Most automobiles connect the negative terminal to the frame of the vehicle (negative ground). 12 volt auto connectors are made to comply with a standard by Underwriters Laboratories for safety. UL2089 was developed to cover the requirements for portable adapters rated 24 V DC or less that are intended to be supplied from the battery powered electrical system of a vehicle. Products covered by the standard include cord assemblies of a plug that mates with the standard cigarette receptacle found in automobiles. BULLET::::- 6-volt cigarette lighter receptacle and plug: BULLET::::- Receptacle inside diameter: (median ) BULLET::::- Plug body diameter: (median ) BULLET::::- 12-volt cigarette lighter receptacle and plug, size A: BULLET::::- Receptacle inside diameter: (median ) BULLET::::- Plug body diameter RETRIEVAL #6 = Glowplug---plugs are also used as re-usable igniters in theatrical pyrotechnics and the special effects industry to remotely ignite pyrotechnic devices using flash and smoke composition powders. Section::::See also. BULLET::::- Block heater