Truck Plug Suite
Background
The process of attaching a trailer/RV/etc to a truck involves a mechanical hitch as well as a 7 pin electrical connection. The electrical
connection serves to send power to the brakes, indicator lights, and provide any necessary auxiliary power. A client of mine approached me with
some ideas on how to improve these products.
SafePlug
Currently on the market, there exist 'tester' plugs for the 7 pin connector to allow a user to see which ports are sending signal. However, to use them,
any other device, such as an RV or trailer, needs to be unplugged. I designed an extension cord with a tester built in. A single large 'ring' of red LEDs
indicates whether the main 12V pin has power and the 5 green/yellow lights indicate brake power as well as brake, reverse, and indicator lights.
Wrapped Extension Plug
My client explained to me a situation he found himself in frequently: as a real estate developer and entrepreneur, he was frequently showing people
designs around the tailgate of his truck. Oftentimes, his laptop or iPad would run out of battery and he would then have to awkwardly shift to the driver
side of the car, where he could plug in his device to a port on the dashboard. The 7 pin plug on the back of the truck provides a 12V supply (similar to the
cigarette lighter in many cars) which is enough power to charge a small device. I designed a casing that could be wrapped with any company's logo and uses a
series of transformers to power a 110V AC outlet as well as a 5V USB type A and type C port.
