If there is one thing that irritates the hell out of me it's that the usb's and power socket aren't always on. Why the heck would they turn off with the car and stop charging a phone. It sure isn't going to kill a battery putting out only 1-2 amps. Tried doing a search but can't find any modification thread for this. Has anyone modified any of their ports to be always on? If so, where did you connect to power? I did it in my truck to the two power sockets with no problems.
Newer VIN constant 12v power options (dashcam)? There is a connector that you could use to swap in a +5V supply of your own choosing just behind the touchscreen, I believe in the panel at the passenger footwell. There are more threads around here. The thread posted above talks about where to find constant +12V. I can't find the thread I was thinking of where it was discussed adding a better power supply, but I'm sure someone else might remember.
Not sure about the USB ports, but there was also a thread showing where to find the relay for the 12v socket in the fuse panel and how you could pop it out and install a jumper so it stays on all the time.
If you want to use the ODBII connector for permanent 12V power you can hack together a cable that does just that. Just need to pick the correct 2 wires which is pretty easy. My hack job looked like this: The parts cost $18 and it took about 5 mins to cut the ends and solder the wires. Not a permanent modification to the Model S, just plugs into the ODBII. I use it for my dash cam.
Nice, but how many amps can the OBD II port deliver and is it fused anywhere? I would probably want to throw an in-line fuse into that assembly if it were me.
Yes, it is fused. See owner's manual for location and size. 5A rings a bell, but it's been a while since I looked.
