Adding 12v pwr oultet to my '03 Baja - which power source should I use?

- A
- alex3324
  
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posted
19 years ago

Mon, Jun 21, 2004 4:11 PM

I posted this several weeks ago with no responses. Any ideas for me?

I'm going to add two 12v power outlets (cigarette-lighter type) to the rear of the center console. There's a nice little plastic panel that snaps out and is just begging for some outlets. Where should I tap into the power?

Should I make a long cable run to the battery, or is there a closer source? What about using the power source under the passenger seat for the dealer-installed audio amplifier?

Also, will attaching to the body-ground where the console mounts to the driveshaft tunnel provide me with clean power for running a cell phone charger, portable DVD and GPS unit or should I make a run to the battery?

Thanks in advance!

- J
- Jim Stewart
  
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posted
19 years ago

Mon, Jun 21, 2004 4:37 PM

Ham radio operators almost always go with wires to the battery. Granted, they usually draw a lot more current than your applications. If you connect directly to the battery, you'll have to be careful not leave anything on that might run down the battery when the engine is off.

If you run wires to the battery, *be sure* to fuse

*both* positive and negative leads close to the battery.

If it were me, I'd probably just tap off the wires going to the cig lighter.

- C
- Cam Penner
  
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posted
19 years ago

Mon, Jun 21, 2004 4:54 PM

Do you want power that is switched with the ignition or not? The easiest way I've found to do this (I've done this sort of thing for radar detectors on 5+ vehicles now) is to use a little thing called "Add-A-Circuit". Look in your owners manual for which fuses do what, and piggyback off one that:

a) has the same ignition sensitivity that you want b) preferably has spare amperage (usually due to optional accessories that are not installed on your model) c) doesn't form part of the ABS or AirBag circuits

Here's a link to the Google discussion I created doing the same thing.

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or

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I don't know about the grounding, but I doubt a run to the battery is necessary. Check where other stuff under the dash is grounded. IIRC, I just grounded to the body under the dash somewhere.

For high-end that is sensitive to electrical noise, you'll want to run from the battery directly through some sort of capaciters and resistors or something. Not necessary for the applications you were talking about though.