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

[alex3324]

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!

 

[Jim Stewart]

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?

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.

 

[Cam Penner]

@localhost.talkaboutautos.com>,
(e-mail address removed) says...

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?

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.

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8
&threadm=MPG.16c65d3790f32aea9896f8%40News.CIS.DFN.DE&rnum=
2&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dadd%2Bfuse%2Bcam%2Bpenner%26hl%3Den%
26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26selm%3DMPG.16c65d3790f32aea9896f8%
2540News.CIS.DFN.DE%26rnum%3D2

or http://tinyurl.com/2pvfu

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?

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.