Sat Nav/Phone: Hard wiring an TomTom charger cable

[jcwacky]

I'm thinking about hard wiring a TomTom charger into my 2001 S40, so that all that is visible is the end of the USB cable coming out of the windscreen vent, ready to connect to the TomTom. Before I start, I'm wondering how easy this would be to do?

1. Where is it best to electronically attach this to?
2. Is it best to fit a 2nd socket and just plug the TomTom charger in it, or is it feasible to directly connect the charger?
3. How difficult will it be to feed the USB cable up though the windscreen vent? Would this require some serious dismantling of the dash?

Thanks
James

[DRILL]

Originally Posted by jcwacky

I'm thinking about hard wiring a TomTom charger into my 2001 S40, so that all that is visible is the end of the USB cable coming out of the windscreen vent, ready to connect to the TomTom. Before I start, I'm wondering how easy this would be to do?

1. Where is it best to electronically attach this to?
2. Is it best to fit a 2nd socket and just plug the TomTom charger in it, or is it feasible to directly connect the charger?
3. How difficult will it be to feed the USB cable up though the windscreen vent? Would this require some serious dismantling of the dash?

Thanks
James

it is esy but

1 you need to find another cigeratte lighter socket that will go in side the dashboard, brigde to the car's own cigaratte lighter (the reason i choose brigding from the cars own cigaratte socket it becoz it is fused )

2 your USB cable has to be long enough to reach he window screen vents most likely the center one or the drivers side

3 your USB will be connected to cig lighter you brigded, remember to secure the connect by tape it get loose from the bumbs etc

[andy_d]

Originally Posted by jcwacky

I'm thinking about hard wiring a TomTom charger into my 2001 S40, so that all that is visible is the end of the USB cable coming out of the windscreen vent, ready to connect to the TomTom. Before I start, I'm wondering how easy this would be to do?

1. Where is it best to electronically attach this to?
2. Is it best to fit a 2nd socket and just plug the TomTom charger in it, or is it feasible to directly connect the charger?
3. How difficult will it be to feed the USB cable up though the windscreen vent? Would this require some serious dismantling of the dash?

Thanks
James

you want an ignition switched live, the cars cig lighter is a perm on one so not really suitable.
ignition switched live from the Radio power feed is in about the right area.

if by "directly to the charger" you mean removing the cig lighter adapter plug off the end of the cable and hard wire (solder) the wires, then you Will have to add an inline fuse to the Live side. easy job.

which windscreen vent ? if you mean the de-mister ones Right at the base of the screen, please video it as its a strip the whole dash, edit the sound tho you will need a Few "bleeps". if you mean the center vents for the cabin, then its a lot less to strip out, you will have to cut a hole somewhere in the ducting to get the wire into there.

my phone cradle is wired to the radio ignition switched live, cable exit the dash below the radio, clipped to the trim and up to the mounted cradle just below the heater controls, using a "no holes" mount , that bolts on with one of the A/c control bolts, hidden behind the trim plate and exits via the gap at the side of the trim (£10ish posted metal bracket job) with the cradle bolted to that, phone is also the satnav, smartphone + TT7.

[mikeyskona]

I did very similar, butcherting one of thos single cig - Double converters to save harming the satnav cable

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=100252

There's my "How to" thread, Just ignore the boost gauge stuff, I had that AND the satnav running off ignition live

HTH

Mike.

Here's a pic of the converter thingy i mean (ignore the wiring, most of that is the boost gauge, lol)

[mikealder]

The TomTom uses 5 Volts and the car uses 13,8 Volts when the engine is running, in the TomTom power lead plug is a converter to reduce the voltage to that needed by the TomTom - DO NOT CUT THE PLUG OFF the charger cable, if you feed 13,8 Volts straight in to the TomTom it will only result in the escape of some rather expensive smoke.

Have a read through some of my blog pages for ideas on fitting the TomTom in to the car including attaching it to the dash rather than the windscreen, this makes for a very neat installation with all the wires hidden, OK so mine was a TT-940 fitting in to a V70 but the basic ideas will still apply, also check out This Thread where I posted up a number of pictures and other ideas for dash mounting and hiding wires - Mike

[mikeyskona]

Originally Posted by mikealder

The TomTom uses 5 Volts and the car uses 13,8 Volts when the engine is running, in the TomTom power lead plug is a converter to reduce the voltage to that needed by the TomTom - DO NOT CUT THE PLUG OFF the charger cable, if you feed 13,8 Volts straight in to the TomTom it will only result in the escape of some rather expensive smoke.

Hence me butchering a 2-way splitter so i could just Plug the tom tom in and hide it behind the dash perminently

TY for the warning though.. i didn't think of mentioning the Power difference (my garmin is the same!)

[jcwacky]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I've only just got round to looking at this again.

Sounds like it's going to be too much a a big job to take it up the windscreen vents, so I'm going to chicken out of that one.

I use the TomTom iPhone Car Kit (suction mounted), but have just discovered brodit do an adapter to replace the suction cup with a brodit mount, so I think I'm going to go down that route and feed the wire through the centre dash vent, like Mike's.

All I need advise on now is wiring up the other end of the charger cable. Sounds like I should keep the plug on, and just install a 2nd cig socket. But as the main one is always on, I'll have to connect it to the radio wires, any advice which wires? I've got a HU-605.