Adding new 12v outlet

Gellyneck

Gellyneck

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More than toes wet now!
Thinking about adding a new 12v socket (for TV, Freesat receiver, etc) in the motorhome.
It would be in the locker next to the Sargent EC500 PSU.
I see there are 4 screws on the front of the PSU so should be easy enough to pull it out and it shows there's a 10A fused "Future Supply" but how do you connect an additional circuit to the back of it? Is it a simple "plug-in" with cable tails or something more complex?
1589704594737.png

Have tried to find a picture \ diagram of the rear of the unit with no success.
TIA
 
I'm not familiar with the inside of an EC500 power control unit, but there is more information here. One page is titled 12V Connections to EC500 Power Supply Unit. It looks like there is a 9-way and/or 12 way connector, and one of the pins is 'Future 1'.
<Broken link removed>

YY-Rast connectors are available from Sargent, who are unfortunately closed until June 1st. I've not heard of YY-Rast connectors before, but no doubt others know where you can get them.

You crimp a correctly-sized push terminal onto your wire, and slide it into the vacant slot in the connector block until it clicks. Give it a slight pull to check it is held fast.

There are small barbs on the terminal that catch on the shaped inside of the connector. I would think you can extract a terminal by depressing the barbs with a suitable tool, but I've never tried it on this brand of connector.
 
autorouter many thanks.(y)
Will have a read through.(y)

Edit just checked the aandc....... link and doesn't seem to be working?
 
would a piggy back fuse work?

<Broken link removed>
 
mitzimad said:
I recommend using a hella plug and socket for the tv far better than the normal cigarette lighter ones
Click to expand...
I'm probably going to hardwire the sat controller, TV and Freesat receiver into a multi-gang fused box. The bit I'm "struggling" with is how do I connect to the back of the Sargent EC500 PSU without having to haul it out to investigate.
If I was going the plug route, yip, would probably be Hella ones.
 
Attention Hymer owners reading this thread (sorry about the rest of you) check the polarity and don't rely on colour coding when extending your 12 volt system. Mine and other hymer vans I've checked have +tive as blue and -tive as brown. I had it explained by a Germany that negative is the earth (brown) and positive the sky (blue). Certain logic but it cost me 2 phone chargers before I realised something was wrong.

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Jev88 said:
..... or tap into an existing 12v socket?
Click to expand...
Where I'd be locating the power outlet is in the locker next to the EC500 whereas the closet 12v socket is in the cab or at the other end \ side of the motorhome.
 
I took my 2012 vintage Sargent EC500 out of it’s dedicated cupboard in Bob, our Autotrail Apache 632, when installing a new solar panel, and I noticed that a previous bodger had been in there and connected up a 12v cigarette type lighter /power socket to the wiring by soldering/splicing connections to the original wiring. The socket is housed in the adjacent cupboard and was probably used for phone charging or similar, the cupboard has housed some kind of satellite tv gear before we got Bob. The wiring socket is spliced too is pretty substantial, implying a high current draw potential. Photos attached! The black -ve wire from the cigarette lighter goes to the white wire on the multi plug to the EC500, the red +ve wire from the cig lighter goes to the yellow/white trace that’s connected to the top right terminal of the rear most multi plug connected to the EC500. If you look up “Sargent EC500 wiring diagram” on the internet you’ll find them, I can’t attach a link for it for some reason!
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Have fun! I need hardly emphasise that anything you do to the wiring of your vehicle is totally at your discretion, and no responsibility will be implied or taken by me! LOL!

Best of luck!
Russ
 
A large cable might imply a high current 'draw' but it might also mean it's the only cable the person had at the time !!

Soldering connections/splicing is a better way of doing things than those blue connectors that are often used that just splice into the cables. No chance of a properly soldered joint coming apart!!
 
Plenty of other +ve & -ve terminals in there that could have been used, I offered A solution, not THE solution to the OP’s original request. :giggle:;)
 
MisterB said:
A large cable might imply a high current 'draw' but it might also mean it's the only cable the person had at the time !!
Click to expand...
Or that the cable run length was sufficient enough to cause a voltage drop greater than 3% so a larger cable was used......
Second thoughts...your right they did what we do, they used the cable that they had laying around ?

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The 12v socket is prewired with a flying lead I think? The wiring that whoever spliced the socket to is pre-existing, that is, part of the OEM equipment. Anyway up it’s all chunky stuff! I’ve just realised that I can’t see an in-line fuse for the socket, so looks like I’ll be whipping it out again to sort that! Sorry OP!! Feels like we’ve hijacked your thread! Come on other funsters offer up your thoughts!

Cheers!

Russ
 
I’d definitely be trying to source the terminal pin connectors for the ‘rast‘ connectors from an alternative supplier. They probably will be available from the likes of RS, but probably go under a generic name.

Doing this will make it a much more OEM like installation, IMO. Given that the fuse will be with the rest and documented on the Sargent box and be inline with every other connection to it.

Failing that bite the insulation off, twist them together and stick some tape over ??
 
Glandwr said:
Attention Hymer owners reading this thread (sorry about the rest of you) check the polarity and don't rely on colour coding when extending your 12 volt system. Mine and other hymer vans I've checked have +tive as blue and -tive as brown. I had it explained by a Germany that negative is the earth (brown) and positive the sky (blue). Certain logic but it cost me 2 phone chargers before I realised something was wrong.
Click to expand...
I have to ask: why would you expect brown to be +12v? A very large number of modern vehicles use brown as the earth or 0v line which is what I assume Hymer have done.
 
Probably let astray by 230v AC wiring colours.
A multimeter give you all the information needed I find (y)

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Last edited:
In my experience vehicle wiring colours only identify wiring, they do not indicate polarity, you do often find though that, say a yellow wire and a green wire supply, say, the offside front side light and a yellow/white trace and green/white trace supply the corresponding near side..... But building vehicle wiring looms seems to be something of a black art, perhaps someone more experienced on this can give us a clue?

Cheers!

Russ
 
I picked up a 12v reverse signal from the green multi plug inside the cab beside the drivers knee in my x250.

All Fiats wiring diagrams showed this to be the fourth pin in the top row and that it was white with a blue trace,
my fourth pin in was white with a green trace......after testing with the multimeter I confirmed this was the correct cable for reverse.

It goes to show that even with the same manufacture, they often use different colours, probably due to availability.

Bloody Italians.......(In this case)
 

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