Advice re wiring in cab (1 Viewer)

[Cal54]

My MH has a plethora of gadgets up front all of which need to use the 2 x 12v sockets - dashcam, TyrePal, sat Nav and a 2 way radio at times. Needless to say the dash is a mess with wires all over the place. I am thinking of getting the Tyre pal and dashcam wired directly and wonder if I should use a local auto electrician, and trust he makes a tidy job, or should I go to my usual dealer which is approx 30 miles from home and charges £60 ph.
Advice from you guys would be appreciated.

I realise I will need to specify that the power has to be linked to the ignition to ensure no battery drain when not in use.

 

[Wickolad]

I would have a word with the local Auto Electrician, see what he can do for you. Thats of course if you are not 100% sure about doing the job yourself, there would be plenty of advice on here obviously. But its each to their own, playing with wires is not everyones cup of tea.
At the end of the day the power leads need to reach the gadgets location on the screen to a suitable power source and is a relatively simple job, an Auto Electrician should be quite able to make a professional job of it at a reasonable rate. £60/ hour is ridiculous but seems the going rate for garages/dealers these days.
Call an Auto Trician, they can always come see what you require, offer their advice and quote. you don't have to accept if you're not sure about their ability or proposed solution.

 

[Cal54]

Thanks for the info. I will try the local auto electrician as I certainly couldn't dream of doing it myself - my leccy ability stops after wiring a plug !!

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[Techno]

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/x250-cab-additional-12-volt-power-options.100026/

 

[DanielFord]

I know you say you have no ability, but I hard wired my dashcam, and it was really easy. I bought one of these:
Broken Link Removed

Then removed the passenger side a pillar trim (2 screws) then in the top glove box remove 2 screws and the tray lifts out revealing all the wires to the dash. Use the supplied scotch locks to piggy back a live and neutral.

Push the wires up the the a-pillar, pull through and replace the trim, then push the wires up behind the head lining and voila, all fitted. Took me 20 mins to complete.

 

[Techno]

BTW Tyrepal does not need to be plugged in. The batteries last ages. See mine is velcro'd to the top of my rear view monitor shade.

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[Cal54]

Thanks for your response guys, but I really don't feel confident in taking things to bits, perhaps it is a girl thing! Think I will try local auto electrician and hope he makes a neat job. It is a 2013 PVC so really don't want to make a mess of anything.

Techno: appreciate your comments about the Tyre pal but would prefer it to be wired in as I am likely to forget that it has been disconnected! - still leaves me with the problem of a trailing wire when it does need to be charged.

 

[sallylillian]

Here is a good little box, easily hardwired in if prefered, and on/off switches for each port.

 

[Cal54]

Thanks Sallylillian, however none of the devices I have are USB, they are all cigg lighter types. I charge my mobile and I Pad via the habitation 12 v sockets by way of a plug in USB.

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[Deleted34567]

I've used those a lot in installitations.
Available off eBay.
Very tidy.

 

[sallylillian]

Thanks Sallylillian, however none of the devices I have are USB, they are all cigg lighter types. I charge my mobile and I Pad via the habitation 12 v sockets by way of a plug in USB.

You use the same leads and plug them into this so you use only one 12 volt power point. And you can then hide this behind the dash.

 

[Cal54]

Really sorry Sallylillian but I am obviously being really thick (not difficult) as I can't see how I can plug my appliances that have cig lighter plugs on into the USB sockets that you have shown. Probably proves just how inept I am and a good reason why I need an electrician !!!

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[DanielFord]

Really sorry Sallylillian but I am obviously being really thick (not difficult) as I can't see how I can plug my appliances that have cig lighter plugs on into the USB sockets that you have shown. Probably proves just how inept I am and a good reason why I need an electrician !!!

I think you'll find that most gadgets will come with a cig lighter style plug for convenience, but the connector will be a standard plug into the device. TomTom for example uses micro-usb or d-plug usb, so you just get hold of the relevant cable.
My dashcam came with a cig lighter adapter, the kit I purchased had the correct connector, so I plugged straight into the dashcam.

 

[sallylillian]

Thank you Daniel, I was searching for some pictures, but gave up when something landed on my desk.

 

[DanielFord]

Examples for micro usb:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3sq5bwytul_b

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[Sandancers]

Be careful about swapping power leads, cig lighter to usb or other way round. Make sure you know what voltage each device may require. Typically cig lighter is nominal 12v and usb is nominal 5v. Get the power supply wrong and you may see an interesting light show for a few seconds or more.

 

[Cal54]

Thanks Geordies - decision made that it will go to an auto electrician who will know what he is doing - I know 'scooby doo' about electrics.