REDZMAN

DTN, please, I don't know about the OP, but I know I posted that MINE IS CURRENTLY LIKE THAT, and the reasons I don't want it like that anymore. Don't post the same stuff again.

StrikeEagle

Tibbymat, that's sorta what I'm after. I basically want to find the value of the resistors and make my own converter thing. I could try to cut up my power supply and hardwire that, but I'd prefer to create my own. DTN, I also don't want to simply create another hidden power outlet, I'd prefer to hardwire it like Red is saying. Basically, let's just assume I don't have a useable power supply, so I can't just hide it, I have to make my own... Plus it's nearly free to make my own versus hiding another power outlet.
So any suggestions as to how to get the normal 12V power down to 5V and 2A?

And does OP = original poster? Or what?

DTN

Oh, ok, I thought you were saying that you hooked up a 2nd cigarette lighter near the first. Mine's been installed in my roof since... well, since like 3 days before you last saw my GPS and said "that's a good spot for it". I just widened the 2 grounds on the side of the cigarette lighter power supply and taped the thing up. It hasn't come loose at all and I've never looked at it since.


Ok, well, here's another couple of suggestions.

Walmart and other places havehas a USB power supply. If your GPS power cable is the same as it's USB cable, like mine, then you can use this. It normally plugs into the cigarette lighter. These power supplies will charge many cell phones including most motorolas and some MP3 Players. http://www.google.com/products?q=usb+power...=1&ct=title

Radioshack has an adjustable power supply which hooks into your cigarette lighter. It supplies different powers depending on the voltage you select on the unit http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.js...rentPage=family

They're both pretty small.

Either may be taken apart and hard wired.

StrikeEagle

Yes, I could hack something up and make it work, but is there any way I can make my own?

DTN

They make voltage regulator chips which you can tune to 5V. You can use a zener diode, or a regulator system based upon forward bias of a large quantity of diodes... There's many things you can do.

There would be no way to make a rheostat/resistor network work to regulate the voltage. This is because the voltage changes as you drive. You'd really need a VR microchip.

By far, the best thing to do is buy a premade system which is designed to work in the way which you want it to. I understand enough about electronics that I wouldn't want to re-engineer something which is already being mass produced. The reason is because after you put in all that work, you look at the one that was pre-manufactured and see that it was designed much better. The reason is because they get paid to do that all day long and we do it as a hobby or to come up with a quick fix.

I'm not saying you couldn't do it. They probly have the correct VR chip at Radio Shack. The thing is that even after you put in all the time to make it, it's going to be bigger and still hand made.

bassboy3313

i want to put a raar detector on my motorcycle and was planning on hard wiring it like you guys are talking about. is there a way to connect a cigarette lighter input to my motorcycle in order to just plug the radar detector into it like you would in a car?

StrikeEagle

Thanks DTN, I was hoping for a definitive response like that. For some reason I thought reducing the voltage was easier that I was making it out to be, but alas... I'll start chopping up my spare adapter then, and try to make that work.

Stocker

Reducing the voltage is easy, getting it right isn't as easy.

The voltage regulator you choose, if you choose to DIY, make sure it can handle the current. The most common linear regulators are good for 1A, but there are some out there good for 2A+. A DIY regulator, unless it's switched-mode will get warm, requiring a good-sized heat sink. A switching regulator (MUCH easier to buy than design/build) will be MUCH smaller and cooler.

If you don't care about the 12V to 5V unit you've got, just solder wires onto the cig. lighter plug tabs on it and hide it. No sockets required.

REDZMAN

Not the solutions I'm looking for, and I've also got the USB ones, several of them. I'll keep looking.

Uhm...

WOW>

That took 5 seconds.

I typed...

XM 5v into the google search block and "xm 5v hardwire" came up.

First link, got me this.

http://store.xmfanstore.com/myfihrdpwr.html

Exactly what I need.



Might be just what the OP here needed too.

LOL


Guys, stop posting 1/2 assed hack job ways of doing this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A4HAQ...boutThisProduct

That should be for your GPS, right?

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&s...=4&ct=title

I think we are done here?

StrikeEagle

Wow, you're the man Red! That's pretty much exactly what I was trying to get.
I'm going to try to hack my spare charger first (free!), but definitely use that if it doesn't work.