Cigarette Lighter power cord.

[Creamcracker]

In my new Tow Vehicle I want to add an XM satelite radio. The power cable from the sat radio plugs into the lighter plug up front...but I don't have much room and it looks ugly...here's the question....I also have a cigarette lighter plug in the trunk but my present cable won't reach. Can I simply cut and join an additional length of wire to my existing cord so that it reaches the plug in the trunk...if I do that I can hide all the wiring under the carpeting...
Philip

[S. Heisley]

Philip:

You may already know this. Accessory extension cords for 12 Volt outlets are available through RV supply stores and they are fairly reasonably priced at about $7 to $13. They come in lengths of 10, 15, and 25'. (There is also a 6' coiled cord with its own 10 Amp fuse built-in; but it is $23.) One of these might meet your needs without having to cut/modify what you have.

[Greg M]

There's no reason not to cut and splice the cord though Sharon's solution is the easiest way to go.

-Greg

[Dirran]

I have just come across this thread, so I hope it is not too late.
Check with an auto electrician to find out how much power loss occurs at the lighter plug you wish to use.
The further away from the battery, the longer the wiring (naturally), and the lower the voltage/amperage output.
Car manufacturers do not fit heavier gauge wiring to the rear power plugs as they are only for very short term use and therefore not designed to carry constant loads.
Now to exacerbate the voltage/amperage drop to the plug, you now fit a long wire to get back to where you require the electrical unit.
This will not be a problem for the short term, however it MAY affect the performance of the unit you are using over time due to the loss of voltage/amperage.
Remember vehicles are DC current which means the longer the wire, the heavier the gauge required as DC current tapers off over distance, and yes a few feet will make a difference.
If you would like any further information, I am more than happy to share what limited knowledge I have.

[parnold]

Check the power requirements of the radio/receiver. It may be so minimal that it won't matter. Is it an amplifier, or just receiver with an FM Modulator. If it happens to have hefty power requirements, you can run a single heavy "hot" wire to the trunk, and pull ground from anwhere back there. That's how my amplifier is hooked up.

[S. Heisley]

Checking the power pull of your plugs is a good idea.

Actually, the outlet in the trunk could be more powerful than the one up front. Why? Because people sometimes "hide" expensive music systems that way.

A few years back, I had a friend who had a radio/CD player installed in the trunk. She ran it from the driver's seat with a remote controller.

[eamarquardt]

Remember vehicles are DC current which means the longer the wire, the heavier the gauge required as DC current tapers off over distance, and yes a few feet will make a difference.

E=IR for all "flavors" of electricity (AC/DC). Meaning for the same current through the same wire will experience the same voltage loss/drop with AC or DC electricty. 120 AC volt eleltricity can transport 10 times the power as DC 12 volt current when the current is the same . P(power)=V(volts) X I(current).

The reason it is more critical to use an appropriate wire size with dc is that if you lose 3 or 4 volts (of the 12 volts you start with) in the wire, the thingy (load) you're trying to power will notice it as it's only getting 66-75% (8-9 volts) of the voltage it needs. If you are using 120 volts and lose 3 or 4 volts your thingy (or load) is getting 97% (116 volts) and since 120 volts varies a bit (110-120 volts) your ac load probably won't even notice the difference.

I know this is quibbling, bickering, bun fighting just a bit but I think it helps to understand things so you know what effect your choices will make.

The best way to check if your wiring is adequete is to check the voltage right at the load with the load running/turned on and see what voltage your getting after the loss in your wiring.

Here is an interesting site that discusses acceptable voltage drops:

http://www.solar4power.com/solar-power-volt_drop.html

Cheers,

Gus

[Creamcracker]

What I want to run off the rear socket is an ONYX satellite radio. It has the cigarette lighter plug which says it is
"IN DC 9-16V OUT DC 5V 1.5A"
So I guess the plug steps the power down from the car 12v system to the XM requirement of 5V. I still haven't decided what to do since there is also an option with something called "ADD A FUSE" -- which is basically a fuse with a power lead attached that you plug right into a vacant space in the fuse box. Looking at the MINI Forum lots of members have used that method to power their XM..........anyone have experience with Add a Fuse?
Philip

[eamarquardt]

Never seen or heard of such a thing but Googled it and came up with this for less than thee bucks

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QR ... 19E2FCFG6G

Nothing very exotic about it and it should work fine. No provision for the ground lead or a socket to plug your sat radio into but you could cut off the plug and hardwire the positive lead of your sat radio to the fuse wire and ground the ground lead or mount an extra socket under the dash outta sight.

Go for it!

Cheers,

Gus

[Shadow Catcher]

A simpler solution is to buy a splitter to plug into your power port.

I just added Sirius to the TV and will add it to the trailer once I have it. All is wired direct, power and antenna, The antenna connection is a relay that disengages the FM antenna and feeds the signal from the Sirius receiver to the stereo cutting down on interference and the power is hard wired.

[mj1angier]

Our XM radio is mounted on our dash in our Ford Explorer. I went to the auto store and picke up a cig. lighter extesion cable. I then went under the dash to the fuse box, found a fuse space that was open and wired the extension under the dash. Pulled the XM power cord in between some of the molding and plugged it together under the dash. Uesd some zip ties to keep every thing snugged up tight under the dash. This leave the factory cig. plug for gps, cell phone....