Hey all,

I'm getting ready to install a power inverter in my G to power my Playstation 2. I wanted to tap my cigarette lighter power since that should be sufficient to power the PS2.

Some quick questions:

1. I have two cigarette lighters in my '03 6MT (driver and passenger). Which should I use? Neither works with the car off (which is fine with me), so I'm trying to figure out if either one has a higher power rating. I'd rather use the higher-rated lighter if possible.

2. I also noticed the driver side lighter has two wires going into it. The passenger only has one. Anyone know why the difference?

3. I was thinking of trying to mount the inverter under my center console (beneath the arm rest). Has anyone else done this? If so, how would the inverter heat ventilate? I imagine some custom vents would need to be cut.

4. I want to use a remote switch to power the inverter off/on. Anyone have any neat ideas to do this? I saw a post where you can program one of the Homelink buttons to power on the inverter but the steps were pretty complicated IMO. Just looking for a simple but nifty switch so I don't have to reach back to the inverter any time I want to use the PS2.

Thanks!
Brian

 

Driver's side is lit, passenger is not. I used the passenger side and put my invertor under the passenger seat. Mine has it's own fan so there's no cooling issues. Wiring a switch is pretty straightforward, just make sure it's ratted for the power of the invertor.

 

i wired my driver side cig lighter to be hot like in my bmw...comes in handy when i need to charge up my phone or other things...

 

How'd you wire the driver side to be hot? I've been wanting to do that...

 

The readings I see on the switches I've looked at are 12V (which is correct) and then an amperage rating. The inverter is rated for 350w AC. I don't see any amperage on there though.

Here are some of the switches I've been checking out:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search

What measurements should I use to determine if either of those switches will work for the inverter?

Thanks,
Brian

 

Okay so I got the switch I need.

As for the inverter I put it under the passenger seat to test the fit. It fits perfectly. It doesn't obstruct the seat at all and it's so small that it fits completely undet the seat, even when all the way forward!

So the next questions:

1. Did you actually mount the inverter to the floor somehow? The one I bought doesn't have any mounting hardware. I may have to velcro it...

2. Did you run the wires to/from the PS2, inverter, and cigarette lighter under the carpet? If so, did you cut holes in the carpet near the inverter to fish them through?

Thanks again for everything,
Brian

 

The invertor itself should have a fuse on it. Make sure your switch can handle at least that amperage.

I didn't mount my invertor to the floor. It doesn't move around with the floor mat and the AC duct down there. This way I can slide it to the rear if I want to plug something else in. A small piece of velcro will work just fine though.

Once you pull the small panel the passenger 12v is mounted to, you'll see how you can run your wires under the carpet. There is a cutout in the carpet under the seat for the AC duct. This will be a lot easier if you unbolt your seat and lean it to the rear. You won't have to remove the seat, just lean it out of your way.

I also recommend disconnecting that 12v completely, don't just splice into it. If you're running a 350w invertor you don't want to also plug anything into that socket at the same time.

 

I think I have it down now.

Just so I'm clear, why wouldn't I want to run anything else in the other outlet? Would it draw too much power from that 12v run going to the lighter? If I wanted to plug in another device, should I run right off the positive terminal instead?

Thanks,
B

 

Someone else might know for sure but I think the 12v and cig lighter are on a 20amp fuse. I'm not positive though. So if you're drawing power on both the invertor and the factory lighter you'll more than likely blow the factory fuse. If you want to use both I'd recommend running the invertor off of the battery.

 

Thanks Russ.

Last questions (I hope)...

1. So if I decide to run off my battery, how can I determine what type of fuse I should get for that power line?

2. Also, the switch I bought is illuminated and thus has three connections on the back side (positive, load, ground). I understand the "load" connector is to light up the switch button, but what do I connect to it? I've heard some say wire it to the fuse box, and others say wire it to 12v. Any idea?

-B

 

If you decide to run it off of the battery you can use a standard inline fuse holder they sell at autoparts stores (small black rubber holder).

For a lighted switch you should have the following:

12v (+): this is where your power wire is connected, either from the battery or from your cig lighter. Your switch light will get it's power from this source as well.

- (ground): this is where the switch gets it's ground to light up when it receives power. Just wire this to any ground on the car.

Load: Wire this to your invertor's + wire.

You will still need to ground your invertor as well.

 

Got it, thanks.

The last two things I'm trying to determine are:

1. What guage wire to run from the battery to the switch/inverter.
2. What size fuse to get.

The inverter powers 350w AC so I was told a 30 amp fuse and 8-10 guage wire might work (12v x 30 amps = 360 watts). Is this true?

-B

 

Just talked to a buddy of mine who was an electrical engineer before becoming an IT Director. He said wiring off the battery is not advisable unless you really understand exactly what kind of load you'll be putting on the battery/electrical system of the car.

He said the cig lighter probably has the highest draw off the battery, next to the crank. So to be safe, he said, you really should only use that circuit. Anything more might cause some serious electrical problems.

What he said makes sense to me. But I'm still wondering if maybe I can calculate exactly how many amps I can draw if I were to run a dedicated circuit...?

Just some more food for thought.

 

You don't have anything to worry about running it off of the battery. What does your friend think high-end audio systems are run from?

8-10 is fine just put a fuse on it w/in 12" of the battery. 30amp should be fine as long as your invertor doesn't have a larger fuse protecting it.

 

Another option would be to get a fuse extender to plug into the cigarette lighter fuse and run a separate line from there to the inverter. You could still use the other lighter socket and have key switched power. I bought a fuse extender at Auto Zone in the switch department. It's made by Littlefuse and is of OEM quality. The cigarette lighter wiring isn't larger than 12 gauge, so 10 or 12 gauge to the inverter would be fine. 20 amps max though, so direct to the battery would be the only option for more amperage.