well, i too jumped on the "hard-wiring a valentine 1" band wagon, and i think that it turned out well. it took me about 4 hours, but i was goin' pretty slow and was tryin' to make everything look pretty. i didn't really want wires all over the place so i zip tied EVERYTHING. well, here's some pics, enjoy!

the direct power adapter mounted on the VDC module under the steering column:



wire routed through the pre-existing hole in the headliner:





the remote module in the ashtray:



the back of the ashtray with the metal plate removed (that metal plate is not re-installed, it gets in the way of the wire):



the finished product:



ps - thanks to Shaun (coolie) for giving me the idea to put the remote unit in the ashtray!

 

Very nice installation! I'm planning on buying my Valentine 1 soon and had some questions regarding your installation. Where exactly did you tap for the power supply? Why do you have two detectors, one on the windshield and the other in the ashtray? I'm a novice when it comes to this, so bare with me. Thanks

 

no problem. the power is tapped off of the VDC module power line, which itself is tapped off of the ignition wire power line, right by the ignition key. also, there isn't two detectors. there's the main detector which is on the windshield, and the one in the ashtray is the remote unit. the remote unit hides away the display so other people can't see that the radar detector itself is on. it's especially useful at night. hope that helps!

 

Oh, ok! Thanks N1ck! So how much did that run ya? I'm planning on hardwiring the Valentine V1 & the Pac AAI-NIS for my iPod at the same time and you just gave me an idea what wire to tap for my charger's power!!
Btw, what color wire was the VDC module power line??

 

before anything, i jus' want to tell you that the VDC module i'm referring to is the one from KPTechnologies. it remembers the VDC setting since the last time you turned off the engine (ie - it will remember if it was off, and leave it off until you hit the button again).

so, that wire (which is yellow) gets fed off of the thick black/red wire in the ignition. that gets 12v power when in ON and CRANK. i hooked the red valentine 1 wire to the yellow wire of KPTechnologies vdc module.

oh, and i bought everything from Valentine 1's website so it cost me around $450 with shipping. i could've gotten it cheaper on eBay, but i wanted the latest and greatest.

 

Very nice! Even better that you did it yourself

(If anyone needs a nice place to put one in a Supra, I can show you mine there as well )

Shaun

 

Sorry to keep beatin this down. But since I don't have that module you're referring to (after reading it up on KPTechnologies' website, it could be an interestng future mod), I guess I have to tap into the thick black/red wire in the ignition. That sound right to you ?? I apologize if I sound kinda dumb, but I want to be positively right what I'll be doing so I don't screw up, lol !

I'm right now simultaneously going back and forth between the V1 installation and my iPod, which I currently have a thread on. I think I can use the same wiring scheme for the V1's power for my iPod's!!! I think all this constant questioning is panning out .

 

yes, the thick red/black wire on the ignition key is the 12v you will need. you could tap both the V1 and iPod power off of it, it will be fine. and don't worry, we all start off moddin' somewhere!

 

Congrats on the install. I did the same install a few weeks back. What I did was tap into the cig lighter since it's right next to the ashtray on the '05 models. I also added a kill switch to shut the unit off since all the wiring is behind the center console.

 

very nice,

 

thanks all! but why a kill switch?

 

I'm in MD but often travel in VA/DC where a radar detector is illegal. When in doubt, I hit the kill switch and fold up the ashtray. From the outside, you don't notice anything since my V1 is mounted in the upper passenger corner. The switch is also helpful if you don't really need the detector if in traffic or around shopping malls when it always goes off. Comes in handy with a stealth install where you don't have access to the unit.

 

ah, stealth....gotcha....you know what, come to think of it, i don't even know if radar detectors are legal in california! ha ha!

 

yes they are legal in Cali

 

whew!