Power supply for Sat Nav

phantomrider

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I'm fitting a Garmin sat nav and am trying to work out the best way of connecting this to a power supply on my 1200 GSA TC. I've seen on Youtube somebody using a power socket under the beak, however looking at my bike this seems to be in use i.e there are wires on both sides of the connector. All ideas gratefully received.
 
Are you sure you are looking at the right connector? Some people struggle finding them. If the GPS power connector has wires coming out of it on both sides, what do they power?

If you do not want ‘switched power’ (ie on and off when you turn the ignition on and off) you could power it directly from the battery, via a suitable fuse. Garmin sell suitably fused power leads. Note, if you do this, the cradle will stay permanently live.

If you want switched power, see several threads on how to do this.

Maybe you should take your bike to your local dealership and ask them to fit the powered cradle?
 
Thanks Wapping - I'll have a better look to see if I'm looking at the right connector! Was trying to avoid using a dealer as the Youtube video seemed to show that it was a relatively easy job!
 
I’d have another look for the 3 pin female under the tank or somewhere in that direction as I’m not sure what else it would power. If it’s a garmin then I’m guessing you might want the plug from BMW to connect to the garmin live and neutral. It’s a generic bmw plug and someone on here will give you the part no. These are often cheaper from bmw car dealers than bikes. There are some more threads on here somewhere so have a good look around.


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Thanks all. Have found socket - there was a feed "to nowhere", traced the wire to a cut end (maybe a previous sat nav had been connected), hence the socket did appear to being used! So I now have the connector I need!
 
Thanks all. Have found socket - there was a feed "to nowhere", traced the wire to a cut end (maybe a previous sat nav had been connected), hence the socket did appear to being used! So I now have the connector I need!

Previous 'careful owner' had probably just snipped them off, too tired after hours polishing his awesome to disconnect the harness properly.
 
I'm not clear which mount you propose using. A BMW Canbus friendly mount is the easiest solution, often on fleabay at sensible money, or available from NNs & other vendors.

As Wapping says, if the old wiring has just been cropped off by some lazy bstard, take great care with the re-connection. Why do people do this, the harness unplugs FFS. The female element has 3 yellow wires, each identified with tiny black numbers about 2cm from the plug, but I realise these may have been lost during the snip The system is plug & play once you sort the wiring. There are several threads on here to help, if you hit trouble. Good luck.
 
Just unearthing an old thread, but the socket on my 2010 1200gs appears to be only 2-pole (found just in front of the fuel tank, right hand side when sitting on the bike), not 3. Have I found the wrong socket and I should keep looking for the 3-pole connector to power my Garmin unit and have the cradle switched power...

All help gratefully received!!
 
My satnav socket is central under the headlight mounting support just behind the oil cooler. 2010 1200GS
 
anyone got the correct numbered pin out data from that silly 3 pin socket ?

I suspect I have two dead tomtom mounts out of the box - neither works - and the stupid set up has mad output on my last of the original GS1200 air cooled built Jul 2007

From BMW nav mount power feed outlet on main wiring harness

all are dead key out
key on the earth comes alive - both power out are dead
start the bike of the other two pins one goes 13v the other goes 15v
turn it off and one stays live for x minutes, then goes to sleep, the other goes off as you shut the bike down

no combination can make either tomtom mount function is a consistent manner - very occasionality it can make the tomtom believe for 100 metre or so its charging - I have to pull off the rubber cover and go USB power feed and all it normal
 
anyone got the correct numbered pin out data from that silly 3 pin socket ?

I suspect I have two dead tomtom mounts out of the box - neither works - and the stupid set up has mad output on my last of the original GS1200 air cooled built Jul 2007
From BMW nav mount power feed outlet on main wiring harness
all are dead key out
key on the earth comes alive - both power out are dead
start the bike of the other two pins one goes 13v the other goes 15v
turn it off and one stays live for x minutes, then goes to sleep, the other goes off as you shut the bike down
no combination can make either tomtom mount function is a consistent manner - very occasionality it can make the tomtom believe for 100 metre or so its charging - I have to pull off the rubber cover and go USB power feed and all it normal

Is this any help ......... https://motorcycleinfo.co.uk/gps-satnav-power-connection-2-indexdec2/

Sounds like the canbus is shutting down the power. Whilst I can't recall the colour coding, the power supply should stay live for around one minute after ignition off. IIRC, the other live provides a speed pulse, which turns off with the ign & will not be required.
 
Is this any help ......... https://motorcycleinfo.co.uk/gps-satnav-power-connection-2-indexdec2/

Sounds like the canbus is shutting down the power. Whilst I can't recall the colour coding, the power supply should stay live for around one minute after ignition off. IIRC, the other live provides a speed pulse, which turns off with the ign & will not be required.

nice - as long as his 1, 2, and 3 are real (its the right bike) - I always found it incredible the tomtom550 has NOTHING in the pathetic user manual on powering it up, and no words with its mount just bare ended red and black wires - nothing about volts or amps it needs - I then got two more mounts for other bikes - and again NOTHING in the boxes on what voltages to connect too - they have this gigantic base you'd expect has the inverter to drop down from a running 14v to the 5v they need but no mention anywhere

not sure which - but one I put (and left on) the K1300 direct to a 12v feed, always worked - so was I sold two duff add on mounts ????
 
just thinking - without the pin outs or knowing what BM intended for the wires - I probably had used the speed signal wire as the feed - when I had it stationary and idling its the one with stable lower volts so I'd picked that to give the inverter an easier life...

but now I know its a speed signal - clearly one is to tell a BM unit whats happening in tunnels from the ABS unit, so it can judge how far its got - this legacy idea obviously isn't used in after-market fitments. Now they pretend phone signal / traffic triangulation, along with using time and acceleration sensors to guess how far in the tunnel you've gone. Meaning the old better way is more or less redundant with later units.

just thinking today - I always got the intermittent charging as you pull away from rest - then it stops and randomly happened at low speed - the mad bit is I swapped to the other pin - triple checked - and get no charging ever now?
 
I've always had issues when using this plug of it flattening the battery, through the garmin power lead, even with the satnav removed.
Like there some sport of parasitic draw even when the canbus shuts down after the minute of so, on ignition off.
 
Thanks for clarifying. Will have another search today.

So, stupid question coming up; what is the socket I *have* found for??
 
the sat nav 3 pin power socket near the head stock is exactly that (it comes from the factory with a blanking cover to keep it dry) on the GS its black on the K1300 I think its white

as stated

one pin becomes earth with engine running
one is a speed signal to tell a nav unit designed to cope with this additional info, how far it travelled after losing GPS signals (BM std fitment) the idea is to help cope in major old tunnels with no other comms
one is the power feed

because its all canbus madness, when and how they work, the fact they get no fuse, and or stay on after key off for x minutes, is all controlled inside the madness of a BM control unit. They could even have coded it off in software and only enable for 200quid (but they forgot) and or certain spec bike's could have its wires doing other stuff - like stay on to flatten the battery. There are seven different ZFE units (controlling the chassis electronics) that could fit on a GS or RT and all have mixed madness of pin outs, software and coding for no other reason than to kill the planet... Unless a specific ZFE leaves it live, I don't see how it can ever give a flat battery, I believe none should leave anything connected with the key off (it losses the earth and the feed) - unless there is a fault in that bike's std setup
 


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