Power lead mod - advice for numpty please...

Sergeant Pluck

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How difficult is it to hard wire two accessory leads into the fusebox on my 1150?

I've got a PDA and a Bluetooth reciever which currently both need to be powered from the accessory socket via cigarette lighter adapters. I'd like to not use the accessory socket and somehow hard wire in these two leads. The problem is that I am totally clueless when it comes to electrics and wiring and stuff like that, although I'm sure I could manage to follow simple instructions.... Is it easy?
 
Have you thought of buying a BMW accessory socket doubler? This plugs into the existing wiring and piggy backs the existing plug. If you want you can hide the socket up at the back of the tank and use an accessory plug into it, or chop off the plug and splice the adapter lead in. I used the first method with my GPS and it worked a treat.
 
Thats sounds like a good idea. When you say it piggy backs' the current adapter - do you mean I can either just basically plug a lead with two female sockets on it into the single socket on the bike - either/or - wire the same cable directly into the fuse box somewhere?

Thanks,
 
"All you need to do...", as these things always start, is to decide on whether you want them powered only when the bike is switched on or all the time. Then get a spare DC power lead for each - you are going to start by cutting this up to expose the internal wires. I would probably recommend not chopping the one you are currently using, just in case you decide you want to go back to the plug in method (or things go tits up in the process). Find out which of the leads in the power cable you are chopping up is live and which is earth - it isn't always clear. This may mean a bit of digging in the documentation for your device. If they make a specific "automotive" lead then use one of those. If there is an in-line fuse supplied on one wire then that's the live feed.

Identify a handy earth wire or point in the wiring loom near where you want the connectors to meet the equipment. Connect both earth cables from the power leads to that wire or point. Identify a live feed wire in the wiring loom (either ignition switched or always on as decided above) and connect the live feeds to that. A nicely coloured wiring diagram and a multimeter helps here. Neither the PDA nor the bluetooth receiver are likely to take much current but you should plan on sticking a fuse in-line somewhere between that connection and the device to protect them against surges and spikes.

Now connections can be either Scotchbloc quick connectors or the bigtrailbikerider approved soldered and heatshrink sleeved spliced connections. There are various discussions on this site as to which should be used - the latter is superior and will have fewer worries about getting wet but it can be fiddly and dangerous for other wires if you try to make a soldered connection to what is a fairly tightly packed wiring loom without some experience of doing such work.

You might be beginning to get the feel that this is quite difficult - well, it is if you don't know what you are doing. I wired in a spare set of lights on my bike and learned the practical bits that way. I took time, read lots of things on this site about what to do, and had some previous experience of working with a multimeter and soldering iron (and in the end I used Scotchblocs as my skill wasn't up to a good soldered joint). If you can get the cables, or are willing to risk your existing cables, I'd really recommend having a word with Steptoe to see if he could do it, or your dealer about getting them fitted by a man in overalls as part of another job. It doesn't take long - tank off and battery disconnected, wire in connections, battery reconnect, tank on and finish - so it won't be as expensive as, say, melting the insulation of a couple of wires by accident or connecting to the wrong cable, having to reconnect elsewhere and patch up the originals.

Oh yeah, and think about how you are going to protect those connectors when they aren't in use. You don't want to get them (a) regularly wet or (b) touching live and earth to something which will conduct electricity. The mount for my GPS has a little rubber "hat" on a string to cover the power connector when not in use. You'll need to find something like that if the cables don't come supplied.

Hmmm. Sounds a bit discouraging doesn't it...
 
Thanks John and Trotsky,

Went around the houses a bit but finally bought the socket doubler which I chopped the end off - and connected up to a dual cigarette lighter thing which is neatly housed under the dash. Seems fine. The only problem might be that the dual-fag lighter connector has a red LED to show its live which is on all the time. I hope this won't drain my battery. I should have disconnected the bulb BEFORE I wired the whole feckin thing in!!! Still, that wouldn't have been in keeping with my natural inability to do anything right first time :rolleyes:. We'll see....
 


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