iPod charger adapter for BMW plug

[Stub deToe]

Does anyone know of a source for a power adapter to connect my iPod to the power outlet on my 1150. I have located numerous US-style adaptors, but none specific for the BMW style plug. Perhaps one of the suppliers, e.g. Belkin, Monster, Griffin, Logic3 etc may make one over on that side of the pond? Anyone got any source or part #?

Bill in Canada

 

[Jim McSharry]

I use the Monster ipod connector (Cost me £30) and the Touratech adapter (Cost £14.00) will try and get you some details - in the meantime piccie attached.

 

[Bryn]

Bill, I don't know if your I-Pod is like mine, with a 6 pin fire wire connector on the top... if it is then you could hard wire it into the bike... I suspect the newer I-pod is the same, in that the shop type adaptors just direct the whole 12 volts straight into the 'pod.

Electronicy mate worked this out after i bought an 'i-pod 12 volt adaptor ' off e-bay and then couldnt work out where to mount it. he took it to bits and checked the power feeds etc. It wasnt doing anything other than directing a bit of power to a fancy looking LED and the rest straight into the I-Pod.

Got mate to chop a 6pin-6pin fire wire lead in half, and check for the pos/earth pins, then using a bit of 2 core with an inline fuse added for length, i connected it to the pilot bulb connectors on 1150, that way if you want peace and quiet just turn off pilot...

Works a treat, with a Hein Gericke Tuareg bag on the crossbar, and the whole lot works through autocom, also wired into pilot...

Hope I made myself clear

Bryn

 

[Stub deToe]

iPod

Thanks for the leads

Jim, the pic shows two plugs, one US-style with the Monster logo, the other with the BMW plug but not sure if it a firewire end on that one.

Bryn, the clarifies the power needs for the unit, guess if I can't find a purpose built connector I could get a firewire lead and just solder a BMW plug on the end or just hard wire it in and save the expense of another adaptor, as my suit and GPS already require two ports and I hesitate to drill yet another one in the cowling.

How do you guys find the vibration effect on the performance of the iPod? Mine is a new style with 25 min. skip protection, but while going out for a run in the snow with it in -25C yesterday (yes, I know but this in Canada, eh!) it seemed to either very much shorten battery life or simply reached it minimum temp point. Have you come across any other mounts other than RAM?

 

[Jim McSharry]

Hi Bill - the adapter on the left of the picture is a cigarette lighter adapter from Touratech (01-030-0017-0 in the catalogue) Price now £8.26 but then postage - I think you could easily make one up if you're electronically minded.

I find it gives me the felxibility of using the cig lighter adapter for my air pump for tyres etc so it's quite useful.

I like Bryns idea and set up so may be looking at that later.

AS for skipping - not a problem - I usually keep it in the tank bag wired to the autocom or in my inside pocket if riding alone.

I think you need to do something about the cold weather you have

 

[Bryn]

Bill, I'll agree with Jim, not had any problems with jumping, could be the bag cushioning the 'pod... Left the padding on the crossbar as well....

 

[Bryn]

Cut a small slit in the base of the bag, and fed the autocom leads and the firewire charger through....

I was originally trying to put an extra cigarette type socket somwhere near the instruments, but it was taking up too much room...
Bryn

PS.. lookes like Shaun the sheep is amazed at my ingenuity

 

[Stub deToe]

Thanks for your ideas guys. My one cowling accessory outlet is taken up by my Garmin. I'd like to mount the iPod on the other side of the bar, seeing as I don't want too many connections to work loose, think I'll use a RAM mount and hard wire a firewire lead into the hot lead. Then I'll leave the wiring on the bike when I take the iPod off. Seems no one make a specific connector so will have to jury-rig one.

As far as the weather here in the colonies, it is very pretty, but by March it will get long in the tooth, and closet fever gets real bad. I'm riding to Alaska this summer, so once I get this working I will have all they toys mounted.

Cheers

 

[Jim McSharry]

Don't forget to come back to us with a piccie Bill - would be nice to see another set-up.
Ming is a technical wizzard with electronics - come in Ming - what've you done?
As for you Bryn - we really would like to see Shaun going to work with you on the backof the works bike one day

Best wishes to you all

 

[mikeh501]

Cant recommend these guys enough for BMW connectors. I've got the tank bag powered up, with my Ipod inside it.

powerlet

 

[Bryn]

Don't forget to come back to us with a piccie Bill - would be nice to see another set-up.
Ming is a technical wizzard with electronics - come in Ming - what've you done?
As for you Bryn - we really would like to see Shaun going to work with you on the backof the works bike one day

Best wishes to you all

Jim, can't see me taking shaun to work!

PS like the new avatar, never seen you with your shirt off...

 

[Rushy]

Ta!

Cant recommend these guys enough for BMW connectors. I've got the tank bag powered up, with my Ipod inside it.

powerlet

\


Good tip!!!

 

[Stub deToe]

Great tip on Powerlet Mike...and they are just across the border from me! never heard of them. Nothing specific about firewire > BMW plug in their product listing, but wrote them about possibilities, saying I thought others would have similar needs given the meteoric rise in iPod adoption. Drop them a line if you can and ask as well, who knows soon they may have the single wire clean connection that we need.

I'll post some pics when I get it all set us via RAM mount.

Well new year in a couple of hours, best to all...

Bill

 

[Stub deToe]

Thanks for the insights, here is what Adam at Powerlet in Michigan pro--offered as a solution:
Bill,
Thanks for the kind words. The Ipod is indeed a product that we have on our books. Ipod has a built in regulator for on the A/C power cable. We can garner the connectors no problem but without stepping the power down through a regulator, we would end up burning the units up. We are finalizing an adjustable regulator but it will not be to market for some time.

As for your situation, If you tend to ride like mostGS riders with a tankbag, might I recommend our PTB line of products. They are easy to install through the side walls of soft and hard sided luggage. Once installed, the ability to power the Ipod and Gerbings apparel and whatever else in the future, is right in front of you.

For starters, check out this link:
PAC-007 on this page to split the power off your one outlet: http://powerlet.net/products/cables.php
This way you can keep the GPS on the ram mount and have the power available just like you had it.
The tank bag products I'd recommend are here:
PTB-006 for the tankbag setup. http://powerlet.net/products/ptb.php
This will enable you to install the bulkhead into your bag and connect to the available outlet port you still have up front.
On the same page check out the PAC-026 or PAC-027. This will branch off inside the bag and provide enough connections for the Ipod and your Gerbings and again anything you wish in the future.
As for the final cable for your Gerbings, if you have the older style with the SAE, you can now connect right in the bag on the spare SAE port on the PAC-026. If you have the newer coax connector, you will need the PAC-027 and use Gerbings adapter cable with the BMW male or buy one from us.
PPC-005 located here: http://powerlet.net/products/power_cables.php

Hope this helps and I hope I have not confused you too much. We all ride with powered bags here and its very convenient. Especially when you need to park and get off your bike. One easy disconnection of the tankbag and you are good to go.
Let me know if you need any further help.
Ride Safe,

 

[mikeh501]

Thanks for the insights, here is what Adam at Powerlet in Michigan pro--offered as a solution:
Bill,
Thanks for the kind words. The Ipod is indeed a product that we have on our books. Ipod has a built in regulator for on the A/C power cable. We can garner the connectors no problem but without stepping the power down through a regulator, we would end up burning the units up. We are finalizing an adjustable regulator but it will not be to market for some time.

As for your situation, If you tend to ride like mostGS riders with a tankbag, might I recommend our PTB line of products. They are easy to install through the side walls of soft and hard sided luggage. Once installed, the ability to power the Ipod and Gerbings apparel and whatever else in the future, is right in front of you.

For starters, check out this link:
PAC-007 on this page to split the power off your one outlet: http://powerlet.net/products/cables.php
This way you can keep the GPS on the ram mount and have the power available just like you had it.
The tank bag products I'd recommend are here:
PTB-006 for the tankbag setup. http://powerlet.net/products/ptb.php
This will enable you to install the bulkhead into your bag and connect to the available outlet port you still have up front.
On the same page check out the PAC-026 or PAC-027. This will branch off inside the bag and provide enough connections for the Ipod and your Gerbings and again anything you wish in the future.
As for the final cable for your Gerbings, if you have the older style with the SAE, you can now connect right in the bag on the spare SAE port on the PAC-026. If you have the newer coax connector, you will need the PAC-027 and use Gerbings adapter cable with the BMW male or buy one from us.
PPC-005 located here: http://powerlet.net/products/power_cables.php

Hope this helps and I hope I have not confused you too much. We all ride with powered bags here and its very convenient. Especially when you need to park and get off your bike. One easy disconnection of the tankbag and you are good to go.
Let me know if you need any further help.
Ride Safe,

I'll post you pics of my setup on the Adventure.

 

[mikeh501]

The setup works very well and comes off easily by just detaching the cable. You can see on picture #1 that you can remove the cable from the bag and put the flap down so no crud gets in it. Make sure you get the right angle power lead (12" IIRC) and the double internal sockets, so you can power up 2 items at the same time. I have one of those monster ipod chanrgers linked into the powerlet setup for charging the ipod, but you could use anything.

The only thing I wish the setup had was an external socket for the autocom, so I could just plug that in like the power lead. Powerlet are apparently working on this at the moment. I have the audio routed out the back of the bag, under the little baggie on the back and down under the seat where the autocom lives.

Just make sure you get the noise suppresion autocom audio lead otherwise you will get electrical whine from the bike through the audio. This only happens when charging the ipod (or anything else). The noise suppresion lead has a bit of electronics to suppress this.

 

[Spider_650gs]

MIkeh
im curently making a lead that will connect the autocom unit to the stuf in the tank bag via 8 pin din socket and plug on the outside of the tank bag, on theinside will be a box with three stero jacks for the music, phone and gps . ill post pics when its complete

 

[Stub deToe]

It all seemed like a simple-enough install, but there seem to have emerged 3 issues: how/where to mount it, how to power it up, aand now how best to get the sound. Each asoect seems to have issues. I think I will go with the tank bag/Powerlet set-up rathger thanh the RAM mount for simplicity and protection--however it is at the cost of mobile access. I was simply planning to use the ear buds or wired helmet speakers, but now a number of you have mentioned the Autocom. I will definitely look into this as there must be an advantage over wired buds. Feedback? Other than being physically wired to the iPod and being able to use the voice directions on my 276, why go to the trouble, I ride solo so person to person comm. is not an issue.

This thread had been immensely valuable to save me wasted trial and error, thanks all.

 

[Bert]

Does anyone know of a source for a power adapter to connect my iPod to the power outlet on my 1150. I have located numerous US-style adaptors, but none specific for the BMW style plug. Perhaps one of the suppliers, e.g. Belkin, Monster, Griffin, Logic3 etc may make one over on that side of the pond? Anyone got any source or part #?

Bill in Canada

Here is a solution- This is the inside of my BMW top case, the center single lead is fixed through the case.
The right (coiled) lead is what attaches from your battery and plugs into the receiving socket on the outside of the case.
The three connector are - One BMW plug socket and other two standard lighter plug found in cars. This confiduration enables up to three devices to be charged at the same time. The wire is fused to 15Amps. A neat and tidy arrangement courtsey (well you do have to pay for it!) from Powerlet. Speak to Cathy on (USA) toll free 1-877-752-7835 or email [email protected] or go to their website at www.powerlet.net for more pictures.

Here are helpful part numbers:
Powermate kit (fixed to your soft or hard case PTB004
SAE/Cigar and powerlet 'Y' Outlet PAC027
A solid BMW plu is called the SuperDuper Plug PPL003
Garmin straight cord for Streetpilot III or 60CS APC004F
Hope this helps!