Short lead for Garmin.

[The Nutter]

I know you lot out there are quite knowledgable and ingenious, anyway, enough of buttering you up and on to my dilema. I use my car satnav (Garmin nuvi 1240) on my GS from time to time and put it in a media bag which is screwed to a bracket on a the support bar of the Adventure screen.

What I now need is a short lead that can run from the front power socket, up the screen support tubing and in through a hole (yet to be made) in the back of the bag. I only use the satnav in good weather and I'm too tight to buy a bike specific one. I just need a lead that is around 18inches long and has a BMW plug on the end, now is that too much to ask?

Any ideas?

 

[wheelnut]

I would imagine the power input into your nuvi is a mini-usb?

In which case you need a 12v mini usb lead like

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TomTom-Charger-Vehicle-Cable-Lead/dp/B00315HOF0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274904985&sr=8-1

and some bmw plugs from nippy norman's.

http://www.nippynormans.com/DIN-PLUG-ONLY-easy-screw-fitment-of-wires/productinfo/BAS-BA13/

Cut the standard plug off, solder the bmw plug on and robert's your aunties brother.

 

[Schtum]

Cut the standard plug off, solder the bmw plug on and robert's your aunties brother.

Except that will give you a 12V feed to the USB plug when in fact, you need 5V. The cigarette lighter plug on these USB chargers has a transformer to drop the voltage.

So what you really need is something like this.....

http://www.buybits.com/product/sku_6441.aspx

 

[wheelnut]

Except that will give you a 12V feed to the USB plug when in fact, you need 5V. The cigarette lighter plug on these USB chargers has a transformer to drop the voltage.

Good point.

So what voltage does the canbus connection put out then? And is there a transformer in the lead from the canbus connection to the zumo?

 

[Schtum]

Good point.

So what voltage does the canbus connection put out then? And is there a transformer in the lead from the canbus connection to the zumo?

Good question.....

Nip out to the bike and stick a meter on the CanBus connector, Andy....there's a good chap....

 

[wheelnut]

Good question.....

Nip out to the bike and stick a meter on the CanBus connector, Andy....there's a good chap....

It's raining....

 

[The Nutter]

Except that will give you a 12V feed to the USB plug when in fact, you need 5V. The cigarette lighter plug on these USB chargers has a transformer to drop the voltage.

So what you really need is something like this.....

http://www.buybits.com/product/sku_6441.aspx

Thanks for the advice fellas, especially the bit about the voltage. I wouldn't have thought of that. I'll go and measure the length I need and see if that lead is long enough. If so, indeed Robert shall be my mother's brother. I knew the knowledge was out there.

 

[Schtum]

Thanks for the advice fellas, especially the bit about the voltage. I wouldn't have thought of that. I'll go and measure the length I need and see if that lead is long enough. If so, indeed Robert shall be my mother's brother. I knew the knowledge was out there.

If not, buybits.com do longer leads as well.

 

[andyclift]

Or this one from eBay. Not so pretty as the Buybits one but half the price

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Its not a 'canbus' connector.
Canbus is a communications protocol.

It's a BMW-DIN / Powerlet connector and it gives out 12 volts DC.
and you want the other end to be a USB Mini5B plug at 5volts.

There are any number of cheap adapters that plug into a car cigarette lighter and give out 5v on a usb plug.
Buy one of them, whip off the cigarette lighter plug and fit a powerlet plug.

Obviously to do this you will be wanting a lead that does the 12v to 5v magic in a little box along its length and not in the plug (coz you're gonna chop it off.

Actually on 2nd thoughts, forget making one yourself.
Just checked out e-bay for the one shown above. £16 delivered - bloody hell.
Cheap as chips.

 

[Schtum]

Its not a 'canbus' connector.
Canbus is a communications protocol.

It's a BMW-DIN / Powerlet connector and it gives out 12 volts DC.
and you want the other end to be a USB Mini5B plug at 5volts.

I think you'll find that the connector which Wheelnut and I were discussing was the dedicated GPS power supply connector which is located behind the oil cooler on '08 onwards bikes - commonly referred to as the CanBus connector.

HTH

 

[AberdeenAngus]

I think you'll find that the connector which Wheelnut and I were discussing was the dedicated GPS power supply connector which is located behind the oil cooler on '08 onwards bikes - commonly referred to as the CanBus connector.

HTH

There was talk of canbus and pictures of powerlet plugs. Sorry if I mis-intrepreted.

Of course it's entirely possible that you side-tracked and confused the OP with your canbussery flavoured meanderings.

 

[Schtum]

Of course it's entirely possible that you side-tracked and confused the OP with your canbussery flavoured meanderings.

Surely no-one with a reasonable level of intelligence could be so easily confused....

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Surely no-one with a reasonable level of intelligence could be so easily confused....

Careful up there on that pedestal. Could be a long fall.

 

[The Nutter]

I think you'll find that the connector which Wheelnut and I were discussing was the dedicated GPS power supply connector which is located behind the oil cooler on '08 onwards bikes - commonly referred to as the CanBus connector.

HTH

Eh?

 

[The Nutter]

There was talk of canbus and pictures of powerlet plugs. Sorry if I mis-intrepreted.

Of course it's entirely possible that you side-tracked and confused the OP with your canbussery flavoured meanderings.

Eh again!

 

[The Nutter]

Emailed the guys at buybits. They do the lead in 12" (too Short) and 36" (too long). They have got back to me and said the 12" comes with a 4" adapter for the Garmin giving me 16"(ooer) which should be long enough and that the plug is the right size for the BMW power socket. If anyone knows any different, let me know. Ta.

 

[The Nutter]

Except that will give you a 12V feed to the USB plug when in fact, you need 5V. The cigarette lighter plug on these USB chargers has a transformer to drop the voltage.

So what you really need is something like this.....

http://www.buybits.com/product/sku_6441.aspx

Ended up ordering the 36" as I needed 24". Cost of 30 quid which isn't too bad as it saves me mucking about trying to make one and probably destroying several in the process. Checked that it works and all I gotta do now is a tidy job of hiding the excess wiring.
Just for your info, the 36" length is without the substantial coiled section being stretched open. It will open out to 120" (10 feet) so will easily go from the underseat socket to the front of the bike.