GPS power cable

[SteveHebert]

I have had a hodge podge connection for my SPIII for some time now and am trying to get it simplified. What I have been using is the cig. lighter adapter and an SAE connection on the end with the self stick electrical tape covering the cig lighter to receptacle union. Power is not constant though and when I wiggle the connection I loose GPS power.

 

I have cut the cig adapter off the cord and soldered an in line fuse and then the SAE adapter again. Now I have no power.

 

The big question is this: Is the GPS cord a positive ground? I simply attached the same color wire red=red and black to white.

 

I wanted to ask the collective before taking it apart today a trying the reverse.

 

I forgot to mention that I am not an electrician nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Steve,

It is not likely that the GPS uses positive ground. That pretty much went out with the '60's British cars.

 

The easy way to do this is to pick up the direct wire connector from Garmin and then just wire it into your battery.

 

Did you check the inline fuse you installed? New does not necessarily mean it is good.

[Jerry Johnston]

Ed's right on the money. None of the GPS's I've owned were positve ground and some if not protected by a diode can be damaged by reversed polarity. Use a small 12v light bulb for a meter (better yet a LED light because it won't work with reversed polarity) and check the wires you soldered to to make sure you have voltage.

[SteveHebert]

Thanks Ed and Jerry.

 

Can I just use this cig lighter one that I have with the end cut off and soldier some connectors to it for the battery? I thought that the foil wrapping/insulation around the black and red wires might be an issue.

 

I used the fuse that was in the cig lighter plug and assumed it was fine since it had sporadic power before I cut the line.

 

I will check each connection with a multimeter and see if there is continuity. The SAE connector is red/white and the Garmin is red/black. I assumed that red was red or positive and that the black and white were interchangeable.

 

Thanks again for the help. I will keep at it and post what I discover.

 

Now the headlight assembly wiring on this /6 is a different story

[Marty Hill]

Steve,

 

Please don't burn the house down, I'd like to stop by on the way south this winter.

[tomk99r11]

I have a non-BMW bike on which I installed a cigarette lighter socket and used a cigarette lighter cord for use on my GPS. I rode for about 3 yrs with another such power cord on another model GPS with no problem. Recently, after a day of riding with the first set up, which was not fused or switched (I KNOW, I am an idiot, but I bet many of us run the same setep)the fuse holder cap on the end of the cig plug came off in the socket and went to ground immediately. Damn near lost the bike to fire. Whatever power supply you end up with, make sure the circuit is fused and switched!

[SteveHebert]

My problem is solved-at least I think.

 

Here is what I discovered:

 

The GPS wires are red and black. The SAE pigtail attached to the battery is also red and black with the red wire going to positive with a 7.5 amp fuse in line on the positive side. The SAE connector I had in the drawer is red and white. The problem with the connector was that the positive side of it had a white wire and the negative had the red. Basically the colors are reversed and I blew the 7.5 amp fuse yesterday plugging it in. I bought a small mutimeter and tested everything before plugging things in today. It was a simple thing that I assumed would be correct, and it might have from a previous application. I cannot remember what this came off of.

 

So I cut the solder connections, reversed the plug and recconected and BINGO, GPS power.

 

Thanks again for all of the help.

 

Marty, the house should be here still. We did have a nice fire this evening though in the chimnea on the deck as we had a romantic dinner there. Open flames on a wooden deck. That's real smart

[Jerry Johnston]