Need help from Electrical guys asap. Hardwire a radar detector.? - Honda Prelude Forum

lilbill97 · 02-10-2009, 03:29 PM

Well i have your everyday $50 radar detector, nothing special, that im trying to direct wire because my custom mounted vafc blocks my lighter so i realized i cant plug the radar detector in.

So i snipped the lighter plug piece and started splicing the wire.
Ended up with this..

Then i bought an "ADD-a-circuit".

This is where i was skeptical. Do i just put the spliced wire from the radar detector into the add-a-circuit and plus in the fuse? Ive never really donewiring/electrical on a car before but it seemed to easy to be true.

??

Any suggestions or help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Shimee · 02-10-2009, 04:43 PM

you'll burn out your radar detector (possibly) with what you did. i can't really see, but did the wire coming from the Add-A-Circuit have two leads or just one?

if one, you need to pull that splice apart and join only the RED lead from the first picture to the orange wire. the white wire you need to ground it. i'd suggest getting a spade connector and just using a chassis bolt. extend the wire if need be.

also, if you still have the plug, post the specs of it. there should be a sticker that says "9v DC; 300 - 500 mA" or such. it might be on the unit itself.

lilbill97 · 02-10-2009, 05:32 PM

The add-a-circuit plug or the lighter plug?

It only has one lead so i guess ill do as you siad and split the wires.

After connecting the red wires and grounding the white one, which slot in the fuse box do i plug it into? or does it matter? i have 4 or 5 open spaces on the interior fuse box

Shimee · 02-10-2009, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilbill97

The add-a-circuit plug or the lighter plug?

It only has one lead so i guess ill do as you siad and split the wires.

After connecting the red wires and grounding the white one, which slot in the fuse box do i plug it into? or does it matter? i have 4 or 5 open spaces on the interior fuse box

shouldn't matter. and i meant the cig plug for the radar.

lilbill97 · 02-10-2009, 05:39 PM

i have it but its in my glove compartment locked in my neighbors garage.lol
Why, is there a difference depending on the specs? and what would cause it to burn out

muha22752 · 02-10-2009, 06:16 PM

just wire it to the cig liter

Shimee · 02-10-2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilbill97

i have it but its in my glove compartment locked in my neighbors garage.lol
Why, is there a difference depending on the specs? and what would cause it to burn out

the only part that doesn't matter is the Ampere rating. the device pulls whatever current it needs. what is important is the voltage. if the radar is rated for 9v, it can't be supplied with 12v because the components or circuitry was not made to handle a higher voltage. it will cause premature wear (in the form of heat), short circuits due to excess load (unlikely), and in general maybe make the unit not function as it should.

Shimee · 02-10-2009, 06:58 PM

if the thing is 12v then all will be well, which it most likely is since it's made for the cig lighter.
however, if it is under 12v and has a current range instead of one stable current rating, then you will have a problem. this will require more than just a power tap or resistor (optimally a voltage divider) to reduce the voltage. a fluctuating current would mean a fluctuating output voltage (to the radar) which would in turn mean unstable operation.

the only way to alleviate this would be a voltage regulator. but we'll see when you get the specs of that plug. maybe you might be able to take apart the plug and salvage the circuitry.

lilbill97 · 02-10-2009, 07:36 PM

okay. ill get that tomorow.

Is it possible to somehow wire it into the cig lighter?

jagass · 02-10-2009, 08:01 PM

JUst wire it to the cigarette lighter...I don't see any prob with that...

Shimee · 02-10-2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilbill97

okay. ill get that tomorow.

Is it possible to somehow wire it into the cig lighter?

that's one of many possibilities. i used the 12v+ from the cig light to supply power to my footwell lights. http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...0lights/12.jpg

RomPirate · 02-10-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagass

JUst wire it to the cigarette lighter...I don't see any prob with that...

The device itself might not run off the 12v from the cigarette lighter. The cigarette lighter plug for the detector might regulate the voltage down to ~9v. Putting 12v on a 9v device isnt a good idea as Shimee explains.

If the device does run on 12v then yes, tapping into the cigarette lighter is the easiest.