Mobile Electrical 101 Needed!

StreetCreeper

StreetCreeper

New member
So I have a new dash cam I want to hardwire, a new GPS I want to hardwire and possibly a wireless QI charger mount as well that I would want to hardwire ( yes I know that sounds stupid to hardwire a wireless charger ).

I like clean installs and don't want to have wires hanging all over, so I want to keep it all behind the dash as much as possible.

In the future I'll want to wire up some new fogs with new switches and maybe even add a mobile HAM radio ( if I ever get around to getting my license ) or just a CB.

Only problem is that I really don't know jack-shit about wiring things up. I'm like that goofy guy with the YouTube videos who is always purposely shocking himself for laughs. But I'm not as smart and it's not as funny when I shock myself accidentally.

Anyhow, I ordered a hardwire kit for the GPS and I think the dash cam comes with one already and I'm not sure how a QI wireless mount will wire up since I haven't ordered one yet.

My questions are what do I need to add or do to accommodate this setup? I don't want a rats nest of wires everywhere and I don't want to create electrical hazards or otherwise compromise my electrical system.

Any thoughts, advice, pictures, wisdom handed down by grandpa or whatever — would be most welcome.

I'll continue my research into this stuff, but if anyone has any good links to automotive wiring 101 type stuff that they think is good info, that would be cool too.

Many thanks!
 
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I'd say for the best install that looks and functions properly id go with a sealed fuse box like the ones Ramon is selling over in the group buy thread. Use the relays for accessories that require a lot of power like lights. Use just the fused wires for your gps, HAM, and dash cam. If you can't afford one of those you can run the wires individually to your battery but how it ends up looking depends on how much time you want to spend securing the wires and hiding them out of sight. I have many accessories that are all wired directly to the battery because those boxes have been out of reach for me price wise. If you go this route id spend the extra time and label everything at the battery and at the relay. Nothing worse then having a problem with something and having to test every wire to find the one your looking for. Wiring it up is super easy once you get behind your dash. ALWAYS disconnect your battery before you start and do not reconnect until every wire you touched is either capped or connected. Basic tips I can think of are always use the right sized fuse and wire for the power your device needs and always test functionality while everything is still pulled apart, that way if there is a problem your already behind the dash to fix it. I'm going to wire my dash cam to be on all the time so it can act as a security camera when I'm away, so that is going to be connected to the battery only for constant power. If you don't end up getting one of those fancy boxes then I'd suggest adding a relay to your gps and HAM and tapping into your 12v plugs for power. You'll still need to run the power wires to the battery but you can run the trigger off the 12v socket and the accessories will only turn on when the runner is on. I don't know very much about electrical but if you want to pm me any questions I'll do my best to answer them.

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I'd use something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/AUDEW-Holder...8521208&sr=8-4&keywords=automotive+fuse+block

You can tie the dash cam and RADAR detector to one fuse, the charger to another, and still have two open for future use.

The things you're talking about are all very small loads (less than 1 amp each), so you could use an "Add a fuse" kit to power the block straight from the factory fuse panel, or you could run a wire up to the battery if you want to put heavier loads on it in the future.

https://www.amazon.com/-Circuit-fun...TF8&qid=1468521333&sr=8-4&keywords=add+a+fuse
 
Fuse at the battery

Unless you use power off the existing fuse boxes and you decide to run power (+) to the battery, put a proper sized fuse right there an inch off the battery to catch any short along the way.

Practice whatever you want to try with a 12v bulb on your rig, you'll learn alot you can carry forth to your projects. Luck. :cowboy:
 
Just for that stuff and for flexibility later, I'd add a bluesea (or similar) fuse block behind the dash for interior accessories and wire directly to the battery. As suggested, you will likely want to mount an AGU style fuse on the positive lead very near the battery.

The rest is just wiring + and -, especially for hardwired stuff. If you want to add higher power accessories, you will want a relay (to keep the high power off the switch and out of the cab) for each device and a switch. And get a voltmeter and learn how to use it.... harbor freight has them for free or almost free.
 
StreetCreeper said:
So I have a new dash cam I want to hardwire, a new GPS I want to hardwire and possibly a wireless QI charger mount as well that I would want to hardwire ( yes I know that sounds stupid to hardwire a wireless charger ).

I like clean installs and don't want to have wires hanging all over, so I want to keep it all behind the dash as much as possible.

In the future I'll want to wire up some new fogs with new switches and maybe even add a mobile HAM radio ( if I ever get around to getting my license ) or just a CB.

Only problem is that I really don't know jack-shit about wiring things up. I'm like that goofy guy with the YouTube videos who is always purposely shocking himself for laughs. But I'm not as smart and it's not as funny when I shock myself accidentally.

Anyhow, I ordered a hardwire kit for the GPS and I think the dash cam comes with one already and I'm not sure how a QI wireless mount will wire up since I haven't ordered one yet.

My questions are what do I need to add or do to accommodate this setup? I don't want a rats nest of wires everywhere and I don't want to create electrical hazards or otherwise compromise my electrical system.

Any thoughts, advice, pictures, wisdom handed down by grandpa or whatever — would be most welcome.

I'll continue my research into this stuff, but if anyone has any good links to automotive wiring 101 type stuff that they think is good info, that would be cool too.

Many thanks!
Click to expand...

Car Alarm, Car Stereo, Mobile Video, and Cruise Control Info for Installers


Lots of good info here, be patient reading, and try some things.
 
Good info guys! I'll be following links and reading up on everything everyone is posting.

At this moment I don't know enough to really comment on each post or to even ask pertinent questions. But as I follow the links and learn more about all this stuff, I'll be coming back and dissecting these post to better understand them. At the moment a lot of it is like looking at hieroglyphics — so I'll be in learning mode for a while.

I've tended to always avoid screwing around with my electrical in the past. Sure I can wire up stereos and such but that's a bit different than safely wiring random things to all work harmoniously afterwards. As such, I've not added a lot of things that I've been wanting to. So for now, I think messing with automotive electrical stuff has been the weak link in my armour and it's time to fix that. I'm still waiting on some things like the GPS to come in, so I have some time still learn more and formulate a game plan first.

Many thanks for the offers to help via PM too. I might just pester y'all once I get all the parts together :cool:
 
I like the way you are going about it. Read all you can, understand the basics and go back and read some more. Electrical has a big base of knowledge to learn but once you get past that its straightforward. I still have a ton to learn but it does not scare me anymore.
 
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