Power supply driving me nutty

[Expat]

Can you guys offer some thoughts?

Currently I have only one acc. power outlet - the standard one in the front under the flip-up lid of the storage bin, by the shifter.

From this I need to run my GPS, mobile phone charger, the kids portable DVD player....

So I was thinking of getting the Toyota ash tray kit which would at least give me two locations - still not the best setup.

Then I check the price based on link from another thread and the price has gone from $36 to $63 ouch!

At places like Pep Boys I could get a dual outlet and place this in the same location as the current one (giving me three outlets).

So some questions...

Could I wire additional outlets straight into the wiring of the stock one or will this cause an overload on the wiring (I don't pretend to understand wiring and electricity!). My logic was that if you can add a Toyota ash tray with an additional one, would an additional two be any worse?

What do you think of me placing an additonal outlet in the rear of the console so the kids DVD plugs in there and does not drape into the drivers area? I would think it would look neat and maybe even OEM if I do it right.

Have any of you got pix of other places you have put additional power outlets (in the front) and if so, how have you wired them in?

Personally I don't really like the placement of the outlets right by the shifter. It means that cords are hanging around the console area which is sometimes inconvenient but mostly, unsightly.

Thanks for any thoughts on this issue. You guys are most helpful.

Cheers
Mark

 

[rando]

You can put as many outlets as you want on that circuit. It won't increase the circuit's capacity though. The combined power draw cannot exceed 15A (~180W) or you will blow a fuse. IIRC, the add-in outlet uses a seperate circuit. The wiring is already there -- you just have to pop up the center console trim. If you wire up to that one, then you'd have 15A available on each.

You might want to double check the fuse ratings and/or the wiring manuals to confirm the circuit sizes. They are either 15A or 10A but some reason my brain wont recall right now.

 

[bryancos]

I bought a 3way 12V converter and plugged some of the rear seat toys (dvd, monitor, etc) into the REAR 12V outlet.

 

[jharris2]

You can put as many outlets as you want on that circuit. It won't increase the circuit's capacity though. The combined power draw cannot exceed 15A (~180W) or you will blow a fuse. IIRC, the add-in outlet uses a seperate circuit. The wiring is already there -- you just have to pop up the center console trim. If you wire up to that one, then you'd have 15A available on each.

You might want to double check the fuse ratings and/or the wiring manuals to confirm the circuit sizes. They are either 15A or 10A but some reason my brain wont recall right now.

I added the ash tray and second power outlet, and they are on the same circuit as the standard power outlet. You gain nothing except a second outlet.