New circuit on ignition switch???

saversfriend

Happy Easter!

Wandering if anyone can help me please? I have 1 power socket in my car which I put in with a mate about 4 years ago, crimped into the radio circuit.

As I use phone charger / satnav / other things at once, I'm planning to put in more sockets, but would prefer to do this on a new circuit so as to not overload the circuit.

Can anyone advise how I would wire it in order for the power sockets not to be live when the ignition is off?

My car's a Metro so not too hard to dismantle.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

atrixblue.-MFR-.

a multi socket cigarette plug would work much better and less wiring.

Wayne3765

Try one of these fuse taps -

http://www.co-star.co.uk/range/37/363/add-a-circuit-fuse-holders

atrixblue.-MFR-.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000RW043Y/ref=asc_df_B000RW043Y7344575?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&!!!!!hydra0b-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B000RW043Y&hvpos=1o3&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14908894061626257825&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=

or just get one of these

Wayne3765

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

or just get one of these

Maybe they don't want one of those ?

theragingbullock wrote: »

Happy Easter!

Wandering if anyone can help me please? I have 1 power socket in my car which I put in with a mate about 4 years ago, crimped into the radio circuit.

As I use phone charger / satnav / other things at once, I'm planning to put in more sockets, but would prefer to do this on a new circuit so as to not overload the circuit.

Can anyone advise how I would wire it in order for the power sockets not to be live when the ignition is off?

My car's a Metro so not too hard to dismantle.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

saversfriend

Thanks for the replies. I've got one of those piggyback fuses already, but the thing I'm really asking is how to make it so that it is only on when the ignition switch is on.

Thanks!

Notmyrealname

Easiest way is to use a 20 to 40 amp relay.

Take a feed directly from the battery into the relay and out the other side to a bank of sockets. On the coil side of the relay take a feed from anything at all which is live on the accessory position of the ignition switch - you could even take it from the back of the ignition switch itself.

On the image below of the pin out of a standard 4 pin automotive relay:
Pin 30 would connect to the battery putting a fuse in line.
Pin 87 connects to the sockets you want to put in.
Pin 85 goes to the switched feed.
Pin 86 goes to ground.



That way, when you turn off the ignition, the relay switches off and disconnects the power. You also have a dedicated circuit fed from the battery so if the fuse blows then no harm done. Make sure you use sufficient thickness wire to connect from the battery to the relay and the relay to the sockets.

epninety

The safest way to do this would be to run a power feed direct from the battery (fused as close as possible to the battery), and switch the power on and off using a relay, triggered from an ignition switched circuit (maybe your radio?).
The relay is simply a switch which can control a high current circuit (e.g. your sockets), using a small amount of current from another circuit (e.g. your ignition switch). You can probably find loads of helpful websites showing how to wire a relay switched circuit.

If you are just running low power devices (phone, satnav etc.) then even 3 or 4 of those isn't going to add enough power draw to be dangerous to your car wiring though, so you could probably tie all your sockets to a single low value fuse (5A?) and connect that direct to your ignition circuit. Look at the circuit diagram or fuse list for your car and try to pick a circuit that is ignition switched, and of lower importance (in case you do cause a problem). Rear screen demist maybe? Wherever you take the tap from, make sure it is downstream of that circuits main fuse, so you still get the overall protection from that fuse. Once you find the point you want to tap in, check it is live only when the ignition is on, then pull the main fuse for that circuit and check it isn't live anymore.