radar detector - how to run power through?

[clipsy98gsx]

i just got a new radar dectector, i dont speed much but id rather be safe than sorry even though it wont catch half the signals i bet...

anyways, i know they come with an adapter for the cigarette lighter, is there another way i can connect it through the dash or by running a power cable from under the carpet or something...just looking for a cleaner look and a way that wont clog up my cigarette lighter (not to mention dangling cables)

if anyone has any suggestions or pictures or antyhing i would appreciate it, ill be glad to post pictures for how i do it when i do it if anyone else may need to refer to it


thanks guys...this forum is my new home after i got my car

(btw i have a 98 eclipse gsx if the dash style is different or something for the other models)

 

[cuttheduck]

I had some switches already on my dash panel so I just wired it to one of those.

I didnt want to cut the cig adapter off the radar dector so I could move it car to car so I brought a cig adapter thing for like 1.99. Then cut off the adapter wires and used a test light to get postive and negative right. Connected cig lighter adapter to switch and then plugged the detector into the cig lighter adapter. I hid the whole cigadapter behind my passenger side kickpanel, then from there ran it between the weatherstripping stuff between the door and the dash on that same passenger side. I contiued on and pushed the wires behind the dash until they cam up right where I needed. Resulted in no visible wires and a detector that switches on and off from a toggle switch .

DO NOT MESS UP POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ON THE DETECTOR!!. My friend just messed up his cobra because he didnt get them right, smoke and everything rolled out and killed it.

Also seen people do them up on the visors by running wire though a pillar and stuff.

 

[eclipse0508]

i wired my into the cig lighter wires in back of the lighter itself.......
that way it turns on when i start my car and i can still data log....

 

[clipsy98gsx]

nice thinking cuttheduck, how much does a testlight usually cost and where did u get the cig adapter from? radioshack or something? frys prolly has one but i dont trust frys with anything i buy, its a big shithole :thumbdown

cuttheuck: from what im reading your detector is still connected through the cig lighter or what? "Connected cig lighter adapter to switch and then plugged the detector into the cig lighter adapter"

eclipse0508: how did you get to the back of your cig lighter? and how did you wire it in, did u have to snip the end of the adapter on the detector?

sorry for the retarded questions, i just wanna know what im doing before i jump into the garage, dont wanna mess my baby up

thanks!!! fast responses duh

 

[eclipse0508]

yes i had to snip the cig adapter off.......next to gas pedal there is a panel...take off that panel and you see the cig lighter wires right there....wire the power from the detector into the blue wire on the cig lighter.......then hook up the ground wire of the detector to a ground screw. i used a scew that was right there near the cig lighter. hope that helps ya...........

 

[cuttheduck]

yes i had to snip the cig adapter off.......next to gas pedal there is a panel...take off that panel and you see the cig lighter wires right there....wire the power from the detector into the blue wire on the cig lighter.......then hook up the ground wire of the detector to a ground screw. i used a scew that was right there near the cig lighter. hope that helps ya...........

To anwser your question what I did was pretty much just like posted above. But since I move my detector sometimes I didnt want to cut the cig plug it came with. So i brought like a cigarette lighter extension or some little thing at an auto store. Plugged the detector into the cig extension thing AND then cut the wires off the cig extension, and ran one to a ground and the other to a toggle switch that I had prewired earlier. Took 10 mintues if youve done some wiring before. If I can find my camera phone I could take some pictures.
The 2gs up on jackstands and tore up right now anyway.

 

[Defiant]

The fellow I got mine from had tapped into the wiring at the dome lights in the mirror. Only warning is that it stays hot all the time, so you have to either unplug it or switch it off- although I leave mine on over the weekend and such, it's not enough to draw down the battery (while the dome light in the trunk will flatten a battery overnight). When I don't have the detector hooked up, I just tuck the wire up behind the mirror.

Now, I'd like to know what genius where decided to make automotive accessory plugs use the tip for negative and the ring for positive- so if you touch metal with an adapter, it shorts out. Clueless dorks.

 

[JiveMasterT]

i ran my power wire down the right side center of the dash and by the ebrake there is a hole where you can fish the wire through there, under your cupholder / ash tray, and then through a tiny hole there and into the cig lighter. ill post pics later if i can. i have a 2g btw.

 

[goalieman24]

so are people just cutting the part you plug into the cig lighter and then using the wires inside? or can you buy another wire that will work better.

 

[eclipse0508]

i cut my end off.......there are only two wires.......not very complicated. If you need more info.......pm me........

 

[JiveMasterT]

yeah, the point is that you dont have to cut the end off to run it through though. most plugs have a fuse in it, so you will not only have to splice it into some sort of power source that is fused, but you will not have the option of removing it easily to move it from one car to another. i definately do not recommend cutting the end off. just look for the little holes in your center console and run the wire through there. you cant even see it on my car.

 

[circa504]

how i did my radar detector was i first took out the center aircondition section, and then the air vents up by the window. (cars a 2g talon btw) i taped the end that plugs into the radar to a hanger then fed it thru where the air conditioning used to be and then thru the vent. i stuck the plug down thru the air conditioner down behind the outlet. removing the center console made this easier for me. i took an adapter (optx 4 outlet) and cut the end off of that then spliced it to the back of the power outlet. i plugged my radar detector and my neon lights into the adaptor and just taped it to one of the side panels, on the inside of the center console, so there are absolutely no wires showing and i still have my cigarette lighter open. i can get you a picture of everything if youd like.

 

[eclipse0508]

there is no reason why you cant "hard wire" it into your cig lighter power. If you aren't going to use the detector in more that one car, then your fine. by the way the cig lighter has a fuse.........

also if you do this you dont need to buy anything else, trust me alot of people here do it this way..........

 

[JiveMasterT]

how i did my radar detector was i first took out the center aircondition section, and then the air vents up by the window. (cars a 2g talon btw) i taped the end that plugs into the radar to a hanger then fed it thru where the air conditioning used to be and then thru the vent. i stuck the plug down thru the air conditioner down behind the outlet. removing the center console made this easier for me. i took an adapter (optx 4 outlet) and cut the end off of that then spliced it to the back of the power outlet. i plugged my radar detector and my neon lights into the adaptor and just taped it to one of the side panels, on the inside of the center console, so there are absolutely no wires showing and i still have my cigarette lighter open. i can get you a picture of everything if youd like.

that sounds very clean...

 

[circa504]

ya it is, i dont have any wires anywhere, but still have everything hooked up that i want. ill have pictures of everything as soon as i get it all put back together.

 

[JiveMasterT]

ya it is, i dont have any wires anywhere, but still have everything hooked up that i want. ill have pictures of everything as soon as i get it all put back together.

thats kinda what i did for my neons... except i used cold cathode lights for a computer so i cut the connector off of a fan and soldered it into the wires for the cig lighter and now everything else just plugs in under the console. i eagerly await your pics, sounds so clean.

 

[circa504]

where did you put your neon lights at? i put one under the glove box, just zip tied it to that metal bar that goes across behind it. then i did have one under the panel that is under the steering column until it blew up... so im waiting to find another 15" optx white light, because theyre hard to find around here.

 

[circa504]

well heres the pics.

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the second picture is where i spliced the adaptor into the back of the outlet, its kinda hard to tell. im going to just tape the adaptor to the side of the centor console when i put it back together.

 

[RamenPride]

I tapped into the fuse box and ran a fused wire up the a-pillar and through one of the holes for the visor. I then used the original wire and plug.

 

[goalieman24]

ok i cut off the cig lighter plug and pulled apart the two wires. Inside each has 2 little wires. One side is a red and white, and the other side is green and white. which ones are for power and which are for the ground?

 

[cuttheduck]

ok i cut off the cig lighter plug and pulled apart the two wires. Inside each has 2 little wires. One side is a red and white, and the other side is green and white. which ones are for power and which are for the ground?

Yah Shouldnt cut it until u know.

The way you can tell is by opening up the plug itself. See which wire goes into the center "point" that extrudes from the plug. Thats the power. The wire that goes into the metal part of the plug that touches the walls of the cig lighter when you plug it in are the ground wire. Its been a while though but that should work for yah.

 

[nelapse]

I had some switches already on my dash panel so I just wired it to one of those.

I didnt want to cut the cig adapter off the radar dector so I could move it <A TITLE="Click for more information about car" STYLE="text-decoration: none; border-bottom: medium solid green;" HREF="http://search.targetwords.com/u.search?x=5977|1||||cars|AA1VDw">car</A> to car so I brought a cig adapter thing for like 1.99. Then cut off the adapter wires and used a test light to get postive and negative right. Connected cig lighter adapter to switch and then plugged the detector into the cig lighter adapter. I hid the whole cigadapter behind my passenger side kickpanel, then from there ran it between the weatherstripping stuff between the door and the dash on that same passenger side. I contiued on and pushed the wires behind the dash until they cam up right where I needed. Resulted in no visible wires and a detector that switches on and off from a toggle switch .

DO NOT MESS UP POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ON THE DETECTOR!!. My friend just messed up his cobra because he didnt get them right, smoke and everything rolled out and killed it.

Also seen people do them up on the visors by running wire though a pillar and stuff.

I sorta like this idea, the only reason why is because the plug that the dector has, has a fuse in it. If you are a newbie this is for you. My profession is an Electrican, so my accessory system contains a complex distribution block that has circuit breakers.
IN my opinion its better to make a hole section rather than splicing into wires. The reason why, is because you increase the current in the wires that you spliced into, you risk burnt wires, blown fuses and whatnot. If you have questions on wiring or how to create a distribution block PM me.
peace

 

[cuttheduck]

I sorta like this idea, the only reason why is because the plug that the dector has, has a fuse in it. If you are a newbie this is for you. My profession is an Electrican, so my accessory system contains a complex distribution block that has circuit breakers.
IN my opinion its better to make a hole section rather than splicing into wires. The reason why, is because you increase the current in the wires that you spliced into, you risk burnt wires, blown fuses and whatnot. If you have questions on wiring or how to create a distribution block PM me.
peace

^^YEP^^^^
First thing i did was
-10-12 gauge wire from battery w/ inline fuse
-to distrubution box w/ breakers or fuses (7.5 amp fuses work well for 18 gauge)
-18 gauge wire to switches "pwr" terminal
-18 gauge wire off of switches "acc" terminal to accesorries or capped off for future use.

any advance auto has distribution boxes w/ 6 outlets or so for 5-10 bucks
GIves you the ability to wire up anything you want to now and in the future very fast and safely. just an idea

 

[nelapse]

^^YEP^^^^
First thing i did was
-10-12 gauge wire from battery w/ inline fuse
-to distrubution box w/ breakers or fuses (7.5 amp fuses work well for 18 gauge)
-18 gauge wire to switches "pwr" terminal
-18 gauge wire off of switches "acc" terminal to accesorries or capped off for future use.

any advance auto has distribution boxes w/ 6 outlets or so for 5-10 bucks
GIves you the ability to wire up anything you want to now and in the future very fast and safely. just an idea

Make sure each outlet has a fuse, not just from the battery, the reson why is because when something goes wrong one day you will know which accessory is going nuts. when the fuse blows to the battery you wont know what is blowing it and you can risk all your accessories. so make sure each accessory has its own fuse... you will thank me later

 

[cuttheduck]

Make sure each outlet has a fuse, not just from the battery, the reson why is because when something goes wrong one day you will know which accessory is going nuts. when the fuse blows to the battery you wont know what is blowing it and you can risk all your accessories. so make sure each accessory has its own fuse... you will thank me later

it does
read what I wrote,,6 seperate 7.5 amp fuses in the distrubution box. Thanks for lookin out though