Wiring TX3100 UHF into 12v lighter in centre console

[RandallTapp Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close RandallTapp]

Hi all, I know this topic has been covered by many on this forum but I cant find a specific image that explains in a thousand words how to actually connect the UHF wiring to the 12V wiring coming from the lighter in the centre console. Is it as simple as black to black and red to red?

[Guest Close Guest]

Yes it is but the simpler way is to wire tap off the fuse block.
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...e-in-dash-area

[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

Hey RandallTap,

I just did one of these in a Hilux today...be careful, sometimes the colours are reversed on the cig, and power comes down the black wire! Just get a light tester and check which wire has the power feed. If you wire it backwards, you'll blow fuses and potentially run too much current through the UHF unit.

I agree with amts, the better way is to forget taking power from the cig, just run twin-core straight from the battery with its own fuse is the simplest/safest way I reckon! ...or as amts says, use a fused power adapter off the fuse block, you can get these at supercheap.

Best

Mark

[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

...have a squiz at these...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-x-Add-A...item339fff950c

[Joe Lighty Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lighty]

Whitey, they look great!

[LeighW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LeighW]

I would tap of the cigar lighter myself, simple matter to determine what is the correct
polarity, if you can't then using a tapped fuse is more dangerous as if you get it the
wrong way around and short the light gauge wiring it could possibly go up in smoke
if tapped into a 20A or 30A fuse for example.

If it was a high power radio then yes run straight from the battery but a CB connected
directly to the cigar lighter shouldn't cause any issues.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Sorry I don't like those tapped fuse things. Son had one installed in his Cruze by the stereo fitter. I changed it for a real soldered connection because the fuse started to go all weird. Low current draw as it was a trigger source but still worried me.

[RandallTapp Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close RandallTapp]

Thanks for the input troops, very much appreciated. I just noticed that the power lead from my unit has an inline fuse. If I decide to connect to the cig wiring, will this fuse protect my unit if in fact the cig wiring is ass about?

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

A fuse won't protect against any damage caused by reversing the potential to the unit. The unit may have inbuilt protection or not. Do you have access to a multimeter to confirm polarity? JAYCAR and the like have very cheap multimeters you can grab. A fuse is over current protection and not always reliable.

[Guest Close Guest]

It should be pretty obvious which wire is which as you can trace the wire attached to centre pin (which is +ve).

[LeighW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LeighW]

It is unlikely Toyota would have wired it the wrong way around, look at the socket,
the terminal that connect to the center pin on the Cigar socket is positive or red.
The one that goes to the case is the negative.

In the 120 the positive is a pink wire with a blue stripe, the earth is White with a black
stripe.

[RandallTapp Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close RandallTapp]

thanks all, everything taken on board. look out centre console.... here I come

[Prone Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prone]

Thanks for the input troops, very much appreciated. I just noticed that the power lead from my unit has an inline fuse. If I decide to connect to the cig wiring, will this fuse protect my unit if in fact the cig wiring is ass about?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]20173[/ATTACH]

Old electronics saying -

A transistor protected by a fast acting fuse will protect the fuse by blowing first.

Cheers
Prone

[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

Thanks for the input troops, very much appreciated. I just noticed that the power lead from my unit has an inline fuse. If I decide to connect to the cig wiring, will this fuse protect my unit if in fact the cig wiring is ass about?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]20173[/ATTACH]

The in-line fuse on your UHF unit is an old fashioned cylindrical fuse, and is rated only at 2A.

If you by accident wire it backwards, you will blow both the cig fuse (15A?) and the in-line fuse. You may also run too much current through the unit and kill it.

Get yourself a light tester, it is the simplest way to determine which wire is the power feed. Light testers are cheap and you can get them from Supercheap, Jaycar etc.

Otherwise buy some twin-core and run fused power directly from the battery, then there's no chance of mixing up wires!

Best

Mark

[RandallTapp Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close RandallTapp]

Hi all. Update. I decided to have a crack at the lighter wiring. No reds or blacks I'm afraid. Is life ever that easy? How's does light green and black with white sound? Had to pull the cig lighter apart completely to confirm the light green was connected to the centre pin. Bit the bullet, connected the way the little voice in my head was telling me and shazzzzam.... Breaker breaker, my car is now filled with the comforting sound of pro drivers swearing like troopers. All good for my upcoming journey North to Cape Leveque. Thanks again all for the great advice.