HOW TO: (Hidden) Two extra cigarette power adapters

HOW TO: (Hidden) Two extra cigarette power adapters

Extra cigarette adapters are useful for powering devices that are always plugged in. I participate in volunteer search & rescue, and I have a dependence on my GPS devices to assist me. Couple that with a phone charger, possible in-car bluetooth headset, and any other odd device, and you get lots of wires and very few plugs.
This mod should help with some of that!

I apologize for some missing pictures, but those are mainly of the standard stuff like crimping, cutting wires, etc. I'll be adding a video later that should do a good job of explaining things.

EXPENSE:

There are different expense levels to this how-to. The instructions cover the 'medium' route, though I will discuss the other alternatives at the end.

CHEAP: Assuming you have tools, you can do this for under $20
MEDIUM: If you want to add a Blue Sea fuse box like I did and a master cut-off switch, about $100
FANCY: Perform the medium build and add an LVD, $130 - $180
DELUXE: Perform the medium build, but switch out the fuse box for an auto-timed LVD fuse box, about $425

PARTS/TOOLS NEEDED

(optional) Fuse Block: I used the Blue Sea 5026 ST. This is only for the medium or fancy expense route. I have enough other things in my vehicle that it was time to get this. Once you have one, it makes finding a power source SO much easier. I won't get into mounting options, but you can check out what I did in my build thread (see my sig, I have links in the first post for easy searching). You can get a smaller unit, but make sure you have room for additional growth

(optional) Master shut off switch: I used the Blue Sea 6006200 battery switch, which is way overkill. This is only for the medium or fancy expense route. You want this mounted between the battery and the fuse block. This aids in providing a safe way to cut power from your auxiliary devices during maintenance and installation.

(optional) 10A ATC blade fuse: My adapter came with a 10A bullet style fuse. I replaced it with this fuse to use in my fuse block

(optional) 4AWG wire, ring terminals, and a means to crimp the ring terminals: This is for the fuse block, in case yours is not wired. Wiring is from battery > master switch > fuse block. I don't have a real good way to crimp that heavy of wires, so I used a hammer and a flat blade screwdriver If you need more detail on this wiring, PM me

Dual outlet auxiliary power adapter:

$8 Custom Accessories 10242 Auxiliary Twin Power Outlet

such as this one. Basically, this is a product that houses two cigarette adapter plugs with wire leads that are intended for hardwiring. Your goal would be to find one that isn't very bulky. I like the looks of the one in this link. I bought mine locally from an RV dealership.

Two Self-tapping screws: about 1/4" long, for mounting the power adapter

Wire: I prefer to use 14AWG speaker wire with clear insulation and either a stripe on one lead, or two different colored wires (such as one silver, the other copper). I like this because the wire can be inexpensive, is glued together for neatness, and the different colors help me make sure I have correct positive/negative leads. Also, I tend to have it left over from car stereo projects, home audio projects, you name it. Search google for "speaker wire clear with stripe" to find some. You just need enough to reach from the gas pedal to the engine bay, but it's usually sold on a spool that will have way more than enough for the project.


Cable wrap/sleeving: I used the black plastic stuff that looks like what the factory uses to provide a protective cover for the cabling. 1 foot or so is all I needed, your results may vary.

Zip ties
Heat shrink tubing: 1/4" works great for 14AWG with ring terminals.
heat gun or lighter: for shrinking the heat shrink
Ring terminals: Used for attaching to the fuse block and possibly the power adapter
Electrical tape
Coat hanger: The best fish tape money can buy. Straighten this out (except for the hook). You will attach wire to this with the electrical tape to 'fish' the wire through the firewall.
Wire strippers
Wire cutters: If you do enough electrical, get a good pair. So worth it. Plus, you get to ask people to 'hand you the dikes'
(optional)Dremel with cut-off bit and/or a file: If your power adapter doesn't fit just right, these do the 'coaxing'
Screwdriver

PROCESS

First off, mount and wire your fuse block and master switch. I won't get into details here since everyone will have a different setup. I mounted mine behind the factory fuse box using the factory holes on the side of the engine bay.



TURN OFF YOUR MASTER SWITCH OR DISCONNECT YOUR BATTERY

Begin by determining an area for the adapter. I wanted my adapter out of sight, but readily accessible. Also, I wanted it to sit on the driver's side due to the length of my cables to my GPS units.
There isn't a lot of good flat spots under there, so you have to get crafty. In the picture below, you can see where I have things mounted on the heater vent, just below the steering column. That's what we will use for this project.



Next, remove the end piece of the heater vent. There are four tabs, simply lift up and wiggle it off.
Take your power adapter and adjust its mounting so that you can affix it to the top side of the vent piece. For me, I had to bend the mounting flange. Use your self-tapping screws to affix.

I also had to use the dremel to cut down the metal trim around the plugs and cut out a portion of the casing to lower the profile of the power adapter. The second picture shows where I removed plastic where the casing comes in contact with the heater vent. There's a plastic tab along the seam on the vent that bumps up, and I'm creating a crevice for that so the power adapter body can sit lower. There's not much space once we get things reattached, and I don't want the adapter to rub or rattle on the steering column.





Reattach the heater vent and check fitment. Notice that I'm clearing the steering column



Attach the speaker wire to the power adapter. I opened up the housing and fully re-wired. You can do butt connectors or solder to the existing wires if you like.

Next, take your wires from the adapter and feed them to the engine bay. Locate the rubber boot that is on the driver's side firewall, just above the wheel well. There should be a lot of factory wiring already coming through this.
From the engine bay side, poke your coat hanger through the boot. You may end up tearing the side of the boot instead of getting it in the actual hole, but it's not a big deal. Just don't be so rough as to damage the existing wires. In the picture below, you can see the engine bay side where my white/silver coat hanger is poking through the boot.



Once through, push the coat hanger down so you can see it from the footwell inside the truck. the entry point should be near the clutch pedal/fake pedal area. Take the end of your wire and wrap it around the coat hanger, sort of like an ivy plant (this helps prevent slippage when we pull things through). Then, wrap it with the electrical tape. Go back to the engine bay and pull the wire through gently.

Next, wrap the engine bay side of the wire with cable wrap. The wire on the left is the one we're using. We will cut it down to size and do permanent attachment later.



Apply your heat shrink and ring terminals, then attach to the fuse block. If you don't have wire that has clear markings for positive/negative, I like to use a red zip tie for the positive lead. You can see how I've done this with the second wire from the top of this picture



Cut the cable wrap down to size and finish attaching it with zip ties.

Install your fuse and label the connection. I called mine 'AUX CIG', and included '10A' to let me know it needs a 10 amp fuse.



Go back inside the truck and begin plugging in your devices.
OK, so this picture is awful to look at, but let me try to explain. The firewall is in the bottom of the pic, the driver door would be on the left, and you are basically looking skywards. You can see how I've plugged in one of my GPS power cables.



Verify all the connections are safe and turn your master switch on.
Enjoy your hidden wiring job!




ALTERNATIVES/CONSIDERATIONS

If you don't want to do a fuse block, a cheap alternative is to use an Add-a-Fuse. These are about $3 or so. I recommend connecting to the fuse panel inside the truck. If you use the fuse position for the dash lights, you get the benefit of the power coming on/off when you turn the ignition on or off.

In this build, the power is always on for the power adapter. I unplug my GPS devices when I'm done using them. If you have high-draw devices or are concerned about shutting things off, your can either use a switch (you may need a relay), or wire in a Low Voltage Discharge (LVD) switch. An LVD will notice a power drop when you turn off the truck, which will cut power either instantly or after a timed shutdown (depending on the design of your LVD). An LVD is anywhere from $30 to $90. Here's a pretty nice looking one from Powerwerx, their ITS-12

If you want the extreme fancy way, you can buy an auto-timed LVD fuse block, such as the Powerwerx PDU-100 This gives you options for always on or timed discharge with the benefit of low voltage battery protection. However, it's $320 for JUST this unit!!