Auxiliary Power Kits

I am adding some additional usb and 12v outlets to my 2017 TRD Offroad 4x4 to support additional accessories.

I do a lot of photography, I run a 12v cooler and battery chargers for my cameras, my laptop and phone, tablet, etc.

I had these steel panels custom made. One will go on the right side of the center console, one in the rear of the cab and one in the bed of the truck.







I ordered a rocker switch to turn on/off as needed but power needs to be accessible when the vehicle is off. 12v led voltage readout, 2 dual usb outlets and dual 12v power outlets.

I was looking at getting this auxiliary power kit to wire them up BUT this says it's max rated for 30A fuses for each slot and my custom power panels need 40A fuses per each 6 gang panel.

https://overlandequipped.com/produc...for-3rd-generation-toyota-tacoma-2016-present

Are there any aux power kits that support up to 40A per slot?

 

If you need 30-40 amps, lighter plug sockets aren't going to cut it. I have used anderson powerpole connectors for a long time.

https://powerwerx.com/anderson-power-powerpole-sb-connectors

 

I'm not following you here. Can you expand on what you mean?

 

Cigarette plugs are good for about 10a. Putting a 40 amp fuse on one is sub optimal.

 

So what fuse would I need?

 

What are you going to be running on a cigarette lighter plug and how many amps is it rated for? What Goldindia means is the plug itself can only handle up to 10A regardless of fuses used else it’s innards will melt. If you’re using a refrigerator or something like that and it comes with a cigarette lighter plug, you’ll be OK, but I wouldn’t put a compressor, winch or a spotlight on it.

you also have to consider the 12v source you are hooking the panels to and it’s wire gauge size. too thin of a wire and you’re gonna get smoke.

OK, just read the specs on your terminal block, it says 30 A per circuit. That means if it uses one of those to power the entire plug block you’re gonna be short, but if you’re filling it up with a bunch of low amp stuff like phone chargers and a camera, it would be safer to only use up to a 30amp fuse. again, you need to use the right size source wires to run it depending on the length of the wires.

 

It's just a 12v cooler that I already ran off the factory 12v outlet and a 400w cobra power inverter that I run off the factory 12v outlet.

Originally I was going to run 10 gauge wire from each one to the battery but that's too messy and too many wires.

My second idea if you look at the link in the first post I was gonna run that kit. But now I'm not sure because idk if 30A fuse will be enough for the 6 gang plate I have or not.

So if that doesn't work, then I guess I have to get a fuse block with 40 amp fuses and wire 8 gauge wire. Like this.

https://youtu.be/4w4hU85RJNs?si=nWtgm85AU-AbIzUY

 

That one you have is just fine, you don’t have to use a 40 amp fuse on it - just don’t load it up with a bunch of high amp stuff.

what are the specs on your refrigerator?

 

Your power converter is going to be too high for it, did it really come with a cigarette lighter plug? Don’t use it that way, because 400W at 12V is about 33A. You should run that thing directly off your battery with its own 40A circuit breaker near the battery, a relay and a remote switch of some sort. They usually come with alligator clips, which can handle higher amperage.

How many watts or amps is your refrigerator? Usually the startup rating is the highest and while it’s running it goes down a little bit.

 

Igloo Iceless 40 Quart

 

Wait a minute - that 400w inverter runs up to 33A, not 15A. It’ll work for low amp stuff, but it’s safer to go with the rating of the inverter.

But you’re right about the refrigerator. It’s only 6A and will work with a cigarette lighter plug.

 

Yeah what the hell did I smoke this morning lol. Had a bunch of numbers in my head (been helping design a van build lately) and apparently pulled the wrong one.

 

Dont plug a 400w inverter into a cigarette plug.

Cigarette plugs suck. Specially for fridges. They can vibrate slightly loose, your dog knocks it loose, presto all your shit gets warm and you have no idea.

Anderson powerpoles......

 

well explain more about powerpoles because all you did was give me a link to a page that had a hundred plus products on it without any other explanation. I'm not familiar with them or how they work.

 

What do you plan to run off the 400w inverter? And do you plan to use this inverter while the truck is not running?

 

Just my battery chargers for my Canon EOS 1D-X and Canon R5.


Yes. I will be using them and the Igloo 40 while the truck is off but for limited periods of time.

Usually I get out, shut the truck off and go photograph scenes like this.



Gone for maybe 25 mins to an hour tops. But I need my spare batteries charging and the cooler to stay running while I'm out of the truck.

 

https://www.andersonpower.com/content/dam/app/ecommerce/product-pdfs/DS-PP1545.pdf

 

That didn't really help.

 

Some folks like to cut the cigarette lighter plug off the fridge cords and replace it with an Anderson connector. They don't bounce around and possibly lose connection. I've had my fridges cig style plug pop out before, but only a couple times and I noticed long before my food got warm. The bigger worry is your inverter. 400w inverter can pull 440 to 480 watts from your truck, which is well past 30 amps. Usually 15 amps is about the max you'd ever want to pull from a cigarette style plug. Even at that amperage, they can heat up and possibly even melt. That's why you wouldn't want to fuse it higher than 15 or so amps. Anderson plugs can handle 30, 40, or even higher amps depending on which type you get. In fact, they have large sized connectors that can handle hundreds of amps (but they aren't for your application). Oh, and back to using this thing when the truck is off. If you are running a stock battery, you probably don't have much more than a couple hundred watts of battery power available before you won't be able to start your truck. Not that you'd actually be using the full 400 watts of that inverter for your camera batteries, but if you did, you could run that inverter about 30 minutes (or less) and your truck might not start. I have a large deep cycle battery that has about 500 watts of usable power before I wouldn't be able to start my truck. I'd suggest just grabbing a cheap 500w solar generator/power bank for use when the truck is off. Way safer and won't leave you stranded. Can Charge the power bank off your cigarette plug, with the fridge and camera charger plugged into the power bank. It'll charge when driving, and when you shut off truck it'll keep the fridge and chargers going.

 

I'm confused about the power inverter. I've been using this in my commercial truck, my previous corolla, my rav 4 and my Tacoma with zero issues ever.

Cobra CPI 475

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2203/2035/files/CPI475_MANL.pdf?6163310166077199824