I need to hardwire my TomTom GPS, and not really to sure how to go about it. I am currently charging it on a daily basis and putting it back into the truck because both my 12V outlets are shot.

Its mounted on the far left of the dash by the window (same place as Edge Evolution mounting place)

I have 2 AC chargers, and a car adapter, how can i hardwire this? Would cutting the end and splicing into my headunit power work? I want the power to be switched, as in when i turn the truck on it will come on (it does have this setting on the GPS) Would I need a ground? Or how exactly can I accomplish this?

 

I think it would be easier to goto the autoparts store and buy new 12v outlets, there only a few bucks.

I'd believe if u did want to cut the tomtom wire that there should be 2 wires, i'd run the hot into the fuse panel and the ground to something metal.

 

id rather have the wires hidden. Any particular place into the fuse panel..

 

yes, your gonna need to pull out the owners manual and look at the diagram of the fuse box, find an "empty" slot (its made for accessory items like CB's etc...) You dont just wanna pull out any fuse and stick the wire in. I would assume a 15amp fuse should be enough but im no electronics guy

 

When I was in the audio install industry I would buy a female cigarette lighter adapter from any auto parts store and wire that into a 12v source under the dash or on the radio harness, then run your tom tom plug however you want and plug it in. That way all the wires are hidden but if you ever need to take it out you still have the functional tom tom plug. Also most of those plugs have a fuse in them so this helps protect the gps itself.

 

thats how i hardwired my radar, hid the extra 12v outlet under the dash, groudned it then spliced power into the switched 12v on the HU

 

ditto for both my gps and sattalite radio.


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how much power does the gps use? you can hardwire it into the HU so it turns on and off with the accessories. thats how i ran my cb and no issues so far. dad hardwired something to the HU as well, cant remember what. but you could hard wire it to the HU if it doesnt use to much power, and make a permanent mount on the top cubby on the dash. and when you need the gps out of site just unhook it and hide it in the console

 

Thats the ideal plan, gonna try to work on it this weekend....too cold outside

 

is it 12 volts coming out of the lighter plug? or does it reduce the voltage to like 3 or 6 volts? if so, you cant just put 12v to it.

 

i'd be a little worried about cutting the plug, i have a garmin and i think its got some sort of transformer in the 12v plug that knocks the voltage down to 3 or 4, but i could e wrong, im trying to learn more about wiring as i go, but this seems like a good place to learn