Which fuse should i plug in to for my PA system (100w outdoor speaker, 40w amplifier, CB radio with PA) so that when i turn off my truck all of these turn off. I have an '02 F150 and the cigarette lighters are on all of the time so plugging into that is not an option.

I have all of these hooked up in series so i would only need one fuse to plug in to.

any suggestions?

 

Run a dedicated, fused power wire for all of these and use a relay to ensure they only get power when the truck is on. Series, as in the Positive of the second device is attached to the ground of the first and so-on?

 

sorry - i misused a term - i have a dedicated fused power line for all of these items (not series). I will be sure to hook it to a relay - makes sense.

 

if u run it to a fuse, u can go to any fuse that is on when the truck is on, like the turn signals or the radio. as long as it is something that is on when the truck is on u will be fine, we have to do that with certain decks on vehicles sometimes, so u dont have to buy the 100sum dollar harness.

 

I think the fuse should be independent of the stock stuff and totally separate. Tapping factory stuff for power can become dangerous and a hassle for when items begin to blow fuses and mess stuff up. Using a wire that gets power when the truck is on if fine as long as all it is doing is tripping a relay to allow power to come on. I have done this in a few vehicles for different accessories and never had an issue. The current to turn a relay on is going to be less than whatever you are trying to add onto the system. A prime example is my truck, I have different "power when on" wires tapped for my subs/amp, air compressor for horns, radar detector, etc.

 

I went this route - I dont feel like damaging some hardware at 2:00 in the morning and looking around for fuses whenever my headlights/something doesnt work anymore b/c i plugged into it.

 

Awesome, Let's see some pics of the install.

 

Got it all the way installed this weekend - ill post pics later today

 

Here are the pics