hard wiring...everything

[IH8CIVX]

im looking to hard wire my cb, inverter, 2 neons, radar detector, and headlight strobes. my battery is already powering an underbody kit, and an amp. is this safe? how should i do it? what type of switches should i use? how to on adding fuses? i dont want to use my cigarette plug for anything other then my phone charger and other temp. things.

[EricF]

umm... if you don't have a sun roof.. or maybe even if you do, there is a heavy guage 12V lead up there. That might be good for at least the radar detector

[99CouGSweetRide]

I just ran some wires from the battery through the firewall to behind the stereo, and i connect everything right there.

Mike

[Aries]

Yes, your battery will not be harmed. The only time you should really worry is if you're running a high powered sound system.. and even then, your alternator will be the first thing that would go.. The Battery is simply a storage device. The Alternator is what's really driving the electricity..


This was taken from the "Search" button..

You cannot splice a neon's wiring into just any wire in the car. If you will be installing more than one neon, you will need to either run a wire from your fuse box under the dash or from the battery. From the battery is the more logical choice as you won't have to worry about finding a slot in the fuse box. To wire from the battery, run a wire from the positive terminal on the battery, down the side of the front quarter, behind the driver's side strut tower, then back through the firewall where all the wires enter the car from the engine bay. You'll need to mount an inline fuse holder on that wire as close to the battery as possible.

You'll also want to use a wire of around 12-14 gauge. Run this wire to a switch you'll mount somewhere on the interior. This switch will need to have an amperage rating greater than or equal to the combined amperage of all your neons. Then from the switch, run a wire (same gauge) to a distribution block. From that block, run a single wire to each neon you have. These will be the positive leads. From the negative leads on each neon, run a wire to the closest bare metal contact you have. This will ground the neon and allow it to work.
or the inline fuse holder, install a fuse of only about 5 amps higher than the amperage of all your combined neons. (I.E. if the combined amperage of the neons is 15amps, then install a fuse that's no more than 20amps. This will protect your neons from overpowering, and will allow for any small fluctuation of power needed by the neons.) As long as you use 12-14 gauge wire from the battery to the switch to the block, then you'll be ok. Use about 16-18 gauge wire from the block to the neons, and you'll be ok.

[EternalOne]

Yes, your battery will not be harmed. The only time you should really worry is if you're running a high powered sound system.. and even then, your alternator will be the first thing that would go.. The Battery is simply a storage device. The Alternator is what's really driving the electricity..

I agree with the alt being the first to go, but I have to disagree w/ the "only time you should worry is with a sound system" part. The only reason is because his is a special case. He's wanting to run an inverter and a CB radio, both with draw serious amperage. If its a house CB plugged into the inverter, then its even worse, since you lose power and generate heat in the conversion, and then the CB tries to draw 50-100amps through a 30amp inverter, which could very well start a fire, or at the least smoke the internals of both items.

Can you explain how you want these items hooked up a bit better, and I can help you wire it safely.

E1

[tad]

just buy a seperate little distribution box from autozone or something and take a lead from battery to that and run everything off of that fused distibution box

[IH8CIVX]

its a car cb. a playstation 2 will be running out of the invertor. i think im going towires right off my batteries like everyone is suggesting. ill post pics eventually. im doing all this tomorrow hopefully.

[01blkcat]

I'm amazed that people think this way yet... look at the wiring you are using! Many times, simple 18ga wire will provide near 600x, and 30a on an application! Given, the starting amperage/voltage maybe be higher, and using such a small wire can cause starvation, but everyone keeps saying to use this oversized wiring for no reason. As stated above, a system, and an electronic invertor are really the only two major sources in the vehicle that require a high starting voltage. Past that, neon, radar detectors, equalizers, game systems, phone chargers, and the like require minimal amounts of energy to start and continue. Don't believe me? The AutoTAP I run shows that as I dump nearly 30a of electronics in my car with one switch, I won't even drop 1v, and remain with minimal engine load.

Best idea when enquiring about wiring and switches is to hop on a site like radioshack's, or mouser's (www.radioshack.com / www.mouser.com) and look at the specifications. If you're extremely concerned about proper voltages/amperages, or you want lighted switches, look for 12v products that are made for your vehicle. It will give the ratings for the power output, so you'll know what you're getting. Same goes for the wiring. Most of my vehicle is run with 14ga automotive grade wire. Anyone that has seen my car running with everything on can attest that it runs fine, and that my headlights don't dim under even the most demanding operations -- and there are no additional modifications to the system but the Yellow Top.

Good luck with your mods!

[IH8CIVX]

i used the same sized wire that came with each product. for instance, the radar detector uses a smaller wire then the playstation. my dad is a master electrician with pinnacle health systems. he double checked everything and all is well. i sent the wires from the battery to the room.