Permanent Hardwire TomTom - anyone done it/got pics?

[Pabs]

Hey peeps - firstly - i thought i'd asked this before, but can't find the thread.
So I'll ask again:

I've got a tomtom one - well, i pick it up from my parents tomorrow.

I want it "hardwired in". By this I mean I don't want an adaptor sticking out of the ciggy lighter socket all the time.

However, if the adaptor is plugged in, and I can shut the ashtray door/lid, I'd be happy.

Can anyone confirm this? Or has anyone come up with a better method.

My plan is to have the TT mounted on a vent. Then, when i get out of the car, the TT & mount will be removed from the car, but the cabling will be run through the dash and hidden from view. It needs to be discrete, and so that nobody see's any suction cap marks on windows, or signs of a gps being in the car...

Any opinions/pics would be great. Ta

 

[leonlad]

you need one of these

http://www.morpethmobiles.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=215119&cat=183

and a proclip mount

job done.

 

[Pabs]

ahh, useful link thanks...
Still its about £50....

 

[Feel]

I've got a car accessory adaptor wired in under the dash - under the steering wheel, LHS theres a pocket for the service manual, behind there theres some holes that were almost made for fag lighter plugs.

The adaptor gives me four fag lighter sockets, one powers my PDA, another my BT GPS and a third I have my BT headset charger plugged in. The fourth was useful when I borrowed an in car DVD player for last year's trip to france.

It's useful because PDA's and other stuff run on 5v and the voltage reduction circuit is in the plug AND, with a little fiddle, I can unplug the chargers if I want to transfer them to another car.

The adaptor/splitter thing is wired via a fuse to the ignition switched supply under the dash, a la icecavern instructions.

Plenty of questions on this, if you do a search

 

[Pabs]

ok mate - ta for that.

I've been thinkin of removing the fag lighter socket, and just connecting it to the tt adapter behind the dash stereo/cc etc. However, if I want a toureg torch then i'm gonna need 2.

Was also thinking of cutting the wires and splitting it behind the dash, but I think I'll have a fiddle tomorrow and see what works best.

 

[Feel]

Just be careful about the 5volts business - if you cut the fag lighter plug off the TomTom cable and wire it in you'll be giving it 12volts

 

[m0rk]

use a voltage regulator? SHould be cheap from maplins, solder in the 0V, the 12V & there will be a 5V output.

May need strapping to a heatsink to dissipate the heat, but I've done that back in the days where I had a car with no radio (so used an old hifi )

 

[Pabs]

I've made some voltage regs before - in fact - I've got some lying around somewhere - variable pot so I can adjust between about 4-12v. All with small heatsinks on.

I'm not gonna cut the connector off for that very reason - i think they also have a small fuse in the connector too.

 

[Pabs]

ok peeps - got pretty much the ultimate stealthy install done - all I need is a decent mount to hold tomtom onto the dash or one of the central vents.

Anyone got any pics, or any links to decent brackets? Cheapish would be good - doesnt need to be powered as I've run the cable from the cig lighter quite well.
Thanks

 

[leonlad]

http://www.tomtom.com/products/accessory.php?ID=205&Product=143&Category=&Context=1&Language=1

you could try one of these

 

[Pabs]

oh, forgot to say - I need to remove the TT AND mount easily - the mount will be removed from show for security purposes. Been looking at the brodit site, and they look good, but possibly a pain to remove/refit.

 

[Pabs]

http://www.tomtom.com/products/accessory.php?ID=205&Product=143&Category=&Context=1&Language=1

you could try one of these

yeh, been looking at those - real shame they don't sell the bits seperately - I only want the vent mount.

 

[leonlad]

personally i would of went with the brodit active mount that i linked to before.

your average thief is gonna think it`s a phone holder.

 

[Pabs]

theives around this way aren't your average theives tho

They see a suction cap mark on the windscreen, no matter how faint, and they break in expecting a TomTom or other unit to be in the glovebox.


My handsfree kit is hardwired into stereo, but that gets hidden away when car is parked. Car stero facia is always taken with me, and now TomTom as well - i need a bag to carry this lot around in!

 

[leonlad]

sounds like ya need a head unit with satnav and bluetooth

just the fascia to carry

the brodit holder was £30 a few weeks back hence i bought one , which is a bargain every where else is £50+

http://www.morpethmobiles.co.uk/prod...215119&cat=183

 

[Pabs]

yeh, still not paying that though - all i need is a mount to the vent - don't need power - happy to use my cig-lighter lead for that purpose.

those brodit ones (non-active) say they require screwing in - what do they screw to?

 

[leonlad]

you need the vent mount brodit do those as well

http://www.siocommunications.co.uk/Shopping/view_product.php?product=652333

 

[leonlad]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ALTERNATIVE-M...5QQihZ010QQcategoryZ75327QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem