DrData101

To reduce cord-clutter in my vehicle, I recently hard-wired my Garmin Zumo 550 unit in the car's fuse panel. It worked out very good, BUT, I learned an important CAUTION in preparing to do this. I wanted to share this tip with the Forum so no-one damages their GPS unit!

CAUTIONARY TIP: DO NOT cut off the end of the 12v power adapter cord and wire it directly to the vehicle power! This will FRY your GPS unit. Today's 12v Power Adapter cords (specifically Garmin's) not only provide power but also manage the power level as well. Instead, follow the guide below.





How-To:

• Purchase an extra 12v Power Adapter specific to your GPS unit.(Garmin direct or Amazon.) Approx $16-19. (Or use your existing cord but that gives up any portability for use in other vehicles.)
• Purchase a 12v Cig Lighter Female, with bare wire ends. Approx. $5 at any store selling car electrical accessories.
• Mount your unit where desired ( I chose the left side of the windshield which allowed for a nice, short length of cord exposed over the dashboard, connecting into the mount, approx 3".)
• Dress the power cord down through the vehicle trim to conceal it and get it down underneath the dash, on it's way towards the fuse block.
• Next, connect the "plug-end" of the Garmin cord into the female Cig Ltr adapter.
• Connect the adapter to the fuse block. The Cig Ltr adapter will likely have another fuse on it's wired end, so use it for added protection. I connected to a "live", full-time circuit so the Garmin would be powered even with ignition off. [I checked and the Garmin's electrical consumption is minimal so a little use while the car is off is ok, including Garmin battery re-charging.]
• Finally, load your Garmin unit into the mount and turn it on to test.

This makes a clean, cord-free installation without the annoyance of a dangling cord looping across your dashboard!

Hope this helps anyone looking for a cool application of GPS.