3 x 12v outlets wiring help (simple)
#1
02-25-2019, 04:27 PM
3 x 12v outlets wiring help (simple)
since the cig lighter 12v likes to spit out everything i plug into it, i've decided to piggy-back some power from the fuse box (5a) and run 4x 12v outlets
I'm going on roadtrip from Vancouver, BC to Pismo Beach in 4 weeks, plan on charging a lot of phones/powerbank and running a 12v air compressor occasionally.
2 are dual usb (1A + 2.1A)
1 is a straight 12v socket
1 is a digital voltage readout
What is the best way to wire this? I ran a pair of 12GA wire to the fuse box thinking id only need 2 hot. Should i add another pair?
How do I wire the digital voltage readout to be accurate to the 2 other plugs on its strip?
See attached links to see the 12v plugs i bought.
USB ports
USB + 12V + readout
I'm going on roadtrip from Vancouver, BC to Pismo Beach in 4 weeks, plan on charging a lot of phones/powerbank and running a 12v air compressor occasionally.
2 are dual usb (1A + 2.1A)
1 is a straight 12v socket
1 is a digital voltage readout
What is the best way to wire this? I ran a pair of 12GA wire to the fuse box thinking id only need 2 hot. Should i add another pair?
How do I wire the digital voltage readout to be accurate to the 2 other plugs on its strip?
See attached links to see the 12v plugs i bought.
USB ports
USB + 12V + readout
#2
02-25-2019, 11:13 PM
My 1999 LT came with two accessory power outlets that were molded into the lowest panel for the dash, just to the right of the transmission hump. These supply 12V continuously. I modified one of them so that it would only be on if the Retained Accessory Power was also on. (If interested I could post my wiring diagram for this switched version.) I would think you might be able to find one of these panels and the wiring harness that could plug directly into your wiring harness.
I've attached some of the pages from my service manual. In the wiring diagram it would appear that the power for the accessory outlets is directly connected to the Fuse 13 (20A) in the fuse block. If you have a Fuse 13, then you might also have the pig-tail labeled "1 ORN 1040" somewhere under you dash that which you can tap for power. So if you find one of the lower panels, then you might be able to plug it in directly.
There will be very little voltage drop along the wires you use. But you should ask yourself, "What voltage do I want to measure?" If you want the voltage at the outlet then make your connection of the voltmeter across the 12V and ground pins of the outlet itself. This will also tell you if the the thing drawing power is doing so at a great enough rate so that the voltage drops. Making your volt meter connection at the outlets is also the most compact way of doing the wiring.
Regarding the wire gauge; GM uses a metric designation for the wire sizes where the number first number "1" from "1 ORN 1040" is the size of the wire in terms of its cross-sectional area in mm^2. According to the wire conversion table in my manual "1" is equivalent to 16 ga,
Metric AWG
0.22, 24
0.35, 22
0.50, 20
0.80, 18
1.0, 16
2.0, 14
3.0, 12
5.0, 10
8.0 ,8
13.0, 6
19.0, 4
32.0, 2
50.0, 1/0
I've attached some of the pages from my service manual. In the wiring diagram it would appear that the power for the accessory outlets is directly connected to the Fuse 13 (20A) in the fuse block. If you have a Fuse 13, then you might also have the pig-tail labeled "1 ORN 1040" somewhere under you dash that which you can tap for power. So if you find one of the lower panels, then you might be able to plug it in directly.
There will be very little voltage drop along the wires you use. But you should ask yourself, "What voltage do I want to measure?" If you want the voltage at the outlet then make your connection of the voltmeter across the 12V and ground pins of the outlet itself. This will also tell you if the the thing drawing power is doing so at a great enough rate so that the voltage drops. Making your volt meter connection at the outlets is also the most compact way of doing the wiring.
Regarding the wire gauge; GM uses a metric designation for the wire sizes where the number first number "1" from "1 ORN 1040" is the size of the wire in terms of its cross-sectional area in mm^2. According to the wire conversion table in my manual "1" is equivalent to 16 ga,
Metric AWG
0.22, 24
0.35, 22
0.50, 20
0.80, 18
1.0, 16
2.0, 14
3.0, 12
5.0, 10
8.0 ,8
13.0, 6
19.0, 4
32.0, 2
50.0, 1/0
#4
03-05-2019, 09:14 AM
I made a test post of an item you might like to know about in the Website Problems and Suggestions section. It's from a Envoy and is called an ashtray delete. They fit both S10 trucks and Blazers. They're a pretty nifty little item for the kind of stuff you're doing. You can see how they're wired up by looking at a wiring diagram for an Envoy. It should show you exactly how they're wired up.
Last edited by eshaw; 03-05-2019 at 09:24 AM.
#5
03-05-2019, 10:24 PM
I made a test post of an item you might like to know about in the Website Problems and Suggestions section. It's from a Envoy and is called an ashtray delete. They fit both S10 trucks and Blazers. They're a pretty nifty little item for the kind of stuff you're doing. You can see how they're wired up by looking at a wiring diagram for an Envoy. It should show you exactly how they're wired up.
I would think a trip to the wrecking yard would result in finding one of these.
#7
03-07-2019, 12:04 AM
Just a quick note, 5 amp is really not enough for what your planing to draw for current. That compressor alone is going to be more like 5-8 amps on its own. Normally my personal rule of thumb is double the source vs the expected draw. Always better to have the extra and not use it than need it and not have it like say sometime you plug in a decent sized power inverter. Just my 2 cents, have fun.
#8
03-07-2019, 12:22 AM
Just a quick note, 5 amp is really not enough for what your planing to draw for current. That compressor alone is going to be more like 5-8 amps on its own. Normally my personal rule of thumb is double the source vs the expected draw. Always better to have the extra and not use it than need it and not have it like say sometime you plug in a decent sized power inverter. Just my 2 cents, have fun.
Im running 2 pairs of 12GA speaker wire for power, and on both hots i have a 5A fuse. (1 hot for dual usb, 1 hot for 12v). I think i'll swap the 12V fuse for a 15A since I think the cig lighter uses something like that.
Is this the astray delete you are talking about? https://www.ebay.com/i/173810916936?chn=ps
I would think a trip to the wrecking yard would result in finding one of these.
I would think a trip to the wrecking yard would result in finding one of these.
#9
03-07-2019, 07:38 AM
"Every time i hit the scrapyard im trying to find a sunshade for the 2dr. Made the rookie mistake of taking one from a 4dr, ended up binning it."
What kind of sunshade are you referring to, the one cover in the back of the blazer that's rolled up in the side???
What kind of sunshade are you referring to, the one cover in the back of the blazer that's rolled up in the side???