GPS Wiring solution

[branson0319@att.net]

My GPS is wired into the left pocket outlet .. It is a problem I have with it not charging the GPS enough to keep it working . Know it is getting some power as it turns off the GPS when you turn off the key and restarts when you turn the key on .. Should I wire to the battery posts to get enough power to charge the GPS ??? Think the wired my XM radio into the same place Radio works fine .. could it be that it shouldn't be wired into the same as the Radio , possibly not generating enough power to run both ??? Thanks for any advice on this ..Steve

[MikeB]

Where you connect the power at is totally up to you. If that GPS has a power switch, I'd connect the power cord to the battery through a fuse. That way you can turn it on at anytime and when it is off, the internal battery will charge.

[Mh434]

I discovered (the hard way) that some GPS units draw a surprising amount of power. My older GPS unit draws over 1 amp when the display is on, not including charging the battery. That's a fair bit, and if the same circuit is shared with other accessories that also draw some power, there may not be enough left over to charge the battery.

If you have another accessory circuit, one without XM radio on it etc., I'd try that. This, of course, presupposes that the unit charges properly in other vehicles etc....

[WingAdmin]

There's one way to know for sure: a quick and dirty temporary wire run to the battery, to power the GPS from there. If the problem goes away, then you know the insufficient wire capacity is the issue. If not, then you have another problem somewhere.

I would be surprised if there is not enough power. Most GPS units run on 5 volts, not 12, so they have an adapter (switching power supply) - usually built into the cigarette lighter plug.

When it comes to power draw, it's watts that matters, more than amps. If the GPS draws 1 amp at 5 volts, that's 5 watts of power - but pulling 5 watts from the 12 volt power supply is only 0.4 amps. Call it 0.5 amps for conversion inefficiencies. Half an amp is not much.

I would also measure the voltage at the input to the GPS. If it is low, you might have an issue.

[virgilmobile]

Same with my older Tom Tom.
I had a generic plug adaptor and it would constantly discharge.I replaced both the adaptor with a 1500ma. one and a shorter/heavier USB cord to resolve this.

This is an interesting problem...I find that some of my portable devices simply are designed to run on it's battery..not the charger like the laptops do.
My devices can draw more power when running the GPS/phone/Bluetooth apps than the internal charging circuit can produce regardless of how much power is available.
My Samsung tablet is this way...plugging it in while running it will slow the discharge but not charge it and run at the same time.

[MikeB]

My GPS is wired into the left pocket outlet .. It is a problem I have with it not charging the GPS enough to keep it working . Know it is getting some power as it turns off the GPS when you turn off the key and restarts when you turn the key on .. Should I wire to the battery posts to get enough power to charge the GPS ??? Think the wired my XM radio into the same place Radio works fine .. could it be that it shouldn't be wired into the same as the Radio , possibly not generating enough power to run both ??? Thanks for any advice on this ..Steve

What make and model of GPS are you using?
Does it have a power adapter cord that delivers 5 volts or can the GPS be wired directly to 12 volts? I assume it is a 5 volt unit.
Is the left pocket outlet one of the power adapter sockets similar to a cigarette lighter socket?

I am using the Garmin 2720 on my GL1800 and it is wired direct to 12 volts from the battery through a three amp mini fuse.

On my GL1500, I am using a Garmin 1490 LMT. I use an EDO Tech Compact Direct USB Hardwire Car Charger Power Cord Kit for Garmin Nuvi from Amazon to supply voltage to the GPS. It is wired from the accessory terminal of the fuse block.

When the ignition is turned on, the Nuvi powers up. When ignition is turned off, the Nuvi gives you the option of leaving it on or allowing it to power down.
These adapters can cost between $3 and $20 depending on how the cords are terminated. You can also put a connector on the 12v input cable to mate with the connector in the left pocket.

There are higher power 12 volt to 5 volt adapters too if you find you need the increased current. For example, the BINZET DC 12V-24V to 5V 10A 50W Converter Step Down Regulator from Amazon for about $11. Plenty of current to operate your device as well as charge the internal GPS battery if so equipped.