Phooey Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 So my new TomTom Ride V5 has arrived and I am wanting to hard wire it into my bike. Ideally, when I turn the engine off I want to cut off the feed to the device also (Just incase I forget it and it drains my battery).Now, I know nothing about electrics so can anyone suggest an idiot proof way to do this. I have the cable that came with the device so all I need is where to connect it to. I am assuming not just + and - terminals of battery, or is it really that simple? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Just wire it to the battery Its an expensive unit You won't leave it for fear of been nicked It will take a very long time to drain your battery Mine was on for 8 years direct to the battery and used to leave it on for a few hours if I was close to it and the bike always started If you really want a switched live then tap in to the headlights or sidelights no need for a relay as it won't draw enough to affect anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phooey Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 Cheers, Stu. As always TMBF to the rescue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phooey Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 While I am here Stu, I am thinking of using my phone and bluetooth connectivity until I get a dedicated headset. As tecnology is not my strong point, do you know if this will work?Thinking turn bluetooth on on both devices and voila! But probably not that simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Yeah it's not that simple bit not far off And no point pairing them till you get the headset And always connect the headset first as tomtoms spit their dummy out if you connect the phone first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Old Git Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Rather than connect direct to the battery, I would (and have) used a relay switched by the feed to the rear light.There are threads on here which even show how to wire it all up (I can't search very well as my laptop is well locked down).As Stu advises for connection via your 'phone - Should work a treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 A relay is overkill they pull next to nothing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGD217 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Rather than connect direct to the battery, I would (and have) used a relay switched by the feed to the rear light.There are threads on here which even show how to wire it all up (I can't search very well as my laptop is well locked down).As Stu advises for connection via your 'phone - Should work a treat. +1 it may be overkill but I wanted to do it properly. It depends how OCD you are about things I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Rather than connect direct to the battery, I would (and have) used a relay switched by the feed to the rear light.There are threads on here which even show how to wire it all up (I can't search very well as my laptop is well locked down).As Stu advises for connection via your 'phone - Should work a treat. +1 it may be overkill but I wanted to do it properly. It depends how OCD you are about things I suppose. so wiring straight to the battery is not properly....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGD217 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Rather than connect direct to the battery, I would (and have) used a relay switched by the feed to the rear light.There are threads on here which even show how to wire it all up (I can't search very well as my laptop is well locked down).As Stu advises for connection via your 'phone - Should work a treat. +1 it may be overkill but I wanted to do it properly. It depends how OCD you are about things I suppose. so wiring straight to the battery is not properly.......Perhaps used the wrong word? It's just the way I preferred to do it, that's all.I'm not saying it's the best. It's obviously more time consuming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 thats the thing to the battery or relay is personal preferenceif it was a set of heated grips then relay all the way as they are easy to leave on but a power expensive unit is a different matter you wont leave it on unattended unless you are close to it the current draw is nothing and it would take ages to kill the battery plus if you have power saving on its a pain in the arse when it shuts down on ignition off if you think you will leave it on for a long long time then stick it on a relay otherwise just straight to the battery and no messing ................ well you dont even have to go to a relay just a switched live will do just tap in to it and splice the live feed in as I say they draw nothing so wont cause any trouble been spliced in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Old Git Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 From my point of view - I'm more concerned about shorts / damaged cables. If it is wired straight to the battery and the cable gets damaged - shorts out (for whatever reason), then the cable will quickly overheat and 'could' cause significant damage to the bike/other wiring/etc. Through a fused circuit - the fuse will blow keeping everything safe. Likewise, a relay powered by the ignition cct (back light feed) ensures the cable is not carrying any power when the bike is 'off'.As stated - personal choice but, so is AGATT. (Please don't start another discussion - search the threads for more than enough comments on this topic).The advantage of an ignition switched relay circuit is that you can add more 'stuff' like a cigar lighter socket (now called a 12v supply socket) which you can use for air pumps, other usb chargers, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 From my point of view - I'm more concerned about shorts / damaged cables. If it is wired straight to the battery and the cable gets damaged - shorts out (for whatever reason), then the cable will quickly overheat and 'could' cause significant damage to the bike/other wiring/etc. On my garmin, which is connected direct to the bikes battery, the cable has a fuse built in. with a weather proof cap so it can be changed if it were ever to 'pop'. is this fuse not enough?you can see it in this photo... just a couple of inches from the red 'positive' teminal.http://i.imgur.com/2kThCYu.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissb6 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 From my point of view - I'm more concerned about shorts / damaged cables. If it is wired straight to the battery and the cable gets damaged - shorts out (for whatever reason), then the cable will quickly overheat and 'could' cause significant damage to the bike/other wiring/etc. On my garmin, which is connected direct to the bikes battery, the cable has a fuse built in. with a weather proof cap so it can be changed if it were ever to 'pop'. is this fuse not enough?you can see it in this photo... just a couple of inches from the red 'positive' teminal.http://i.imgur.com/2kThCYu.jpgNothing wrong with that at all, always be sure to fit a fuse with the correct amp rating as close to the battery as possible and l may add on the positive + connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Old Git Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Unless you have one of those rare vehicles which employ +ve earth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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