Subject: I would read up on how others wired their car PCs... Author: Brian (moderator) : member since January, 2005 : 8582 posts Posted on: 2009-07-06 06:46:41

You should fuse the power wire close to the battery for safety. How much power does the computer consume? I would probably size it for 15A and run 12 AWG wire. It has been a very long time since I have done car projects like these, so I do not know a good source for the wiring.

You will have to assume that the computer will fail to shut down occasionally. That is where reading up on other people's installations will help a lot. You could create a delay circuit that is tied to the switched power. Then, you could use the delay circuit and a relay to cut the unswitched power to the computer after 5 - 10 minutes.

It might be handy to use the car's "wake up" and "sleep" signals to trigger a relay to switch the power wire. However, I do not know where those signals live in the car.

• Splice in the trunk next to the nav and CD changer - rex120 2009-07-04 18:03:36 (203 views)
  • Get it from the audio harrness: - kiwijochen 2009-07-06 01:11:52 (188 views)
    • Why doesn't Brian want to use the red? - rex120 2009-07-06 03:17:47 (175 views)
  • Here are a couple places... - Brian 2009-07-05 21:41:51 (163 views)
    • So just connect directly to battery for unswitched power and ground? - rex120 2009-07-05 23:59:06 (209 views)
      • I would read up on how others wired their car PCs... - Brian 2009-07-06 06:46:41 (162 views)
  • Brian, are you ignoring on purpose? - rex120 2009-07-05 20:32:02 (169 views)
    • Re: Brian, are you ignoring on purpose? - blk740il 2009-07-23 12:01:55 (153 views)