KawRider Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 I just installed the radar screamer on my XX. I wired it straight to the battery. The directions say to hook it to a switched power supply. If I turn off my detector when parked, I can't see a problem leaving it wired direct. Does anyone have any comments? Also... does anyone know a good/easy way to hook up to a 12V switched without too much butchering? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pace Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Buy a basic automotive relay (double-pole single-throw), and tap the headlight relay feed for your switched 12v source. This will supply coil power to your new relay, with the other side of the coil going to ground. The remaining two connections on your new relay will go to the battery +ve and your radar detector. I'd also recommend fitting an inline fuse between the battery and relay. With this setup, your new relay will energize when you turn the ignition on, and will drive it's own power circuit so you're not placing significant additional load on any other circuits. This is about a 15 minute installation if you know what you're doing. Probably an hour if you're not comfortable messing with vehicle electrics. For a real professional installation, add a powerlet socket and fit a powerlet plug to your radar detector. http://www.powerletproducts.com/ It's late and it's snowing out. If the weather clears this weekend I can check which color wire you want to tap on that headlight relay, and take photos of my Powerlet installation, etc. -Pace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2equis Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Tim, I don't know much about radar screamers but I'm guessing it's some sort of amplifier (nothing gets past me :grin: ) and that it needs switched 12vdc otherwise it will just keep running whether your radar is running or not. If this is the case then yes, you should power it off of switched 12vdc. The switched 12vdc is the heavy guage red/black wire going into the fuse block to the left rear of your battery. you'll need a 12v test light or a multi meter to find the right wire. The simplest/surest way to do this is to pull all the fuses out of the block (remember which fuse goes where) and turn your ignition on and start testing the red/black wires 'til you find one w/ 12vdc on it. NOW DISCONNECT YOUR BATTERY!!! Strip about 1/4" of the insulation off the red/black wire under the fuse block. Once you have about a 1/4" of wire stripped take your test light or multimeter lead and stab a hole through the copper strands and poke your stripped accessory wire going to the radar screamer through the hole you just made and wrap the accessory wire around the the stripped red/black wire (make sure your accessory lead going to your radar screamer has a seperate fuse with the correct rating) and flow some solder into the exposed copper, let cool and wrap it up w/ some good electrical tape. - Your done, now just put your fuses back in and hook up your battery and your all set. BTW - Now would be the best time to hook your radar up to the same switched leads so you never have to worry about turning it off again. BTW BTW - just read Pace's post and yes, the correct way to do this is with a seperate relay circuit (mandatory if you are adding anything with a load - e.g. air horns, aux. lighting, radios, etc.). However for your purposes (if you have no plans on adding high draw items to your electrical system) powering your radar/screamer directly off the fuseblock lead should not be an issue - your amperage draw will probably be measured in milliamps(probably in the same ballpark as the current drawn to operate a relay coil). Either way, give a holler if you need more info or pics etc.. Good Luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jeff Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 Pace, I would like to see those pics if you get a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pace Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Left side: Right side, with radar detector plugged in: Wider angle of the left side: Relay setup: -Pace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pace Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 While the seat was up, I snapped a pic of the installed speedo recalibrator I mentioned in another thread: -Pace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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