Running Inverted 110V Cable

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 10:58 pm

i'm jw if it would be safe for the inverter if i were to run a cable from behind the main plug in the dash to inside the centre consol, i would like to charge a laptop and/or ipod, but the plug is just too unconvinient where it is, can be anoying shifting into 5th at times. i would still leave it tehre for decoration but would just like to wire a new plug into the consol. would this be a bad idea for the inverter or would it handle the extension just fine ? - thx in advance for all replies p.s i have no idea how to get rid of that pole thing :s

RIT · Post by **RIT** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 12:05 am

Should not be a problem, but why not just run an extension cord off the plug. Seems like you are going thru a lot of work, for little benefit.

Jahntassa · Post by **Jahntassa** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 1:27 am

It's a little tricky to get to the back of the outlet in the dash, I believe. I have yet to be able to get there because of the protective plastic it's in.. I'm sure it just snaps out if you do it right, though.Just be extremely careful. If you were to accidently pinch that wire and it came in contact with something, it wouldn't be too fun. The inverter itself should be able to handle it fine, though.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 3:59 am

You could just run an extension cord, should work OK. If you wanted to wire in something directly so that it would be more hidden, it might be better to try to tap into the inverter wiring under the driver's seat (that's where the inverter really is) that way, you'd have a shorter run to put an outlet in the center console. I thought about doing that, maybe putting a three prong outlet under the driver seat for my laptop, which has a 3 prong power supply, but never did.

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:02 am

the extention cord idea just wont work, too much clutter, plus my entire family are neat freaks :S i did something similar in my dads benz, i put an inverter behind the dash and ran a cable to the consol .. thought that one would be fine considering it was a 1000watt, but was a little worried about the vibes 75W inverter. i'm goin to the car right now to figure out the inverter under the seat and put a switch down there somehow, guesse the dash outlet is gonna have to be docoration -- thx for your help guys

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:08 am

Pretty sure our inverter is 100 W

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:17 am

your right it is 100W , but i cant seem to find it, the only thing under the driver seat is completly wired to the airbags, i unplugged it and the ligh on the inverter switch turns out :s

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:20 am

Nah, that's your inverter.The airbag module hidden in the console under the shifter.There may be 1 or 2 airbag wires under there, but the big silver box is the inverter.

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:29 am

so the ligh on the switch is powered externally somehow i assume, they really make it look kinda scary with all the wires going into or through the airbag module, i kept wondering if iw as gonna set the damn thing off lol

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:32 am

it's not the airbags! lolthat is the inverter.

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:34 am

i took your word for it the first time was just telling you what i was thinking hehe

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:49 am

There are four wires in the connector at the inverter. Green +12VWhite w/ black line GroundGreen with white stripe AC outGreen with black stripe AC outI don't see why you can't tee off those AC out lines to run a second plug into the console. There is no fuse between the inverter and the outlet, the overcurrent protection is internal to the inverter. Tee'ing in instead of just cutting the wires and rerouting them would leave the dash outlet functional.

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:01 am

any idea which true ground? my guesse is white, i'm thiking wiring that to the chasis just in case and taking green and black to an extra outlet.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:11 am

In a house, usually one of the two AC lines is tied to ground back in the breaker or fuse box, but here I think both AC wires are floating off ground. The wiring diagrma I have just shows the inverter as an emply retangle, so I con't know if one of the AC lines is tied to chassis ground internally. If you wanted to wire up a three prong outlet, probably best to pick up a chassis ground somewhere, either the white wire w/black stripe, or maybe a terminal lug on one of the screws that holds the inverter mounting bracket in place, or some other convenient grounding point.If you had a meter you could run the inverter and check for voltage between each of the Ac lines and ground, maybe one of them would show 115 V and the other 0, that would identify which was "neutral" and which was "hot" Might also show that neither is referenced to chassis ground.the ac wires are the green ones with colored stripes on them, the solid green is 12V, the white one is ground.

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:16 am

ok, and one last thing, would the switch in the dash still turn it on and off ? and is it possible to find the switch wires to setup my own switch somehow. thx.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:24 am

I guess if you rerouted the output, and replaced the switch, you could remove that AC subpanel in the dash, maybe make it another storage area or something.The dash switch actually controls a relay located above the glove cmpartment that controls 12V to the inverter. If you reroute the AC output, the dash switch would still work to control the inverter. you should be able to find the wires to put in a different switch, but they would need to reach back comewhere to tie in to the existing wires to control the relay above the glove box. Where would you want the switch to be?

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:25 am

i would put it right beside the outlet down in the console

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:28 am

The easiest thing to do would be to route the switch wires back up to pick up the wires for the existing switch. THey should be easy to find, and ragingfish has posted some good write ups here somewhere on how to take apart the consoles, you could follow them to hide the wires.

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:30 am

sounds good, thank you guys for all your help

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:31 am

take pics when you do it so we can see how to do it and how it turns out

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 11:21 am

Quote, originally posted by alex456 Â»i took your word for it the first time was just telling you what i was thinking heheohhhhhh ok...gotcha.

alex456 · Post by **alex456** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 12:32 pm

i'll have to borrow a digital cam

vibeman1 · Post by **vibeman1** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 2:58 pm

put it down there and you will probably never see it in the dark

Atomb · Post by **Atomb** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 11:19 pm

just wanted to say that this thread taught me more in the 5 minutes it took to read than i learnt in an entire hour i spent watching a show on electrical ideas for your car!!!thank you!

Running Inverted 110V Cable

Running Inverted 110V Cable

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