Hi Guys,

I've got a little question I was hoping someone could help me with (I have a horrible feeling this has been asked before, but I struggled to find an answer).

I have a 2002 Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec and into the stereo I have a connects 2 aux in adapter (see below for link) which I plug my iPhone into. For a year or so this has served me really well and I was really happy with it.

Now I'm looking at buying a Belkin Aircast (see below for link) which uses Bluetooth to wirelessly pickup music and phone calls from my phone (using A2DP). All you need is an aux in and a power supply from a cigarette lighter.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Aircast-Auto-Hands-Transmitter/dp/B004FNYQZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349287388&sr=8-1

Its had good reviews and I'm quite keen on installing one. The only problem is that I don't want the power adapter sticking out of the dash, ideally I'd like it hidden behind the dash or in the glovebox.

So what I'd like to know is:-

I imagine that if I remove the stereo head unit i'll have access to the back of the cigarette lighter. Would it be possible to add another cigarette lighter outlet by splicing the cable of the new one onto the existing one?

If this is a bad idea is there another way of achieving a similar result?

Any hints/tips/advice/opinions more than welcome.

Thanks,

Tom.

Get something like this and run it to wherever you like.

Just solder or crimp the wiring to the original socket feed wires and drill the right sized hole for the second socket.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=260811741915

Hi Stoney,

I'm not very electrically (if that's a word) minded, will I be ok to use both the new piggybacked outlet (hidden) as well as the existing one (in centre console). So for example, the aircast will always be plugged in, but from time to time I'll want to use the existing one for my sat nav and other bits and bobs.

I probably wouldn't drill a hole anywhere, just have it in a box somewhere behind the dash (if there's any room).

Cheers for the help,

Tom.

As long as you're not pulling heavy charge, i.e power inverters or laptop chargers you should be fine.

Thanks Clive, I'll hook it up normally first to see what it's like and then if it's good I'll have a go at wiring it in.

I've got some shrink wrap around here somewhere...

I'll post some pics as soon as I've done it.

No worries mate.

Sorry to be a pain, it looks like the cigarette lighter is 'live' all the time even when the car is off. I’m not sure whether the Belkin has an Auto Off feature or not and I don’t really want it to draw power whilst it’s not in use.

I've just watched a video where someone is doing exactly what I want to do, but they have a Blaupunkt stereo. He's hooked it up to the power wire on the stereo which is also controlled by the ignition switch (see below for vid).

I’ve just had a look in my trusty copy of the Haynes manual and I’m guessing that I should piggy back onto 443/3 which appears to be the switched live. Is this correct?

Also can I piggy back the black cable of the cigarette lighter to one of the two earths (445/11 or 445/12)?

If that theory could be confirmed as a good one that would be awesome :)

Thanks for your help (again)

Tom.

I think you're right on 443/3 as it is a switched line on a 7.5 A fuse which should be sufficient if it's only drawing for a charger.

The earths are 443/2 and 443/6 but tbh any earth straight to a bare metal chassis part will be sufficient (where screws or bolts go to bodywork).

Ah cool, looks like a plan :)

Just going to use skotchlok connectors to hook into the power and earth, rather than mess around with solder and heat shrink.

All going well I should be doing it next week sometime.

Thanks again for the help Clive.

Glad to be of service.

Hope it all works ok for you.

If it goes well tell others, if it goes wrong tell no-one :D

Hi All,

I received all the parts yesterday and it looks really good (if i do say so myself :))

It works really well, except I have a bit of a hiss. I think this is more to do with the Bluetooth connection rather than wiring. But after turning down the treble it's hardly noticeable (although it will probably drive me nuts).

Thanks again for all the help though, especially Clive/Stoney!

Glad to help in any little way.