Disco 2 Power feed for dashcam

sierrafery · Feb 4, 2018

Balbas said:
If I wire that onto the S13 connector is it likely to cause me any dramas?

it can take 10A more it's only for cruise control switch and mirror's adjustment with a 20A fuse on 3mm² cable, you can put a 25 -30A fuse instead of F30 without fear

Balbas · Feb 5, 2018

Thanks both. The inverter is going to be mounted to the transmission tunnel on the passenger side with some Velcro. I'll do a proper installation when I have more time.

Current thinking then is to install it running from S13, with a 15A inline fuse. That gives me 180 amps, which should be enough - assuming that the inverter doesn't draw its max all the time and then just convert it to heat of course.

brian47 · Feb 5, 2018

Balbas said:
But I need to wire in an inverter. I've got a 300W one. So by my maths I need a 25W feed. But the most it's ever going to be asked to supply is a lapto, so a max of 120W I guess, and therefore I need about 10A.

Balbas said:
Current thinking then is to install it running from S13, with a 15A inline fuse. That gives me 180 amps, which should be enough - assuming that the inverter doesn't draw its max all the time and then just convert it to heat of course.

You seem to be getting your current (amps) and power (watts) confused.

But yeah, I know what you mean.

Balbas · Feb 5, 2018

brian47 said:
You seem to be getting your current (amps) and power (watts) confused. But yeah, I know what you mean.

crikey yes, 180 amps!!!

Paul#25 · Feb 6, 2018

PaulMc said:
As Fery has said, you can pickup the ignition-switched live from the interior fuse box accessory socket S13, using a female spade terminal.

However, there is a proper connector for this, which I can supply -

Connector to fit the single terminal socket S13

Socket S13 is fed from the Ignition Switch on a 3.0mm² cable, through C0028-4, via F30 (20Amp)

.

I supply this connector, with two terminals, one to suit up to 0.5 - 2.0mm² cable, and one to suit 3.0mm² cable, for £3.95 + Postage

Connector to fit the 5-terminal socket S12

The terminals in S12 are numbered from the bottom upwards -

viewed from the rear (cable entry side) of the connector

The circuits are as follows -

Terminal-5 - Live - ignition switched (position 1 on ignition switch), via F27 (10 Amps)

Terminal-4 - Live - permanent, via F20 (15 Amps)

Terminal-3 - Live - switched, from auxiliary circuits relay, via F15 (20 Amps)

Terminal-2 - Live - from main lighting switch (sidelights position), via F33 (10 Amps)

Terminal-1 - Earth - via C0583 to C0017-1 (Earth Header) on 3.0mm² cable

.

I supply this connector (now Light Grey), with 6 x terminals (5 + a spare) to suit 0.5 - 1.5mm² cable for £5.95 + Postage

Another option for an ignition-switched live, adjacent to the rearview mirror, is the connector for the dipping/compass mirror.

As well as the NAS 'Homelink' garage door opener - which, unusually, is fitted to a lot of UK spec. vehicles.

I can provide connectors to fit both of these, if you have them.

As you have your headlining down, can you post-up some pictures of the connectors behind the mirror mount.

HI Paul.
I have just purchased a VHF 2 way radio to fit to the 2004 Disco 2 Td5 auto that I've recently bought. Will the switched power from socket be S13 be good to use for the radio from an interference point of view? I will have to look at ordering the plugs from you if I can't find any locally in South Africa and take my chances with our very unreliable postal service.

brian47 · Feb 6, 2018

Paul#25 said:
HI Paul.
I have just purchased a VHF 2 way radio to fit to the 2004 Disco 2 Td5 auto that I've recently bought. Will the switched power from socket be S13 be good to use for the radio from an interference point of view? I will have to look at ordering the plugs from you if I can't find any locally in South Africa and take my chances with our very unreliable postal service.

I used to repair and install vhf radio equipment for the UK emergency services for a living.
The first question must be what is the output power of the vhf transmitter you're wanting to install? This will affect the current capability of the wiring and fusing of the supply. Regarding radio frequency interference (RFI), at least a diesel engine doesn't have the high voltage systems of a petrol engine so there's no problem on that front. You might suffer some "alternator whine", a screaming type noise from the loudspeaker which changes in pitch with the engine revs. The usual way of limiting this kind of noise is to fit an alternator whine filter, essentially an audio type choke which looks a bit like a small transformer in series with the power feed to the radio set.
One way to keep the problems to a minimum is to wire directly back to the battery for both positive and negative, that way your power wiring will be kept well out of the way, electrically, of the rest of the vehicle wiring. If you want the radio to go on and off with the ignition switch of the vehicle then you can use a relay to do the switching.
All-in-all, a diesel vehicle is easier to install radio kit in than a petrol vehicle so it's unlikely that you'll experience problems.

Paul#25 · Feb 6, 2018

brian47 said:
I used to repair and install vhf radio equipment for the UK emergency services for a living.
The first question must be what is the output power of the vhf transmitter you're wanting to install? This will affect the current capability of the wiring and fusing of the supply. Regarding radio frequency interference (RFI), at least a diesel engine doesn't have the high voltage systems of a petrol engine so there's no problem on that front. You might suffer some "alternator whine", a screaming type noise from the loudspeaker which changes in pitch with the engine revs. The usual way of limiting this kind of noise is to fit an alternator whine filter, essentially an audio type choke which looks a bit like a small transformer in series with the power feed to the radio set.
One way to keep the problems to a minimum is to wire directly back to the battery for both positive and negative, that way your power wiring will be kept well out of the way, electrically, of the rest of the vehicle wiring. If you want the radio to go on and off with the ignition switch of the vehicle then you can use a relay to do the switching.
All-in-all, a diesel vehicle is easier to install radio kit in than a petrol vehicle so it's unlikely that you'll experience problems.

Thanks for the info Brian47.
If I do pick up any interference I'll get an in-line filter for the power feed. It will probably be best to wire directly to the battery through a fuse instead of going into the fuse box. The radio is a small 20w unit that is setup with the licenced 9 channels that are for use by the 4x4 community in South Africa.
Being a licenced aircraft maintenance engineer I'm a bit more pedantic than most people when it comes to fiddling with wiring on my vehicles. This is why I land up doing most work myself.
Regards. Paul.

brian47 · Feb 6, 2018

Paul#25 said:
Thanks for the info Brian47.
If I do pick up any interference I'll get an in-line filter for the power feed. It will probably be best to wire directly to the battery through a fuse instead of going into the fuse box. The radio is a small 20w unit that is setup with the licenced 9 channels that are for use by the 4x4 community in South Africa.
Being a licenced aircraft maintenance engineer I'm a bit more pedantic than most people when it comes to fiddling with wiring on my vehicles. This is why I land up doing most work myself.
Regards. Paul.

For a "small" transceiver such as a 4 watt CB set here in the UK, the ordinary vehicle wiring would probably hold up OK, but for a 20 watt transmitter which was the output power of the mobile kit I worked with I would definitely recommend that you install a separate fused power feed direct from the battery. Fixed or base station kit I worked with was a bit more powerful, sometimes up to 400 watts up the pipe!
I used to use a flexible 6 or 10 sq mm cable with a 15 amp fuse inline close to the battery end. That size of the cable ensured that the voltage drop along it was kept to a minimum and being separate from the vehicle wiring it could be routed in a way to keep any possible pick-up of interference to a minimum too.

PaulMc · Feb 6, 2018

Paul#25 said:
HI Paul.
I have just purchased a VHF 2 way radio to fit to the 2004 Disco 2 Td5 auto that I've recently bought. Will the switched power from socket be S13 be good to use for the radio from an interference point of view? I will have to look at ordering the plugs from you if I can't find any locally in South Africa and take my chances with our very unreliable postal service.

Hi Paul,

The S13 socket will cope with the electrical load of your 2-way radio - but, I wouldn't like to speculate on electrical interferance.

Socket S13 is fed from the Ignition Switch on a 3.0mm² cable, through C0028-4, via F30 (20Amp).

(F30 also supplies the cruise control switch, and the door mirror adjustment control)

The interior fuse box is not just a 'dumb' fuse box, it has a digital link to the Body Control Unit (BCU) which controls the Intelligent Driver Module (IDM) in the fuse box.

So, I would take Brian's advice and take the radio's live and earth direct to the battery on decent gauge cables.

Regards,
Paul.

Paul#25 · Feb 7, 2018

Thanks for the replies with good information.
I will be picking up power directly from the battery and bring the power and antenna cabling through the rubber grommet in the firewall below one main wire bundle going to the fuse box.

Disco 2 Power feed for dashcam

sierrafery

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Balbas

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brian47

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Balbas

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Paul#25

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brian47

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Paul#25

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brian47

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PaulMc

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Paul#25

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