Converting a charger that plugs into a lighter

[airdvr1227]

Bought a new XM receiver for the boat that will plug in to the receiver head on the stereo. Didn't realize it at the time but the power is supplied by one of those units that plugs into a lighter. Can I just lose that part of it and hard wire it?

In other words can I cut off the male part that goes into the lighter and just hard wire to a power source?

 

[chuckz]

Re: Converting a charger that plugs into a lighter

Yes, but make sure to install an inline fuse. Many times the fuse is in the plug.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Converting a charger that plugs into a lighter

Thanks.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Converting a charger that plugs into a lighter

Is this a cheapie receiver? If not, you might want to consider warranty voiding implications first.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Converting a charger that plugs into a lighter

Is this a cheapie receiver? If not, you might want to consider warranty voiding implications first.

$58 mac daddy unit. Meant for a car but will work on my boat.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Converting a charger that plugs into a lighter

Gotcha. I use a similar one on my party barge. Gotta have the XM on the water. I will tell you I'm on my second one in as many years. Don't know if it was luck of the draw or the fact I was using it on a boat, but it reached a point where it would only play on the right side of the stereo. I thought it was my HU until I followed the advice of some of our fellow iboaters and determined it was the receiver. They sent me another one for $20 and all is well. The only question is how long this one will last. IMO it's worth the trouble. Just curious; do you plan to mount yours somewhere semi-permanent?

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Converting a charger that plugs into a lighter

I was just considering that last night. My original unit is still in the tow vehicle and working, although the audio quality sux. I'm hoping this unit which plugs directly into the head will deliver better sound.

I'll probably do a temp mount on my dash and take it out of the mount and store it in the cuddy when not in use. Any ideas?

 

[lncoop]

Re: Converting a charger that plugs into a lighter

Yeah, they sound really good when you plug them into the aux input. Dash mounting should work fine as long as you store the receiver inside. I ended up using one of those cup holder mounts and have been really happy with it, but my barge has about 300 cup holders. It will hold my XM receiver and our MP3 players. I just keep it together with all the towels, etc. so it will stay inside when not in use but still make its way to the boat. I saw another thread somewhere on here where people posted links with different mounting apparati for another project similar to yours. I'll see if I can find it.