I need some help understanding my sled's electrical system. I'm trying to wire my GPS directly to the sled's 12V system. I bought a 12V female accessory adapter, used the positive and ground from the tach's light bulb and wired it in. The accessory adapter that came with the GPS uses a .5 amp fuse which pops immediately, but the same fuse holds up fine in my truck. I figured that 12V was 12V, obviously the amps are regulated down somehow. The sled doesn't have electrical start, so what do I need to do, go to Radio Shack and buy a resistor of some kind?

i believe your sled is AC and the GPS is DC volts-

you need a rectifier

:) I am a electricain so i stand behind this information the other guys are right. your stator generates off of your engine which creates a a/c voltage wave! if your gps is wired for d/c you will have to install a battery on your sled but then you will have to by some type of alternator to charge your battery your best bet is to do what i am doing with my gps. buy a $12 battery charger and rechargably double a batteries and just use the gps with the double a batteries. they will last you all day with no troubles then you can just put them on the charger when you quit at night and if you are wanting the look of a mounted gps then just make some type of mount for it on the sled . hope this helps but unless you buy a rectifier you will not get this to work any other way trust me this is the most economical way!!!! enjoy the gps you will like it!

Go to Radio Shack and buy a rectifier for about $ 3.00

I agree with the other guys.... but, if your put an electric sheild or something like that, Cat has left live accessory plugs on your wiring harness... look around the steering post, thats where I hooked my into, works good... no cutting into the wiring.
:thumbsup:

make your own rectifier/regulator (http://www.numbskull.com/snowmo/gps/schematic.asp)

Thanks a bunch guys, I'm going to Radio Shack at lunch today.

Even with the rectivier I don.t thing you get a constant enoght voltage from the sleds lighting coil to power a gps. A electric face shield, like a light bulb does not care if it's being fed a/c or d/c.

I followed the link above and the info is really good. I'm just going to follow the instructions there and build the rectifier/voltage regulator. But that begs a question, does the voltage fall below 12 at low rpms?

Atyszka, build the rectifier and doo some testing, let us know the results.

ac voltage varies in a wave form from 12v+ to 12v - up and down and up and down if the frequency that the stator creates is 60 then it happens 60 times a sec. if the information for the power sorce for the gps is correct then instead of buying a rectifier. you a making just a simple bridge rectifier it is made up of 4 diodes be very very sure you line up the diodes in the correct polarity order or it WILL NOT CREATE A DC VOLTAGE. ALL DIODES HAVE A NEGATIVE AND A POSITIVE SIDE. LET US KNOW HOW THIS COMES OUT . OR IF YOU NEED ANY MOOR INF :sleeping: O. ..... GOOD LUCK

...or if you need a fire extinguisher!!! Good luck!! But AA batteries sure sounds a lot simpler ???

I studied the wiring diagram and it adds up to the correct voltage output.. just make sure you keep your circut board and componets. DRY AND AWAY FROM MOISTURE/WATER. ALSO TRY TO SUPPORT IT AS GOOD AS POSSIBE THAT WAY YOUR SOIDER JOINTS DO NOT BREAK LOSE FROM ALL THE BUMPING AROUND THAT USAL :doh: LY OCCURS ON A SLED ..

The Blade is equipped with a 'safety stop' which has a lithium battery. I wonder if it is 12 volts and if it has enough juice to power the GPS? It is recharged by the system and lights a flashing front and rear led bulb for an hour or so after the sled is off. I'll have to call them on Monday.

So I grabbed my electronics buddy and hit Radio Shack. We had 1/2 the parts on the list and then started talking about how to waterproof it. All this in a piece of tupperware wrapped with duct tape under my hood didn't sound like a good idea. Maybe covering everything in epoxy . . . Then he looked at me and read the sign behind the counter for AA batteries on sale. $13 for 24. Too bad I already have a hole and 12V outlet in my dash. But it might be a good place to store the spare set of AAs.
:D

But in all honesty I still may build this later this year. Did a fairly elaborate search on the net and found nothing. Could be a real product opportunity . . .

atyszak, why not mount a small 12 volt battery under the hood and run the gps from that, wire in a 1/2 amp charger to keep the battery toppped up.

That would be a lot easier than building and waterproofing the rectifier.

Ok, so after going through 3 sets of AAs in 1 day of riding I decided to build the rectifier. Here's a couple pics of how it turned out. The box is mounted to the backside of the tach, so it's solid. I know that a bread-board is kinda cheesey compared to soldering it together but I wanted to make sure it worked. I have the board packed in the enclosure with foam so I think it's pretty solid, it didn't seem like anything could vibrate loose but the next ride should prove/disprove that belief. It works great and I'm sure will be well worth the effort not having to worry about batteries every 4 hours.

next pic

Dan that looks good, can I get you to build me one Art. I see a real oppertunity for ya lol. I was hopoing you'd not go the AA route as we ate the crap out of your batterys the last trip. Keeping the batterys warm i guess make s them last longer. Your rectifier looks top notch, great job .
Caleb

Originally posted by Sled Dogg@Dec 14 2002, 12:51 AM
can I get you to build me one Art. I see a real oppertunity for ya lol.
I wonder how many people have a need for something like this. I can't believe no one offers it.

Here is what I am going to do. Bought a small 12 vdc battery from Interstate Batteries-$14 I needed on for my digitron, Rectifier from Polaris-$12.
Then wire the accessory plug to the battery and the rectifier to the battery. This way the battery provides 12vdc when the sled output decreases, but is charged when running.
Anybody see any problems with this?

I am going to get all the parts for the rectifier tonight?I will let you know how it goes?

Could someone out there grab that rectifier building info page and the info from it and post it here?

I cant seem to get into that link... I'd love to build one of these things.

What did you take the power from? The tac light power?

Deej

Hmm, I can't hit the link either. I think I may have the page saved as an archive on my work computer, I'll check tomorrow and post if I have it. But in all honesty, I think it's a better option to buy the Polaris kit or just mount a small 12V battery in the belly.

I just found a link today that might be useful:

CycoActive (http://www.cycoactive.com)

They make GPS cables, sell mounts and wiring kits for motorcycles. They have a kit that will power a GPS from the 12V AC headlight power.

62.30... not bad.... USD though and plus shipping, but it is exactly what ya need if you want to do this stuff for sure... And alot less BS...

I already ordered my adapter from polaris today and it should be in here by thursday I am hoping. (ARGH! Im going riding thurs, so a bit late for that)

Deej

Here's another link for that unit. More details..

More detail adapter page (http://www.touratech-usa.com/instl/instl_030-0020.html)

Here's the info for the rectifier, I still can't hit the original link.

-----

If you have an electric start model with a 12v battery in it, then it already has a rectifier/regulator and you can wire right off the battery. If not, you'll need to put in a rectifier (4 diodes) with a large capacitor and a voltage regulator (7812) circuit to power the GPS. Then you can put a set of lithium batteries in the GPS as a cold weather backup to the hard wired power supply... in the event that your sled dies and you have to walk home.

Part Part Number Part Description (from Radio Shack) Price
IC1 276-1161A Silicon Bridge Rectifier 200V 1A $0.99
IC2 276-1771A 7812 12VDC Voltage Regulator $1.49
C1,C2 272-1044 100 uF 50W Capacitor $1.19
C3 272-135 0.1 uF 50W Capacitor $0.69
C4,C5 272-1070 0.22 uF 50W Capacitor $0.89 (pkg of 2)
D1 276-564 15V Zener Diode $0.99
270-283A Project Enclosure w/ PC Board $1.49
270-026 DC Accessory Cable $1.49
270-1211 Fuse Holder $1.49
270-1003 1/2 Amp Fuse $1.29 (pkg of 4)
Total Cost: $12

And I should mention that mine cost a whole lot more than the $12 the article says. More like $25, then another $5 for the cig adapter and wires. Plus my time and it's far from being a small and compact unit. If you prefer a rectifier over a battery I think the Polaris set up is a bargain at $50.

I have an 04 MXZ Renegade and there are some unused plugs under the hood. Tested the voltage when running (12-24v) and hooked right up to this. Works greats but the only problem is my Garmin Lengend promts to shutdown when external power is lost (sled is turned off) so I have to push a (any) key to tell the GPS to use the internal batteries. Wish I had the option to automatically run on batts..

That's another reason I'm thinking of making the switch to a small 12V battery under the hood vs. the rectifier. Several times I've forgotten to hit the eTrex after my sled is shut down and then have to restart the unit and let it reacquire the signal, kind of a pain.

Originally posted by Beerman@Jan 14 2004, 10:30 AM
That's another reason I'm thinking of making the switch to a small 12V battery under the hood vs. the rectifier. Several times I've forgotten to hit the eTrex after my sled is shut down and then have to restart the unit and let it reacquire the signal, kind of a pain.
What kind (size) of small battery are you thinking about? I have an F6 with reverse and very little room in the engine compartment. I looked the other day for a spot to hide a battery and really could not find one. I have a 176C that I mainly use for marine navigation, but might try it this year on the sled.

Radio Shack has a 12V battery that's maybe 3" x 4" x 5". It looks like it might fit in an oil caddy as it's base is about the same size. But depending on how much room you have under there you may be better off with the Polaris kit.

Just installed the power converter from http://www.cycoactive.com/gps/030-0021.html and it was a simple install and it works great. I have no battery so I felt this was the best path to go down. I thought about building one like some of the other posts in this thread but for the $35.00 difference I went with the pre-built unit. shane

Originally posted by shanek62@Feb 23 2004, 09:14 AM
Just installed the power converter from http://www.cycoactive.com/gps/030-0021.html and it was a simple install and it works great. I have no battery so I felt this was the best path to go down. I thought about building one like some of the other posts in this thread but for the $35.00 difference I went with the pre-built unit. shane
[quote]

Which model Gps did you hook up to the converter, and did you have to buy the cigaret adaptor or just wire it direct? Thanks Jason

I have the Magellan-Meridian with the Topo CD, I used the swivel mount without the swivel and used the power cord that came with the GPS. I wired the converter directley into my Yellow/Brown wires and then hooked the GPS to the converter. I've noticed that the batteries are what cause it to fail in cold weather so I hope this will improve the performance on real cold days. Converter is very small and compact with easy to follow instructions. shane

Here's a picture of the mount. shane

I use aa batts and a recharger from sams club 25.00. 4 to 6 batts last all weekend with no extra cord hanging around. This set up is being used by two of us and has worked great so far.

I have no extra cords hanging around. I too have used AA and charger, but I think not changing AA's is better. shane

Has anyone tried one of these?
http://sales.shaftek.com/snowpower.htm

Originally posted by Chaddafd@Jun 14 2004, 06:31 PM
Has anyone tried one of these?
http://sales.shaftek.com/snowpower.htm
I have not but I can build one for less than $9.99!!

Check out the PC mods website how to build a lazer LED. http://www.subzerotech.com/index/module/sz...es_display/id/9 (http://www.subzerotech.com/index/module/sz_articles_display/id/9)

I'm no electrician! I would just as soon buy one, I was just wondering if anyone had tried these or not. I know people have had success building their own.

It seems there are endless options for this. :D I'm extremely happy with the battery setup (http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=23867) that I went with last year. It's amazing how many more uses you can find for that battery while on the trails...I particularily like using it for the camcorder also, since the cam battery doesn't last long in the cold. Now I just need to create a mount for the cam on the sled somewhere.

Art, did you ever get the battery for your sled?

Nope, other than in my oil caddy there's very little room under there with the big tripple. I could mount it in the bulkhead under the pipes but I'd have to remove the pipes to get at it, so recharging would be a pain. I think I'm just gonna stay with the rectifier set up for this comming season unless it annoys me more than last year.

Hey everyone,
I have a GPS unit and the cigarette lighter adapter came with it. I have electric start on my 2004 sled, ...so I guess all I need to do it get something to accept the cigarette lighter adapter (cigarette lighter I guess?) and then wire it to the battery? I guess I can get a cigarette lighter from Radio Shack?

Also, where would I put the cigarette lighter? Up in the dash or down by the side (by the pull cord)? Anyone got any pics? What happens when snow goes into the cigarette lighter or does it come with a cover of some kind (then again I doubt if it's waterproof)?

Thanks....

I have mine in the dash right next to the tach. Got the female outlet at an auto parts store.

Has anyone tried using rechargable lithium batterys. Lithium batterys don't loose there charge in the cold like most batterys do.

Originally posted by woodwurker620@Jun 23 2004, 06:42 AM
Hey everyone,
I have a GPS unit and the cigarette lighter adapter came with it. I have electric start on my 2004 sled, ...so I guess all I need to do it get something to accept the cigarette lighter adapter (cigarette lighter I guess?) and then wire it to the battery? I guess I can get a cigarette lighter from Radio Shack?

Also, where would I put the cigarette lighter? Up in the dash or down by the side (by the pull cord)? Anyone got any pics? What happens when snow goes into the cigarette lighter or does it come with a cover of some kind (then again I doubt if it's waterproof)?

Thanks....
Instead of Radio Shack, go to one of your local auto parts store. The more common stores will offer a heavier duty, "weather proof" receptacle. This will have either a tight-snapping or spring-loaded lid or cap for the plug when not in use. I think I bought one at Wal-Mart. If you have room around the cowl/starting rope area, I would put it there instead of the hood, due to less wire being needed. But basically, anywhere you have room and is accessible with the cord would be fine. On one sled I secured the plug under the hood, behind the cowl with ziptie straps. On the other sled, I'll prob put it on the little dash that Cat has between the handlebars and gas tank.

Personally I think I would mount it under the hood, that way when you go to sell you don't have to try and cover up a large hole in your hood or cowl. That is unless you plan to sell you cig adapter with the sled, just my .00000005

Originally posted by woodwurker620@Jun 23 2004, 06:42 AM
Hey everyone,
I have a GPS unit and the cigarette lighter adapter came with it.* I have electric start on my 2004 sled, ...so I guess all I need to do it get something to accept the cigarette lighter adapter (cigarette lighter I guess?) and then wire it to the battery?* I guess I can get a cigarette lighter from Radio Shack?

Also, where would I put the cigarette lighter?* Up in the dash or down by the side (by the pull cord)?* Anyone got any pics?* What happens when snow goes into the cigarette lighter or does it come with a cover of some kind (then again I doubt if it's waterproof)?

Thanks....
I found that regular cig lighter plugs will vibrate loose causing power loss to GPS. I installed a locking style unit from Marinco. The plug and receptacle unlock by giving it slight twist. And each part is compatable with standard units...so I can plug my GPS into my vehicles standard receptacle and I can use standard plugs(cell phone etc) in the locking receptacle. About $20 from Cabela's. I mounted mine in the hood...when I sell/trade sleds I will remove the locking unit and replace it with a cheap receptacle from an auto parts store or find a rubber plug to fill hole.

http://polar.polarcomm.com/~rspoonla/sled/gps176.jpg

http://polar.polarcomm.com/~rspoonla/atv/12vplug.jpg

Thanks, ...I'll have to head to an auto store sometime within the next week to see what they have. RWS, I like the cigarette lighter unit from Marinco, ...I'll see if I can get one of those.

Originally posted by JIM FRITCH@Jun 17 2004, 01:28 PM
It seems there are endless options for this.* :D* I'm extremely happy with the battery setup (http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=23867) that I went with last year.* It's amazing how many more uses you can find for that battery while on the trails...I particularily like using it for the camcorder also, since the cam battery doesn't last long in the cold.* Now I just need to create a mount for the cam on the sled somewhere.

324426


I agree Jim. Thanks to your ideas/picts, I installed a similar setup. I take long saddlebag trips, so I will only get a few days out of the battery, though. It's kind of a pain to get out of the sled easily, so this year I am looking for a way to charge the battery from my sled. Any ideas? It's an '04 F-cat. What is this Polaris kit that has been referred to? Can I hook it up to the AC outlet on my F-cat to convert it to 12V DC? I don't have the skills to make my own rectifier. Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by kraemerf@Oct 15 2004, 12:01 PM
I agree Jim.* Thanks to your ideas/picts, I installed a similar setup.* I take long saddlebag trips, so I will only get a few days out of the battery, though.* It's kind of a pain to get out of the sled easily, so this year I am looking for a way to charge the battery from my sled.* Any ideas?* It's an '04 F-cat.* What is this Polaris kit that has been referred to?* Can I hook it up to the AC outlet on my F-cat to convert* it to 12V DC?* I don't have the skills to make my own rectifier.* Thanks in advance.
353342


No prob Kraemer. The Polaris item is simply a cig-type dash plug that has a rectifier built into it. It can be used on a sled that doesn't have it's own battery. If you're interested, let me know and I will find the part# for you. It's a pretty neat part, but lists for about $50. I have just a little more than that invested in my whole battery setup.

Oh, and if I have a plug-in or extension cord nearby, I can charge my battery while it's in the sled.

Originally posted by kraemerf@Oct 15 2004, 12:01 PM
I agree Jim.* Thanks to your ideas/picts, I installed a similar setup.* I take long saddlebag trips, so I will only get a few days out of the battery, though.* It's kind of a pain to get out of the sled easily, so this year I am looking for a way to charge the battery from my sled.* Any ideas?* It's an '04 F-cat.* What is this Polaris kit that has been referred to?* Can I hook it up to the AC outlet on my F-cat to convert* it to 12V DC?* I don't have the skills to make my own rectifier.* Thanks in advance.
353342


Polaris Plug (http://www.purepolaris.com/Detail.aspx?ItemID=2872214(PolarisPGACatalog)&Department=Snowmobile(PolarisPGACatalog)&Category=SnowmobileByModel(PolarisPGACatalog)&Listing=800%2f700%2f600%2f500XCSP(PolarisPGACatalo g)&nPage=3&nSet=1)

Originally posted by Beerman@Nov 16 2002, 10:36 PM
So I grabbed my electronics buddy and hit Radio Shack.* We had 1/2 the parts on the list and then started talking about how to waterproof it.* All this in a piece of tupperware wrapped with duct tape under my hood didn't sound like a good idea.* Maybe covering everything in epoxy . . .* Then he looked at me and read the sign behind the counter for AA batteries on sale.* $13 for 24.* Too bad I already have a hole and 12V outlet in my dash.* But it might be a good place to store the spare set of AAs.
:D

But in all honesty I still may build this later this year.* Did a fairly elaborate search on the net and found nothing.* Could be a real product opportunity . . .
73710

If you looked in Radio shack while you were there they carry little project books $3.95 canadian. One of them is for building power supplies / rectifiers and power filters....really simple easy to follow..and the finished project can be set in epoxy as you said to ensure no moisture. Course ATV's were smart enough to come with 60 watt 12vdc power ports on them so no need to fuss.;)
The books are great for this sort of thing and you will want to filter the power.

Originally posted by Beerman@Nov 15 2002, 12:19 PM

I followed the link above and the info is really good.* I'm just going to follow the instructions there and build the rectifier/voltage regulator.* But that begs a question, does the voltage fall below 12 at low rpms?
72938


I have built and used 2 units using that design. The first one lasted 3 or 4 years before it was destroyed, along with my hood, in a collision with a deer last year. I built the other one to replace it the following weekend! Heres what I have learned about them:

1) I took no special waterproofing precautions. I enclosed it a small project box (1.5"x3"x1") from radio shack and mounted it inside the headlight access panel on my '01 Edge X 600. No problems with moisture, but big problem with deer hooves!

2) This design outputs extremely clean 12 VDC. Voltage varies maybe 0.1 volts or so, even at high RPMs. Can't remember the exact numbers, but it's not very much at all.

3) Output will drop to 0 volts at low idle. It makes either 12.0 volts or 0 volts, it will not drop to 11 or anything like that. This wasn't a problem with my old Garmin GPS II because it just fell back on the internal batteries. My GPSMap76 will shut off automatically in 30 seconds if I don't press a key when external power is lost. That's no problem as long as I get the RPMs up within 30 seconds, but if not I have to press a key to keep it turned on. I have a few blank spots in a couple of my track logs because I forgot. Wish Garmin would have made the auto shutoff feature optional!

4) The 2 internal AA batteries will usually last me at least 4 days of riding using this unit 98% of the time. I keep the GPS on during gas stops, etc so I always carry a spare set with me. A set of batteries won't even last a day without the external power. My old GPS would eat a set in 2 hours if it was really cold. (That's what prompted me to build this).

Hope this answers most of your questions. This thing isn't a perfect solution, but it weighs almost nothing and doesn't take up any space so it was perfect for me.

Just an FYI to some of those that have the Garmin Rino units....they have to be regulated to 4.5v DC for proper operation. The Garmin brand 12V power cord does this for you, so go ahead and wire up the 12V outlet to the sled, but make sure to use the Garmin brand 12V plug. It didn't say in the manual if the GPS itself regulated the power or not, so I assume it doesn't...to be on the safe side anyway. Some people sell their "home made" 12V power cords for the Rino units on Ebay, but they do not say if they are regulated or not, so be careful of using an "off" brand 12V plug.

I hope this helps some of you. :wink:

At the advice of another SW member I bought one of these and it works great.

http://www.bartswatersports.com/catalog.asp?P=5632

I wired up a 4 blade trailer harness from KMart and ran a lead up to the dash. I use a Garmin Streetpilot III Color and it will last all day. I just bolted an angle bracket to the backside of the foot well and bungee the battery to hold it in place. Takes 2 minutes to plug in while Im filling the oil tank in the morning.