12v Sockets

[IdahoMan]

Hi.

I'm considering putting one or more cigarette-lighter power sockets on/in my truck (like in the bed and behind the seat).

I know there are tutorials online that deal with this, but how about on our trucks? What wires do I tap into? How much does the Voltage and Amperage fluctuate on the circuit? How many sockets can I have? Do I need a aux battery system? Etc, etc..

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Are there other plug types out there for certain uses, besides the Cigarette-Lighter, that I don't know about? You know, to run equipment off of? Campers, spot-lights, welders, saws, whatever..  Just think'n about what kind of scheme to go with for using my truck to power stuff. Behind the seat I was considering a sort of custom-made flashlight-charger holster and 12C Cig. Socket. I imagine I'd have to rig some circuitry/PCB to regulate things to keep it from draining the battery (is there an electronic engineer in the house?)

Just thinking out loud here. Kind of like my "What's behind your seat.." Thread, do any of you have a system for using your truck with electrical tools/toys?


Sincerely,
IM



tags: 12v, lighter, socket, cigarette

[VileZambonie]

What kind of devices are you planning on powering? You are probably better off running a dedicated circuit as opposed to tapping into an existing circuit. For exterior mounting you will want a weatherproof or marine grade receptacle. How and where you mount it is up to you. Do you want it stealth? In your bumper? etc

[Blazin]

A 6 place fuse box would give you a place to power a few sockets per fuse. Run some 4 gage wire with a circuit breaker in line to it.

[Irish_Alley]

i wouldn't use my truck to power anything except itself a v8 is a gas hog if your using it to power a saw i dont know if a power inverter would power one. it wont touch a welder. i would op for a portable welder most times they are a little bigger than a generator but you can power most things and weld off them plus they use less gas than a truck. only problem is they wont fit behind your seat

[IdahoMan]

What kind of devices are you planning on powering? You are probably better off running a dedicated circuit as opposed to tapping into an existing circuit. For exterior mounting you will want a weatherproof or marine grade receptacle. How and where you mount it is up to you. Do you want it stealth? In your bumper? etc

BUMP.

Still searching. Reading on other sites about RV-ers and their appliances. AMPs they draw, and whatnot. My tuck is going to be a 12v system obviously, not a 24v.

But what's the "proper" or say typical amperage for a 12v socket? 20, 30, 55 AMP? Or do the higher-power devices have different plugs?

10ga wire is big and harder to place in the cab, so maybe I could go with 12ga and a 20A breaker inside, and up to around 60A for the bed. I will need another battery of course (deep-cycle) and a heavier alternator.

It's just nice to know your truck has reserve power for whatever you might come across.

[enaberif]

Its not so much voltage you have to worry about. To run most tools like your talking about you need 110v and that only happens with an inverter. If you want to use smaller devices like usb stuff then you only need 5v.

To give you an example a 110v grinder can use upwards of 7.5a of power and that would take a entirely dedicated system to not hurt the truck.

[VileZambonie]

Why do you need another battery and alternator to run another accessory port? What exactly are you going to be supplying current to?

[bd]

...what's the "proper" or say typical amperage for a 12v socket? 20, 30, 55 AMP? Or do the higher-power devices have different plugs?

10ga wire is big and harder to place in the cab, so maybe I could go with 12ga and a 20A breaker inside, and up to around 60A for the bed. I will need another battery of course (deep-cycle) and a heavier alternator.

A 60-amp accessory current draw is HUGE!  The typical accessory socket is rated for maybe 20 amps, max.  Safely tapping any more than 20 amps to the bed will require, conservatively, a dedicated and protected circuit and fully insulated junction block with 5/16"+ stud and a protective insulated cover.  For the length of run from the factory battery location, you would need a minimum 4-gauge cable protected by an 8-gauge link (2 & 6 would be better) at the battery, or substitute a manual reset circuit breaker for the link.

I agree with Vile, instead of creating a high-power tap based on some vague, nebulous idea, you need to decide the actual purpose of the circuit then build to suit using a dedicated lead.  Or, follow the suggestion posted by Blazin for multiple general use sockets.  And, don't skimp on wire size.  If you want to add an accessory deep-cycle battery, isolate it from the cranking battery using a diode isolator and reconnect the regulator sensing lead so that it 'sees' cranking battery voltage.

[FlatBlack77]

not to be mean or anything but i think a small generator would be a better idea

[bd]

There have been plenty of times I could have used a quiet modest capacity generator.

[roundhouse]

I have a inverter and charger in my truck for my 18 volt ryobi tools
I have almost every tool they sell , drill, impact, grinder, saw, weed eater, etc

If you need anything bigger than that you're gonna need a generator or an alternator designed for big power



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[roundhouse]

There have been plenty of times I could have used a quiet modest capacity generator.

the small Honda gennys are the best
So quiet you cant hear it , and runs two days on a tank of gas
More expensive than other gennys. But totally worth it
We use some sensitive electronics in remote locations and the honda gens are the only ones that provide clean enough power for our computers to work properly


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[bd]

Good to know!

[IdahoMan]

A 6 place fuse box would give you a place to power a few sockets per fuse. Run some 4 gage wire with a circuit breaker in line to it.

Would this be a replacement fuse-box for the one that is already under my dash, or a separate one altogether?

[bd]

A standalone, additional fuse box to supplement the original factory box.  The 6-place box would be used for your add-on accessory sockets and any other added circuits, so as not to overburden the factory wiring.  It should have its own primary protection separate from the factory fusible links.