wiring up compressor and accessories

mav

mav

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Apr 8, 2009
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newcastle, australia
hey all, im going to try and make up some drawers for my 02 outback in the boot, and im going to put sum switches in the middle between the two drawers (ill draw a pic later) one is going to be for the compressor, maybe a 12v shower pump, and maybe a light aswell, i can solder and pretty much do anything except electrical, im just wonderg who knows what the best way to wire it up? get a chunky bit of power cable n wire it to the back n split it up into 3 switches or sumthin ive realy got no idea haha any help would be good, wiring diagram or sumthin would be the good thanks for anything:ebiggrin:
 
heres a picture of sorta what its gonna be like
untitled.jpg


and heres a part of what im makin
002.jpg
 
im not the person to give suggestions on wiring - but apparently there are a few power connections floating around the back in the side walls of the OB's designed to take cigarete lighter connections... not sure on wattage or anything. Ive been meaning to oncover mine and make a usable connection for a compressor/light myself
 
before you start you really need to know the combined current rating of all the appliances you intend on using so you can work out what size cable you need. then basiclly loop the active between the switches then connect the switched actives from the appliances to each switch. its a bit hard to give details as i dont know what switches your using. also its a good idea to fuse the supply wire and then each individual swiched wire aswell
 
chickenlover said:
im not the person to give suggestions on wiring - but apparently there are a few power connections floating around the back in the side walls of the OB's designed to take cigarete lighter connections... not sure on wattage or anything. Ive been meaning to oncover mine and make a usable connection for a compressor/light myself
Click to expand...
i have a ciggy outlet in the recess where my jack is. i thought it was standard
 
That rear power outlet may not do what you want. I would run a dedicated power line to the rear of the car, and its own fuse block. I would also use a battery isolater that will not allow you to run the battery dow so low the car wont start.


nipper
 
Active? Sounds a bit AC to me. I think you mean positive, judging by what you are saying. Just be aware that in some instances there is some negative switching but probably not in this instance.
 
nipper said:
That rear power outlet may not do what you want. I would run a dedicated power line to the rear of the car, and its own fuse block. I would also use a battery isolater that will not allow you to run the battery dow so low the car wont start.


nipper
Click to expand...

This is a good idea. The standard socket and its wiring and fuse may not be rated high enough for your needs (especially for a compressor) and also will only be on with the key in the 'Acc' or 'On' positions. Best to add a dedicated supply from the battery for your accessories.

I have run a wire from the battery via an in-line fuse holder through the firewall into the cabin. I've then mounted a power socket in the front passenger footwell and an extra one in the cargo bay (see attached pic). These are handy for mobile chargers, lights, fridge, etc which I may want running when the key is out. I haven't got one but as Nipper mentions you can add a device to cut the power before the battery is drained.

All this wiring is straightforward, the hardest bit in my case was getting the cargo side panel out to mount the socket.
 

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