What size fuse for power outlet?

[rger8]

Im installing an auxillary 12 volt outlet for my GPS. In looking at the threads Im a bit confused. I am putting an inline fuse on the wire running from the battery to the outlet. I was going to go 5 amp blade type but it seems if some people are going anywhere from 2 amp to 20 amp I think. What amp should you use? It's a Garmin Nuvi 660.

I just dont want to blow it up

Thanks for any help!

[Suzuki Stevo]

The Garmin Nuvi 660 can draw up to 10 Watts MAX. 1 amp @ 12V is 12 Watts, a 2 Amp fuse will give you 24 Watts....14 more than you need for your GPS 

http://static.garmincdn.com/pumac/1262_OwnersManual.pdf

[fontanarider]

I have one one my bike for my GPS, i used to have a 5 amp fuse. But as you ride your bike more, you will plug more things into it that require more amps. its better if you put a 5 amp or 10 amp. I personally use a 10 amp. my $.02

[Paulcet]

The fuse should be sized according to the wire size.

http://www.rowand.net/shop/tech/wirecapacitychart.htm

No harm in going lower, though.  But as mentioned above, you will want to plug in other stuff at some time.

[tt_four]

I need to figure this out for mine too, I got a nuvi 255 for christmas so I'll need to put an outlet on my bike to use it. I hate electrical work.

[Suzuki Stevo]

I need to figure this out for mine too, I got a nuvi 255 for christmas so I'll need to put an outlet on my bike to use it. I hate electrical work.

The Nuvi 225 draws 5 Watt MAX

http://static.garmincdn.com/pumac/2675_OwnersManual.pdf

[twocool]

I think I used a 5 amp fuse for my nuvi.......

The current is low so you don't need a big fuse.........

Mostly I was worried about a dead short, like the power wire getting cut or broken......In that case it would blow just about any amp fuse.........

I think you should put the fuse as close to the battery as possible...........(you don't want a long wire before the fuse, because of the greater possibility of a short.


Cookie

[twocool]

BTW...If I remember correctly.......the Nuvi does not run on 12 volts.........you have to use the  automobile power cable supplied......this cable has some voltage dropping circuit built into the plug, and it also has an in-line fuse inside the plug.


You still need another fuse to protect the wiring from the battery to the power outlet..(or wherever you wire in the power outlet)   I did mine directly to the battery, so the nuvi was always "on" when connected to the bike even if the bike was off..........the Nuvi then recharges its internal battery too.   I guess it might drain the MC battery if left on for a real long time, but I never had that problem.


Cookie

[twocool]

Just checked some Garmin manuals................looks like most Nuvi have a 3 amp fuse in the power cord......

So you should put a larger fuse near the battery(or wherever you tap in)

5 Amp would work well for almost anything you might want to plug in, unless you are going be to use a blender for mixed drinks, or doing welding.

Cookie

[Shaddow]

The fuse should be sized according to the wire size.

http://www.rowand.net/shop/tech/wirecapacitychart.htm

No harm in going lower, though.  But as mentioned above, you will want to plug in other stuff at some time.

This is correct response. Check the wire you are going to use and Fuse accordingly. 5- 10 Amp is usually sufficient.
10 amp is sufficient to use said power outlet to slowly trickle charge another bike's battery when you are stuck on the side of a road with a dead stator.

[rger8]

Wow, thanks for all the replies! I got it hooked up last night and put a 5 amp fuse in it. The fuse is real close to the battery.

Note on the Garmin owners: I bought a power cord that runs my Nuvi 660 off the Mini USB port rather than the charger cradle/mount. Otherwise a standard USB power cord makes it think it's just hooking up to the computer for charging and downloading stuff.  Not sure why Garmin does that

Here is the E-Bay link

http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Charger-Power-Cord-Garmin-Nuvi-200-350-660-760-/320640319038?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa7a6fe3e

[tt_four]

Note on the Garmin owners: I bought a power cord that runs my Nuvi 660 off the Mini USB port rather than the charger cradle/mount. Otherwise a standard USB power cord makes it think it's just hooking up to the computer for charging and downloading stuff.  Not sure why Garmin does that

My car charger already plugs into the mini usb port, that's the only spot to plug anything in to mine(aside from the optional memory card that I'll never use). Does yours have something that mine doesn't or am I just confused?

I was just going to hook up one of the cigarette lighter setups so I can use the plug that came with the GPS. I'll probably just use the same kind of 18ga stranded wire that I used for my heated grips. Does it sound like I'll be good on my 255 with 18ga wire, and a 5amp fuse right by the battery? and the fuse I assume goes next to the positive side of the battery?  That chart has 18ga and 12v as 10amp, I just said 5 because that's that rger8 said. Maybe I'll just duct tape the gps cord to the battery!

I'll have to see how long the gps cable is. It would be nice to keep the plug under the seat, instead of having to mount it somewhere out in the open. The GPS is the only thing I'll ever plug in, except for maybe my phone if I was going on a camping trip or something and wanted to charge my battery while I was riding, but it's not like I do that often, or have ever done it in the past.

[Paulcet]

Note on the Garmin owners: I bought a power cord that runs my Nuvi 660 off the Mini USB port rather than the charger cradle/mount. Otherwise a standard USB power cord makes it think it's just hooking up to the computer for charging and downloading stuff.  Not sure why Garmin does that

According to the USB standards, a USB device determines a power-only socket by checking the Rx/Tx lines.  If they are shorted together, it assumes power only.  However, Garmin Nuvi receivers do not do this.  I think they use voltage level to determine this.  I don't know, because I never measured voltages myself.  But I know if I plug my phone into the Garmin charging cable it charges MUCH faster than with a standard USB car charger cable, and the phone gets quite warm.  So my theory is that the Garmin charger is more than 5 volts, and if a Nuvi gets more than 5 volts it goes to charge mode and assumes it is connected to a power source in a car, and if it gets 5, it assumes it is connected to a computer for file transfer.

[tt_four]

Oooh, I wasn't sure what it meant when he said it thought it was plugged into the computer, but I do remember now that it doesn't function in normal mode when it's plugged into the computer. The wiring and fuse holder would all stay the same, and if I picked the wrong size fuse, all I'd have to do is unplug the one fuse and try a different size, correct?

[Asym]

My 750 has a mount with a special plug that plugs into the mount, it also has a usb input to plug it into a computer to transfer data and charge it at the same time. When its hooked up to usb it can't be used unless you go into test mode first then power it off and back on with the cable still attached.

To get into test mode hold down on the battery icon and then plug in your usb cable, hit the power button twice and it should be usable and charging. I believe this also works for the 600 series Nuvis, the 200 series charge directly from mini usb which is way more convenient.

[rger8]

Complex these Garmin Nuvi's, yes! 

[Paulcet]

Oooh, I wasn't sure what it meant when he said it thought it was plugged into the computer, but I do remember now that it doesn't function in normal mode when it's plugged into the computer. The wiring and fuse holder would all stay the same, and if I picked the wrong size fuse, all I'd have to do is unplug the one fuse and try a different size, correct?

Yes, wiring and fuse holder would stay the same....  The fuse won't make a difference in how the GPS will work, unless the fuse blows.  Then of course it wouldn't work, um, the same