Used this to power my Garmin Nuvi 760 & 765. Anyone with decent techincal skills will be able to intall this perfect. Connect the red wire to 12v switched power. And Black wire to ground. Make certain 12v source is switched power to prevent a battery draw. Which will kill the battery if the Nuvi is attached while the car is parked.
I ran the wire to the glove box to keep the garmin chagred and ready to go when i need to use it. Garmin Nuvi Hardwire Cable (Mini-USB connector) for Garmin Nuvi
I installed this unit inside the headlight housing of my Yamaha V Star 950. After carefully studying the motorcycle wiring diagram, I learned there is a pre-wired connector for an optional light bar accessory. Since I wasn't using the accessory light circuit I determined it to the perfect location to tap into the motorcycle's electrical system. And the light circuit has power only when the engine is running so tapping in there will prevent the GPS from drawing power from the motorcycle battery when not in use.
There was just enough room inside my headlight housing to insert the 12V power transformer with the USB connector threaded out the back of the headlight housing. Next I plugged the USB connector into my GPS device mounted on the handlebar and cranked the engine. Viola!
I have no clue what would cause some GPS devices to switch into data mode. But my Nuvi 255 correctly switches from battery to direct current mode when the engine is running and switches back to battery power when the motorcycle engine is turned off.
Cars and motorcycles can be very electrically noisy environments. Spark ignitions put out around 20,000 volts and create high-frequency voltage transients which can run everywhere. (Ever notice ignition noise from nearby vehicles on your car radio?) The Nuvi is a 5 volt digital device which may interpret high frequency voltage spikes coming into the power supply, then bleeding across its circuitry into the Nuvi, as "data." TEST the power supply by hooking it to the battery with the vehicle turned off. If the GPS operates as it should, then the "data mode" problem is probably due to ignition noise, which may be fixed with something as simple as a picofarad disc capacitor across the 5 volt leads, or perhaps a pi noise filter. Either can be added inside the plastic power supply case (there's plenty of room). Making sure the vehicle's battery posts and all ground (to the frame) connections are tight and clean will help to reduce electrical noise. Using the factory-recommended spark plugs and wires generally reduces noise. Having an electronic ignition eliminates the sparking at the points and in the distributor. A noise filter was incorporated into the design; the supply has two filter capacitors. However there is noise and there is NOISE. If your vehicle has NOISE, you may need to do all of the above: reduce the ignition noise as much as possible and also add an additional filter. A vehicle which arcs and sparks at its points, distributor cap and plugs; which emits RFI (radio-frequency interference) from its high voltage cables; which has bad grounding; and which has an owner who refuses to fix the sucker; may never have a hard-wired digital device work properly. There is a tiny 2 amp fuse sticking up from this power supply's circuit board--so it does have a fuse--but it's not easy to replace.
Not a lot to be said, it works as it's supposed to (4 months to date) and gets rid of the annoying cig. lighter cord across the dash. I have the lighter cord stowed in the back so I can still take the Garmin with me to another car.
Bought this as a solution to hardwire in my Garmin Nuvi 255w. Product is great quality, however it puts the GPS unit into data mode making the GPS unusable while driving as it constantly boots into a synch mode.
I purchased this to power my Garmin Nuvi 750. I followed Ken W's lead and installed this on my V-Star 1300 Tourer. It also has an Accessory Headlight plug in the headlight housing. Unfortunately, I was unable to place the small box in the housing due to space constraints. Instead, I velcroed it to the top of the radiator just outside the headlight housing. I tested this on a 300+ mile ride and it worked fine. I still need to test it in wet weather. It looks to be well enclosed so should do fine.
I have had no issues with the operation of the GPS. Since it's hooked up to switched power, it starts when the engine starts (not when the key is turned on) and notices a loss of external power when the key is turned off. The unit prompts you to turn off or stay on and defaults to off after 30 seconds. So, there is no need to manually turn on/off the GPS.
I notices my garmin will work on a cell phone plug as well - however takes quite a while to fully get up and running. Using the correct voltage speeds up startup time.
I have these installed on 2 sleds and my cycle along with RAM mounts. Great setup. - Gps System Accessories - Cables - Hardwire - Dvd Recorders'
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