Technical Do you have a power source for GPS when you need it?

Middle of no where is an understatement. One lane bridges, no shoulder dirt road. But I do know how to get back and this summer when I need to clear my head after a long day of being a carpenter I am going back. LOL

 

I brought a Stanley jumpit box that also has 3 usb ports for charging your goodies out of the clearance section at work last summer. So far haven't used the usb ports but I got more than my moneys worth out of the jump box part during the last polar vortex spell we had. Best $12 I ever spent.

 

Yep, on the 34 I built a little aluminum plate to hold a USB power port and the seat heater switches. It mounts to a bracket I attached to the front of my seat frame. Turned out nice and I don't have to look at it.

 

Then why bother to index the screws???

 

I have a power port with a splitter to keep 2. phones charged and our Garmin plugged in when needed. I like the arrival time feature, always fun to try and beat it.

 

Because I have issues! But you already know that from reading my build threads

 

Me and any kind of technology are like oil and wallpaper. I can do basic stuff on the computer, though. Before I leave the house, I pull up a map so I can visualize the route. That's halfway there. My wife does the functions and address programming that I can't on a GPS, but she sucks at the finer details of navigating and can't tell the difference between left/right, north/south or up/down. We make a good pair.
The speedo feature is alright, though it irritates me when I can see clear to the horizon in the desert and I'm pushing a little over the limit. The flashing red numerals are distracting. What I like most is the constant updates for how many more miles to the next turn. Love that! With my wife and a paper map that was never going to happen.

 

Real Men don't need directions!

 

I installed one of these on the bottom of my bench seat frame in my 41 Plymouth.

https://www.amazon.com/Ginsco-Cigar...9497195&sr=8-9&keywords=usb+outlet+automotive

 

in my 40 Ford, engine turned panel bought from speedway, heated seat switches (work great for back tightness on long trips), cruise control, a/c, in lower part I have ign, lights, power point, wipers

 

My 56 has a cigar lighter and I use it with one those dual USB plug ins. For some reason I always thought it was fused but it isn't. Goes directly to light switch which is directly fed from the regulator. The 56 Ford has the ash tray in the middle and when open is perfect for my iPhone which I use for a gps.
I'm waiting for my Newport Engineering electric wipers to show up and will use it for the feed.
Some new fangled stuff is goo for old guys..

 

I have two power taps built in to a small console that I made when I switched to bucket seats. I use it to charge my phone and run the GPS on long trips. ‘Works well, it is on a fused circuit.

 

I put my power port behind a radio delete plate. I still have to cut the speaker grill down and fit it under the delete plate, but I haven't figured out how I'm going to do that and make it look "right".

I really like the look of how The 39 Guy put his down by the kick panel and might steal that idea for my '34 Sedan.

 

Seadog, do you have a non close-up picture of how yours is installed? I cannot tell where its at cause the picture it too zoomed in.

 

Here’s a better picture. It’s hard to get a good shot given the small space. Hope this shows it better. The white stuff on the drivers seat is actually dirt on the windshield. I had to shoot through the windshield to get the best angle.

 

Got one, but I like driving around aimlessly ‘till I get there

 

My Gps is a practical joker.
I was in medina Ohio, searched for the medina medical arts building ant the damn thing tries to send me to medina Saudi Arabia. I screen shot it

 

Ive used two different units,and their both a mixed bag.They have got me hopelessly lost,and sent me down roads that dead end,or put me in to never ending loops.I have had them work correctly,and its nice to see what side of the highway the gas stations are on.I like the speedo function,and the odometer function since I don't have a gas gauge in my 32 PU.I read maps before I go so I can decide if its accurate,or not.My lady friend puts full trust in it,and gets mad when I decide its wrong,and strike out on my own.In my world lake Michigan is on the left going south,and that never changes.

 

I put a USB port in the cigarete lighter spot years ago, for the phone or garmin. Ad that one to the non traditional list along with the cruise control. Bill Rinaldi

 

When they go wrong they can go way wrong. I was on Highway 19, the main north/south artery on the Gulf side of Florida. It's 3 lanes across on each direction plus left and right turn lanes with cross streets and lights every half mile. I was mostly in the middle lane because I wanted to have options with the heavy traffic. The little talking lady in the GPS kept telling me to "Get right - Stay right" every quarter mile for the entire 50-mile trip...... even when I was in the right lane.
Another time, in Milwaukee, leaving the 50-year anniversary party headed to my cousin's house, the interstate exit ramp was closed due to construction. So I naturally go to the next exit hoping the GPS would recalculate a new route. But it took me through various twists and turns and eventually back to the closed exit.

 

Here is how the panel looks on the upholstered seat.

 

For those with cranky or out of date GPS I would recommend a smart phone app called WAZE. Free and easy to use.

Phil

 

Tom, what kind of seats are those?HRP

 

Hello,

Those 12v plug installations are very neatly done in the hot rods. But, for a person that likes sounds of the motor powering up and accelerating, the radio and Ipods have taken a back seat. Also, conversations with the person holding the phone, just in case we need unusual directions to get somewhere is always handy.

We have owned cars that have the built in 12v plug holes. We have only used one for testing after our phone batteries were getting low. Our first car that came with that big, "lunky" hole had a plug that was so big that it reminded us of those old percolator coffee makers.

We tested the charging capabilities of 12v hole vs the latest portable battery packs and the results were that the battery packs were a lot faster charging than the 12v hole in the car. To this day, our 12v holes do not get used for anything. But, we do bring our supply of portable external battery packs, (purse size, glove box size and flat jeans, pocket size) on all of our excursions with/without granddaughter and on our monthly family road trips.

The 12 volt hole requires a long curly cord dangling to the device. That bothered us at the first try. Remember when the first radar detectors were corded and the curly cord hung down to the socket? Not very stylish or safe.

The big mama on the left (fastest), the jeans/jacket pocket version, the red purse size and if ever needed, the 12v 4 port usb plug in device. Charging power goes from fast to slower, left to right…the 12v plug being the slowest.

Jnaki

So, our powerful cell phones have the built in GPS and the map service if needed. There have been many times that I knew the route to the destination and it conflicted with the lady in the GPS map program. We were in West Palm Beach, one summer, for a week’s vacation. We were going to the Lake Worth (Lockhart pier) Pier for a day’s outing. The GPS lady kept telling us to go right to another street. It was going away from the ocean, so we disregarded it and easily found the correct way to get to the cool pier for a nice lunch.

We are old school, (with new technology) so, we plan out the route or destination streets beforehand. Just last November, the GPS told us to go on a certain road in Simi Valley, CA. When it did not look familiar, we stopped for a snack and checked out the GPS lady’s direction. We were going in the same direction, but she put us on a different street that we did not want to use. The other road was more scenic and shorter.

But, our portable battery packs came in handy when we stopped to check things out. A phone low battery is OK, but by the time we finished our snacks, the battery was over ½ charged and ready to make it all the way to the resort hotel in Goleta, CA, an hour+ drive away.

These days, a cell phone is for phone calls and GPS service. The music is played on another Ipod if necessary. There is always a portable cell phone battery pack in the glove box, purse or jacket pocket. Since we have two apple products and one android phone, there are plenty of cords to go around.

 

Hello; saw our post. Thinking of doing the same on our roadster. Did you just get one of the ones on Amazon Ebay kits? like: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077F4ZGTZ/ref=psdc_2407770011_t3_B00I3P6QQG

And it seems there's no transformer needed, it can go straight into the battery because it has a fuse? Sorry, my electric knowledge is super limited. Thank you.

 

For those of you with older vehicles, all is not lost. At the request of a friend, my partner and I developed a device to convert 6 volt positive ground input to 12 negative ground output for those with older cars that would want to make use of these "new-fangled" devices. I have been running the prototype of just such a unit on my '51 Ford for about the last year. I am running a GPS, backup camera and screen, a bluetooth device for my cell phone, and a portable CD player off the unit. The electrical draw from these devices (except for the CD player) is incredibly small, so it works well.

I have gotten used to this stuff (especially the backup camera), so I am still running it. We probably won't go any further with is device, as we have found it to be unnecessary. These devices can be run easily by isolating them from the cars electrical system. The backup camera setup has it's own ground wire and plastic case, so it doesn't have problem. The GPS, Bluetooth device, and CD player are the same. What it boils down to is that the purpose that our device was intended for is really unneeded. There already are voltage boosting devices that are not polarity sensitive from several sources that are quite reasonably priced. There are potential problems with doing it this way, especially on cars with generators; the voltage spikes could easily damage the newer electronic components.

 

No transformer as it is all 12 volts. They are good parts store sockets that are wired directly to the battery with a 30 amp fuse. Make sure the wiring you use for the socket is heavier than the fuse. JW

 

I put them in the last 2 vehicles, to charge the phone and iPod............no gps.

Hide under the dash in the panel truck.

Bracket:


Charging unit:

 

I am installing a USB port in my Comet SEGA super stock. Not for a GPS , but for my hidden nitrous.
Hey Danny don't tell Quain.