discrete wiring idea

Hi there,

I decided to move my radar detector up to the top of the windshield and tie into the wire feeding power to the dome light. Seemed like a good idea cause the device is 12 volts. And it works, kind of. For some reason the device cycles on and off repeatedly. Here's a few pics of how I wired it. Any one think of anything that I have done wrong?

I spliced the red (hot) so that both the light and radar detector have power. I took the white wire from the radar detector and grounded it with one of the screws that hold the dome light in place.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9426/10034105vi4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9426/10034105vi4.3e978f8cd1.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=87&i=10034105vi4.jpg)

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4201/1003412tx0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4201/1003412tx0.1d8902b72f.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=227&i=1003412tx0.jpg)

Ya know, I've been thru several metros by now & have YET to find one that needed a radar detector!!...Your 3 popper must really be on steroids (lol).
Anyway, if your dome light is on a breaker, & your RD is drawing more current than the breakers rating, it could be tripping and then auto-resetting, otherwise look for a bad (part time) ground.

I have a short in my car. I get a pretty big shock each time I I step on the ground to get out of the car. I wonder if that could be overloading the radar detector through the ground?

Jai

The car isn't shocking you. That's what we folk 'round here call static electricity. Hang on to something metal as you get out of the car and you'll stop falling victim.

No sense fooling around with the Geo's wiring if the dome light works. The wiring is old and thin, no reason to place extra load on it IMHO. Run a dedicated power wire up there with a coat hanger, wire in an in-line fuse, and tap directly from fuse block.

:2cents:

-MechanicMatt

Nice Idea I never thought about the continuous 12vdc supply that high in the cab. Caught my eye right away as I have been tossing over installing a 50 watt Yaesu FT 7800r in my XFI so I can access Echolink and IRLP on the open road. But will have to run a heavy guage lead from the battery so Im off the cars electrical system.

I had a cabin cruiser that would give a very light 12v tingle under moist conditions. But its quite uncommmon, though I keep in mind I read somewhere along the line 12vdc electrocutes about a dozen people a year in the US. Low voltage takes the easiest path to the ground if you are waring shoes and not touching the frame its likely static.

Static discharge has more high voltage characteristics travels on the outside of the conductor and discharge usually by jumping to the nearest sharpest point on its path to ground. If you are experiencing static always remeber to discharge yourself by touching a steel body part before you work on delicate electronics like ECM, PDA or girls etc.