Added 12v power socket to rear of center console (pictures)

[AGrayson84]

So a few weeks back I added a 12v power socket to the rear my center console on my '98. I picked up the power socket at Pep Boys because they had one with a cover/plug and I thought it looked aesthetically better than all of the other ones I was finding at other auto parts stores.

I tapped into a constant 12v wire and a ground wire that was already under console, part of a harness that was not connected to anything. I chose a constant hot wire since I prefer my power sockets to have power while the ignition is off.

For the rest of the install, all that is needed is a 1" hole saw to drill the hole for the power socket. Use your own method of centering the hole... I didn't really have anything to find the very center of the console so I just eye-balled it and it looks good to me. Just make sure you drill the hole low enough in the console to clear everything on the underside of the console.

Here are some pictures:

I'll add a picture of what it looks like in the car whenever I empty all of the camping equipment that is currently in the back seat. I'm sure you get the idea though.

Now any rear passengers can plug their phone(s) into the power socket. I have a spare 2-port USB adapter that rear passenger's can use if needed.

-Andrew

 

[squeek]

That looks sweet. Imagine if they made a set of usb plugs you could wire in. Isn't there a plug under there for the automatics?

 

[mystiquevltwin]

Very nice!

 

[solo92s10]

Looks great, nice and clean.

 

[AGrayson84]

That looks sweet. Imagine if they made a set of usb plugs you could wire in. Isn't there a plug under there for the automatics?

Thanks! They sure do. I was looking at this a couple weeks ago and will probably buy one at a later time and swap out the one I just installed:



http://www.thegpsstore.com/Poly-Planar-USB-PM-Waterproof-Dual-Port-USB-Charger-P3808.aspx

It's a little pricey ($25) because it is weatherproof. Not that you need weatherproof for inside the car, but "weatherproof" means you get an attached little rubber cover for it to conceal everything and that's what I like. I'm sure you can get a USB one like this that's not weatherproof and doesn't include a cover for less money, but this is the one I want after doing some searching around One of the two USB connections is a 2.1-amp, which is really what you need for smart phones. 1.0-amp doesn't give you a lot of juice, so the port on the right would take a lot longer to charge a smart phone, but it will do the job still as long as you aren't using a bunch of battery-eating apps (navigation, streaming music/video, etc.) while trying to charge it.

Yeah, there is a plug under there. Wasn't sure what it was for, but makes sense that it would be for the shifter on an automatic.

Very nice!

Looks great, nice and clean.

Thanks! Just a simple little upgrade that I felt several of us can benefit from.

 

[blu_fuz]

I like both options. The USB one is handy, but the dual voltage seems strange....

 

[AGrayson84]

Yeah I think most people these days use the USB adapters if they don't already have USB charge ports in their car. I know I prefer USB cords, because I can use longer, straight cords instead of the curly cords on the older cigarette lighter port style chargers.

I did add some more ports to the front of my car as well, under the stereo. Two 2.1-amp USB ports, and another standard power port. I'll take a picture of this later today.

The dual amperage thing is common on the USB adapters that offer dual USB ports. I think the reason for still having a 1.0-amp port is because some feel that 2.1-amps on the wrong device can cause over-heating. The home-use (120v) rapid-charger for my smart phone is reduced to 2.1-amps, so it home harm my phone. 2.1 might not be good for basic phones (non smart phones), but who uses those anymore???

 

[AGrayson84]

Here is what I installed in the front of the car. Picked this up at Wal-Mart. I just tapped it into factory cigarette lighter / power port since the wiring there was already nice and thick. I don't plug in any high power consumption items, so all of the wiring and the factory fuse should be just fine.

Why so many ports up front? I have a personal smart phone and a work smart phone that I constantly need to keep charged. One of the two USB cords goes to my windshield-mount for my car dock, for my personal personal phone. So this leaves me with two more power ports for someone in the front passenger seat.

I decided to mount this one where I mounted it because you can't really see it from the driver's seat as far back as I placed it. And it doesn't seem to interfere with drinks in the passenger cup-holder. If anyone wants a better picture of how/where I mounted it exactly, just let me know.

Merry Christmas!

 

[royalblue]

nice work and all but ,passenger's in the back seat:crazy: I thought that was just a place to put stuff that doesn't fit in the trunk:shrug:

 

[AGrayson84]

LOL! Pretty much how my back seat is being used as we speak. I got used to driving an Expedition before selling it for this.