Wiring in satnav - Tomtom Rider 50

[NJD]

Hi,

I'm asking ahead of time (so expect delays on actual results) as to how best to wire in the TomTom Rider 50 I've ordered. The below picture is the mount, and the positive (red) and ground (black) wire exposed that it comes with. I'm going to stick a Ring lug connector on the end of the black wire and connect it to the battery, but to avoid drain on the battery I'm going to tap into one of the bikes live connectors so that it only powers on when the ignition is turned on.



This is the part I need assistance with.

So my plan is to use a halfords cable lock connector for ease of install. Push bikes live wire into it, add satnav live the other side and lock them together. That little part works like this in case anyone is wondering.

The question is, providing that all looks ok, what live is best? I don't yet have the sat-nav mounted (awaited migsel mount) so it depends on wire length but I've narrowed it down to either the front brake like siwtch or the rear license plate bulb (as their both 2p and hard to get wrong).

Using the wiring diagram below can someone confirm that for the rear brake light switch the live wire is G (green) and that the Br (brown) into (Bl/Br) is ground; and then what one on the front brake switch is live (BL/Y or BL/G). My ability to read wiring diagrams is limted.

https://www.cbf1000.com/images/assets/CBF1000-MKI-NON-ABS-Colour-Wiring-Diagram.jpg

The sat-nav mount has a built in fuse so that's all taken care of.

Thanks in advance.

[Art]

All Honda green wires are chassis ground. The black/brown wire is the switched live and supplies stop/tail light, number plate light and horn (useful if you want a connection nearer the front).

edit: The front brake switch live is black/green after the connector and white/green before the connector, the white/green also supplies the rear brake light switch via a connector and black wire. The black/yellow wire (front brake) and the green/yellow wire (rear brake) are only live when the brake switch is activated.

I'd wire in an accessory loom via a switched live change over relay, that way any other extras such as the likes of heated grips, phone chargers, heated clothing etc can be wired through that.

[Art]

Of interest I posted a full colour wiring diagram for the SC58 (MKI) ABS model, the one you link to contains some errors. Also look at the starter circuit diagram 3 posts down from there which covers just the wiring your asking about.

links

ABS wiring diagrams here and just in case the Accessory Circuit picture is here

[NJD]

Hi,

Having remembered that the bike had Honda O.E.M heated grips on when I purchased it, but that have now been removed, I think I may have found a simple already wired in connection that will simply require me to purchase a small bullet connector and crimp in the red wire into that?







Just to confirm that, if that would work, that what remains of the live feed on the horn can be left as is and shouldn't interrupt things (left over from removing the heated grips O.E.M)?

https://postimg.cc/TL4DsR2B/bcc9abf1

Sorry. I know this changes what I asked but forgot about it before now.

edit: plan now being negative to battery via connector and live via bullet connector into that live wire on the front brake like switch, which will provide a constant feed of power when the ignition is ON keeping the sat-nav powered?

[Art]

Can't make out what connects to what from the photo but assuming the female bullet connector is properly spliced into the black/green wire that should work, noting your heated grips didn't. If I was connecting to the horn or front brake light switch wiring I'd use a 4.8 mm piggy back crimp connector, much simpler.

[NJD]

Originally Posted by Art

Can't make out what connects to what from the photo

From the first photo down (front brake light switch):

Yellow / Black wire and the Green / Black wire come out of their protective sleeve from the bikes loom, and the Yellow / Black wire connectors to the switch completing that side of the circuit.

Green / Black wire (live feed) has a connector on it (seen dangling down in first photo underneath) that then has some Green / Black wire wrapped up in a cable tie. Has one further connector in it before attaching to the front brake like switch.

The yellow protective housing on the end, as you are probably aware, houses the bullet connector allowing for the old heated grips to be plugged in.

I remove the heated grips as they were too slow, compared to Oxford heated grips, to reach full power. I assumed they were rubbish and replaced with Oxford as I didn't like them, had problems with the bike at the time and couldn't grantee they weren't drawing power all the time as the design was questionable to me at that point. It delivers power because I remember the light on the box on the handlebar working.

~

I can't be sure why there is left over wiring on the horn Black / Green wire. Perhaps if I'm going to use the bullet connector on the front brake light switch I need to connect the wire, somehow, to the exposed bullet connector on the horn to complete the circuit?

~

To clarify, where would I apply your recommendation of the piggy back connector to in this install (assuming you mean replace current connectors to clean things up)?

[Art]

The piggy back connector was just my preferred connection instead of splicing. It works for example by putting it on the brake light switch terminal in place of the stock connector which would then go on the piggy back but since the wiring is already spliced you may as well use what is there. Sounds as if you have two connections - the female bullet and a female 4.3 mm spade. Check both for 12v with a multimeter and use either one to power the TomTom then insulate the other or remove it. Finally check that the stop tail light, number plate light, side lights, indicators, hazards and horn all work as they should.

As for the heated grips being slow that could be due to voltage drop. For that reason and to prevent the battery unnecessarily discharging I prefer wiring in an accessory circuit powered via a switched live change over relay.

[NJD]

1) I need to pick up some smaller bullet connectors tomorrow but wiring the negative to the battery and putting the positive into the bullet connector that has already been wired into the front brake like switch Green / Black wire looks to be my best choice for a continuous power source that will work ONLY with the ignition on.. if I'm correct?

The female bullet connector is the only input point on the front brake like switch, as is, because the two spade connectors are the regular O.E.M ones; and everything else you see in the picture is just an array of extensions / mass wiring that someone did in the past to allow the heated grips to be wired into it. The splice looks to be of good quality, thankfully. And I've been running the bike for many miles since removing them as is without any issues on the electrical side.

If I did connect to this and activated the brake how does that apply to your "the other wire only because live when the brake is used?" Does that mean I would encounter a temporary outage of power, or that's just how the circuit works to complete it (illuminate the light) and it would be fine to use?

edit: even if the Green / Black on the front brake light switch did result in a power drain (probably small at best) I could just unplug the bullet connector.

2) Failing that (and the above is probably wrong since you say the Black / Brown is the switched live: which seems to be what I'm after) my second choice is to use the halfords connector and tap into the number plate light Black / Brown wire on the loom side of the connection (before the plug -- using the diagram you listed on that thread you created). Space looks to be tight, so I may have to be sure I can get it right before creating more problems than solving.

If it does come to using the halfords lock connector the 15 amp blue one I list is ok to use, right? They do sell a smaller 5 amp red one.

3) Lastly, and lazily, I could just wire the positive to the battery and unplug the wire at the connector. I'll end up unplugging it anyway most of the time as I don't plan to leave the charger (included in my first part) on the bike past where it connects since I only want the satnav for one in a blue moon rides outside of my commute.

I may just stick some electric tape over the 2 pin plug that gets left on the bike to avoid moisture getting inside, but do you know of any small rubber screw caps that may be useful here?

~

I do take note of your diagram on the accessory circuit and despite the fact its posted in layman's terms I feel my ability with electrics nowhere near attempting to create one. I appreciate the mention, and didn't understand what I was looking at at first. Sorry for the long way round all this. Something two lads in a garage could solve in half the time, but obviously over the internet things are a little different to explain and understand. 

[Art]

Your over thinking this now just connect the TomTom red wire to the brake light switch black/green wire. Lift the tank and connect the TomTom black wire to the chassis earth post where you'll find a whole bunch of green chassis earth wires.

[NJD]

Electrics. 

Will do, after I've picked up some connectors etc tomorrow.

Need to wait for delivery of Migsel mount to make it final install. Then I can tour to.. erm.. work? 

Let you know how I get on when I blow something up.