Installing 12v sockets behind the dash?

[sabian92]

Evening CS,

I've got a sat nav and a dash cam I want wiring in neatly - at the moment I've got wires all over the cabin and it's driving me mad. You can't just lop off the end of the plug as it's got some sort of transformer (apparently) so I was looking at having a double 12v socket wired in somewhere hidden then they're mounted permanently.

Questions are - is it easy to do, and where's best to pull a feed from? Keep in mind I'm rubbish at electrics and I don't want to blow my entire electrical system.

 

[loggyboy]

For my dash cam I simply scotch locked off the cigarette lighter feed, this meant power is linked to ign so camera turns on when the car is turned on and vice versa.
I dismantled the cigarette plug that came with the camera, removed the metal connectors that link to the socket on the car and soldered 2 new cables that poke out the end of the plug, these are then connected to the car via the scotch locks.
The connector is left down the side of the centre consol and cables are fed behind glove box, up the windscreen pillar, under head lining to the dash cam thats mounted below the mirror.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

You can get 12v to 5v USB converters from ebay for a few quid. I put 2x of these behind my dash and you just plug the USB leads into them.

 

[Matt e]

you can get piggy back fuses from ebay,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R1.TR6.TRC1.A0.H0.Xpiggyback .TRS0&_nkw=piggyback fuse&_sacat=0

Fuse piggy back by mattageaton, on Flickr

Earthed by mattageaton, on Flickr

Back of USB socket by mattageaton, on Flickr

12v USB socket working by mattageaton, on Flickr