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How to install a cool looking power panel in your vehicleby dave spencer on June 3, 2010

Table of Contents

License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) .............................................................................

Intro: How to install a cool looking power panel in your vehicle ...........................................................................

step 1: materials .............................................................................................................

step 2: Location and design .....................................................................................................

step 3: transfering the template ..................................................................................................

step 4: shaping the panel .......................................................................................................

step 5: ripping apart the inverter ..................................................................................................

step 6: wiring to the battery and hiding the inverter ....................................................................................

step 7: 12 volt plugs ...........................................................................................................

step 8: power switch and 5 volt usb plugs ...........................................................................................

step 9: 120 volt plugs ..........................................................................................................

step 10: Assembly ............................................................................................................

step 11: Rock and Roll .........................................................................................................

Related Instructables ...........................................................................................................

Advertisements ...............................................................................................................

Comments ...................................................................................................................

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License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa)

Intro: How to install a cool looking power panel in your vehicleI wanted to share how I built a power panel in my truck consisting of:2 x 12 volt plugs,1 x 5 volt usb plug and2 x 120 volt ac plugs.

Check out my other instructables here

If you like this instructable, do me a favor and shoot me a digg

This is a video podcast I made of the build as well

step 1:materialsYou will need a strip of aluminum, mine was some scrap about 1/8" thick. I chose aluminum because it is easy to work with when cutting and filing.

You will need a power inverter. I got mine as a present so I don't know what it cost. luckily it had pop out plugs because I could not find cool ones at the hardware stoIt also had a 5 volt usb plug which I thought would be cool to use.

All vehicles are different but you will need tools to get behind the dashboard plus whatever you are mounting the plugs to.

You will need wire and connectors to attach to the battery and the from the hidden inverter to the plugs. Be sure to use appropriate gauges for what current load you aexpecting.

You will also need some inline fuses and a 12 volt extension plug. The one I got had two outlets side by side.

I used a drill, an angle grinder, a jigsaw some sandpaper and some files.

2 small bolts and nuts to mount the panel.

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Image Notes1. USB plug

step 2:Location and designWhere you are going to mount the panel is the first step.

I wanted the plugs to be accessible but not obtrusive. I chose the floor console right below the drink holders. this may be a bad idea for people who use the drink holda lot because you could spill liquid into the plugs causing a short. I don't use them much so this is where I chose to put my panel.

Once you are firm on a location, you need to design the layout and shape of your panel. I used a program called solidworks to do this but the freely available googlesketchup will work fine.

Image Notes1. nice flat open area begging for a mod.2. Not my truck, I don't have leather seats or a stock radio.

step 3:transfering the templateThis is a cool trick I use all the time to transfer patterns. I cut out the printed template, spray it with spray adhesive and stick it to the aluminum. I spray the aluminumwith a coat of spray paint. Let it dry a bit and peel off the template. You will be left with the areas you need to cut out marked with spray paint. Just be careful not toscratch the paint of when working on i t later. If you do though you can repeat the process with the same template again.

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step 5:ripping apart the inverterMy inverter looked like it had an aluminum body for heat dissipation but it was just plastic. I cut the cover apart to allow more air flow. The on - off switch was mounteon a small circuit board that also had the USB plug mounted. I desoldered the wires one at a time and replaced them with longer (aprox 3 ft) wires I got from an old traharness. I used a connector from an old car radio to make it easier to pull apart and put back together. I also desoldered the wires running the 120 volts to the outletsThese also had to be replaced with longer wires. I don't know what gauge was used but I used thicker wire than was in place before. I set up bullet connectors to maeasy to pull this apart and put it back together.

Image Notes1. USB plug

step 6:wiring to the battery and hiding the inverterUse good connectors to attach the wires to the battery. Again Iused a heavier gauge of wire than the inverter unit came with. After a few comments from my video anpain in the butt situation I won't go into here. I have decided to install an inline fuse near the battery even though there is an internal fuse in the inverter. Run the wirethrough the engine compartment to the fire wall avoiding any hot or rotating parts. use cable ties where necessary. I ran the wires through the firewall with the rest of

electrical wires. You might have to drill a hole but I would avoid it if possible. From there you need to fish the wires the rest of the way to the location for your inverterpulled apart my dash and found an ideal spot to mount the inverter with double sided tape. The cooling fan is not obstructed and there is more air f low now than whenthe cover was on the unit.

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Image Notes1. trailer wires for control board, usb plug and on off switch.

2. I used a lot of tape and marked all my wires so I did not lose track of what theywere for.

step 7:12 volt plugsI took the 12 volt extension that I bought and wired it into the 12 volt lines from the battery. Be sure to use a fuse to protect the wires from shorts and your car fromcatching on fire. I used Bondo as an adhesive to mount the plugs more as an experiment than anything else and it worked great. It dries so fast and is easy to work w

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step 8:power switch and 5 volt usb plugsImounted the circuit board in the correct location for the usb plug, using wooden wedges, epoxy and double sided tape. The power switch ended up being too short aon a bit of an angle. I could have pulled the switch out and soldered wires but I came up with another idea instead. I went to the dollar store and bought a calculator. smashed it and took out the AC (all clear) button. I cut a hole in the console so the button would fit and not AC stands for (alternating current)

There were also leds by the button and I left them buried. To be honest, everything I plug into it has some sort of led to tell me if it is powered up anyways. I don't neemore leds in my truck.

step 9:120 volt plugsThe 120 volt plugs snapped easily out of the inverter and into the panel. Im glad they did because I did not want to go and put in a crappy looking house plug.

step 10:AssemblyCut the holes in the console to fit the backs of the plugs. Mount the panel using 2 bolts and nuts. A bit of locktite or a lockwasher will avoid them loosening off. Run thwires from the inverter under the carpet to the floor console area. Attach the connectors for all the wires and making sure they are all tucked under the console, bolt it

back in place.Put the dash back together last after it has been tested.

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Image Notes1. old car radio connector

step 11:Rock and RollEnjoy the comments when people get into your vehicle.

Please digg this if you found it useful

Don't forget to check out my video podcast for this build:

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Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 57 commen

Darkshot says: Jun 29, 2010. 2:00 AM REP

Thanks for inspiring me for my next little college project! :D I am a gadget-junky but love to create electronics (go figure). Im going to college soon and wana laptop case that not only charges my laptop but also is not a lot of $$$. After seeing your 'ible at the beginning of the contest i realized I could put this exasame principal into the portable design! Basically build a solar powered laptop case, I first need to aquire the mater ials/money but it'll eventually happen. Imgonna mount the same set-up inside the top of the case, except my whole top will be one whole sheet of almuminum :) Thanks again -Tvman

tranoxx says: Jun 20, 2010. 8:11 AM REP

if you decide you want to run wires to your gps the same way that he did MAKE SURE YOU DONT HAVE SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS... that would be bad

dave spencer says: Jun 20, 2010. 1:34 PM REP

yeah! that's probably a really good point. Thanks

DieCastoms says: Jun 13, 2010. 9:40 AM REP

Very Nicely Done! I glanced over your instructable at first and spotted the line including "wood wedges, epoxy and double-sided tape" and was honestlyexpecting a hack-job. I was pleasantly surprised at your end result. As others have said, the aluminum panel looks very neatly done and professional. A few

comments I wanted to make: I would love to see some sort of safty covers added at LEAST to the 12 volt sockets. An errant penny in one of those wil lquickly blow fuses. I understand your comments that you rarely keep drinks in the cupholders, but weird things happen. Child safety covers are easilyavailable for the 110 outlets. I am curious about the cooling characteristics of the inverter. Devices are generally designed to have a specific airflow throughthem to be sure certain components GET airflow. I wonder what your modification of the case has changed? I am NOT saying the what you did isdetrimental, just being curious. Ingenious method of transferring the template to the panel.. just cut off anything that is painted.... All in all, I think it is a realwell-done build and I intend to use some of your ideas when I continue on to my own similar project in a 97 Mazda Prote e.

dave spencer says: Jun 13, 2010. 11:05 AM REP

Thanks and good point about the 12 v penny catchers. To be honest I always have those two plugs full in my truck. One for my bluetooth and one for mphone charger. My spare empty one is the factory one in the dash. It would probably be a quick and easy hack to create some sort of plug for thosethough. Again though, if you dropped a penny in or spilled liquid in you are only looking at a blown fuse as a worst case scenario. I see what you aresaying about the airflow in the inverter as well but I have used this for over a year with no problems.

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legless says: Jun 17, 2010. 2:22 PM REP

Hey Dave. Nice job by the way. With all the mention of covers for the sockets, I wondered if the original covers from the inverter might have beenused somehow?

dave spencer says: Jun 17, 2010. 7:37 PM REP

Yeah, I could have totally reused those. It would have been about 2 minutes with a file to fit them into the panel. Honestly though I just threw theout.

DieCastoms says: Jun 13, 2010. 12:19 PM REP

Thank you for an awesomely fast response! _______________________________________ 

Radioshack and Walmart have carried rubber caps for the 12 volt receptacles, but if you always have something plugged into them, then they woulprobably be in the way more than useful.. A friend had her accessory fuse start blowing out seconds after replacement and I took her stereo out tocheck the aftermarket wiring.. I spent at least 90 minutes searching for faults or shorts before she told me that a cellphone charger had fallen apartinside the cigarette lighter socket. A chrome ring from the tip of the charger was still inside the lighter socket and was cooking fuses almostimmediately ...... What a hassle that all was . . . Oh well. _______________________________________ In my Mazda, originally, there was a stereo head-unit at the top of the dash and a seperate CD player unit further down in the dash. The aftermarkstereo all fits in the top location, so the bottom unit's bay as well as the ashtray and cigarette lighter areas further down will be replaced by a singlealuminum panel. A new 12 volt outlet with a rubber cover, two 110 outlets, and various toggle switches (for my amplifier, inverter, eventual neonlighting, etc.) will be located in the panel as well. _______________________________________ Also, I really hate that 'ible's comments do not recognize hard returns ...

jdtwelve12 says: Jun 4, 2010. 11:53 AM REP

Slick project. The brushed aluminum looks great. One thing I noticed from the photos was that your cup holders are r ight behind and above the poweroutlets. In my car, I often get condensation dripping from the sides of cold drinks. It might just look this way in the pictures, but I wonder if you don't riskshorting from having liquid so close to current?

legless says: Jun 17, 2010. 2:16 PM REP

At risk of getting a flame warning I just have to say it. Geez give the guy a break. He mentioned that there could be problems several times. It is aninstructable of how HE built and uses HIS power panel. Above all it can be considered a guide not a rule book. Most writers of Instructables assume qureasonably I think that people are going to engage their brains before doing some stuff. I never use "cup holders" in my car.

jdtwelve12 says: Jun 17, 2010. 5:08 PM REP

No flame war necessary. This was a question for discussion, not a detraction. The author pointed out that he addressed my question in the video, owhich I'll admit to having skipped parts. I stand by my comments that he did some slick work and it looks great.

dave spencer says: Jun 4, 2010. 12:10 PM REP

There is absolutely potential for a short to happen from drinks. I don't use the drink holder very often and I am very careful when I do. I did talk about thdecision in the instructable and in the video. It was the best spot for me but not for everyone.

F22-Raptor says: Jun 15, 2010. 8:54 AM REP

Great instructable and cool video edit. One suggestion: spray some clear coat on the aluminum to protect it from scratches and give it a cool look . If you cmix the clear coat with some black paint that would be even cooler. 2-3 layers of clear coat should be enou h.

ii_awesum says: Jun 15, 2010. 5:39 AM REP

Excellent job! I have a Dakota as well and the same needs. The dash outlet is in 100% use powering my XM r ig. I opted to put a 12v Acc outlet sideways othe drivers side of the console to keep the drink holder accessible and just in case drinks spill I don't have to worry about getting any on the outlet. I use it tpower my 75w inverter which charges my Plantronics headset. It's a bit clumsy but serves the purpose. Dodge did a poor job with storage and organizing ithat truck, I might eventually do an instructable on a full center console with storage in the armrest.

fzxdf5 says: Jun 14, 2010. 7:15 AM REP

a nibbler would have worked great here

dave spencer says: Jun 14, 2010. 8:11 AM REP

I have never used one, only seen them on tv. Files are cheap if you are not making a lot of them. I'm not sure I could justify the expense and storage ofthat tool.

fzxdf5 says: Jun 14, 2010. 9:21 AM REP

you can pick one up from Home Depot, or simular store or any electical supply house, that is hand operated and is in the $30 range, I think mine isKlien, but it works great and anything you can put into it...stainless is kind of hard upon it

dave spencer says: Jun 14, 2010. 10:40 AM REP

hmmm, I might have to go have a look at that. I thought they would be more expensive. thanks for the tip

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fzxdf5 says: Jun 14, 2010. 7:18 AM REP

should have added circuit protection here...a 30A fuse or circuit breaker (both are like a buck at fea markets in my area, i have a few on hand at all times)would keep you from having, as we say in the industry, an unexpected thermo event

dave spencer says: Jun 14, 2010. 8:10 AM REP

I am now a believer in the added fuse. Lots of protection for little cost.

CodfishCatfish says: Jun 14, 2010. 7:15 AM REP

Great project. If I could add a suggestion. Most over the counter Inverters are modified sine wave that cause havoc with some equipment and are unsuitabfor flouresent tubes etc and cause hum on some equipment. The more expensive Pure Sine Wave inverters can cost 5 times as much. I however have

discovered that nearly all APC Smart UPS system are Pure sine wave and if you can get one from eBay that needs battery replacement then you can usethe car battery as the source and enjoy pure sinewave with over volt, over current and full thermal protection from a UPS that most of fice PC's and quite a of home PC's use. I have seen them go here in the UK for as little as £30 approx $50 for 1000VA and often larger rack mounted versions or 2000VA tradefor less. Only a few mods are needed to convert the switchin when a loss of power is detected. Hope this helps Awesome project by the way.

dave spencer says: Jun 14, 2010. 8:08 AM REP

Really cool su estion! If I build another I will look into that!

mattie says: Jun 14, 2010. 7:00 AM REP

How neat and attractive is that! Ingenious! Mattie

chumateco says: Jun 13, 2010. 8:59 AM REP

Well done.

jeffharbert says: Jun 13, 2010. 8:04 AM REP

Great ible! I've been thinking of doing this very thing myself. One thing you might consider is rotating the outlets so that the ground terminals are pointedaway from each other. This would f ree up space to allow two space-hogging wall warts to be plugged in at the same time.

The Arbiter says: Jun 13, 2010. 7:01 AM REP

I can not add much past what others have said, but very nice job and a very good instructable. I had a friend reading over my shoulder and now I have beetasked with installing something similar into her car.

Inkydog says: Jun 4, 2010. 11:29 AM REP

Nice! You might want to consider affixing a label showing the maximum wattage above the AC outlets. Never know if someone is going to try plugging a hadryer into the thing...

PCfreak says: Jun 6, 2010. 6:19 PM REP

who would use a hair dryer in a car anyways?

The Arbiter says: Jun 13, 2010. 6:59 AM REP

The same people who would use it while showering, hence the "Do not use while showering labels on hair dryers" LOL

moorea7 says: Jun 7, 2010. 6:28 AM REP

How about my 26" CRT TV that I 'd love to have along on a camping trip? Can I plug my toaster and griddle in so I can cook breakfast too? - Plenty opportunities to overload. This probably will not happen while you own the truck, but a future buyer might try this!

legless says: Jun 17, 2010. 2:18 PM REP

This would be really easy to prevent when he sells the car by just removing the inverter. As he said he is careful.

dave spencer says: Jun 7, 2010. 7:08 AM REP

worst case scenario is a blown fuse.

Inkydog says: Jun 7, 2010. 5:19 AM REP

It's just an example, freak. There are lots of high wattage devices that someone could potentially plug into a car. A number of power tools come tomind. People do dumb stuff. A little caution is better than a burned-out mod.

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tomstedham says: Jun 12, 2010. 10:28 AM REP

Very good instructable! I am going to make one of these for my van. Thanks!

PCfreak says: Jun 9, 2010. 9:28 AM REP

Where'd you Hide the Rest of the Inverter? i give you props on the i'ble i thought about doing the same thing in my explorer

dave spencer says: Jun 9, 2010. 1:08 PM REP

The inverter is hidden under the dash. Have a look at step 6

PCfreak says: Jun 9, 2010. 4:55 PM REP

oh ok i forgot to look at that pic, but in my explorer i was gonna set my PP up where the rear windshield washer fluid tank is or where the factory tire jack compartment is

jswilson64 says: Jun 7, 2010. 2:35 PM REP

Very nice work - as others have posted, it looks like a factory job. I would strongly suggest an inline fuse on the hot wire, near the battery. Sure the inverterfused, but that fuse is way "downstream" from the battery. You don't want that red wire overheating and possibly burning, and a fuse at the battery is cheapinsurance.

bowmaster says: Jun 6, 2010. 12:16 AM REP

Cool, I want to put in three sockets so you could have your 3g wifi hotspot and two laptops to have LAN battles in the car. I would also like to find a systemturn this off when the car was off so it wouldn't drain the battery if you left something pluugged in.

ac1D says: Jun 6, 2010. 4:28 AM REP

The positive wire, don't plug it to the battery. Plug it to the accessory wire, Either at the start (in most case, it's near the battery. Follow the wire goingfrom it.) or near the keyhole.

bowmaster says: Jun 6, 2010. 8:57 AM REP

Cool, thanks.

dave spencer says: Jun 6, 2010. 6:12 AM REP

That would totally work but I wanted the option to run stuff while the truck was shut off. I guess I never covered that but the inverter has an alarm anan auto shut off if you drain the battery too far.

jordan_twin says: Jun 16, 2010. 8:37 PM REP

You can hook your accesory wire to a twelve volt relay so that when your car is turned on the inverter is also. This will keep you from over

drawing your acc. circuit. Then hook up a seperate toggle switch that also turns the relay on. your can use this when your car is turned off andyou want the power on. The only problem i see with this design is then you will backfeed current into your acc circuit and power other things likeyour radio with the toggle but a simple diode in the acc wire will fix the problem

ac1D says: Jun 6, 2010. 3:54 PM REP

I wish mine would have an alarm. I have an power inverter in my car because I plug an smoke machine in the trunk, with pipe so the smoke gooutside the car. Some day I forgot it in. It drained the battery, so much, it was dead. I needed to get a new one, Canadian Tire were unable torecharge it.

DIY Dave says: Jun 5, 2010. 7:03 PM REP

Awesome

Krb686 says: Jun 5, 2010. 4:59 PM REP

Wow that looks nice, but really, right next to the drinkholders? Not the smartest decision...

dave spencer says: Jun 5, 2010. 5:22 PM REP

I know. and again, I addressed this in the instructable and the video. It would not be a great location for a lot of people but it is for me.

Krb686 says: Jun 5, 2010. 6:18 PM REP

Sorry I posted that before reading the step! :/ 

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Chowmix12 says: Jun 5, 2010. 1:57 PM REP

I like it but its not that much focused onto USB plug... not in true spirit of USB contest...

dave spencer says: Jun 5, 2010. 3:22 PM REP

From the contest page:The rule is simple: publish a new Instructable that involves a USB port. Anything goes, so long as it involves USB! Get creative, and let your imaginatiorun wild. If there is a USB port in there somewhere it can be entered.

I would say the last line qualifies me to enter it in the contest. :)

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