Connecting GPS power

[MickP]

Hello,
I bought a Garmin Chartplotter recently and am trying to figure out how to connect it to power. It comes with a cable containing a load of wires, but all i want to do at the moment is connect it to ground and +12v. The wire will not reach the DC panel, so i am going to join it to the existing wires that provided power to the previous chartplotter. But the wires are different thicknesses, so the original butt connector plan is not going to work. Plus the thickness of the new GPS +ve wire is tiny. Any ideas gratefully appreciated
Thanks

 

[MSter]

Mick, Usually the red and black are used for power. As well check the recent discussion on the Musings with Main Sail under forums check the thread " Terminal blocks". tells you how to connect " teeny tiny" wires.
Mike

 

[FourPoints]

the manual that came with it (or you can download from their website) will explain what each wire is for.

If the wire sizes are too different for connectors, a terminal block is a good alternative.

 

[sailingandsuch]

I have a Garmin to that I hooked up in my boat similar to how I think your situation.

I know there are a lot of tiny wires that are for all sorts of stuff you don't have to have and I think the power and ground wires are larger than the rest. Are they not close enough in size that a connector will work? If not, you may be using a pretty oversized wire coming from your panel.

 

[MickP]

Thanks all for replies. Sorry, i wasn't clear in my original post - i do know which are the 2 wires i need for power. Terminal blocks sound like they might be the solution, i will check out the discussion
thanks again

 

[kenn]

Hello,
I bought a Garmin Chartplotter recently and am trying to figure out how to connect it to power. It comes with a cable containing a load of wires, but all i want to do at the moment is connect it to ground and +12v. ... the thickness of the new GPS +ve wire is tiny.

Power wires aren't usually 'tiny' even on a small chart plotter. Are you 100% sure you've identified the right wires? (or, what's your metric for 'tiny'?)

 

[navigator97]

Check out the Euro terminal blocks and put one in a Radio Shack "Project Box". Mount that to a bulkhead in the aft cabin as the junction point. Consider an inline fuse of appropriate size (maybe 1 Amp) in series with the red power lead. That is a much lower and safer fusing that the Circuit Breaker at your panel, which may be 5, 10 or more Amp rating. As others have suggested, get an identification table or schematic from your Garmin Chartplotter booklet, or if not available, download it. Then sketch out on paper and identify all wires from the chartplotter and power panel. If you plan on a DSC VFH radio in the future (if you don't already have one) identify its wires identies also. That can be connected to you Chartplotter in the same junction box with enough terminal block sections. That gives your VHF the Lat and Lon data continuously.