[Mr Magic Fingers]

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Hi all,



Just wanted to show you how I mounted my Magellan GPS into my 91 Aspencade. Also, I wanted to show you how and where I mounted the power supply for this GPS as well. I didn't used the 12 volt power adapter in the traditional way.



First, here is a picture of the finished product. It's clean looking and functional. I mounted it directly under my line of sight for safety. It takes a split second for me to look down if I have to check something. I am going to add a small sunshield to the GPS sort of like the sunshields over a traffic light. The angle of this picture looks like the GPS covers the view of the turn signal indicators but it does not. I have clear line of sight for those.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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A washed out shot through the windshield. You can see that the GPS is held on with heavy duty Velcro to the mount and you can also see that the mount is put together with 3m foam tape. This will be a permanent bond. It's better than any glue you could put in its place. I have used it for years and it's not going anywhere. The secret is to have very clean surfaces.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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I used a wood tie, commonly known as a hurricane tie to make the actual mount with. The mount goes through the front lip of the dash and runs between the dash and the instrument cluster. I used no screws, nuts or bolts for this install keeping it clean and tidy.



The only modification to any of the plastics of the bike was a thin slot cut in the face of the lip of the instrument cluster. The slot is as wide and open as the hurricane tie. The slot is actually flush with the underside of the dash so the hurricane tie will lie flush.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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The underside of the GPS.



You can seen the hurricane tie through the clear plastic of the instrument cluster. It goes through the dash lip and keeps going under the dash for about 6 inches. It is bonded under the dash to the dash with the 3m foam tape. When you take the dash off, the mount comes right off with it.



You can also the right angle connector that feeds power to the GPS. More on GPS power coming up...

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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Power. The positives and negatives of getting power to your GPS or any other device you have on your bike. As before, let's start with the end result of the installation.



This picture shows a "Black box" installed under the right hand side of the dash. This is the power supply for the GPS. Again, Velcro holds it in place. I do not use the DC adapter that comes with the GPS in the way they (Magellan) intended, nor any other manufacture. I do not like the idea of wires sticking out all over my dash running to a cigarette lighter jack with the adapter plugged into it. It is unsightly and in my opinion presents a bit of a dangerous situation. Wires ware and things fry.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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What I do with all my installs is make the DC adapter a permanent fixture. The DC adapter gets taken apart and the circuit board gets put into the box along with a small 2 amp fuse. The fuse is what came with the adapter but using a new inline fuse holder.



Just as an FYI, there was another thread here a few weeks back where people were talking about the inside of adapters and what makes the 12vdc come out as 5vdc. If you look at the circuit board here, you will see a few components on it. What you're not seeing is the other side of the board that is filled with components that regulate the output power. Someone was talking about adding just a resister to do this?? Not likely. This is a very fancy little power supply capable of putting out 1.5 amps at 5 volts. Replace this with a resister and poof! You have the magic smoke coming out of your GPS.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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You may have read another thread around here a few weeks ago about me removing the PO crazy attempts at wiring. Why this Wing had never caught fire is really a Christmas Miracle. You can see this post HERE.



Seeing wiring like that upsets me. I make every attempt to avoid cutting into the original wiring of the car or bike I am working on. In lieu of cutting into this Wings wiring harness again, I made up a simple "Y" adapter from an old wiring harness and connectors I had left over from the rebuild of my 1100 Aspencade. I basically gutted the fairing and tossed out the electronic "guts" as little critters has made their home in there and chewed everything up including the wires. Very little was salvageable. I did keep the connectors and I do reuse them.



In a nutshell, I wanted to take power from a switched system on the bike. This adapter draws less than a 1/2 amp (500ma) even when recharging the battery in the GPS. To make it quick and clean install, I decided to tap into the lighting system of the Wing. It can very easily accept the minor power consumption of this DC power adapter.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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So, right under the right hand lockable glove compartment, there is an easy to get at connector that goes from the bikes main wiring harness to the right side amber marker light. This is where I made my connection. I simply unplugged the connector to the marker light and installed my "Y" adapter. Instant clean, switched power for the DC power supply.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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So there you have it. I hope this can help someone else in their quest to mount their GPS properly. This install will last the life of the bike. It is also very easy to remove someday - a matter of minutes.



Tim.

 

[jpelmer]

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Very nice job! :applause:



Do you worry about the life of the Velcro with frequent remove/install or do you just leave the GPS mounted. I find I need to replace the loop side depending on how often it's separated.



Pat

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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Hey Pat,



I have no worries at all about the Velcro. I have used this method on my 1100 Aspencade for over 3 years without issue. Now, with that being said, I don't remove my GPS very often. About the only time I remove my GPS is when I am traveling and I can't "see" my bike during the night and it's not in a well lit place.



It's true about the loop side. The more you use it the more you will need to replace it over a long period of time. That is why I put the loop part on the GPS. It makes it that much easier to replace it if/when the time comes. I also use the heavy duty stuff as well.



It is very snug on there so I don't worry that it will fall off during bike movement.



Tim.

 

[YakAspy]

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VERY nicely done and I love the clean lines of your install!

 

[skip20]

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I love it, may do the same.
Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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Thanks for the compliments and thanks guys. Glad I could inspire someone.!



Tim.

 

[Goldwinger]

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Very impressive.:applause::applause: Also shows, sometimes, thinking inside the box can have good results too.:action::action::action:

I found a hard wired power supply for my Magellen on EBay, but as is always the case with things on Ebay I wasn't sure of quality. I really like the DIY aspect of this so I am in control of quality.

 

[Mr Magic Fingers]

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Hey Chuck,



I always look at it like this... When I do something myself I know it's done right.



If I have to do something I have not done before I will ask a million questions and ask for allot of people's OPINIONS and mix it with the one I think I have in abundance - Common Sense. #4 on my tagline is something I learned from my dad at a very early age and it never has failed me yet.



If you use the adapter that came with you GPS, you know you got the right one. I just put some effort into it and make it better that's all. You just need some common sense and some soldering skills. If you don't have the soldering skills, then find someone that does.



In my case I think I already had the parts... but... the case - $5.00, the fuse holder - $3.00, scrap wire and heat shrink tubing. Really, it only cost me about 45min worth of my time. Too many people think "out of sight - out of mind" and could not care less of the safety issues they trample over.



Rant over - Thanks for the compliment...



Tim.

 

[Bellboy40]

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4) IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO IT RIGHT, WHEN WILL YOU HAVE TIME TO DO IT OVER??



Hi Mr. Magic,referring toyour signature line item #4 above, there was a sign posted at my work location for years that said the exact same thing. Very good words indeed.

 

[wizardman]

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Just getting my first GW set up and this is/was my first project. I have a 2000 Aspencade and a Magellan Roadmate so I think this setup will work for me. I'm off to the garage to look at my bike now. Thanks heaps!

 

[Mike Hirsh]

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I must have missed this when it was a new post.

Pretty good ideas there, thanks for sharing and posting pix for us to see.

Well done!

 

[AZwngr]

Thanks Mr. Magic for your help. Sure is nice work!