Power Cable Warning

[drledger]

A friend of mine showed me a gps (not a tomtom but the situation is the same) that a kid fried because he tried to wire it straight to the power block on his car. The 12 v dc adaptor for the tomtom 910 drops the voltage to 5 v dc internally so the voltage at the plug into the tomtom 910 is 5 v dc. If you will note the AC adapter shows the same 5 v dc output. I am aware the mini plug is available at electronic stores in the correct size but steer clear from these and the multi voltage adapters that are available. It is not worth the risk and such damage is not covered by any warranty. It would not be the first time someone misread voltage or polarity only to see the terrible puff of smoke turn hundreds of dollars in electronic equipment into a paper weight.
My 910 is wired from a 12 v dc source inside the console but using a UL listed 12 receptable properly wired by a local technician. He did this for $20 including the installation of a microswitch in the console that allows me to activate my TT only when I wish it to power up. I still have to manually turn it off but it is far more convenient to have some control.

 

[Adcox]

I wanted to have my TomTom hardwired into my MINI but I also wanted to be able to use it in my other car. I purchased my TomTom at Best Buy and the guys there said they would hard wire it for around $40. They said they needed the A/C adaptor that came with the TomTom because they would use it for the hard wire. This would leave me with no charger for my other car. I contacted TomTom and asked them if I could purchase another A/C adaptor from them and this was their response:


Subject Car charger...

Discussion Thread
Response 05/23/2006 05:56 AM

Dear Mr Adcox,

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support.

We have a generic CLA cable for all our units.
We suggest you contact your local TomTom seller to obtain a new cable.

With best regards,

The TomTom Customer Support Team

I contacted Best Buy and they said they don't have any accesories for the TomTom. If anyone knows where I can purchase another A/C adaptor please let me know. I'm not having it hardwired until I have a charger for the other car.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[mikecwest]

I wanted to have my TomTom hardwired into my MINI but I also wanted to be able to use it in my other car. I purchased my TomTom at Best Buy and the guys there said they would hard wire it for around $40. They said they needed the A/C adaptor that came with the TomTom because they would use it for the hard wire. This would leave me with no charger for my other car. I contacted TomTom and asked them if I could purchase another A/C adaptor from them and this was their response:


Subject Car charger...

Discussion Thread
Response 05/23/2006 05:56 AM

Dear Mr Adcox,

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support.

We have a generic CLA cable for all our units.
We suggest you contact your local TomTom seller to obtain a new cable.

With best regards,

The TomTom Customer Support Team

I contacted Best Buy and they said they don't have any accesories for the TomTom. If anyone knows where I can purchase another A/C adaptor please let me know. I'm not having it hardwired until I have a charger for the other car.

Thanks,

Jeff

Try eBay, or FRYS if you want an OEM product. I got one on ebay for around $11.00 shipped, and shipped FAST... I was disappointed that the cable was coiled, but aside from that it seems to work fine.

 

[drledger]

This continues to be a problem with obtaining TT products. I do not quite understand how using the AC adapter would solve your power problem unless they were going to use it with one of the low amperage inverters on the market. Seems to be a bit of overkill. I am always concerned about modifications to power supplies of any kind.
TT/s website shows their OE power cable at 19.95 but as commonly an issue "temporarily out of stock". Some vendors do indicate they have the item but are charging 29.95 plus shipping.
I had a terrible experience with an aftermarket power supply that cost me a portable 2 meter transciever. If you purchase aftermarket cables at a minimum check the voltage and polarity or have it done. It is a simple process but important. I have used such cables successfully for years but it only took one mistake to remind me of the importance of verification.
BTW are you perhaps referring to the DC cable for your car? That is most likely what they were talking about.

 

[Giorgio57]

Cables

NEVER use cables that are not original! TomTom used to have the possibility to affix the TT directly to the car wireing but I can not find it in the website anymore. It would connect directly to dim screen when lights were turned on, Lower the music on radio when instructions would be said and lower the radio on incomming calls. However the main thing is never use any cable that are not original for the product! I read of a fellow whos TT fried with the original cable under waranty and TT verified that it was true and replaced the guy with a new TT !

 

[drledger]

Goes back to my original point. My transceiver would have been covered with a kenwood power adapter but not with the aftermarket. The problem people seem to be experiencing is the unavailability of the OEM plug. I affirm that you use the OEM plug but IF you do buy aftermarket as several have, and again I do not recommend they ever be used, be extremely cautious in your expectations and prepared to buy a new TT.
The in car kit that Giorgio noted is listed on TT website as
Car Connect
Car Connect For GO 510, GO 710, GO 910
Bluetooth Wireless Technology for your TomTom
Available Q4 2006
For professional installation only
but not available yet obviously.

One of the local big box stores advertised a unit for the 910 but it turned out to fit one of the earlier models and not the TT 910.

 

[Adcox]

That car connect kit sounds exactly like what I need. They said it would be available in the 4th. quarter of 2006. 2006 is about over. I wonder when it really will be available.

 

[mikecwest]

That car connect kit sounds exactly like what I need. They said it would be available in the 4th. quarter of 2006. 2006 is about over. I wonder when it really will be available.

the one what i am talking about plugs from the cigarette lighter to the mount, just like the DC adapater that came with the tomtom... as far as I can see there is not any sophisticated electronics inside of the dc car charging cable, as it looks like like any other generic looking cable. I may be wrong? I should just go maybe to frys electronics and but an OEM one to be safe?




http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWN:IT&viewitem=&item=130051749383&rd=1&rd=1

that is the item in question. I will obtain a multimeter and check the voltage and such and report back on it.

<<EDITED>>>


The OEM read 5.09 volts, and the generic read 5.2 volts. I hardly think that such a small varience will make a difference.

 

[drledger]

ORIGINAL QUOTE BY mikecwest
I may be wrong? I should just go maybe to frys electronics and but an OEM one to be safe?

The cable you are talking about is the DC cable. The AC adapter converts the 110 U.S. domestic current for the TT. The listed output for both of these is 5 V DC @ 2 A. Contained in the barrel of the DC cable are the electronics that are designed to reduce voltage, filter power, and dissipate heat to TT specifications. You stated correctly that the variace between 5.09 and 5.2 seemed miniscule but don't always accept that what seems small is truly insiginificant. Precision electronic equipment has precisie tolerances for power requirements and the TT is a precision peice of equipment. I do not work for TT or own stock so I speak only from the experience of my smoked Kenwood and years of experience. If someone had a TT and a TT OEM cable and the IC (smart chip some call it) goes on strike you may well have a valid claim and I imagine TT would hear your case. I know you hear about people using aftermarket cables and they may work well but here is the bottom line ... you paid $600 or more if you have a 910. I bought mine early and paid nearly $750 I think. I am not going to risk my investment to save ten bucks. I consider it a cheap insurance policy.

 

[mikecwest]

ORIGINAL QUOTE BY mikecwest
I may be wrong? I should just go maybe to frys electronics and but an OEM one to be safe?


The cable you are talking about is the DC cable. The AC adapter converts the 110 U.S. domestic current for the TT. The listed output for both of these is 5 V DC @ 2 A. Contained in the barrel of the DC cable are the electronics that are designed to reduce voltage, filter power, and dissipate heat to TT specifications. You stated correctly that the variace between 5.09 and 5.2 seemed miniscule but don't always accept that what seems small is truly insiginificant. Precision electronic equipment has precisie tolerances for power requirements and the TT is a precision peice of equipment. I do not work for TT or own stock so I speak only from the experience of my smoked Kenwood and years of experience. If someone had a TT and a TT OEM cable and the IC (smart chip some call it) goes on strike you may well have a valid claim and I imagine TT would hear your case. I know you hear about people using aftermarket cables and they may work well but here is the bottom line ... you paid $600 or more if you have a 910. I bought mine early and paid nearly $750 I think. I am not going to risk my investment to save ten bucks. I consider it a cheap insurance policy.

The AC cable is most likely not used for the TomTom inside of the car, unless you use the home USB station along with the an Inverter....I don't think this is a likely combination.

The OEM DC cable is already over the stated output by 2%. Generally consumer electronics allow for a tolerance of +/- 5%.

I just tested my OEM samsung camcorder battery, specs state 7.4, however it reads 7.6. My generic battery for the same camcorder reads 7.4.

I think the problem that burnt out someones TomTom was that they hardwired it into the 12V ACC wire, with NO step down regulation.

To hard wire it in, I would recommend splicing it to the 5V clock memory line behind your stereo.

 

[drledger]

This thread began with a story about a gps unit had been hardwired straight to the powerblock w/o stepdown...12 V DC in...smoke out.
The AC adapter was noted for identification only. These are not the object of this discussion just clarification since the 12 V cable had been refered to as an A/C adapter in an earlier post. Just getting us all on the same page.

There are means to provide current for the TT unit in a myriad of ways limited only by one's ingenuity, but there can be risks (ask the owner of the GPS that started this thread as an example of what does not work) in using them and warranty coverage could be more difficult should you need it. I work with equipment designed to operate on 12 v. My power supplies are variable and I push them to 15 V and greater for certain applications. A bank of meters monitors everything and overload and polarity protection back me up just in case. I tinker with things, adjust voltages, increase output power, etc but my stuff is built like a battleship and if I goof I rarely do more than pop a fuse.
The comments that Giorgio and I give are advice from our experiences and in my case given particularly for the casual user. I would imagine many users of TT's lack expertise on voltage or polarity or to pay close attention to outputs so hence, I recommend OEM whenever possible.
The bottom line is that people like to save money and sometimes OEM seems expensive. Just be sure you understand what you are buying and buy only what you understand.

 

[Pedro2NR]

If you want to purchase another TomTom OEM car charger you can buy one here

*Note that they are sold, but this is the only place I know that will sell the OEM charger*