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Introduction
Pros of this method
Cons of this method
Tools needed for the work
Spares Required
Step wise Procedure
Result
Points to Note
Smartphones has always been our inevitable companion on all our road trips, helping us to find routes and to use a GPS navigator. Although they have been cursed to die sooner when used a as GPS Navigator, which forces us to recharge them frequently. On a road trip one cannot find a power source often to recharge their phones. It has always been a pain for me while on road trips, I always had to switch on the GPS & data, check for the route, turn them off again, put it inside my pocket and repeat the steps again after sometime. This although conserved power it was not so easy and doesn't help on very long road trips. I can actually have a cup of coffee by the time it had enabled data and detected my location. So I thought of installing a similar feature that is available with cars on my bike. A 12V cigar lighter socket with a USB car charger and a bike mount. Coupled with the charger I can mount my phone on a mount from capdase and use it as a GPS Navigator easily (This serves my purpose as the phone never dies 
). I googled a bit and found some ready made kits available. I didn't like that as it had too many cables dangling, with an awkward switch and to mention the extra wiring all the way from the battery. So I decided to build my own with couple of spares I bought from spares shop. This DIY post will walk through the steps you need to do and to mention again this is a tailored DIY for YAMAHA-R15.
). I googled a bit and found some ready made kits available. I didn't like that as it had too many cables dangling, with an awkward switch and to mention the extra wiring all the way from the battery. So I decided to build my own with couple of spares I bought from spares shop. This DIY post will walk through the steps you need to do and to mention again this is a tailored DIY for YAMAHA-R15.Pros of this method
- No wiring all the way from battery.
- No dedicated switch.
- Works only when the key is turned on and not when it is turned off. (Pilot lamp switch is used to turn on the charger).
- Standard 12V Cigar lighter socket is used. So one can use a AC converter and even burn a 15W CFL while doing a camping in a remote place.
- USB car charger so one can charge any type of phone provided you have the compatible USB cable.
- Positioned neatly under the panel so protected from rain and sunlight as well the socket is closed with a cap to protect from water.
- Circuit with fuse so protects your phone from any spike.
- You can use an DC->AC cigar converter - cigar lighter adapter to power low power consuming equipments like CFL Lamps during camping etc.
Cons of this method
- Charging not advisable in standby as the setup requires pilot lamps to be turned on. When the bike is not in use and this is not be good for the battery. Although you can come over this problem by wiring all the way from battery and having a dedicated push button switch, but it has its own disadvantage too.
Tools needed for the work
- Allen spanner provided with the bike's tool kit
- Wire cutter / Pliers
- Heat shrink tube/ Insulation tape
- Zip ties
Spares Required
- Xenos 12V Cigar lighter socket with cap (Rs.190/-) (Buy STINGRAY - POWER SOCKET) Buy it from any car accessory
shop. With cap is a must or it leads to short circuit when left open!
- Blade Fuse 10Ah and holder (Rs.30/-) (http://goo.gl/r5XB2O) Buy it from any bike accessory shop.
- Car USB Charger (Rs.100/-) () Buy it in a mobile accessory shop. Car Accessory shops tend to price them at high rates.
- Of course a USB cable and a phone to test the setup
Step wise Procedure
- Start of by removing the right side panel as mentioned in the picture below.
- Tap the pair of wires that power the right side pilot lamp (Blue color and Black color).
- Cut those wires mid way and have one end of the fuse connected to the blue wire. (Important: Don't change the polarity it will damage and short circuit your device. Blue is Positive and fuse should be on the positive wire. Black is ground always).
- Connect the other end of the fuse to the red wire of the socket.
- Connect the black wire with Black wire of the cigar lighter socket.
- Seal all the connections properly with Insulation taping. Heat shrink tubes actually works better than insulation tape.
- Strap the socket with the main wiring cables tightly and cut off excess ties leaving out a small length. (Note: Place the socket so that the cap faces the rear side of the bike).
- Now put back the panel.
Result
Points to Note
- You can reach the socket easily by just accessing it from the opening of the fairing below the handle bar.
- After a water service make sure the socket has well dried and not wet. (Heat shrink tube over the socket will make sure this doesn't happen or Cover it with an insulation tape before strapping).
- Try not to use it while raining.
- Keep a spare fuse always.
- Always have the socket closed tightly when not in use when left open water may seep in and when turned on it short circuits the system.
- Don't use heavy electrical equipments as it can drain your battery very fast.
- Use a phone mount or a tank bag to recharge the phone while on the go. Easier and convenient.|
- Don't use very long USB Cables as it might interrupt driving.
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