long story short:
i hate leaning forward and turning my radar detector (passport 8500 x50) on and putting it at the volume i like every single time i start my cobalt and then when im about to jump out leaning forward and turning it off.

i want to be able to cut the power off to the cigarette lighter jack via toggle switch so i can just hit the switch right there on and off easy

kinda like in this pic:


now i have this toggle switch:


its rated 3amps at 125v
ive googled trying to find a converter or something to see the amp rating converted from 125v to 12v could not find anything

is this switch safe to use?
i went to autozone there switches were rated at 12v but all they had were huge flashy ricer switches

i want to have a small toggle switch like in the first pic above
and i really want to do it this way

please give me your advice and suggestions

thank you

 

get an hardwire kit made your the detector, use an add-a-fuse and tap into the sunroof.

 

ive searched the forums about it and found that yes tapping the sunroof will have it turn on and off with the car

quote myself: and i really want to do it this way

 

so you wanna tap the cig lighter still or hardwire the radar detector? you can put that switch on the cig lighter but its not going to be very "safe"

 

Basically what hes going to do is keep the detector plugged into the cig lighter at all times. But since our cig lighters don't turn off when the car is turned off, hes going to put a switch in the power line of the cig lighter to cut power completely to the lighter so he can just flip the switch isntead of unplugging everytime.

 

i know but if your running power thru that switch its going to melt and hopefully pop the fuse, otherwise melt that power wire until something stops current from flowing

it would be safer to put the switch in line with the ground but overall not "safe"

 

in the aisle with all the fuses and electrical connections they should have regular 12v switches like that, I work at an autozone and we don't just have the ricer ones.

 

Why not leave in plugged in all the time. It can't possible drain anything, mines been that way for two years. Just, wondering.

 

That's a good point. When I say power line the ground wire works just as well. Just something to stop the juice from flowing to the cig lighter.

 

common guys this isnt hard or anything to freak out about

its very simple its just DC current the current is broken by a switch we learned this in elementary school

imagine the socket being a light bulb. what do you have? a lamp.

nothing is going to fry, burn or explode

all its doing is turning it off and on

 

right and how much power has to flow thru that switch? it can only handle so much before it reaches its melting point

 

did you even read my first post?

that is why i made this thread was to ask if witch switch is safe

quote myself from first post again: is this switch safe to use?

jeez i wish people would actually read instead of just spamming posts to increase their post count

if no one knows if the switch i already have is safe please suggest one
like i said in my first post i went to autozone but they only had huge ones
im looking for a small safe to use one
in the morning im going to check some other autopart stores they might have a bigger selection

 

i did and responded on post 4 the other 2 were responses to the other peeps in this thread

if your looking for safe then you need a relay otherwise good luck finding a switch thats 10-15a, 12v... even if you did it would be giagantic

http://www.amazon.com/Push-Pull-Swit.../dp/B000Y8495K

1in enjoy

 

would the switch have to be that hardcore if just the radar detectors amperage is going through it?

im sure a radar detectors amperage should not be to much more than the amperage of an ipod or something right?

its just a small electrical device

 

after some brainstorming:
i thought it would be easier to put the switch on the plug thing :P

took it apart did some drilling and soldering
escort toggle switch mod:



in the cobalt:



conclusion:
took about an hour to do
it works
no more leaning foward to turn on/off and finding the volume i like every time
easy just tap the switch on and off

 

awesome idea, to answer the question if a smaller one could be used yes but once you plug something else in there that draws more power you may run into issues.... putting the switch on the radar adapter itself pretty much eliminates that issue. Im not sure how much current the passport draws but its probably under the 3a the switch is rated for

 

how did you find out about this mod

 

Ive got this exact same problem with my 09 Cobalt SS. Ive got a bluetooth device for my iphone in the Cobalt and when the car is in my garage, its constantly powered and it creates problems for me.

I think im going to put a switch in line. Or I might even put a relay in line to the cigarette lighter so that its turned off automatically when the cars turned off.

GM should have wired our cars so that the cigarette lighters power off when our cars are turned off.

 

i probably wouldnt do an inline switch. but a relay would work well.

lol im glad gm left the cig lighter constant. but i really dont use it anyway. just have my relay for the amps tapped off it

 

If he does not get a switch rated for the current that a cigarette lighter pulls then yes it will burn, melt, and cause an issue.

Edit: Entered before the OP updated.

 

ummm... so now u have to reach by the cig outlet and just flip a switch, correct? in my eyes thats kinda pointless cuz instead of spending that hour plus to solder that switch in you could just unplug the thing cuz u have to reach down there anway... but ok i guess... i just wired my radar detector into my fuse panel with one of those add a fuse deals and it works great. i forget which fuse i tapped into tho... prob the sunroof im guessing. it took all of 20 min for me to do, and it only took that long cuz i took a break to have a smoke and pound down a beer, haha.