Alan

Ye gods! - and I thought it was just me that did stuff like that...

Ha - we'll have to have a beer and discuss ideas (bet we've got some really good ones between us...).

People roll their eyes so much when they hear what I already did to my car that I daren't let slip the the things I'm still thinking about...

Alan

dr bob

More than a little "progress" on auto technology starts out with a casual "I wonder what it would take to do this?" question. Some things are the children of market demands, some are from the brainstorms of the knowledgeable enthusiasts. Somebody adds an extra input jack to their car stereo so they can plug in a cassette player, and soon (OK, decades later...) we have head units that play MP3 and WMA (and other files) from dual-layer DVD media, USB connections for memory devices, and full-function interfaces for popular devices like Ipods. It all started out with a soldered-in jack and a patch cord.

jpitman2

I have a charge socket under the rear license plate, on a fused lead direct to battery, NOT using body earth, which means I can leave charger connected, but disconnect battery earth from car to work on electrics. Socket is Invisible unless you look for it. Plug is a positive contact type, not rubbing. 1.6A trickle charger. Car is used weekends only, battery now 6 years old.
jp 83 Euro S AT 50k

Alan

JP - Dr Bob and I already have a similar config. to that...

Join the club - I'll buy you a beer too - as long as you have more projects & ideas to discuss (of course it will be a little expensive for you to collect)

Alan

dr bob

JP has the right idea on this. The separate/independent ground lead to the battery means that he can lift the strap at the wingnut/bolt terminal on the rear apron, yet still charge the battery during vehicle service. If a car has a high drain, just lift the ground strap during extended storage and save the cycling of the battery on the charge/maintainer. Nice!