V1 Phone cord hard wiring

[J805]

Just picked up a V1 and I'm looking to hard wire it. I have a phone cord with plugs on it and I'm going to cut one end off to attach in to my fuse block. Which wires in the phone cord should be connected to postive and negative? I want to make sure I don't hook it up backwards or the wrong way.

Thanks!

[Weeth]

Did you test the phone cord in the V1 power adaptor to make sure it works?

Some phone cords do not supply enough power for the RD (low voltage).

[danham]

... Some phone cords do not supply enough power for the RD (low voltage).

I know that some phone cords carry only two connectors at each end and therefore won't work, but I've never heard of inability to carry enough voltage (I assume you actually mean current)? At 12v it doesn't take a very beefy cord to get half an amp to the V1, so I'm puzzled by this statement.

Here's the specs: 11.0 -16.0 Volts DC, negative ground, 225 mA typical standby, 425 mA maximum alarm condition

-dan

[OldGoat]

Just picked up a V1 and I'm looking to hard wire it. I have a phone cord with plugs on it and I'm going to cut one end off to attach in to my fuse block. Which wires in the phone cord should be connected to postive and negative? I want to make sure I don't hook it up backwards or the wrong way.

Thanks!

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...tml#post666949

[SquiddOhio]

I, too, was puzzled by the statement, not only because any phone wire will carry the 12v, but also because cords do not "supply power" at all. In an automobile, the battery supplies power (at a nominal 12v - often closer to 14v) and wires conduct it to different locations.
The simple answer as noted above remains that any 4 conductor phone wire from the local Radio Shack will do fine, and perhaps the white or beige might be a nice touch, depending on your car's interior colors.

[Weeth]

... Some phone cords do not supply enough power for the RD (low voltage).

I know that some phone cords carry only two connectors at each end and therefore won't work, but I've never heard of inability to carry enough voltage (I assume you actually mean current)? At 12v it doesn't take a very beefy cord to get half an amp to the V1, so I'm puzzled by this statement.

Here's the specs: 11.0 -16.0 Volts DC, negative ground, 225 mA typical standby, 425 mA maximum alarm condition

-dan

I, too, was puzzled by the statement, not only because any phone wire will carry the 12v, but also because cords do not "supply power" at all. In an automobile, the battery supplies power (at a nominal 12v - often closer to 14v) and wires conduct it to different locations.
The simple answer as noted above remains that any 4 conductor phone wire from the local Radio Shack will do fine, and perhaps the white or beige might be a nice touch, depending on your car's interior colors.

Cheap phone cords will not fully power a v1 and give a 'low voltage' alert on an Escort.

Some work fine while others do not. I purchased 3 different phone cords at Fry's Electronics (that place sucks) and none of them worked. The last one didn't even after I hardwired it to my car... Same error I got while it was plugged in.

I recommend buying the kit from VR, but if you don't believe me, do what you want. I at least recommend testing it in the adaptor first, before hardwiring a bad cable.

[jmichalakjr]

What Weeth is trying to say is that if you happen to have a phone cord that was poorly made or has 26 awg wire in it, the voltage drop across the wire may cause the V1 to throw a voltage error. The longer the cable and thinner the wire, the more chance you have of dropping the voltage across the radar detector.

[VanMan]

This is a major issue to consider when hardwiring as it can destroy your V1. IIRC Escorts may be internally protected but the V1 is not to the point in which you want to risk it. Furthermore, once you go over 8 feet (and even more so 12 feet) this becomes even more so of an issue. This is why Valentine does not sell longer cords due to a voltage drop. As stated, the V1 is not regulated (such as select mobile audio amplifiers) and therefore it can be damaged by this. Valentine will tell you this point blank if you call and they will also tell you that many of the ones that come in for repair have been hooked up with longer and thinner cords and have been damaged by voltage starvation. Stick with 8 feet and under, absolutely fuse it (you would be crazy not to!), and stick with a higher gauge and quality phone cord (they are still really cheap but they are thicker and often called 'industrial' or 'professional' grade). The wiring adapter kit from V1 is dirt cheap and it is fused and comes with everything you need to wire off of something such as the dome lights. Keep the length as little as possible. A 8ft cord, wiring adapter kit that is fused and additional fuse is $20 from VR. They aren't selling that part to make a huge profit but to reduce frustration for both them and the consumer. I would go that route. If not, stick with a short and high quality cord. Fusing the V1 individually with the 2 amp fuse is without a doubt the best way to go...ESPECIALLY if you have an aftermarket alternator or a high output drain on your system that can cause a quick spike.

You can often find people who don't need the adapter kit that their V1 comes with who would probably just give it to you if you are on a budget.