Hardwiring X50 speaker to a switch

[Surgeon]

Just a question about some hard-wiring. I've already hardwired my RD above my mirror with the direct wire smartcord so that's all set. Now I need to hardwire the external speaker and find a good place to mount it. However, I want to go a littler further and hook a switch up to the external speaker because I don't want it on all the time, only when I'm listening to the music real loud with the windows open (figured it'd be smoother to have a switch than to unplug and plug it in every time).

Here's the problem: Every switch I look at has three hookups to it:

1) For the power source (From the power of the car)
2) To the powered accessory (to the speaker)
3) ground

The external speaker has three wires....the wire that hooks directly into the radar detector (easy), the power wire, and the ground wire.

How do I hook it up?

My guess, and tell me if I'm right, is as follows:

The switch AND the speaker need to be grounded so I will need to buy some wire to ground the switch. Therefore, each ground wire will be grounded to the chassis of the car separately.

As for the power wires, assuming the power source from the car has already been established (cigarette lighter wire or what not) do I just cut the power line of the speaker in half, or somewhere along the length, and lead both of those cut ends to their respective spots on the switch? (The wire leading from the car's power source would hook up to #1 and the power wire from the speaker would hook up to #2)

Does this sound right? Has anyone already done this? If this works out, I'm thinking of doing it to my RD also. I have a good spot for the location of the switches in the center console.

[Clasen24]

Do you have any pictures of the speaker you got? Also, how are you able to run your detector through it?


- jordan

[Surgeon]

I'll post pictures either tomorrow or the day after. The speaker is the "external powered speaker" offered as an accessory to the X50 on this page:

http://www.radarbusters.com/products...rt/default.asp

[compu44]

Just a question about some hard-wiring. I've already hardwired my RD above my mirror with the direct wire smartcord so that's all set. Now I need to hardwire the external speaker and find a good place to mount it. However, I want to go a littler further and hook a switch up to the external speaker because I don't want it on all the time, only when I'm listening to the music real loud with the windows open (figured it'd be smoother to have a switch than to unplug and plug it in every time).

Here's the problem: Every switch I look at has three hookups to it:

1) For the power source (From the power of the car)
2) To the powered accessory (to the speaker)
3) ground

The external speaker has three wires....the wire that hooks directly into the radar detector (easy), the power wire, and the ground wire.

How do I hook it up?

My guess, and tell me if I'm right, is as follows:

The switch AND the speaker need to be grounded so I will need to buy some wire to ground the switch. Therefore, each ground wire will be grounded to the chassis of the car separately.

As for the power wires, assuming the power source from the car has already been established (cigarette lighter wire or what not) do I just cut the power line of the speaker in half, or somewhere along the length, and lead both of those cut ends to their respective spots on the switch? (The wire leading from the car's power source would hook up to #1 and the power wire from the speaker would hook up to #2)

Does this sound right? Has anyone already done this? If this works out, I'm thinking of doing it to my RD also. I have a good spot for the location of the switches in the center console.

Post a pic of the switch and I can tell you how to hook it up.

[A 2000 SS in Jersey]

Hard to tell without seeing it. To tell you exactly what leads to use.

But..........If your switch has a power lead it must be for a light indicator to tell you when it is in the on position. Then the ground and 2 leads for the switch in and out??? Right?? Or ground may be thru the mount if it sis metal.

Any way, I would just hook up the speaker wire straight thru from your RD to the speaker. And the grounds of course.

Then wire up your power to the Speaker thru your switch. So that way you kill the power to the speaker when you hit the switch.

If this makes any sense to you..

Good Luck..........

[compu44]

Hard to tell without seeing it. To tell you exactly what leads to use.

But..........If your switch has a power lead it must be for a light indicator to tell you when it is in the on position. Then the ground and 2 leads for the switch in and out??? Right?? Or ground may be thru the mount if it sis metal.

Any way, I would just hook up the speaker wire straight thru from your RD to the speaker. And the grounds of course.

Then wire up your power to the Speaker thru your switch. So that way you kill the power to the speaker when you hit the switch.

If this makes any sense to you..

Good Luck..........

Might want to check to make sure that the X50 doesn't have a speaker disconnect like the RX65 does, meaning that when something is plugged into the audio output jack, the internal speaker is disconnected.

[A 2000 SS in Jersey]

Hmm probably true.................

Good point!!!!!!

[Surgeon]

How would I check that if I have to hardwire it in order to even turn it on?

[compu44]

Just plug it into the jack on the detector, power isn't needed to test that. If the detector won't make any sounds while the cable is plugged in, then you'll have to either modify the detector for this to work, of unplug the external speaker when you don't need it.

[Surgeon]

Um, er, I knew that! ops: