Ok, I'm new at this type of thing. I want to hardwire an additional cigarette lighter outlet. I have the Littelfuse add-a-circuit and I have the 12V DC cigarette outlet. I need wire to connect the two. Can I use some AWG16 speaker wire from my home theater?

Any help would be appreciated

 

Nooooooooooooooo. Not good idea.

Wire's composition is not the same....and insulation sorrounding the wire is different as well.

Get a two or three pack of red/black/green wire from auto parts section of your fav store.

Always use black for ground. Use green for other things like when hooking up a boost guage or something. Some guages use multiple colors.

And get some quick connects and a crimper set to hook the wire up. Use some electrical tape to cover the connections or better yet, I use Liquid Electrical tape from a small can and built in brush....

 

Thanks Gray! I figured someone here could help. I have the quick connects and crimper already. Going to get the 3 color wire tomorrow

 

Just a note for you that BLACK is NOT Ground in a Mini. Brown is Ground at least in mine it is any way. It is also that way in my BMW.

 

I got 6 feet of wire from my local home improvement store that was 18AWG. I will post an update once I install. It is too hot here now.

 

18AWG is a bit on the thin side but should be okay as long as you are only plugging in low powered devices. It should be solid wire, not stranded like speaker wire. The factory lighter uses 1.5mm wiring, which is around 15-16 AWG. Just be aware that 18AWG is smaller and your outlet would not be able to handle as much current as the factory lighter.

 

The wire is solid, not stranded.

I am planning to use this for a Garmin Nuvi 265WT. I have no idea if that would be considered low power or not. The manual states: Usage 5W MAX. Is that low powered enough?

Also, anyone have any idea on which fuse to use: 5, 10, 15, or 20?