NevoidHyp

hey all,

i'm wondering what the best way to wire a rear LED sign to my 2011 HHR LT would be? do i route a wire to the rear cigarette lighter? if so, how do i protect/conceal the wire from passenger feet? should i tap into a wire in the rear of the car—sign is operated by remote, so constant power is desired? if so, can anyone recommend an easy tap on the passenger side ideally? the sign is a 4 wire R,G,B,Black LED control that normally connects via USB to a lighter adapter.

thanks.

Cat Man HHR

Can you show the product you would like to use ?

NevoidHyp

here's the best picture without taking a photo of mine which is now wrapped to bind the 4 wires together:

Cat Man HHR

I myself can't think of a 12 volt constant supply at the back of the car . Being that you have to use that type of connection with this the only thing I can say is yes, your going to have to use a constant power source that doesn't interfere with the Can Bus wiring.
Sorry I can't be more help than this.

NevoidHyp

i'm happy to run a wire under the back seats and carpet and come up inside the middle dash assembly (drill exit hole for cord to enter cigarette lighter, but i think i'd need to route it under the carpet. having tried in the past to remove my rear seats, it's a pain in the #&@$ and makes it impossible to reattach the plastic lower bolt covers. any threads you know of that deal any routing like this?

donbrew

To begin, the unit in the picture has a USB connector. That is 5Volts not 12Volts, so you are going to need a USB adapter, not a cellphone charger.

Once you figure that part out the battery is right below the hatch next to the spare tire. Just splice a fuse in.

NevoidHyp

thanks. good to know that's possible, but it'll take me a whole remedial electric wiring course to identify what i need and how to go about it. i'm looking for the simplest way to get power to a sign in the rear of my vehicle without a cord running over the drive train carpet area to get kicked by Uber/Lyft passengers on its way to the rear cigarette lighter socket.

whopper

As per Donbrew's recommendation - something like this wired to the battery under the rear floor will work to give you the 5V needed for the USB connector. However you will need a switch to turn it off as I would think it draws power even when the car is turned off.



Did the kit not also come with an installation guide?

donbrew

If you can't just do it a remedial course is not the solution. Seek a professional installer, there must be window tint/radio/security system shops near you.

Not denigrating your skills, if it is not in your wheelhouse it is not in your wheelhouse and there are people that make a living doing it.

Earlier I said "not a phone charger" Strike the "not" that is exactly what you need.

firemangeorge

I've got to ask. Where does this sign mount at ? If it's supposed to be inside the car, you're probably not going to see it from outside the car because of the HHR's dark tinted rear windows.
If it mounts on the outside, then that's another issue about running wires from inside to outside.