So i have a Garmin V handheld GPS which does the point to point navigation. Although I use it for geocaching, 90% of the time it is in the car and I'm sick of seeing the power cord hanging from it. Plus, a lot of the time I want to charge my cell phone or something like that. Is it possible to hard wire the cable to the cars electrical system? I don't know anything about currency and whatnot but shouldn't it be possible? The cord will still be showing, but only about 2 inches of it.

Is it possible to hard wire the cable to the cars electrical system? I don't know anything about currency and whatnot

Well, let's see. A car runs on 12 volts DC, which is a ten and two ones, or two fives and a two, or a five, six ones, two quarters, three dimes, a nickel, and fifteen pennies.

Oh, but then you'd have to adjust for inflation. Hmm, tricky...

Main question is if there's any electronics in the plug itself. (Would probably be voltage regulating circuitry)

If not, just cut it off and connect the wire that went to the center pin to +12V. Constant, accessory, with or without switch override... However you want to power it. Run the wire that went to the outer prong(s) to ground. That's it...

If there's electronics in there and you're not sure what they do - solder wires to the center pin and side prong, connect other end of wires to +12V and ground as above. Cover plug with shrink tubing/electricians tape and shove out of sight into the dashboard somewhere... This second alternativ is useful also if you don't want to open up the plug.

/Michael

I did this with my Garmin V. Super easy. Just cut off the car power plug, and solder the wires onto the back of your cigarette lighter socket (if you've got one). Works like a charm If you don't want to cut the cable... you could just buy one of those cheap socket splitters at Radio Shack, plug the Garmin into that and tape it in good, then cut the wires of the splitter so you have just one socket and solder that on.

I don't remember the exact part number, but there is a combo Serial/Bare Power leads cable made specifically for this reason. It allows you to have it hard-wired for power in the car, and have serial available.

Garmin part # 010-10082-00 Power/Data Cable

A search on Google and you'll find it for about $25 all over the Net.

Yeah, that one too. The one I was talking about has bare wires only for power, so you don't have to wire your own DB9 for the serial. I guess if you're not lazy, like me, that one works fine.

010-10165-00 is the one with the serial on it costs about 2x as much...

That's not it either. :P It has bare wires for Power, and a DB9 for serial. A cross between the two you pointed out. Last I checked, it was going for $25 or so. Who knows if you can even order them anymore...

I give up then...