Heated Gear Cable

I decided to play safe and run a dedicated line to power heated gear. I only have a BMW vest, max 5 amps on high and I only run it on low or medium, so had initially thought I'd plug into the Data port (via an SAE adapter) since it's already conveniently up the back. But I don't know what else runs off that line or how much is already drawn via the 7.5A fuse. Also I blew this fuse - I think when recharging my lithium battery after it died while I played for ages with the TFT - so took that as a hint.

Anyway Optimate have a 0.5m cable O-21 especially for heated gear with battery ring terminals at one end, a mini coax female at the other, and most importantly heavy AWG16 cable and a 15A fuse. More than I need, futureproof for the nuclear winter when it comes.


I covered this with a 6mm heat resistant basalt cable sheath that I bought from Jaycar. Gold was the only colour. This adds a bit of shielding and also aids in neatly wedging the cable into that slot along the side immediately below the seat. Very tight getting the sheath past the 12mm coax plug but persisted. Took over an hour to get it on mm by mm.

QUESTION: currently this is direct wired to the battery. Can anybody suggest how/where to tap into an ignition-switched supply? (One that can support a 10A or 15A circuit.)

See my camera install for where to get an ignition source from. DO NOT TAP ANY IGNITION SOURCE DIRECTLY FOR HEATED GEAR. Use a relay and have the ignition source drive the relay coil and supply the relay contact directly from the battery.

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ArcticWhite said:

See my camera install for where to get an ignition source from. DO NOT TAP ANY IGNITION SOURCE DIRECTLY FOR HEATED GEAR. Use a relay and have the ignition source drive the relay coil and supply the relay contact directly from the battery.

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Click to expand...

ArcticWhite thank you! Exactly what I need. Of course, must use a relay.

Hello Pete T,

I took off my fuel tank and I saw this area for Factory Relays. There is one spot still empty there, so if you buy a Factory Relay, you should be able to mount it there and make it look like Factory Installation.

Here is the picture:

BMW Alpina said:

Hello Pete T,

I took off my fuel tank and I saw this area for Factory Relays. There is one spot still empty there, so if you buy a Factory Relay, you should be able to mount it there and make it look like Factory Installation.

Here is the picture:
View attachment 32876

Click to expand...

Thanks BMW that's a nice idea. I've just been pooring over the internet (which for this sort of thing is torture btw) and thumbing through an electronics catalogue to see what's available. A smart PDM is the ultimate but they're several $hundreds. A good option seems to be a delay-on* relay that I could run to a small bus bar with two or three (maybe fused) outputs. Space is limited but there's a small void on the left in front of the battery. I'll definitely check out the oem relay options.

* Delay-on because it's good if accessories aren't taxing the battery while you're operating the starter. So a 10 second or so delay after you turn the key until power comes on is a nice feature.

Pete T said:

Thanks BMW that's a nice idea. I've just been pooring over the internet (which for this sort of thing is torture btw) and thumbing through an electronics catalogue to see what's available. A smart PDM is the ultimate but they're several $hundreds. A good option seems to be a delay-on* relay that I could run to a small bus bar with two or three (maybe fused) outputs. Space is limited but there's a small void on the left in front of the battery. I'll definitely check out the oem relay options.

* Delay-on because it's good if accessories aren't taxing the battery while you're operating the starter. So a 10 second or so delay after you turn the key until power comes on is a nice feature.

Click to expand...

Hello Pete T,
If you need a "Delay-On" system, then please consider this product:
Universal Trigger Module with PC Compatibility - PAC

I had been using it for my car audio system where you can use a PC/Laptop to program it (very easy) and delay the turn on with 4 (FOUR) Programmable output channel.
Of course you will still need a relay (or relays for multiple channel), but this will be great to act as the trigger(s) to the relay(s).
and only $78.95.

They also have different model:
Search - PAC

note: it is not waterproof though, so you want to protect it from water.

There is also this: Feature of INNOVV POWER HUB1

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