By D1gger
#4885966
Originally I used 12v outlet plugs that plugged into the accessory outlets for my mini-vector, but would occasionally smoke a fuse now and then, plus the connection wasn't the most solid.

What I'm doing right now for the next incarnation of my Ecto-GMC is running a fused 8 gauge power cable from the battery to under the front passenger seat. There it connects to a 3-fuse distribution block which splits power to my mini vector, strobes and siren. I have a smaller sub-harness about 3 feet long from the under-seat setup to a switch box to control everything and then 12 gauge cable running through the top of the rear passenger door to the roof rack for power and ground for the lightbar, 16 gauge speaker wire for the siren speaker, and the 3 cables from the strobe bars.
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By Chris Brewin
#4885989
Thanks for the input. I've been doing some online window shopping and I think I have everything figured out.

For power, I'll likely use either a car battery or some other long-life 12V battery hidden in the "reactor" which will also feature a Coleman 12V solar car battery charger with charge monitor.
I plan to cannibalise a Bluetooth speaker to act as a receiver and keep a phone dedicated for audio playback. The lines that would normally go to the built-in speakers will actually feed an amp which will then output to marine speakers.
Lastly, I'll be chatting to some of the folks at local Radio Control hobby shops and I'll make a small light control panel that'll be suction-mounted to the dash and provide wireless control over the various lights and the opening and closing of the trap.

That's the basic plan for now; we'll see how things progress as/if I get into the build. This all depends on the money gods and life.
By D1gger
#4885999
That's an ambitious plan. Keep in mind that a car battery weighs a lot and unless you have it wired in as a second battery similar to RV's, your run time will be limited to the charge in the battery. The solar charger can only put out so much and unless the panels are huge, wont be able to keep up with the draw of the lights, amp, etc. I have a strong R/C background and I can tell you that your control plan, while possible, will be tedious and expensive to pull off. I look forward to seeing how you manage to do it.
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By Chris Brewin
#4886060
I've been looking at 12V batteries and there are some pretty long-lasting ones that ought to do the job. There are a few solar chargers that are built to recharge a car battery while camping, so hopefully they'll do the trick. Otherwise, I'll probably look at running a tap off the car's alternator. As for the RC control, I can't imagine that a simple radio-controlled set of switches would be that expensive.

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