Electrics for the radio in the van.

BooBoo.
This radio thing seems to have been a great career move, on your behalf LOL.
Being a dumb boily, the way I am reading it Your spot on the money.
Red to + in acc. = Power up
Yellow to + on Batt = Station memory etc.
Black to - Batt = Earth ( And I don,t think you will get one much better than that)
Some may have different idea but seems good to me.

Take care & enjoy


Paul

You are correct in all your assumptions on the wiring. It is really very simple. If you are confident that you will not leave it on, you can run the red wire to the battery also , making sure of fusing it.

Remember that The memory of the radio wiil take a little power even when turned off unless you put a switch in the yellow wire. This will lose the station presets but ensure no drain in the months you do not use the caravan.
Regards Philip A

Fuses should be as close to the battery as possible. They are there to protect the wiring from excessive current which could overheat and start a fire.

because you dont want the radio to turn on when you switch on the ignition, there is no need for two seperate sources of supply.

one assumes you will turn the radio on using the switch provided on the radio for that purpose.

the yellow wire does indeed hold up the memory in the radio and the red wire is the main power wire.

In cars there is an ongoing asumption that you are installing in a dash that is at least supported by metal connected to negative battery......thus the expectation to earth the body of the radio and the negative supply lead to mearby metal......in car accessory installation almost no one home runs all the way back to negative battery, they pick up an earth where they can.

IF you are installing in a wooden or plastic structure there is no need to provide an earth.....simply supplying a "supply negative" will be just fine....you have no other choice.

the aerial will supply an earth to any metal it is mounted on via its shield.

There are all sorts of funny things that happen in car dashes, and things you do, to try and avoid igniton noise in cars......you have none of those problems...so a straight forward positive and negative supply will be just fine.

and Oh yeh, you need a fuse....remember a fuse is only intended to protect wires that are beyond it, so that fuse needs to be near as possible where you source the supply.

cheers

B-B

Connect the red and yellow wires together( because there is no ignition switch in a caravan per se) and run the red one to a caravan constant pwr source. (which can/may be the battery) Must be fused somewhere between the radio and battery depending on how you decide to connect to a constant pwr source.

The 'screamers' on the forum will by now be frothing at the mouth because I have said above that there is no ignition switch, when in fact there is or should be a 12v isolation switch somewhere which is the equivalent of an ignition switch in a vehicle. If you know where it is, where it goes to (fuse box etc) and is accessible, you may wish to connect the red wire appropriately there somewhere.

The black has to be connected to earth that goes back to the caravan battery. Caravans are right bitches sometimes depending on construction technique and construction materials to find an appropriate earthing point back to the caravan battery.

In my caravan I have run a length if 6mm twin Red and black cable from the battery along the length of the caravan. I use this as a source for the majority of aftermarket 12V pwr and earthing points.

It has a isolator switch near the battery and is fused between the isolator and the battery.

Each item that is connected to this cable is fused between the 6mm red pwr cable and the subject aftermarket gizmo. (somewhere easily accessible).

And there you have it.

DD

I realise your "sound lounge" is almost complete Boo Boo, but just another idea for others reading this thread.

Some years ago, in our previous caravan, I did not have a battery/charger system in the van, just the old 12v back to the car battery for the lights and fridge.

Like you, I installed a car radio/cd, this one in the bulkhead above the bed, The aerial was a side mounted black rubber type, and the cable came though the side wall into the cupboard to the radio. The speakers were flush mounted on the space above the rear wardrobe doors. For power, I simply ran the wires, totally concealed, down the inside of one of the wardrobes, to the small bottom cupboard under the dressing table part, on one side. I fitted a cig. plug connecton to the wires, and when I wanted to use the radio, I plugged the cig. plug into a battery jumper/power pack, which ftted neatly inside the little cupboard. During travel time, the jumper/power pack went back into the back of the ute and connected to the charger from the car battery. I also used the power pack for 12v shower and external camp lights.

BTW Boo Boo, if you go with the Barry Manilow music as alluded to elsewhere in this thread, it should curb any anti-social behaviour in your vicinity LOL LOL I read somewhere some local councils play it over public address systems to do just that :-)

That 12 footer will be rock'in and a roll'in now aye?

Fred.

The "sound lounge" is now complete.

I will listen to the local community station while I clean up the van.

The music ranges from hip hop to very very old stuff. lol

Actually it appears to depend on which volunteer is on duty.

Next job is to put a new pedestal under the table.

Oh, by the way my wife said she likes Barry Manalow and Michael Crawford! LOL