12v Power Tap on My Lexus CT200H

 

To power my iCharger 208B when out at the field I decided the least expensive and easiest way was to revisit the simple battery tap off my car a 2012 Lexus CT200H. The idea is a set of leads from the aux battery in the way back of the car to a set of female banana plugs that will allow the male banana plugs from the iCharger (not the power supply) to tap power from the battery. For safety I wanted a fuse and found instead a nifty 10A breaker. 

For completeness here are the parts, all from Amazon:

Redwolf 10A marine breaker

Making the cable

The parts. The cable, breaker, solder and flux, 

Estimate how much of the cable to remove to easily fit the breaker inline. I sanded the insides of the O-ring connectors, and the cable. I didn't have a butane torch, so tried using my air solder thingy at its max setting of 480. I now have a butane torch after a run out to Wallyworld because yeah, that air solder thingy might melt off your hand, but it barely warmed the heavy duty copper O-ring connectors. Go with a simple butane torch, that baby melted the solder and boiled the flux within a couple of seconds. By the way, for some reason Wallyworld stocks them in the camping section.

Shrink wrapped the ends for a clean professional look.

To heep the battery cable from splitting further I secured it with a wire tie and then shrink wrapped that to make it look smart. I think it came out grand! This was much cleaner than when I made one myself last time and that had no breaker.

Installation  in the CT200H

The battery that controls the aux systems when the car is not running in the Lexus CT200H is located in the way back on the right under the trunk deck. This is NOT the massive LiPo for the drive train. Remove the decking and the ccorner facing by simply unsnapping and unscrewing the large finger screws. Leave the battery in place, no need to do anything but expose it.

 

Uncover the right post safety cover; it simply lifts up and doesn't come detached. It will however keep trying to fall back into place, quite annoying.. Simply remove the nut attached to the battery connectors. I put a work towel behind the negative post in case the nut decided to challenge my patience and fall back there. It did not.

Close the red cover and replace the decking, and you are done!

The XT60-EC5 adapter is because they don't apparently make one to female banana plugs (why are they called banana plugs?), and I can easily make an EC5 m feale -banana plug female, I have a couple female plugs from over a decade ago when theynused to come on batteries. I have now depleted my supply. That blue EC5 you see actually secures and covers the two banana plugs. I CA'd them onto the larger EC5 housing (that would normally house male EC5 plugs). It has a EC5 plug on the other end that will connect to the adapter that comes tomorrow.  I'll post a pic of the whole somewhat Rube Goldbergy thing when I test it.

There it is comfy in its little home all set to go. Trunk floor simply falls over the top.

Simple, clean, even a failure like me can do it.