12V outlet box

[Corey]

I am working on adding two 12 outlets to my Maggiolina AirLand roof top tent.
I want to add these from the Shack.

I have two of them now on the back of my FJ.
http://www.yotatech.com/50513787-post131.html

The two outlets in the back of the FJ were used last summer to power the ARB fridge and the tents 12v light.
I really do not like running a wire from the tent to inside the door, as it pinches it.

What I want to do is run a 20' 14 gauge wire with battery clamps on it to my aux. battery, and the other end wire it up to two more of the Radio Shack outlets.
The outlets would be up inside the tent in a small rectangle or triangle angled type box that would sit off to the side of the mattress, or somehow mounted inside.
I would then plug the 12v tent light into it, and my 12v truckers heating pad into the other socket.

I did not see any small type of boxes suitable for this when I was at Lowes getting my wire today.
Does anyone know of a good online source or store where to get a small box like this?
Kind of a small box similar to this.

I think another word for these is hobby boxes?

If anyone has added some outlets to their tent, please share here how you did.
I do not want to drill into the fiberglass of the tent to mount my outlets.

 

[Corey]

Hmmmmm
http://www.swps.com/14-0553.html

I think I may order one of these too.

If I use it, I can always sell those four Radio Shack ones I ordered.

 

[angusdevil]

Something quick and easy would be an electrical wall box with a blank face plate. From there, mount and wire up whatever configuration you need. You can seal sucker up tight with some epoxy, grommet for where the wire comes out of the box and some quality components and you now have a box thats weatherproof, only costs about 15 bucks and is built exactly as you need.


Just my 2 cents

 

[Corey]

Thanks, you mean something like this?

 

[xx.xii]

Thanks, you mean something like this?

this is similar to what i was gna use, easily available at ur local lowes or home depot, and the epoxy and grommet idea would work, i was gna use duct seal.

 

[Corey]

If I could find one smaller though, as that is a square foot, kind of big for two plugs.

 

[Mike S]

Hmmmmm
http://www.swps.com/14-0553.html

I think I may order one of these too.

If I use it, I can always sell those four Radio Shack ones I ordered.

Corey

Why not mount it right next to the light? Or remove the factory light and mount the box in its place, with a plug in map light. I mounted a fan and chart light in my last Extreme and it worked well.

 

[LexusAllTerrain]

I am working on adding two 12 outlets to my Maggiolina AirLand roof top tent.
I want to add these from the Shack.

I just order one of these today this is a mod That I have been wanting to do for a long while, and it is a must at this point.


I have a questions, does it come with 20 feet of a two color wire?:coffeedrink:

 

[socaljeeper]

Corey, I just bought a Carlon 4x4x2 box from e-bay for a couple of dollars. I am planning on adding it to my RTT too. It is made out of plastic and has a gasket around it as well. Look at the 12 volt fridge outlet thread for a pic, thats where I got the idea. Makes a clean install for two outlets with only 2 inches of height, which would work nice in the RTT.

 

[Jacket]

I just made a box this weekend for the bed of my truck. I needed to make it water tight (as much as possible) to protect it in situations where I'm not using the soft top. I used a project box from Radio Shack (5x3x2 IIRC), and the 12 volt sockets from West Marine. Cut holes in the box for the sockets, and another hole in the side for wires. Plenty of adhesive silicone to keep it dry. It's tucked into one of the bed cubbies, and then the wire runs behind the fender and into the cab through a grommet.

I took a couple of pictures if you're interested.

 

[Corey]

Jacket, I would be interested in seeing some pics.

Mike, that is a good idea too on the light at the top.

Pat, I will have to check out the thread.

Besides the Radio Shack 12v plugs I ordered this weekend, I also ordered a few from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002KRC5Y/ref=nosim/ihco-20

I think those might work out better than the Shacks.

 

[Jacket]

^That looks similar to what West Marine offers. I assume that black valance panel can be removed?

Here's a couple of pictures of what I did.

- Project box from RS (around 5x3x2)
- 12 volt outlets from west marine
- Right angle connectors to help with fitting in the tight space

I drilled out the holes for the outlets with a dremmel, and then another hole for the wires (and a grommet). I used adhesive sealant around the box top when I closed it up, and the more sealant around the 4 screw holes on the box top and in the grommeted hole.

 

[Corey]

Yes, I think they are identical.
Your box came out great.

Now I have to decide between these two types of plugs.
The Radio Shack ones minus the surround part

and the marine ones

Four Radio Shack ones showed up today, and the marine ones I ordered from Amazon should be here soon.
I think the marine ones may be better quality.
Not sure if they come with wire and plugs, but I can always use the wire and plug ends from the Radio Shack ones.
Plus they are fused, but I will also add an inline fuse a foot from the aux. battery when I put the battery alligator clamps on the 12 gauge wire.

 

[Corey]

Jacket, I found those boxes at the 'Shack.
http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=project boxes&origkw=project boxes&sr=1

I may want to go with three plugs now, so I will look at the 8x6x3" one.
That may be to big though.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062285

Those are pretty cool.
I will not have to waterproof mine though like you did since it will sit inside the tent.
Then I have to figure how to mount it or just lay it by the side of the bed.
Will cross that road after it gets built.

 

[Corey]

It is done

I have a 12v light in my roof top tent that plugs into the back of the FJs dual 12v outlets I have back there.
The other outlet is used for the ARB fridge.
I really do not like running the tents cord into the rear door and pinching it, so an idea came to be to try and build a setup just for the tent.
Plus I just added the 12v heating pad for the mattress for some winter camping, and I may want to plug in a reading light too.
Running all three of the above plus the ARB fridge would overwhelm the wiring that is used for the FJ Cruisers dual 12v outlets.
This means I could use a total of three new 12v outlets inside the tent for the above items, and run a box inside the tent with the outlets, and a 20' power cord with battery clamps on the end to hook up to my auxiliary battery under the hood.

Jacket in this thread suggested a Radio Shack "project box."
He did a similar setup for his Jeep.
I went to Radio Shacks site and sure enough, they have these cool boxes available in many sizes.
My local Shack had some in stock, and I went with the 6"x4"x2" one.

I ended up using the marine 12v plugs as I liked the way they mount better than the Radio Shack ones.
With the former ones you insert the plug and secure it from behind with a threaded plastic nut that threads onto the shank of the 12v plug.
With the Radio Shack ones like I used for my dual 12v plugs in the FJ Cruiser, you push them into the hole and tangs pop out and secure it from behind.
If I have to remove a plug for any reason, the marine ones will be much easier to remove.
I did end up using the wires though from the Radio Shack outlets.
I did not use their fuses though, as I have a 30 amp mini fuse connected inline by the positive wire that clips to the battery terminal.

No time to open up the tent today and try it out, but I will update this thread with photos when I do.

I hope this info here can be of help to others wanting to do the same.
It turned out pretty good, and I am happy with it.

If I end up storing this in the tent, I may use some Velcro and attach the heating pads controller to the 12v box.

(1) Parts all laid out.
(2) I used the 1 1/8" hole saw to cut three holes into the side of the box.
(3) Yeah, I slipped while doing the middle hole, marred up the box a tad.



(4) 12v sockets all in place.
(5) Used a step drill to enlarge a hole big enough for the rubber grommet.
(6) Pulled the 12 gauge wire through the grommet and tied a knot in the end to prevent it from pulling back out.
All three red power wires from the sockets are twisted together along with the stripped end (I made this the positive wire) of the 12 gauge wire, and connected all to each other with the yellow wire caps.
Ditto on all of the black ground wires and the 12 gauge wire.
(7) Installed the two battery clamps, and buttoned up the box using both lids.
The black lid is on first along with the aluminum lid hanging off the bottom with the two lower screws that hold the black lid on.
My working theory here is I can slide the aluminum one down next to the tents mattress to help hold the box in place, that is if I mount it that way.
I may find another way to mount the box in the tent next time I open it up.



Here is a breakdown on my parts:
6"x4"x2" project box
20' 12 gauge low wattage underground outdoor lighting wire (bought 20' at Lowes)
Radio Shack 12v outlets
Marine Grade 12v outlets (I bought both to try out, I think I like the marine ones better)
In-Line Fuseholder with Protective Cap (I will throw a 15 amp mini fuse in it)
Lenox 1-1/8" Non-Arbored Hole Saw Drill Bit
Arbor for hole saw (no link at Lowes, but mine is a Lenox like the hole saw)
Radio Shack 12v car battery alligator clamps (do not see them on the website at this time)
Rubber grommet for 12 gauge wire to pass into the box