Adding a 12V power supply

I'm going to add a power supply to my 81 KZ650 for using a mini air compressor.
A 12V female power adapter will be needed, so that the little unit can be quickly plugged in. The compressor says that a minimum 15amp supply should be used. I have a female adapter that's rated & fused for 10amps....

My question is.... Can I remove the wires from the female socket, then solder on heavier gauge wire & a 15amp fuse holder? Or would the socket itself not be suitable for the higher amperage. Thanks.

My thought is that you may possibly damage your compressor. I suggest getting a female connector that is rated for at least what you need.

~Clutch

Are we talking AC or DC here?

Don't you mean power inverter?

Kinda lost...???

Use any means of connector you wish - so long as the fuse is rated at the correct ampreage suggested, not less or more. Hell, you could just solder the fuse in-line, and it would still work fine.

I'm surprised the little compressor uses 15A. It's probably just at startup. Since the compressor will likely be starting up under pressure (unless you turn it on then connect to the tire), you don't want to make it struggle with weak power at startup.

It would be safer to do what Clutch says and get one with the proper rating. Try some auto parts stores maybe.

I don't know if you already own the compressor or not, but I use one of those compressors that has it's own battery built in, but they cost quite a bit more.

It's a Slime products 12V-DC air pump for topping off your tires. I intend to use it as an emergency air supply if I ever get a flat that can be temporarily fixed w a tire plug.

The instruction sheet says to use a 12V-DC power outlet rated at 15 amps or higher (& not to use an older 8amp cigarette lighter receptacle). I've looked around at various adapters or extensions but the highest rated I can find is 10 amps.

Well, in that case, do what Tek9ine says and use some other high-amp connector set and change the connector on the compressor. It'll be less bulky, and probably safer against accidental shorts.

If you want to keep the original cigarette plug on the compressor for car use, you can just get the another of the same connector you put on the bike and put it onto the plug you cut off of the compressor. That way you can switch the compressor back to the cigarette plug when you want.

There is a trickle-charger quick-connector port already hooked up to the battery on the bike.

I'm trying to mate the trickle-charger port to the air pump.

I'm not going to cut the air pump's wiring.

I'm simply trying to make up a handy pigtail connection to fit between the air pump & quick-connector already on the bike.

Is that a fuse block on that connector? If so, it sounds good to me!

Well, I went to three auto parts stores & ElecPartsOutlet, and they all have basically the same stuff & none of it is rated above 10 amps. Most of the 12V-DC stuff everywhere is 5A or less.

loudhx, you are probably right about the power usage: the air pump label says 12V 15A 180 watts max, so I'm hoping there's only a power spike at startup. However, it says that it shouldn't be run continuously for more than 14 minutes. I'm assuming that has more to do w heat buildup of the unit.

I'll keep looking around for a 15A socket. My Escape's pwr sockets are 15A, so if I can't find anything, I'll head to a salvage yard.

Yeah, surprising. With all the stuff that runs off 12v nowadays, I thought a 15A socket would be easy to get.

If the local Radio Shack Store does not carry what you'll need, try these websites:

1. www.waytekwire.com
2. www.alliedelec.com
3. www.delcity.net
4. www.terminalsupplyco.com

I didn't have any luck w the links, but I did find that CycleGear carries a Bikemaster power socket that I can use.

Ford sells a female pwr socket for ~$5. The rubber cap is ~$7.
So, if push came to shove, I could get something from Ford or from the salvage yard.