Adding a DC port to 2006 Buddy

cummingsjc · Post by **cummingsjc** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:22 am

I have a 2006 Buddy 125 that I've almost finished rebuilding. Apparently the 2006 Buddys did not have a DC port included like the 2007 and later Buddys did. I have two DC port receptacles from a previous Buddy refurb (one is the standard type, the other is a USB port) and I wanted to see if I could install one of them. Besides having an inline 1A fuse, how would I go about tapping existing wiring to get it to work? What lines would I tap and would I need to add anything else into the wiring?

Stanza · Post by **Stanza** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 1:15 pm

I suppose the only thing you'd need to do is find a good ground point, and figure out which wire coming off your ignition switch is the "keyed power" line. Grab a multimeter, and check to see which of those pins goes hot when you turn on the ignition, and splice your positive lead for the socket into that.

buzzvert · Post by **buzzvert** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:07 pm

I'm pondering putting a 5A fuse in my ACC 12V inline to power fast chargers and the like. looking at the wiring gauge, it should handle it...

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 5:29 am

Just wire it directly to the battery with a fuse in the positive side. It is not switched and is always on even without the key in place.

buzzvert · Post by **buzzvert** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:27 am

babblefish wrote:Just wire it directly to the battery with a fuse in the positive side. It is not switched and is always on even without the key in place.

Yeah- I noticed that. I want switched! So I wired in a horn relay off the ignition and a nice gauge lead to the battery. I then wired in a 12V cig jack with cover into the pet carrier so I can charge my garbage without connecting to the front cluster. This doubles as a slow charge or jump point too...

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:48 am

buzzvert wrote:
babblefish wrote:Just wire it directly to the battery with a fuse in the positive side. It is not switched and is always on even without the key in place.

Yeah- I noticed that. I want switched! So I wired in a horn relay off the ignition and a nice gauge lead to the battery. I then wired in a 12V cig jack with cover into the pet carrier so I can charge my garbage without connecting to the front cluster. This doubles as a slow charge or jump point too...

Not questioning your wanting it switched, just wondering about your logic here. So in order to do either, the key has to be in the ignition and has to be turned on. Plus, the battery has to have enough power to keep the relay energized. Is there a fuse installed for the 12V cig jack? If so then you'll be trying to jump start the engine through that fuse. Hope it's a big fuse...

cummingsjc · Post by **cummingsjc** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 1:15 pm

babblefish wrote:Just wire it directly to the battery with a fuse in the positive side. It is not switched and is always on even without the key in place.

I had thought about going that route but is this going to cause a drain on the battery if there is always a potential power draw going on, if someone left something plugged in with the bike off? I had an issue with "always on" DC ports draining my scoot's batteries when I accidentally left a USB adapter that had a little LED in the receptacle. The easy answer would be to remove it every time when the bike is not being operated but I tend to be forgetful about USB adapters. I still might go this route though. Just to make sure that I understand correctly, it would involve running two electrical wires directly off the battery to whatever location I install the DC port? Also, I should put a 1A fuse in the positive line to ensure I don't fry any electronics? I admit that I don't completely understand electrical flow, probably need to go back and take a class.

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 1:25 pm

cummingsjc wrote:
babblefish wrote:Just wire it directly to the battery with a fuse in the positive side. It is not switched and is always on even without the key in place.
I had thought about going that route but is this going to cause a drain on the battery if there is always a potential power draw going on, if someone left something plugged in with the bike off? I had an issue with "always on" DC ports draining my scoot's batteries when I accidentally left a USB adapter that had a little LED in the receptacle. The easy answer would be to remove it every time when the bike is not being operated but I tend to be forgetful about USB adapters. I still might go this route though. Just to make sure that I understand correctly, it would involve running two electrical wires directly off the battery to whatever location I install the DC port? Also, I should put a 1A fuse in the positive line to ensure I don't fry any electronics? I admit that I don't completely understand electrical flow, probably need to go back and take a class.

The stock DC port on a Buddy is wired "always on" so if you leave something that draws significant power plugged in then yes, you could potentially drain the battery down. But, if it's just an LED that's lit and your battery was in good shape, then it would take quite a while to drain the battery down to the point where it couldn't start the engine. We're talking a couple of months or more here.

And yes, just a couple of wires, around 18 gauge should be enough. And a fuse on the positive side, though I would use a 3A fuse as some USB chargers can supply up to 2.5A of charge current.

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:59 pm

I'm with babbles on wiring directly to the battery. Just add a relay that's activated by switched power and you have the on/off safeguard that you want. It allows you to use a wire and fuse size suited (within reason) to the load you intend to accommodate since that load is wired directly to the battery and is thus isolated from the scoot's wiring. The "switched" 12 volt only needs to drive the relay coil, which is a comparatively minute load. Here's a rough diagram:

You can also find premade wiring harnesses with built in fuse, relay, battery connectors, etc. They're mostly made for cars and are probably longer than you need and have extra stuff such as on/off switches. But buying one of these and chopping/splicing it up for the parts you do need is cheaper than buying the individual components. I use one of these to handle the pair of sports horns I installed on my Helix and they work great.

cummingsjc · Post by **cummingsjc** » Fri Aug 16, 2019 1:49 am

Babblefish and Charlie55,
Thanks for the information and suggestions. I'll definitely look into that route.

I like the Buddy 125 series bikes since they are extremely easy to work on from a mechanical perspective. I just need a bit more experience playing with the electrical side of the bike.