Just read some threads with people asking the easiest way to hardwire a GPS device and I thought I'd post my setup with a Nuvi 255.

As you may or may not know, the mini-usb head on the garmin's cable contain a different type of resister for the car charger. That's how it knows when to charge, or when to go into mass storage mode. In mass storage mode, you can't access GPS functions - so charging it in your car off an available USB port wasn't the ticket...

Or was it?

I cut off the head my car charger USB cable and attached it to a doner USB cable I had lying around. This resulted in a garmin mini-USB to plug into the back of the unit, and a regular USB to plug into the radio.

I have an Alpine 9886, and it seems to supply enough juice to keep the GPS charged, so It's' all tucked away and clean.

Just thought I'd through out an option!

 

Do you have any pics? I am interested in trying this.

 

good idea! I just used the cigarette lighter to hardwire. I was too cheap to buy a female connector so all i did was attach wires to the connection points on the cigarette lighter head.

 

You could also just hardwire it like any radar detector... 5v inline fuse, wired into the lower of the 3 open accessory fuses under the dash (on the left side of the fuse box).

Hack up your car charge, and solder in the appropriate ground and power connections... voila. Hardwired GPS.

John