Hi all,
Today I hardwired the Roadpilot Microgo I bought last week. I installed it in such a way it's hard to see from the outside so I don't need to remove the device every time I leave the car alone.
For those of you who are reluctant from cutting and soldering some wires please check the other topic of FHW here:
Instal RoadPilot MicroGo without cutting any wires
I disassembled the cigarette lighter plug and took out the transformer circuit. I rewired the circuit board and it's now connected on the right side bulb of the front interior light unit. I tucked the spiralcable away under the roof so the only piece that comes out is about 20 cm of cable with the power connector. As you can see there's a some sort of empty compartment in the back of the unit so there's enough free space to stash the circuit board away.
Of course I had to remove the bulb because the switch needs to stay in the on position for the RP to work. I'm alone in the car 99% of the time so I don't need the light for the passenger side. With the center button I disable the lights so they don't come on when the doors are open.
Only drawback is that the RP stays on even after I locked the car but I don't think it will do much harm to the battery. I can always switch it off with the right button if I want to.
As you can see in the pictures the RP holds itself in place because it's pinched between the mirror and the roofline. I can turn the display towards me and the antenna is in an ideal position to ensure optimal gps reception.
It's almost invisible from the outside, besides the blue display lighting in the dark and it's easy to remove when I need to connect it to my pc to perform an update of the internal database.
Maybe the warranty is void on my device but that doesn't bother me. If it's broken I'll simply buy a new one... Bye