Guidance sought!

major_clanger · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 23, 2004 Posts: 10

A long post (and a first), but here goes...

Last week I placed an order with an on-line supplier for a TomTom 3 bundle - TomTom 3 Wired GPS, IPAQ 4150 and car kit. However, when the order arrived, I found that I had been sent the generic TomTom car holder (or brick!) instead. I rang to enquire, only to be told that there is no 4150 car kit produced by TomTom and it was on their website "just in case they make one in the future"!

This has now been sent back and I'm reassessing what to get and looking for guidance/advice. I definately want the TomTom 3 software and the IPAQ 4150 and probably a wired GPS (don't want the batteries to run out when I'm in the middle of nowhere) but what I really want is as "minimalist" a car kit as possible with minimum wires about.

I've seen the Brodit active mount and clip on Handnav.co.uk which looks great but it doesn't seem to be able to power the GPS.

Can anyone make any suggestions which will help out?

Many thanks - in advance

Major Clanger

Darren · Posted: Sun May 23, 2004 8:07 pm Post subject:

Brodit Part 849591 is the cradle you need. It contains a pass-thru connector in the base into which you plug your GPS cable. This then powers the 4150 and the GPS.

See here for a review of this type of Brodit mount albeit for the 36/38/39xx series but funtionally the same.

I can't rate Brodit highly enough, they are superb cradles and with the correct 'no holes' ProClip for your car you end up with a professional installation.
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Darren Griffin

major_clanger · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 23, 2004 Posts: 10

Darren - thanks for the prompt and informative reply. Having looked at Handnav.co.uk, is this the package I should be getting?

http://www.handnav.co.uk/bundles.php?id=152

If so, is there a seperate hardwiring kit as the picture suggests a cigarette lighter connector?

Many thanks (again!)

MC

DavidW · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 8:30 pm Post subject:

The best way to hardwire such installations is to fit a slave cigarette lighter connector, suitably fused, probably behind your dashboard. You can get a socket from Maplin (code FE42V).

David

Darren · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 8:35 pm Post subject:

MC, that's the correct one although that bundle comes with a cigarette lighter charger lead which you would not need. Because it has a pass-thru connector it does not have it's own power, this would be supplied by the GPS cable you use which will have a 12v cigarette lighter connector as part of it's cable.

If you wished to hardwire this it is easily done but you must retain the cigarette lighter plug which contains a voltage redcution circuit, the easiest way is to buy a cigarette lighter extension cable, cut off the male end and wire this to your vehicle's 12v supply (add a fuse for safety) and then plug your GPS power cable into this and tuck it all out of sight behind the dash.
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Darren Griffin

major_clanger · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 23, 2004 Posts: 10

Darren - great stuff....

So, just to check my understanding, I need to buy...

1. IPAQ 4150 @ ~£265
2. 128Mb SD card @ ~£33
2. TomTom 3 Navigator Wired GPS @ ~£150
3. Brodit Holder with built in connector @ ~£50
4. Brodit ProClip @ ~£15

The clip will mount onto the car without holes and will be fixed to the holder. The TomTom GPS receiver will connect into the back of the Brodit holder and will also plug into the cigarette lighter?

Sorry to appear pedantic (and a little thick Smile

) but I just want to ensure that I'm going to order everything I need and won't need any more cables...

Cheers

MC

Darren · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 8:58 pm Post subject:

Yup you have all bases covered there (although to be completely accurate , the TomTom GPS plugs into the bottom of the Brodit cradle not the back ;) ).
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Darren Griffin

spile · Regular Visitor Joined: May 08, 2004 Posts: 163

Darren · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 7:24 am Post subject:

That is a bundle inclusing clip and 12v cord. Yes it is a lot of money but then again we are talking about mounting £300-£400 worth of PDA here. Sure a suction cup or vent mount is fine most of the time until it falls off, dumnps your PDA on the floor and you smash the screen, then that Brodit will be looking like a pretty shrewd investment!

The point is that a decent cradle protects your PDA, mounts it securely in the optimum position and looks great Smile

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Darren Griffin

major_clanger · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 23, 2004 Posts: 10

Darren - more help sought I'm afraid... Embarassed

I've now got my IPAQ and (having read other posts) a 256Mb SD card. However, when I contacted Handnav.co.uk to order the rest, I got a bit confused...

I asked to order the Brodit passive mount, the Pro-clip and the TomTom3 with wired GPS. However, the fella I spoke to said that I'd still need to order an additional cable to connect the GPS mouse to the Brodit car mount and that would cost £40. Instead, he tried to sell me a mount by Seidio (G2500) which was, in his words "much better", but in my words looks "much bigger".

Anyway - my question is what exactly do you get in the TomTom3 box if you need to buy additional cables? Or, was the gentleman on the other end of the phone just trying to sell me "product of the week"?

Once again - many thanks for all the help on this forum Thumbs Up

Cheers

MC

DavidW · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 7:26 pm Post subject:

The person you spoke to is correct. The TomTom Navigator product doesn't contain the PDA specific cable.

An alternative to the Brodit mount is to order the TomTom car kit for your PDA, which contains the necessary connector to plug in the wired GPS. I think there's no problem mounting one of those car kits on a ProClip. That might be worth considering.

David

Darren · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 7:53 pm Post subject:

As DavidW has said, the TomTom kit is configured in the expectation that you intend connecting it to their carkit, I hadn't appreciated that when I responded sorry Sad

Personally the Seidio cradles are not my cup of tea, too aftermarket and look like something that should be in Halfords so I'd go with the TomTom Carkit and a Brodit ProClip or shell out for the £40 cable and the Brodit cradle Thumbs Up

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Darren Griffin

major_clanger · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 23, 2004 Posts: 10

DavidW - the problem with the TomTom car kit is that there's only the awful generic one for the 4150 - which I received originally and took an instant dislike to...

I still think that the Brodit kit looks the most professional - so I'll go for the extra money and get the extra cable. I'm still confused how this connects together - does the TomTom GPS end in an RJ45 type socket, and the additional cable act like a junction box that you plug the GPS into and there is a cigarette lighter and further RJ45 connector? Just thinking how all of this connects together...

Thanks - sorry for the delay in reply - just been for a curry :D

Cheers

MC

Darren · Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 9:08 pm Post subject:

That's exactly it, TT GPS Mouse has a RJ11 plug, the cable set has a cigarette lighter plug, and junction box and a connector for the iPAQ, the GPS plugs into the junction box.

On the TT Carkit, the GPS plugs directly into the base of the cradle.
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Darren Griffin

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