Electrical live connections

[Maree74]

1997 standard 4.0 SOHC Explorer.
I have an Atoto unit fitted to my Explorer which is great, but the power to it switches off when I switch the ignition off. I have located the live terminal but want to replace it with a supply that remains live for a period of time after the ignition switches off!
Any advice to point me in the right direction?
Thanks
Roy...

 

[Rick]

I don't think you are going to find that on a '97. It's either a full time connection to the battery, or an accessory position which goes dead when you turn the key off.

 

[Maree74]

I don't think you are going to find that on a '97. It's either a full time connection to the battery, or an accessory position which goes dead when you turn the key off.

Thanks for that Rick,
I'll see if I can, or not, rig-up some sort of remote switch-on, switch-off system!!
Roy

 

[J_C]

There are a few circuits that stay live with ignition off, but you seem to want one that only stays live for a shorter period than (forever)?

There are some DIY circuits you could build to keep a relay toggled on for X amount of time after power stops, but the easiest way would be to tap into something on the battery saver or other circuit that times out after 45-ish minutes, though it's not going to be good for your vehicle battery to keep running any functions that need more than a modest amount of current for that long.

Anyway, take a look at the attached PDF wiring diagram as good candidates to probe for power with ignition off but that time out after ~45 minutes, particularly the battery saver relay contact #3 lt grn/org wire, or the accessory delay relay contact #30, light blue/black wire. That whole circuit has only a 10A fuse so if your total current consumption exceeds that (particularly playing music if the Atoto has an amp built in), take the tap from a wire location like those mentioned above, to a DIY added relay to trigger it and then the input to the relay comes from an added wire run to the battery - fused at the battery, then relay output goes to the Atoto.

If you didn't care about a limited period of time to keep it powered and could accept always powered, with a manual turn-off, then you could just tap into something like the power seat circuit since it's always live, but again needing that tap to power an added relay if the current is too much for the seat circuit fuse.