Hello, I'm the proud new owner of a 2005 Civic Hybrid. I'm planning a
ham radio installation, and possibly some other accessories like an
inverter and an audio amp.

One big question I have is where the heck do I get power for this
stuff? In a normal car I would connect my ham radio directly to the
battery, for isolation and noise reduction, and high-current capacity.
But as I was searching the engine compartment I eventually came to
realize that the Civic Hybrid HAS NO ALTERNATOR. I had assumed it did,
and that the IMA and 12v systems were completely electrically isolated,
but this is clearly not the case. So now I'm a bit nervous to connect
any high-powered devices directly to the 12v battery, because the 12v
system is obviously not typical and perhaps it's not the best place to
get power from. I do see a big 80 amp "battery" fuse in the fuse block,
I wonder if this means the battery (and anything connected to it) can
draw up to 80 amps, or is it for something else?

Also does anybody have experience with running wires through the civic
firewall and body? Are there any useable holes in the firewall for
this?

 

In article <1112846271.253394.132440@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups .com>,
jeff.laughlin@gmail.com wrote:

> Hello, I'm the proud new owner of a 2005 Civic Hybrid. I'm planning a
> ham radio installation, and possibly some other accessories like an
> inverter and an audio amp.
>
> One big question I have is where the heck do I get power for this
> stuff?

Find the big yellow wire that goes down the center of the car.....

 

yes because my radios run off of 144VDC or whatever it is...

I confirmed with my multimeter that the 80 amp battery fuse is indeed
the input to the 12v system from the IMA system, so I am going to go
ahead and wire my stuff to the battery as usual, and be aware that
there's an overall 80 amp limit on what the 12v system can draw while
the engine is running. I'm not sure if the other 12v stuff is also on
that same circuit but I'll play it safe for now, until I buy a shop
manual or something with wiring diagrams. Anybody know where to get
those online?

 

jeff.laughlin@gmail.com wrote:
> I confirmed with my multimeter that the 80 amp battery fuse is indeed
> the input to the 12v system from the IMA system, so I am going to go
> ahead and wire my stuff to the battery as usual, and be aware that
> there's an overall 80 amp limit on what the 12v system can draw while

If you wire to the battery side of the fuse, wouldn't your limit be
whatever the battery can supply, just like in any other car? You wouldn't
be drawing 80amp through the fuse.

> the engine is running. I'm not sure if the other 12v stuff is also on
> that same circuit but I'll play it safe for now, until I buy a shop
> manual or something with wiring diagrams. Anybody know where to get
> those online?

I ordered my Honda shop manual from helminc.com

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5