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Tech in the Deuce!

mattg2448

New member
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Port Huron, Michigan
Well guys, since I will be driving my M35A2 on the road, I decided to install a radio, And it turned out pretty good, I made it so if someone ends up getting into my truck at school, its hard to see the radio, so i mounted it under the Pass. Seat. When i get in, just lift the seat and put the faceplate in, lower the seat, and use a remote and point it at a mirror to bounce back at the radio! It's actually pretty clever!

So my question is, can i run the standard 12v radio on one of the batteries that run the truck? Or should i buy a reducer?
 

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wikallen

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So my question is, can i run the standard 12v radio on one of the batteries that run the truck? Or should i buy a reducer?

Just get a cheap 24v to 12v converter off ebay. I have 3 that cost me about 10 bucks each. They claim 30amp output. I put two up front, and one in the box of my m109.
 

mattg2448

New member
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Location
Port Huron, Michigan
Just get a cheap 24v to 12v converter off ebay. I have 3 that cost me about 10 bucks each. They claim 30amp output. I put two up front, and one in the box of my m109.
And do they hold up, or just fry after a months of use?

The speakers are going in the top rear corner of the hardtop, but is gonna be attached to the cab wall, so i can remove the top. I figured that it would be close enough to hear, so why not. But i dont wanna get carried away with modern technology, try for as stock as i can.
 

Flyingvan911

Well-known member
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Location
Kansas City, MO
Nice job. I want to make a universal quick mount so I can move my ham radio between my deuce and van quickly and easily. That looks like a good start.
 

Steaminjim

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Location
Murrayville, Ga
Great Job and nice shop also. Good planning on location. My comment on the use of one battery is that if you only plan to use it when the engine is running - then the electrical system wouldn't even see the 12/15 watt radio. But if you plan to use it a lot when the engine is off or add some megga AMP, then get the converter.
Semper Fi
 

Rustygears

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Location
Ramona, CA
Correct. If you use the bat grounded to the frame then you can share that ground. If you were to use the other bat, the negative lead is floating at +12V relative to the frame. That's a bad situation in case any metal touches metal, etc. You have the potential for a short on either the positive or negative side in that setup. Using the 'low' side battery avoids this situation.

I would recommend using a converter as suggested by other posts. This actually converts the +24 (+28 when alternator is running) to a nice, regulated +12 and you can still use the negative ground. Just be sure that the converter is not a real cheap device burning off the extra +12 in a resistive load (aka heater). These waste huge amounts of power, generate lots of heat and have no regulation. Most of even the lower cost devices are true electronic converters. A way to determine which is which is to look at the 'conversion efficiency' specification. If they claim 80% or more, it clearly is a real electronic converter.
 
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