hard wired radio

We don't need rechargeable batteries any more:




I bought a cigarette lighter DC->DC adapter to transform the 12 volts from the car to 6 volts for the radio. I dismantled both the adapter and the radio. I cut the ends off the adapter's wires (including the cigarette bit), then wired the adapter directly to the radio's battery terminals. I set the adapter to the 12v->6v setting, then cut off most of the voltage selector switch. (Keeps us from bumping it to a higher setting and frying the radio.) Then I attached the adapter to the radio with a screw, and managed to get all the plastic housings back together again. Hooked it up to a 12v battery, and everything still worked.

I should have taken pictures of the assembly process. It was cool.

The result is pretty solid, and not at all fiddly. You can shake the crap out of it, and nothing wobbles, wiggles, or jingles. It's still not very heavy--we should be fine with the belt-clip-zip-tied-to-rollcage thing we did last time.