So you’ve been dying to get a Touchstone and put in in the car. You get one only to find out it doesn’t work in the car! As a former professional car audio installer, I’ve got that problem solved and here’s how.
First, I’m going to explain why it doesn’t work in a dumbed down way. Many cars use two types of outlets. One of them only works when the ignition is on. The other type is a constant flow of electricity no matter when the car is on or off. Some cars have both. Many times the outlets that turn on with the ignition are on a system that shares the same power with other electronics. Sometimes its not enough. It’s actually dangerous to plug in a Touchstone as it could overheat wires and start an electrical fire which could also cause the Touchstone to hiccup and send a jolt to your Pre and roast it!
To fix this and go stealth at the same time, we are going to actually install a new outlet that hides behind the dash wired directly to the battery. Just what the power the hungry Touchstone needs. The Touchstone needs a dedicated, constant flow of 5 volts. Don’t worry, unless you drive a go-kart a Touchstone will not kill your car overnight.
On to the know how and wizardry of this install. It’s very simple and requires a general knowledge of electronics. Basically if you are savvy with your Pre, you’ve got the cognizant capacity to pull off this really cool conversation piece in your hoopdy. In fact its so simple, we really don’t need to get into crazy mathematical electronic calculations over this.
Just remember:
- Touchstone runs on 5v
- Cars run on 12v
- Use a Palm/ authorized labeled USB car charger
Before we start I have some WARNINGS:
- Always use proper safety gear.
- Remove the Positive ( Plus sign “+”) terminal clip from your battery. You will not get shocked touching it as long as you are not grounding yourself by touching anything else metal (i.e. leaning against metal fenders without a shirt, resting your free hand on any metals while in contact with positive battery terminal).
- Typically a replacement 12v outlet/cigarette lighter is naked with bare metal. Use electrical tape as it could come in contact with other metal and short other electrical components
- Use Palm brand or Palm authorized USB car chargers ONLY! The Palm USB/ 12v adapter is essential to converting 12v down to 5v for the Touchstone to properly work.
*Hard wiring USB cables or anything in that nature are less than ideal. Unconventional installations that are not mentioned will have undesired consequences resulting from electrical shorting, Touchstone/ Palm Pre/ Pre car kit failure, electrical shock, or fire!*
Myself (the author “remington870_20ga”), EverythingPre.com / sister web sites / sponsors, and affiliates are NOT responsible for any negative consequences from installations that are instructed below.
On to the fun stuff!
What you are going to need:
The gear. In the picture above you’ll find the things you will need to complete the install.
- Epoxy (Found in hardware stores) (not pictured)
- Cigarette/ 12v outlet (found in auto stores)
- Palm Car Kit
- Palm Touchstone
- Palm Pre Touchstone back cover (If you don’t already have a back cover, order the Touchstone Kit)
As you see in the picture above there is Scotch tape and not epoxy as listed. I thought it would work but it worked poorly. I ended up using epoxy.
These are the tools you are going to need to complete the install.
- Electrical grade Crimper/ Stripper (Found in hardware/auto stores)
- Butt connectors 14-16 Gauge (Found in hardware/ auto stores)
- Terminal loop butt connectors (Found in hardware/ auto stores) (not shown)
- 14/16 Gauge Lamp cord/ Speaker wire (Found in hardware/ auto stores)
- Electric Tape (Found in hardware stores) (not shown)
Note: Many cars are built differently, you may end up using an assortment of screwdrivers, wrenches, and hex/star drivers. Make sure you have a decent tool kit handy.
Here is a picture of the cheapest outlet I could find at my local auto store. It was about $4. This will be the outlet the Palm USB car charger will be using while hiding behind the dash.
For those of you with a late model Jeep Grand Cherokee (2005-2010) you are in luck! This is a ‘05 HEMI powered Grand Cherokee (I’ll explain why I mentioned this model in the end). Jeep made many trim variations of this vehicle. Taking apart the dash is very similar if not the exact same for all.
Those of you who don’t have this vehicle, simply google your make and model as shown in this example:
“How to install radio in 1995 Honda Accord EX”. Asking how to install a radio will show results telling you how to take apart your dash so you can get behind it. Many cars are extremely easy perform work on and require little tools if any at all.
In this case, a late model Grand Cherokee is very easy and requires no tools. However, there are times when the shifter needs to be moved to work around. Activate the parking brake, and turn the key to ‘ignition’ and pull the shifter back.
Start by removing the rubber cup holders. The help of a paint scraper and tugging will work.
Very CAREFULLY, gently but firmly pry the trim ring around the shifter. This ring is made of plastic and can snap if treated improperly.
With the help of a paint scraper, pull the shifter bezel upward to remove.
Once the shifter bezel is removed, pull the center bezel downward and out. It may also be a good idea to pull the radio bezel off first to not only help with the removal of the center bezel but make wiring easier.
Now go to the car battery and tie off the speaker wire then run (using zip ties to keep wire out of the way of moving engine components) the wire to the nearest hole in the firewall of the vehicle. Ideally, zip tie the wire to existing wiring. Lume (found in auto stores) is favorable to use as it protects exposed wiring and keeps a clean, factory look to the engine bay.
*Do not connect the power wire yet as we are about to rig the outlet. Working with wires that have current is dangerous!
Once you have penetrated the firewall, run the speaker wire to the back of the dash.
Wire the new cigarette/ 12v outlet and wrap electrical tape around it generously while also wrapping around any exposed terminal clips and wires. The above picture shows the new outlet as I am stashing it in an open spot behind the dash while the Pre car kit is plugged in and ready to go.
*The Pre USB plug power indicator light is on because I replaced the battery terminal to verify if the outlet was receiving power.
Once you have verified all exposed wires have been taped off and every thing is working fine, carefully reassemble the dash making sure no wires are getting pinched. Choose a wide enough crack in the dash and leave enough slack on the USB cable to mount the Touchstone in the desired position. You’ll want to remove all the sticky material from the back of the Touchstone prior to mounting.
Now connect the wires using the terminal loop butt connectors to designated battery terminals. You may ground the negative wire anywhere else if you wish.
Don’t forget, before you close the hood to check for any tools or foreign objects!
~fin!~
Now, on to why I mentioned the model of my Jeep. It features a 5.7L V8 pumping out 325hp and 400 ft. lbs. of torque. I have a lead foot. I have yet to rip the Pre off its Touchstone charger. Unless you drive down train tracks, the Pre shouldn’t leave its post.
If there are any questions regarding this DIY, you may send a message to remington870_20ga in our Palm Forums.
Happy and safe driving!
Tags: carkit, diy, mount, Palm Touchstone
Does the touchstone draw current from the battery when the vehicle is off? What about the Palm car charger? If so, how much?
Have you thought about removing the cover of the touchstone and spinning it 180 degrees so that it reads Palm the right way round?
Nice mod
I always thought about this but my main concern is that it might fall off of i hit a bump. has this issue ever occured to you? and i mean a man hole for a bumb lol.
Thanks for any feedback
Also, will it be an issue if i run a direct power from the battery to the cigarette lighter? my car the cigarette turns off with the car, so if im on my car and have the ign. off i wont get a charge. i would like it to charge at times.
Dave says:
October 26, 2009 at 4:11 pm (Edit)
Does the touchstone draw current from the battery when the vehicle is off? What about the Palm car charger? If so, how much?
-Yes, they both do. I don’t have a volt meter so I couldn’t tell you. But the conditions would be the same if you had the Touchstone plugged in at home.
@Nelson,
I think this is possible. I’ve done this with car audio before. You can find a hot lead and splice it in either from the fuse box or from the audio cable. Remember to UNPLUG your battery before doing this. Live power = no no when working and splicing into live with electrical wires.
Coza says:
October 26, 2009 at 5:12 pm (Edit)
Have you thought about removing the cover of the touchstone and spinning it 180 degrees so that it reads Palm the right way round?
Nice mod
- Thanks! I did remove the cover and dug around a bit to do that. I found that the circuitry is hot glued in the Touchstone case. Touchstone’s aren’t cheap so I decided not to venture there.
Nelson says:
October 26, 2009 at 5:38 pm (Edit)
I always thought about this but my main concern is that it might fall off of i hit a bump. has this issue ever occured to you? and i mean a man hole for a bumb lol.
Thanks for any feedback
- I only got it to fall off once, and that was because I knocked it off. You would need to hit a man hole that could fit a basketball. However Im sure going down a cobblestone road fast enough would probably knock it off.
Nelson says:
October 26, 2009 at 5:41 pm (Edit)
Also, will it be an issue if i run a direct power from the battery to the cigarette lighter? my car the cigarette turns off with the car, so if im on my car and have the ign. off i wont get a charge. i would like it to charge at times.
- That is what you see in the instructions. The whole idea of this DIY is to directly install a power line to the battery where there is plenty of constant power.
Suggest a fuse near the battery. Just in case. Also, use a 270-0046 Radioshack add a jack and you will not have to wrap the plug in electrical tape and it come with the wire and inline fuse.
Good mod.
But yes you could do that. I opted not to because if I ever use that outlet for something else I would be worried that it might not be able to bear the both of them.
Would be very helpful if you pls kindly put together all your posts with pictures and asnwers to comments in a pdf file for a download .Thanks
thanks alot for the heads up, my biggest concern why i havnt completed this mod yet was because of the phone falling
I wouldn’t go through this much effort guys and gals. I just took a standard Arkon pda cup holder and used a round velcro on the bottom of the touchstone and one on the face of the phone holder. I attached the touchstone to it and ran the Palm car charger cord right to the touchstone from my arm console charger. The cord only shows about 2 1/2 inches and I can tilt the PDA mount to any angle so the Pre sits more flat rather than straight up and down. Cheap solution that is not permanent or dangerous.
What is the current (amps) that the Palm cigarette charger puts out? Is it 5 V 1 Amp like the plug in wall charger? Or 5 V 500 milliamp like many other cigarette chargers?
Thanks for this idea. Was wondering what the deal was why it wouldn’t work. Here I thought I was the only one that thought of this cool idea. Thanks for the DIY for this and the explanation as to why it doesn’t work like Sprint should have designed it to work.
How exactly was the touchstone mounted to the dash?
Double sided tape?
I though double sided tape would work. It failed miserably. Youll see in the instructions that epoxy was best.