Garmin POWERSWITCH User manual

GARMIN POWERSWITCH™
Owner’s Manual

© 2021 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries
All rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Garmin. Garmin reserves the right to change or
improve its products and to make changes in the content of this manual without obligation to notify any person or organization of such changes or improvements. Go to
www.garmin.com for current updates and supplemental information concerning the use of this product.
Garmin® and the Garmin logo are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries, registered in the USA and other countries. Garmin PowerSwitch™ is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its
subsidiaries. These trademarks may not be used without the express permission of Garmin.
The BLUETOOTH® word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and any use of such name by Garmin is under license.

Table of Contents
Getting Started.................................1
Device Overview...................................... 2
Installation....................................... 2
Mounting Considerations....................... 2
Mounting the Device............................... 3
Opening the Front Cover........................ 4
Connecting Accessories........................ 5
Connecting a Control Input.................... 6
Connecting the Device to Vehicle
Power.......................................................7
Pairing and Setup.............................8
Pairing with a Garmin Navigation
Device...................................................... 8
Pairing with Your Smartphone............... 8
Pairing an Additional Garmin
PowerSwitch Device............................... 8
Garmin PowerSwitch App................. 9
Activating a Power Switch..................... 9
Turning Off All Switches......................... 9
Customizing a Button........................... 10
Assigning a Switch to a Control
Input.......................................................10
Adding a Custom Layout...................... 10
Routines................................................ 11
Device Maintenance....................... 12
Garmin Support Center.........................12
Device Care........................................... 12
Changing the Fuse in the Vehicle Power
Cable......................................................13
Updating Device Firmware................... 13
Restoring Device Settings.................... 13
Troubleshooting.............................14
My Garmin PowerSwitch will not stay
connected............................................. 14
My accessories are not receiving
power..................................................... 14
Can I mount the device in an engine
compartment?...................................... 14
Can the device get wet?....................... 14
Device Information......................... 14
Garmin PowerSwitch Specifications... 14
Index..............................................15
Table of Contents i

Getting Started
WARNING
See the Important Safety and Product Information guide in the product box for product warnings and other
important information.
CAUTION
Garmin® strongly recommends having an experienced installer with proper knowledge of electrical systems
install the device. Incorrectly wiring the power cables can result in damage to the device, the vehicle, or the
battery, and can cause bodily injury.
NOTICE
Disconnect the negative battery terminal in the vehicle before installing the device to prevent an electrical short
circuit. Reconnect the vehicle battery terminals only after installation is complete.
1Mount the device (Mounting Considerations, page 2).
2Connect accessories to the device (Connecting Accessories, page 5).
3Connect a control input (optional) (Connecting a Control Input, page 6).
4Connect the device to vehicle power (Connecting the Device to Vehicle Power, page 7).
5Pair your device with a compatible Garmin navigation device (Pairing with a Garmin Navigation Device,
page 8) or a smartphone (Pairing with Your Smartphone, page 8).
Getting Started 1

Device Overview
Accessory switches
Cover latch
Pairing button
Accessory terminals with #8-32 screws
Control terminals with #8-32 screws
+12V terminal
Device ground terminal (GND)
Installation
Mounting Considerations
• The device must be mounted close to the battery and within the range of the supplied power cable.
• The mounting surface must be strong enough to support the weight of the device.
• The location must allow room for the routing and connection of all cables.
2 Installation

Mounting the Device
Before you can mount the device, you must select a mounting location and purchase the appropriate hardware
for your mounting surface.
NOTICE
Avoid wires, gauges, air bags, air bag covers, HVAC, and other items when drilling pilot holes and attaching the
mount to the vehicle. Garmin is not responsible for any damages or consequences arising from the installation.
1Place the mount on the selected location.
2Using the mount as a template, mark the two screw locations .
3Drill pilot holes (optional).
For some types of mounting material, drilling pilot holes is necessary. Do not drill through the mount.
4Securely fasten the mount to the surface using the appropriate hardware for your mounting surface.
Installation 3

Opening the Front Cover
You must open the front cover to make electrical connections.
1Lift the front cover latch and rotate it counter-clockwise.
2Pull the front cover off of the device.
4 Installation

Connecting Accessories
NOTICE
Do not use the device to control or power a winch. Failure to follow this notice could cause damage to your
vehicle or your device.
Do not connect a power source to an accessory output terminal. Failure to follow this notice could cause
damage to your vehicle or your device.
Accessory requirements:
• Verify the amperage rating of each accessory before wiring it to the Garmin PowerSwitch device. The device
supports accessories up to 30 A for each channel and a maximum of 100 A for the entire system.
• Use 10 AWG (6 mm2) wires for accessories that use 20 to 30 A.
• Use 12 AWG (4 mm2) wires for accessories that use 10 to 20 A.
• Use 14 AWG (2.5 mm2) wires for accessories that use less than 10 A.
• Use the appropriate size terminals for all accessory connections.
• Crimp all terminal connectors securely.
1Connect the positive wire from the accessory to one of the accessory terminals on the Garmin
PowerSwitch device.
2Connect the negative or ground wire to an unpainted ground stud on the vehicle frame, to a ground
distribution block, or directly to the negative terminal on the battery.
Installation 5

NOTICE
Do not connect the accessory ground wires to the ground terminal (GND) on the Garmin PowerSwitch
device. Failure to heed this notice could result in personal or property damage, or negatively impact device
functionality.
3Verify that all electrical connections are tight and will not come loose during use.
Electrical Circuit Protections
The Garmin PowerSwitch device limits the amount of electrical current for each output terminal. If a single
output exceeds 30 A, the device turns off that output automatically. If the device detects a total system load of
more than 100 A, the device turns off all outputs automatically.
Connecting a Control Input
You can connect to the control terminals to enable the Garmin PowerSwitch device to turn on customizable
outputs. For example, you can connect your vehicle ignition switch to a control input terminal to turn on
accessories automatically each time you start your vehicle. The control terminals detect a signal from 3.3 V to
18 V. You can configure output functions with the Garmin PowerSwitch app.
Connect the control wire from the control source in your vehicle to one of the two control terminals on the
Garmin PowerSwitch device.
6 Installation