I use an FM modulator in my car to listen to stuff on a memory stick or SD card. These run off the cigar lighter but on my Octavia Mark 1 the lighter is located below the arm rest.

 

I would prefer it on the dash.  What I did was remove the blank button below the Hazard light triangle. I then found the live from the hazard warning and connected a wire  and an earth.  In effect hada power source. The idea was to connect these to a FM modulator  and power it up.  I tried connecting this 12v wire and earth  to a modulator and it promptly burned it out.

 

Am I doing something wrong?  Surely the small fuse in the FM unit should have blown before the unit.

 

The unit operates on 12V with a protecting fuse and I put 12v across it.  Perhaps I was unlucky. The quality control on one or two units I have had recently from China is abysmal

 

Any ideas guys  AG

Could it be to do with the live on the hazard light is permanent and not switched with the ignition so always on even when the car is at rest??

Did you connect with the correct polarity?

Did you connect with the correct polarity?

That would be my guess.

Did it origonally run by plugging into a cigar lighter socket,because if it did and you cut off the socket you most probably find that the old cut off socket reduced the output voltage to 5V, thr voltage most electonics and usb devices use.