Zarwin deserves the credit for my approach. I basically took his idea and ran with it.
I do have some updates.
Additional parts:
- Plastic housing box for controller: link
- Quick-disconnect harness (x2): link
- Heavier duty cable (didn't like the quality of the last one): link
Mounting controller in housing box: I drilled out two holes in the plastic housing box, one for the control dial and one for the wires. If I were to do it again, I'd get a slightly larger housing box. This one is a pretty tight fit. I had to cut off the switch, which I wanted to do anyway since ther's no need for it as the fan doesn't work well when run in reverse. I then soldered the switch to be permanently 'on'. The dial can turn the fan all the way off. I also had to drill out a hole in the PCB to accommodate the shape of the housing box. As you can see, it's not a great mounting job, but it gets the job done.
The cable is run from the center console, under 2nd row floor mat, around the far edge of the 2nd row seat, and to the back row. I used the quick disconnects right by the center console and again by the pump. So I can leave the cable in place but remove the controller and/or pump if I need to.
It will be tested for real this weekend - road trip with 6 people in the car!
Pictures:
Controller mounted with velcro by the center console:
Controller mounted in the housing box. You can compare to the pictures above or on amazon to see how I cut the switch off
