Car battery getting drained - question

no it's not your imagination, the iPod was draining your battery...your cigarette lighter socket is always on. If the "charging" logo is showing then it means the iPod is reacharging and thus drawing current. You need to plug your iPod into a "switched" outlet that stops supplying power when the ignition's off...Radioshack sells a gadget (in Canada anyway) that turns an always-on outlet to a switched outlet by measuring the amount of current and automiatically swithcing off supply when the ignition's off. I only happened to see this in the section of the shop where all thise eletronics parts are, so i have no idea how well it works...but it was "plug and play", you simply plugged one end into the lighter socket, and your iPod plugs into this gadget. It cost about CAD$15, or roughly US$11.

For now, you should unplug your adapter whenever you leave the car for more than a few minutes, just in case. As an aside, to all BMW E46 3-series owners, there is a switched outlet in the glovebox that works well with the Belkin adapter (or any adapter), and looks better than the always-on adapter next to the ashtray, but you have to give up the cool rechargeable flashlight (and buy an adapter that goes in its place).

i've left mine in the dock and after its done charging, which wasn't very long its done. the bat in the pod is pretty teeny compared to a car bat, i wouldn't think it would cause too much trouble, it hasn't for me anyway.

Aaron325, I called the local radio shack here in the US and they say they don't carry anything like that. Could you get the part number for the adapter and I can try to look it up? I've been trying to find something like that for my VW. Thanks!

Once the iPod has a fully charged battery it will stop charging - 3 hours is a normal recharge cycle. So after that period of time any drain on your battery should stop. If the iPod is not actually playing then there will be no further topping up of the battery.

It could be that the period taken to recharge your iPod is enough to affect your car battery - which to me would indicate a car battery on the way out. It may be an idea to have your battery checked.

The Belkin adapter does draw power when plugged in, even without an iPod connected. It has a line amplifier and the little green LED, both of which, however, draw an insignificant amount of current compared to everything else in your car.

Your car alarm system and its blinking red LEDs probably draw as much current as the Belkin adapter, sans iPod.

I asked Belkin about this some time ago, since my plan was to hardwire the Belkin kit behind the head unit, leaving only the white dock connector cord running into the passenger compartment. I wanted a clean installation, and didn't want to permanently occupy the single 12V outlet I have in my VW GTI.

The reply, from Ken Burt at Belkin:

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Thank you for contacting Belkin Technical Support.

First of all, if you do make any configuration changes to the F8V7058-APL, it will not be supported and Belkin can not be held responsible.
The current draw of the Auto kit without an iPod will be under 30mA (~75% of this is for the LED).

To put that in perspective here is the current draw of a few other devices (Hinckley, Zack. What You Need To Know About Your Battery <http://www.spidercanyon.com/backiss/cmt4.html> . Spider Ca?on Comment. 16 July 1999):
headlights 10-15 A
parking lights 3-5 A
interior light 1-2 A
radio 1.5 A
air conditioner 15-30 A

I believe most car batteries are rated in the 60 to 100 Amp hour range. So with the Auto kit plugged in you car would last at least 100-166 days (assuming you don't drive it).

Since your plan is to conceal the Cigarette Lighter portion you can reduce the current draw of the Auto Kit to under 5mA by removing the LED (clip both LED legs near the circuit board making sure they don't contact each other). This will get the car to last in the 2 year range.

If you have any other questions or problems please write back including this email or call us toll free at (800)223-5546.
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So there you have it. If you're hardwiring, disconnect the adapter's LED and battery run-down will be the least of you worries. But even if you leave it connected, it will take a substantial amount of time for it to do anything noticable.

Dave

Originally posted by kloh
Just so I'm clear, the charger draws power regardless of whether or not the green LED is on then, right? When I shut off my car, the green light goes off too. I assumed this meant the charger was no longer drawing any power.

The adapter contains two loads that draw current when an iPod is not plugged in: one is the green LED, and the other the line amplifier. The majority of the current draw is from the green LED.

If the green LED goes out when you shut your car off, your 12V outlet is probably switched and not supplying power anymore. It's safe to assume that if you leave something plugged into this switched outlet, nothing will happen when your engine is not running. You can verify this by attempting to charge the iPod with the engine off.

Dave

Originally posted by Aaron325
[
For now, you should unplug your adapter whenever you leave the car for more than a few minutes, just in case. As an aside, to all BMW E46 3-series owners, there is a switched outlet in the glovebox that works well with the Belkin adapter (or any adapter), and looks better than the always-on adapter next to the ashtray, but you have to give up the cool rechargeable flashlight (and buy an adapter that goes in its place). [/B]

Finally another 325 owner. i just got an '04 325Ci and I would appreciate any and all information regarding your install. I've been researching for a couple of weeks and have yet to come up with the perfect solution for me. I'd prefer a clean hidden mount maybe in the compartment below the radio if possible. Leaning toward an install using the Dock (for plug n play iPod use)
At any rate, if there is any way you could list details of your setup, supplies used, and pix, or whatever info you could, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

Originally posted by GotMilk158
I don't mean to be rude by interrupting a thread with so much useful info, but I found it rather amusing how the tech support guy in the letter from Belkin above keeps saying things like "this will help make your car in the two year range," as if the operation of the car is secondary to that of the iPod, almost like the car was something you bought for you pod, not the other way around.

What you're missing is my initial e-mail to them -- I had asked about how long a car battery would last if I left the Belkin adapter plugged in, but not charging. Assume worst case scenario where the car is not started, and thus, the battery not charged by the alternator.

Having made some "custom" cables for the iPod, its left me wondering where the charging cut-off circuit is... ie, I made a Firewire to sealed-lead-acid battery cable, to make a cheap but effective portable battery for recharging. I never saw the iPod "stop" charging when connected. Is that just a fluke? Or is there some kind of curent sensor in the charger brick that sees the iPod reach "full" and cuts off?
I admit this doesn't make much sense, but as I said, I saw the iPod charge (from under 300 to over 480), but never "stop". (so for my use, I just connect to this batt for an hour at a time to get a 90% recharge, and disconnect until needed again)

I mention this b/c I believe if using the Dock, the iPod does not see the Belkin auto connector as an external battery but as a charging source.

FWIW, my VERY rough measurement from an old lab voltage generator was ~0.2A of current when charging.

I leave my radar detector on all the time and never notice a drain.

Mike