Damn...car battery is dead!

WuNgUn · 12-01-2008, 07:57 PM

Perfect...
I leave my car parked for a few days (in the winter cold) and I have no battery left. Something MUST be draining it, but...

I pulled the carputer out...
Unplugged the OBD module (which was drawing off the car)...

There is a M2 mounted and powering the USB hub, but it's set to power off with the car...

The 3 amps are still connected to the power wires, but the Remote/On removed...

The touch screen was removed from the car...

Could it be an amp still drawing current, even with it off?

I dunno what else would eat the storage out of the battery...

The battery is a 2 year old Energizer...maybe it's pooched?

This sucks!

DarquePervert · 12-01-2008, 08:05 PM

It's possible the amps could be drawing current.
Time to break out the old multimeter and do some testing...

WuNgUn · 12-01-2008, 08:07 PM

I pulled the fuses to the amps today...just to be sure.
It'll have to wait til I can charge it back up. But once I get a charger, I'll do some snooping with the meter.

rijk · 12-02-2008, 07:36 AM

Thiks its the amps too, If you don't have a remote anymore on them, it means you got a permanent wire, so there always on. And they don't need to be producing sound the use power.

M2 hardoff enabled? if not usb could also do some damage

2112 · 12-02-2008, 08:26 AM

To avoid problems like this, on the master bus from the battery I always always always install a master switch/relay so I can turn it all off for real. It's cheap insurance against being stranded somewhere with a dead battery because one of my connections wiggled loose.

danielkh · 12-02-2008, 08:26 AM

On one of my earlier carputers, it killed my battery (It was old) and afterwards, the battery just wouldn't hold a charge, so you might have killed it. I also found that if the computer goes into a BSOD for IRQ not zero error, it's tough to find (and will run your battery down), because next time you start, it turns off before your monitor sees it. I had toggle switches for the monitor so I was able to turn it on independantly and see what was happening.

Also suggest you get one of these. This is an example only. I have no idea on the brand.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CAR-B...Q5fAccessories

I carry one in my spare tire compartment and it will start my car with a completely dead battery (not even the interior lights glow). Saved my butt on more than one occasion.

WuNgUn · 12-02-2008, 09:20 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by rijk

Thiks its the amps too, If you don't have a remote anymore on them, it means you got a permanent wire, so there always on. And they don't need to be producing sound the use power.

M2 hardoff enabled? if not usb could also do some damage

Yes, M2 is set for hard off...
And I pulled the fuse out of it yesterday as well.

What do you mean, 'permanent wire'?

rijk · 12-02-2008, 12:19 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by WuNgUn

Yes, M2 is set for hard off...
And I pulled the fuse out of it yesterday as well.

What do you mean, 'permanent wire'?

Without a remote wire the amps shouldn't work. So if yours are on all the time, i think you used a secend wire of the 12+ and used that as the remote.
In that situation you have a permenant remote wire.

WuNgUn · 12-02-2008, 12:20 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by rijk

Without a remote wire the amps shouldn't work. So if yours are on all the time, i think you used a secend wire of the 12+ and used that as the remote.
In that situation you have a permenant remote wire.

All three amps are powered off the PSU...daisy chained together.
This happend after I pulled the PC from the car. The remote wires to the amps isn't connected to anything.

rijk · 12-02-2008, 12:36 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by WuNgUn

All three amps are powered off the This happend after I pulled the PC from the car. The remote wires to the amps isn't connected to anything.

But this is without the fuse (to the amps) you pulled.
Your remote should be powerd to a switched 12 volt, if it is not connected to anyting they won't go on at all.

PSU...daisy chained together. Could you "translate" I think it says:
the psu and the amps are on the same 12+ wire, or is it an englisch frase.

Is the battery still drained after pulling the cpc from the car?
It is true, an older battery if realy deeply discharged can die. But yous was 2 years so it should't, it wil have sufferd from the total drain.

WuNgUn · 12-02-2008, 12:38 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by rijk

But this is without the fuse (to the amps) you pulled.
Your remote should be powerd to a switched 12 volt, if it is not connected to anyting they won't go on at all.

PSU...daisy chained together. Could you "translate" I think it says:
the psu and the amps are on the same 12+ wire, or is it an englisch frase.

Is the battery still drained after pulling the cpc from the car?
It is true, an older battery if realy deeply discharged can die. But yous was 2 years so it should't, it wil have sufferd from the total drain.

Correct...the amp remote on is not connected to anything...yet the battery drained.
The remote on for the amp is controlled by the PC power supply. It leads into one amp, then from that amp, into the next, then into the next...

rijk · 12-02-2008, 01:29 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by WuNgUn

Correct...the amp remote on is not connected to anything...yet the battery drained.
The remote on for the amp is controlled by the PC power supply. It leads into one amp, then from that amp, into the next, then into the next...

You use the remote wire of the m2, or a 12+ from a molex.
With mine the remote was to weak. It's best to use a relay on the remote and than a switched 12+.

I am not sure (its a guess), but if you use a molex it could be that some of the 12 volt of the amp flows back into the switched off m2.

I had it with a powerd usb hub, with the mobo off, the 5 volt of the standby went into the devices that sould not work (my screen moved in a jurky way while it shouldn't have been able to move at all).

WuNgUn · 12-02-2008, 03:23 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by rijk

You use the remote wire of the m2, or a 12+ from a molex.
With mine the remote was to weak. It's best to use a relay on the remote and than a switched 12+.

I am not sure (its a guess), but if you use a molex it could be that some of the 12 volt of the amp flows back into the switched off m2.

I had it with a powerd usb hub, with the mobo off, the 5 volt of the standby went into the devices that sould not work (my screen moved in a jurky way while it shouldn't have been able to move at all).

No, that's not it...
The only other thing (that I know of) drawing current is the alarm, but it's a small draw, as far as I know...

rijk · 12-02-2008, 03:56 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by WuNgUn

No, that's not it...
The only other thing (that I know of) drawing current is the alarm, but it's a small draw, as far as I know...

That can't bee it, unless you installed it in the week before the battery problem. Te dsx caused my battery to go realy weak, the only thing that still worked was the alarm making strange noises. The voltmeter of the car didn't even move (6 volts is the min on that scale). Had to hook it up for 5 minutes to another car before it started.

Onely thing to do, disconnect everything and hook it up one by one if the charge drops in halve a day you found the problem. End have someone with jumercables ready just in case.

WuNgUn · 12-03-2008, 10:27 AM

Well, I charged the battery overnight at 6A (auto charger)...The charge read 'Charged' this morning, so I unplugged it and put a meter on it...
12.5V
So I start up the car, no problem...recheck the battery with the engine at idle...
13.8V...so the car is charging it.
But I'm wondering if it's not up to capacity, if something is damaged internally maybe?

While I'm under the hood, I put the meter on 'Load' and check the 4 and 8 AWG amp leads off the battery (no fuses), and the meter isn't reading anything...

I check the M2 across the fuse terminal...nothing...

I'm baffled!

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