Date:         Sun, 24 May 2009 11:54:11 -0700
Reply-To:     Jake Beaulieu <jake_beaulieu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jake Beaulieu <jake_beaulieu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: stereo power comsumption
In-Reply-To:  <4A18DD7D.1020703@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Here's my experience: Pioneer in dash CD player, model DEH-P2500

FM @ medium volume: 0.65A
FM @ high volume: 1.65A

My stereo has two power wires.  The first power wire is always hot and supplies power for the stereo memory.  The second power wire is always hot, but the stereo "should" only be pulling a current when the stereo is on.  Here is what I found.

Both power wires connected, stereo off:   31.6 mA
Only memory power wire connected, stereo off: 2.5 mA

Therefore the the second power wire was delivering ~29mA to the stereo for no apparent reason.  To eliminate this additional current draw I wired the second power wire through a spare defrost switch installed in the blank spot to the right of the tach.  As long as that switch is off, the stereo only pulls 2.5mA and maintains all the presets.

All power is supplied by an auxillary battery and distributed through an auxillary fuse block installed under the dash.

have fun,
jake

 

________________________________


Richard A Jones wrote: 
Idle time....  I had observed that my stereo sometimes
had run my battery down.  I decided to measure the
power consumption:

Panasonic in-dash CD player CQ-C3400 series (~2004)
[It is rated at something like 2.2 A, max.]

FM at vol 20            0.65 A
CD at vol 14            0.80
mp3 CD                  0.78

OFF                     0.35 <--------  !!
face down               0.37
face removed            0.02  whew!

Complete measurements at
http://jones.colorado.edu/VW/Panasonic.txt

[I was measuring across fuse 3 in my '87 Syncro Westy. All
measurements include the digital dash clock.]

Richard