Battery Drain Issues with DC power Adapter

[mretzak]

Sorry, if this question has been posted before, I've done quite a bit of searching to no avail.

Here is my situation: I just hooked up an additional power outlet behind my dash in order to power the belkin Car Kit for use with a wired FM modulator. The only issue is, when I turn my car off, the Cigarette outlet remains powered. If I do not leave my iPod plugged in while the car is off but leave the car kit plugged in (due to access issues), will battery drain be an issue? I know there is a small LED on the Belkin kit but these tiny lights are far from power hogs. I realize I can solve this issue by connecting the positive lead on the DC outlet to a switched 12V wire, but would like to save the trouble if it is not necessary.

Does anyone have any experience with leaving their power adapter on all the time? Has it affected starting, battery charge etc? Any input would be appreciated.

[pdp76]

Originally posted by mretzak
Sorry, if this question has been posted before, I've done quite a bit of searching to no avail.

Here is my situation: I just hooked up an additional power outlet behind my dash in order to power the belkin Car Kit for use with a wired FM modulator. The only issue is, when I turn my car off, the Cigarette outlet remains powered. If I do not leave my iPod plugged in while the car is off but leave the car kit plugged in (due to access issues), will battery drain be an issue? I know there is a small LED on the Belkin kit but these tiny lights are far from power hogs. I realize I can solve this issue by connecting the positive lead on the DC outlet to a switched 12V wire, but would like to save the trouble if it is not necessary.

Does anyone have any experience with leaving their power adapter on all the time? Has it affected starting, battery charge etc? Any input would be appreciated.
It really depends on your car battery. I've left my dome light on in my Civic overnight and the battery died. I've left the dome light on in my IS300 overnight and everything was fine. My advice to you though, change the cigarette lighter plug to a switch 12V source, don't risk it.

[CA_Steve]

your dome light will consume a lot more power than the charger/iPod :-)

I wouldn't worry about it unless you have an extremely weak battery. Remember, the iPod charging circuitry turns itself off when charged....so, it'll just be a tiny bit of current (probably microamps) that flows after a full charge. The led on your charger will end up being the major source of current drain, then....and it's not that much. (think about all of the car alarms that have a blinking led to let you know the alarm is on...)

[mretzak]

Thanks for the input/suggestions. I've decided for now to keep it hooked up how I have it now and just keep a close eye on starting, battery power, etc. So far it seems to start with no problems at all, even after sitting for a day and a half. I will update if anything changes.

[pdp76]

Originally posted by CA_Steve
your dome light will consume a lot more power than the charger/iPod :-)

I wouldn't worry about it unless you have an extremely weak battery. Remember, the iPod charging circuitry turns itself off when charged....so, it'll just be a tiny bit of current (probably microamps) that flows after a full charge. The led on your charger will end up being the major source of current drain, then....and it's not that much. (think about all of the car alarms that have a blinking led to let you know the alarm is on...)
Well I was mainly using the dome light as an example of how car batteries vary a lot, but yeah, it's a no brainer that a dome light will more often than not consume more amps than the iPod charger, especially when the iPod turns it's charging circuit off. However, maybe I'm just anal, but in case of some short or malfunction of the belkin car kit, or maybe just the inherent current draw of it even though the iPod is not "charging", could bump the current draw to more than just an LED..... anyway, I'm just saying, better safe than sorry!