Quote:
Originally Posted by Cd
I have a question for all of you ScanGuage guys : Do you leave the thing plugged in at all times ?
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I did when I was using mine (had to switch to an UltraGauge because of my lousy eyesight).
"Coincidentally," I was having a problem with the Cabrio such that if I didn't drive it for three or more days, the battery would wind up dead. Since the poor thing toughed out a flood many years ago, I presumed it was something deteriorating in the electrical system. Never could find anything specific, so I just made it a point to drive it every couple of days or throw it on the trickle charger if I wouldn't be driving it for a while.
"Coincidentally" is in quotes because:
1) When the VW died my brother loaned me his HHR until I could make other arrangements. Of COURSE I moved the SG to that vehicle, and guess what? Its battery was dead after not driving for several days.
2) The UltraGauge manual mentions that constant polling can keep some devices "awake" and using more juice than they should after the key's removed. The UG has a parameter that changes the polling delay for vehicles where that's a problem (the default is to wait six seconds after the ECU shuts down before polling begins).
So my THEORY -- and that's all it is -- is that, on some vehicles, the SG can keep some or all modules active after the ECU shuts off, which can drain the battery relatively quickly.
Barring that, as far as I know the SG uses very little power and you'd be okay leaving it plugged in for a good while. For someone who "barely ever drives their car," unplugging it or trickle charging would probably be necessary even without the supposed polling issue.
I have no experience with the SuperMID but the backlight staying on constantly doesn't seem right. What does the manual say about that? Is there a timeout parameter you can tweak?
At any rate, I'd think the same would apply: If you're not driving for an extended period, either unplugging it or providing a maintenance charge will help save your battery. It would come down to how much current the SuperMID draws while the car's idle.
Anyone else know more about this (or care to correct anything I've said)?
Rick