Hi @Spaghetti - what would this be used for? (I'm not great with electrics, but I'm not completely useless either!) What would a mA drain signify/indicate?
Regards,
JOG
Van alarm going off at 6am
- Thread starter czmate1999
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- alarm flat battery
Regards,
JOG
I've got this one . . .
and this one . . .
to use it . . .
zero the tool with the Z clear button.
clamp around the main battery NEG cable,
take a reading. (DC Amps scale)
lock the van and keep an eye on the reading.
the module will go to sleep after around 10-20mins.
after the modules are asleep the VW spec is a draw of below 50mA. (0.05A)
keep taking periodic measurements and write them down. (say every 1min)
if the tool goes to sleep and switches off, just remove/Zero/Replace and continue.
remember to flick the bonet catch so the van sees the bonnect closed.
Then
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Edit: . . . . .
What do the numbers mean? :
well if you have greater than 50mA when at rest/sleeping then you are draining the battery with something other than just the Vans OEM electrics, causing the battery to drop faster than expected. ( reading after the 10-20min sleep/shut down)
Prime candidates are:
DashCams, (30mA-1A)
GPS devices (30mA-1A)
Speed Trap detectrors (30mA-1A)
OBDII plugs (like Carista etc) (30mA-1A)
USB chargers (30mA-3A)
LED lights (30mA-3A)
DC-DC charger (0mA-xxA)
MPPT solar (0mA-xxA)
anything else connected to the starter battery
what do i do now? :
start looking over the van to find NON-OEM kit and start unplugging it or removing fuses to locate the power draw.
when you unplug it you will see the DC Amps (mA) start dropping.
you then need to decide whether to relocate the power source to the leisure battery, or other.
The same applies for the Leisure battery and locating power drains . . . for example a dash cam can run a leisure battery flat after a few days !!
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and this one . . .
UNI-T UT204A Digital Handheld Clamp Multimeter Tester DMM Voltmeter AC DC Meter: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike
UNI-T UT204A Digital Handheld Clamp Multimeter Tester DMM Voltmeter AC DC Meter: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike
amzn.to
to use it . . .
zero the tool with the Z clear button.
clamp around the main battery NEG cable,
take a reading. (DC Amps scale)
lock the van and keep an eye on the reading.
the module will go to sleep after around 10-20mins.
after the modules are asleep the VW spec is a draw of below 50mA. (0.05A)
keep taking periodic measurements and write them down. (say every 1min)
if the tool goes to sleep and switches off, just remove/Zero/Replace and continue.
remember to flick the bonet catch so the van sees the bonnect closed.
Then
***********
Edit: . . . . .
What do the numbers mean? :
well if you have greater than 50mA when at rest/sleeping then you are draining the battery with something other than just the Vans OEM electrics, causing the battery to drop faster than expected. ( reading after the 10-20min sleep/shut down)
Prime candidates are:
DashCams, (30mA-1A)
GPS devices (30mA-1A)
Speed Trap detectrors (30mA-1A)
OBDII plugs (like Carista etc) (30mA-1A)
USB chargers (30mA-3A)
LED lights (30mA-3A)
DC-DC charger (0mA-xxA)
MPPT solar (0mA-xxA)
anything else connected to the starter battery
what do i do now? :
start looking over the van to find NON-OEM kit and start unplugging it or removing fuses to locate the power draw.
when you unplug it you will see the DC Amps (mA) start dropping.
you then need to decide whether to relocate the power source to the leisure battery, or other.
The same applies for the Leisure battery and locating power drains . . . for example a dash cam can run a leisure battery flat after a few days !!
.
.
Last edited:
As what @Dellmassive says. Useful for seeing whether there is a drain when there shouldn’t be. If there is an excessive drain on the battery when the van is ‘asleep’ then the battery will drain over time. It’s useful for working out whether something that should be on the leisure battery has been wired to the starter battery or if there’s a fault elsewhere.
Obvious question, but you haven't connected the BlackVue cameras up to a permanent live have you without using a PowerMagic BlackVue box? If you have then the BlackVues will drain the battery surprisingly quickly - particularly if the battery wasn't in a particularly good state of charge in the first place. Twin BlackVues will flatten a battery in under a week if they are running permanently.
Update:
did 80 mile drive on Tuesday and was connected to mains for 4ish hours.
Reversed van yesterday and washed and re parked.
just got BM2 see below screen shots,
everything is off with the exception of the BlackVue dash cam.
thoughts?
did 80 mile drive on Tuesday and was connected to mains for 4ish hours.
Reversed van yesterday and washed and re parked.
just got BM2 see below screen shots,
everything is off with the exception of the BlackVue dash cam.
thoughts?
post a 24hr BM2 view . . . (click the bottom area)
you can try disconnecting the Dashcam for a week to test.
but its starting to look like a weak starter battery that is not holding a sufficient charge.
Running it flat a few times can do that.
you can try disconnecting the Dashcam for a week to test.
but its starting to look like a weak starter battery that is not holding a sufficient charge.
Running it flat a few times can do that.
Update:
ran engine for ten minutes then powered off,
ran engine for ten minutes then powered off,
Thanks Dellmassive. Will do.
thats a normal readout . . .
you need to see the overall average on a 24hr period. . . . (to see the rate of decay or the rate at which the starter battery drops)
you need to see the overall average on a 24hr period. . . . (to see the rate of decay or the rate at which the starter battery drops)
24hr plot , like this . . .
i just realised this was the day i left the inicators on all day and needed to jump starrt it from the NOCO GB150
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i just realised this was the day i left the inicators on all day and needed to jump starrt it from the NOCO GB150
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Same question as @Tsixty above - is the BlackVue connected to a permanent live?? I have twin BlackVue on my car running via the power magic off of a live feed but I still get a "low battery - start engine" warning from the car after a few days of it standing idle and/or doing a few short journeys.
It is permanently live.
I have my Power Magic set to cut off the power to the BlackVue via a live feed if the battery drops below 12.5v. The cameras in parking mode, depending on how you have configured sensitivity, etc., will drain the battery - I can only leave my car standing for a few days at the moment before getting a low battery warning (in current climate all of our journeys are short so probably taking as much out of the battery to start the car as is being put in).
@czmate1999 Do you have a tow bar fitted? I had problems with mine and took it back to Richard as my battery was draining rapidly. Upon rigging it up to VCDS we found that the Westfalia unit was faulty and the problem was resolved by swapping it. I had done all of the testing/monitoring that @Dellmassive has described above using my clamp meter and disconnecting everything that had been fitted by TB to try to establish whether there was a VW problem. I had a leak to ground of around 0.7A, which flattened the battery in about 3 days without use. I now own a NOCO and they're brilliant. I think you've got the twin 100Ah lithium leisures haven't you? My DashCams are run off my leisure side and draw 0.35A, so they'll run for ever pretty much. I have them recording 24hrs a day. Hope this helps.
It’s a factory fit tow bar. Haven’t had a problem till after the last trip.. bit puzzled in truth. mine is powered via the vehicle battery... I’m going to disconnect the cams after my next drive and leave it 24 hours again and see what the readings are...
Keep posting the 24hr views.
A 7day readout (7x 24hr views)
Is a great way to get the average.
Looks like the battery is dropping slightly over night, but we need more data to get the overall trend...
Once you have the trend of a dropping battery.
You can use a clamp meter to determine whether the battery is dropping by its self or via a power draw..
Also you can test the battery at Halford or get a test meter yourself ( works on all SLA batteries)
I've got a couple of battery testers, this one works well and is nice a small to keep in the van . . . . . . .
ANCEL BA101 Professional 12V 100-2000 CCA 220AH Automotive Load Battery Tester Digital Analyzer Bad Cell Test Tool for Car/Boat/Motorcycle and More
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ANCEL BA101 Professional 12V 100-2000 CCA 220AH Automotive Load Battery Tester Digital Analyzer Bad Cell Test Tool for Car/Boat/Motorcycle and More
- Small compact design, scan faster and indicates test results directly. Even a beginner can use this unit to analyze any 12V batteries healthy, tells you everything about the battery: voltage, charge,cranking power, and how much life is left in the battery (level of Ohm resistance). Does it quickly and precisely.
- Much wider test range (100-2000 CCA) and more accurate compared to its competitors. Test results based on JIS, EN, DIN, SAE, CCA, BCI, GB, CA, MCA and IEC Standards.
- Provides check the Alternator's charging and Starter's cranking conditions. Vehicle charging system test is also available, including load voltage, unloaded voltage, ripple status and charging system status.
- The BA101 battery tester is well built with a large LCD display that has white backlight and contrast adjustment, indicates test results directly. no internal batteries required and gets the power directly from the 12V battery.
- It's equipped with a 3.0 feet long cable and made of a very thick flexible insulator, much safer than others selling on the marketplace. There are 4 buttons on BA101, The up/down button for scrolling the menu. The Enter and Exit button allow for navigation back and entering menu. Two Years Warranty Guarantee.
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