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Is my GPS draining my battery? Is my GPS draining my battery?
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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
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  #1  
Old 2 Mar 2013
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Is my GPS draining my battery?

I've got a BMW1200GS and a Zumo 660 GPS. I've connected the GPS straight to the battery. I've noticed that when I turn the bike off the GPS doesn't turn off (as it's connected directly to the battery, I assume). I think this is a good thing but I'm worried about what it might mean.

I assume it means it's drawing a tiny bit of electricity from the battery but I'd need to leave it on for days/weeks for it to kill the battery. I'm happy to leave the GPS turned on all day and make sure I physically turn it off if I'm leaving the bike for a while (in fact I'll take the GPS off the moutn and take it with me anyway.)

But what about when I take the GPS off the mount? When the Zumo 660 is removed from the mount is the mount still drawing power?

I've looked online but the answers are all too technical for me. There is some talk of needing an 'inline fuse'. I think there's one built in to the wiring on the 660 but am not sure. I'm worreid because I put my GPS in last autumn and my battery died over the winter. I've just put in a new battery and hooked it all up today. I don't want the same thing to happen.
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Old 2 Mar 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lonesome George View Post

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An inline fuse is an electrical safety issue and highly recommended, if not essential in some eyes.
I can't imagine that the GPS mounting is drawing power when the Zumo is removed. (in contract, an alarm would be drawing power always - you don't have one of them perchance?). But, if you left the Zumo on the mounting for months on end, with no switch in the circuit to switch it off, then, yes, a small capacity motorbike battery will flatten and especially so in cold ambient temperatures.

There are loads of inline fuzes for sale on ebay by the way; they should be as near as possible in the wiring diagram (live/red wire) to the battery, theoretically.
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Old 2 Mar 2013
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Left mine on for a week once in the garage it started fine.
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Old 2 Mar 2013
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Measure the current draw to be certain.

I assume that you have a separate earth wire, disconnect that and put your current meter there (in place of the earth wire). [The earth wire is the safest wire to disconnect.]

Should be 0.

If not then you can calculate the hours taken to flatten your battery. Take the amphours of your battery (usually abbreviated to AH) and halve it (you need at least half the charge to start the bike), say it is 20AH, so the number you use is 10. Divide that by the current you measure, say it is 10mA .. the m means milli means 1/1000 A means Amperes, so teh number you use is 10/1000 = 1/100. Calculation is 10 / 1/100 = 10*100 = 1000 hours. Divide that by 24 to get days .. roughly 40 days. This calculation neglects any out currents drawn by the rest of the bike.
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Old 3 Mar 2013
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Thanks guys.
I don't have an alarm hooked up so the GPS is the only thing drawing power from the battery.

This link should take you to a website that has a copy of the Installation Instructions. You should be able to see what they call an inline fuse next to the bare wires. This little black box is connected to the red wire.

Garmin Zumo 660 | Installation Instructions

I'm sure I'm worrying about nothing. But surely there are other people out there who have GPS's hooked up to their bikes. Do you all just hook it up the battery and that's it?
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Old 3 Mar 2013
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gps
Hi Lonesome George,

I thought that this question sounded familiar and I thought that I answered it before.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...nnect-my-65423
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Old 3 Mar 2013
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Quandary - you see this is my problem. I connected the Zumo last summer and then over winter (I was using the bike but not often) the battery died. I assume it was nothing to do with the Zumo but I don't know. And then this weekend I put in a new battery and now I'm worried the same thing will happen -

I rode my bike for about an hour yesterday, the day I installed the new battery (Odyssey high perforrmance battery) Today I went out to the bike, started it up and let it idle for maybe 5 minutes. It then cut out. When I tried to start it again the computer and lights came on but when I hit the starter button - nothing, no 'click', no noise - nothing. I noticed that the green Neutral light wasn't on (it WAS in neutral) and the little box, which tells you which gear you are in, was blank.

After turing it on and off a few times it sorted itself out but then did it again.

I'm wondering if this problem is associated with the battery at all. I then looked online and read all sorts of horror stories of people connecting Odyssey batteries (which are big) and them shorting out as the metal rod on the underside of the seat touches the battery.

I'm going to a take my bike to a mechanic...

But thanks for replying - both last year and again now.
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Old 24 Aug 2013
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I have a Delorme PN60 mounted and a Shorai bike battery. I forgot to unplug the unit from the bike for 2 weeks and the battery was (2.5V) dead. incapable of recharging. This battery is 2 years old and I sent it back to Shorai to run tests on. They found it was a slow draw of current that killed it and they offered me a new battery at a heavy prorated price. Hip Hip Hurray to Shorai for stepping up to the plate.

Bottom line is; always unplug the GPS, if even for 1 night.
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