# Radio, am I being foolish?



## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Hi, I changed the radio in the van so I could have an AUX and usb input. Old one was a VDO with an hour's timed off without ignition key. New one has no timed off. I can either have it with the key on AUX or cross wire to have it "available" when key not in the ignition.

I chose the latter. I have now got nightmares of getting into the drivers seat in the morning to a flat starter battery having left the radio on too long.

Has this happened to you? Am I being too anxious? I’m not even sure whether my charging system will charge the starter battery as well off solar. It’s a properly fitted system with what was state of the art Hymer charging gear in 2003.

Dick


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## Chausson (Oct 17, 2006)

Hi Dick
I have a Hymer with fitted solar panels, mine charges the starter battery, maybe yours does the same someone will be along to help you properly I'm sure.

Ron


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## Sprinta (Sep 15, 2010)

I've done that modification as well, don't worry about it forgetting to turn it off as you'll remember no worries




























maybe :wink:


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## rogerblack (May 1, 2005)

Hi, Dick

I had the same thing when I upgraded from the Boxer standard radio/CD to an all-singing (but it doesn't do dancing!) fancy head with CB/USB/SD card and upgraded cab speakers & tweeters plus high spec rear speakers in the habitation area and a huge sub-woofer under the driver's seat. The sub-w runs off the leisure battery but the head is off the engine batt with no cut-off or keys required. 
No flat battery probs though as I find the neighbours very considerately let me know by about 1 am if I've accidentally left it on . . . 
:wink:


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## Jumbocruiser (Aug 22, 2010)

Every time I take another panel off our Ducato dash I find another box of tricks or birds nest of wiring for one gadget or another (some of which are long gone).

Some of these modifications appear to have been done to a fairly questionable standard so I am working my way through them to tidy things up, but I think I will keep the following in one guise or another...

This weekend I found a small plastic box containing a modified timer PCB from Maplin. It is also connected to a momentary push button hidden in the glove box.

Pushing this button provides power to the headunit for about an hour (without the key in the ignition).

Maybe someone else can elaborate how this could be safely added to your wiring.


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

If you're really concerned about it then have the radio wired to your leisure batteries.
I've had that done along with one of the cigar sockets as well for my cokecan inverter to recharge stuff with no flat vehicle battery worries.

Pete


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

rogerblack said:


> Hi, DickI had the same thing when I upgraded from the Boxer standard radio/CD to an all-singing (but it doesn't do dancing!) fancy head with CB/USB/SD card and upgraded cab speakers & tweeters plus high spec rear speakers in the habitation area and a huge sub-woofer under the driver's seat. The sub-w runs off the leisure battery but the head is off the engine batt with no cut-off or keys required.
> No flat battery probs though as I find the neighbours very considerately let me know by about 1 am if I've accidentally left it on . . .
> :wink:


Wiring to leisure battery would seem an excellent idea Roger/Peejay. As an electrical naïve would I need to run a zero volts as well as plus volts, or could I use plus volts from leisure battery and rely on chassis earthing to vehicle battery?

Dick


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## rogerblack (May 1, 2005)

Glandwr said:


> Wiring to leisure battery would seem an excellent idea Roger/Peejay. As an electrical naïve would I need to run a zero volts as well as plus volts, or could I use plus volts from leisure battery and rely on chassis earthing to vehicle battery?
> Dick


I should preface my response by saying that I paid the professionals a fair chunk of dosh to do the installation for me, rather than doing it myself.

One of the reasons for powering the sub-woofer from the leisure battery, apart from its fair drain, was that it was being installed behind the driver's seat and the leisure battery is under the driver's seat, hence it was an easier wiring job and so they have used twin core and connected to the negative and positive terminals (with appropriate inline fuse fitted).

How naïve (electrically!) actually are you, Dick? Do you have a multi-meter or other continuity meter? If so, you could fairly easily check whether the leisure battery -ve terminal is earthed to the chassis, in common with the engine battery. (Mine certainly is).


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