maximusnt Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I have a Whelen horn in the truck as of today, and it draws a constant 45ma from the battery. I can't have ignition switched as it has to be on all the time for the alarm, and makes a rough sound when it first gets power. How long with the 45ma it consumes in idle take to kill my battery, and is this a moot point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I have a Whelen horn in the truck as of today, and it draws a constant 45ma from the battery. I can't have ignition switched as it has to be on all the time for the alarm, and makes a rough sound when it first gets power. How long with the 45ma it consumes in idle take to kill my battery, and is this a moot point? How long do you intend on depressing the horn for? Did you answer your own question yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 Maximus... you joined the board!! Welcome!! And you didnt call it a car in this thread! Very good, youre learning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximusnt Posted July 28, 2005 Author Share Posted July 28, 2005 Actually vsicks, the horn has an idle draw. As in, when nothing is being done with it, it still consumes some power. Much like the SECU and ECU. When the truck is turned off, they're still on. So, my question stands. Apparently from what I understand, with an Optima yellow top, it will take around 900 hours. Thanks for your help though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 That was one of my questions... What is the cold cranking amps of your battery. How old is it ? Summer and winter will be different. Whats the recharge rate of your system ? Last question, 45ma per what, an hour ? Once you know that unit, then wouldn't it be simple devision after subtracting 150-200 amps to crank the motor ? My guess off hand having had cars with constant draw before, with a good battery 3-4 days you shouldn't even notice. 1 week the car should still crank although maybe slower. Any more than that... Sorry but I'm not an EE, just going off of similiar experiences. How often do you drive it ? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Actually vsicks, the horn has an idle draw. As in, when nothing is being done with it, it still consumes some power. Much like the SECU and ECU. When the truck is turned off, they're still on. So, my question stands. Apparently from what I understand, with an Optima yellow top, it will take around 900 hours. Thanks for your help though! OK in that case, throw the bloody thing out. If I had something like that, I would first of all call it a vampire, and secondley have it wired in by an auto elec so it would only get power if and when it was required. Your battery life will suffer if it was being drained like that 24/7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Maximus... you joined the board!! Welcome!!And you didnt call it a car in this thread! Very good, youre learning! Do you need a truck licence to drive a truck where your from Pezzy? We need them here, and I in fact have one. I don't need it to drive my Pathfinder though a car licence suffices for that. Also, every truck I have seen EVER has had a full box chasis. Much like the car I drive, you know, an 87 Pathfinder. :X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Maximusnt. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Maximusnt. Welcome to Vsicks Pathy ! And the board of course... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Welcome Maximusnt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Maximus... you joined the board!! Welcome!!And you didnt call it a car in this thread! Very good, youre learning! Do you need a truck licence to drive a truck where your from Pezzy? We need them here, and I in fact have one. I don't need it to drive my Pathfinder though a car licence suffices for that. Also, every truck I have seen EVER has had a full box chasis. Much like the car I drive, you know, an 87 Pathfinder. :X Dont you worry Vsicks, I take it as my duty to pick on my friend Maximus... I call it a truck, and no arguement of yours will make me change that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Also, every truck I have seen EVER has had a full box chasis. Much like the car I drive, you know, an 87 Pathfinder. :X So do the R50s...except the R50s body is welded to the box chassis as opposed to bolted to it like the WD21. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Also, every truck I have seen EVER has had a full box chasis. Much like the car I drive, you know, an 87 Pathfinder. :X So do the R50s...except the R50s body is welded to the box chassis as opposed to bolted to it like the WD21. Your joking right? Are you trying to tell me that your monocoque is a box chasis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Back to the original question (my, but what a digressive bunch are we, ehh?). 45 mA is very little draw - it's 0.045 amp. Not much more than a couple digital clocks or alarm LED's. Your battery should list "reserve capacity" on it somewhere - and it should be listed in "Amp Hrs". Take that reserve capacity, divide it by 0.045, and it will tell you how long the battery can power that load. Say the battery says 30 Amp Hour reserve capacity. 30/0.045 = 667 hours, or just under a month. But in reality, you do NOT want to draw a car battery below 1/2 charge, so your real time is about 2 weeks. That is all assuming: - the battery is fully charged - the battery is in like new condition BTW, Optima's do not have nearly as much capacity as a regular wet acid battery - that is their main shortcoming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snosnk Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 (edited) Just a thought. You could stop the power draw by installing a relay that doesnt energize the horn circuit until the key is turned on. edit: Just read again, wont work for your alarm situation. Edited August 2, 2005 by snosnk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsicks Pathy Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Maximus... you joined the board!! Welcome!!And you didnt call it a car in this thread! Very good, youre learning! Do you need a truck licence to drive a truck where your from Pezzy? We need them here, and I in fact have one. I don't need it to drive my Pathfinder though a car licence suffices for that. Also, every truck I have seen EVER has had a full box chasis. Much like the car I drive, you know, an 87 Pathfinder. :X Dont you worry Vsicks, I take it as my duty to pick on my friend Maximus... I call it a truck, and no arguement of yours will make me change that. I didn't make it an issue and nor did I argue. You did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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