RR Classic: battery drain

Hello,

I have a RR 1992 Classic and just had a major service including new battery
installed. After adding a second amplifier to my stereo (all after-market
stuff since I pulled my Rover components) my battery drained overnight. Is
this is a known issue? Perhaps someone can send me a link to an FAQ?

Many thanks!

-Paul

In <[email protected]> test wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a RR 1992 Classic and just had a major service including new
> battery installed. After adding a second amplifier to my stereo (all
> after-market stuff since I pulled my Rover components) my battery
> drained overnight. Is this is a known issue? Perhaps someone can
> send me a link to an FAQ?

Have you tried disconnecting your second amplifier overnight ?

If your second amplifier is draining the battery overnight then you have
either wired it incorrectly or it is faulty or it is badly designed.

A 1992 RRC isn't exactly cutting edge when it comes to it's electrical
system...

cheers

Dave W.
http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/

"test" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I have a RR 1992 Classic and just had a major service including new
> battery
> installed. After adding a second amplifier to my stereo (all after-market
> stuff since I pulled my Rover components) my battery drained overnight.
> Is
> this is a known issue? Perhaps someone can send me a link to an FAQ?
>
> Many thanks!
>
> -Paul
>
>
If it's a Landrover, it leaks oil.
If it's got Lucas electrics, it leaks electricity.
Mine, on occasions and/or still does, prove both statements true.

PhilD

In article <[email protected]>, test
<[email protected]> writes
>Hello,
>
>I have a RR 1992 Classic and just had a major service including new battery
>installed. After adding a second amplifier to my stereo (all after-market
>stuff since I pulled my Rover components) my battery drained overnight. Is
>this is a known issue? Perhaps someone can send me a link to an FAQ?

The immediate suspect must be the change you've made. Is your new wiring
correct, and what is the current drain of your new amp.

In my experience, aftermarket car stereo equipment, especially power
amplifiers, can be VERY badly and cheaply designed internally, no matter
how much gold-plating there is on the phono connectors.

I bought a "100W MOS-FET" amplifier from a very well known High-St.
company some while ago, to use as a general-purpose battery-powered amp.
I couldn't make it work properly. A scope showed it was oscillating at
RF, in other words the design was faulty. Taking the lid off, I
discovered it wasn't a MOS-FET amp at all, but had a single MOS-FET in
the power supply. The actual amp was standard bipolar transistor, class
B.

I complained, and the company grudgingly admitted it was wrongly
described in the catalogue. This didn't stop them advertising it again
the following year in exactly the same way as before.

In your case, it's most likely that the amp is oscillating, or you have
made a wiring mistake. I'd expect the quiescent current (i.e. if it
wasn't faulty but you'd wired it permanently 'on') to drain the battery
too, but over a longer period - say a week or more if the battery was
healthy and fully charged to start with.

Incidentally, if it is oscillating, I'd expect it to be quite hot,
possibly blowing fuses, and possibly warming up the voice coils of the
speakers substantially. The audio would also be quite distorted and edgy
sounding, if it worked at all. Did you notice any of these happening?

Final thought: don't test things with loud rock music. It hides lots of
faults, and if it's very electronic, you can't tell how it was supposed
to sound anyway! Use normal male speech - a talking book would be a good
idea. Play the tape/CD elsewhere (in the house) to get a comparison.
When you know you're getting what you expect, then try music!

Regards,

Simonm.

--
simonm|at|muircom|dot|demon|.|c|oh|dot|u|kay
SIMON MUIR, UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY, BRISTOL www.ukip.org
EUROPEANS AGAINST THE EU www.members.aol.com/eurofaq
GT250A'76 R80/RT'86 110CSW TD'88 www.kc3ltd.co.uk/profile/eurofollie/

Thanks for the terrific feedback! What would be the "appropriate" or
optimal amplifier specifications and wiring that I should mention to my
technician and stereo tech? For the time being, I could unplug the second
amp but what confuses me is that I used the same brand (Directed Audio 250W)
for both amplifiers.

Keep your thoughts coming!

-Paul

"SpamTrapSeeSig" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, test
> <[email protected]> writes
> >Hello,
> >
> >I have a RR 1992 Classic and just had a major service including new
battery
> >installed. After adding a second amplifier to my stereo (all
after-market
> >stuff since I pulled my Rover components) my battery drained overnight.
Is
> >this is a known issue? Perhaps someone can send me a link to an FAQ?
>
> The immediate suspect must be the change you've made. Is your new wiring
> correct, and what is the current drain of your new amp.
>
> In my experience, aftermarket car stereo equipment, especially power
> amplifiers, can be VERY badly and cheaply designed internally, no matter
> how much gold-plating there is on the phono connectors.
>
> I bought a "100W MOS-FET" amplifier from a very well known High-St.
> company some while ago, to use as a general-purpose battery-powered amp.
> I couldn't make it work properly. A scope showed it was oscillating at
> RF, in other words the design was faulty. Taking the lid off, I
> discovered it wasn't a MOS-FET amp at all, but had a single MOS-FET in
> the power supply. The actual amp was standard bipolar transistor, class
> B.
>
> I complained, and the company grudgingly admitted it was wrongly
> described in the catalogue. This didn't stop them advertising it again
> the following year in exactly the same way as before.
>
> In your case, it's most likely that the amp is oscillating, or you have
> made a wiring mistake. I'd expect the quiescent current (i.e. if it
> wasn't faulty but you'd wired it permanently 'on') to drain the battery
> too, but over a longer period - say a week or more if the battery was
> healthy and fully charged to start with.
>
> Incidentally, if it is oscillating, I'd expect it to be quite hot,
> possibly blowing fuses, and possibly warming up the voice coils of the
> speakers substantially. The audio would also be quite distorted and edgy
> sounding, if it worked at all. Did you notice any of these happening?
>
> Final thought: don't test things with loud rock music. It hides lots of
> faults, and if it's very electronic, you can't tell how it was supposed
> to sound anyway! Use normal male speech - a talking book would be a good
> idea. Play the tape/CD elsewhere (in the house) to get a comparison.
> When you know you're getting what you expect, then try music!
>
> Regards,
>
> Simonm.
>
> --
> simonm|at|muircom|dot|demon|.|c|oh|dot|u|kay
> SIMON MUIR, UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY, BRISTOL www.ukip.org
> EUROPEANS AGAINST THE EU www.members.aol.com/eurofaq
> GT250A'76 R80/RT'86 110CSW TD'88 www.kc3ltd.co.uk/profile/eurofollie/

Are you sure that the second amp has been wired into the remote power
connection from the head unit and not a permanent live feed?

Steve

"Paul" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thanks for the terrific feedback! What would be the "appropriate" or
> optimal amplifier specifications and wiring that I should mention to my
> technician and stereo tech? For the time being, I could unplug the second
> amp but what confuses me is that I used the same brand (Directed Audio
250W)
> for both amplifiers.
>
> Keep your thoughts coming!
>
> -Paul

I've had all sorts of problems with battery leakage on a County 110 1986
which I've had from new. A simple ammeter used on the battery will help
you identify what is causing the leakage. In my case it turned out to
be a chattering relay which chattered or muttered away to itself 24
hours a day.

Replaced it and my leakage stopped.

However, not before my garage had put in a new alternator, battery and
rewired the towing system.

In short I paid for their failure to test.

Now I do it myself.

CHRIS


In message <[email protected]>, test
<[email protected]> writes
>Hello,
>
>I have a RR 1992 Classic and just had a major service including new battery
>installed. After adding a second amplifier to my stereo (all after-market
>stuff since I pulled my Rover components) my battery drained overnight. Is
>this is a known issue? Perhaps someone can send me a link to an FAQ?
>
>Many thanks!
>
>-Paul

--
Chris Wilkinson - Dubna Systems
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