New Guy with a Question about Adapter/Charger

[cosmo123]

Hi, bear with me regarding the terms....I am new at this. I have a TomTom GPS, duh. It is my first GPS device. I use that little "adapter" or "charger" that plugs into the hole in my dashboard just above the cigarette lighter and the other end plugs into the TomTom.

When I plug in the adapter/charger, a tiny green light comes on. The light stays on whether the vehicle is running or not, whether the TomTom is on or off and also whether the TomTom is plugged into it or not.

Is this normal? Will it drain my car battery? Should I pull the adapter/charger out of the hole every night?

Thanks.

 

[go930user]

This simply means that your 12V outlet (the hole in the dash) is powered all the time (or sometimes for a period after the engine is stopped and the key removed - you may have a keyless start/stop vehicle and I'm not very familiar with those - I might be different to this). If the TomTom is not attached then the power drain will be minimal as the circuitry in the plug is only using quiescent current levels and these are very small. It will shorten the battery full charge duration slightly, but if your car use is daily then it isn't likely to be a concern. If the Tom Tom is attached then it will continue to charge and the battery drain will be higher, but not alarmingly so. Your car will be using battery power when stationary with engine off as it needs to be able to recognise commands from the key remote. The only way of stopping this is to disconnect the battery and this can have some unwanted and alarming results, not something I would recommend for a later model vehicle.

I'd be more concerned about the potential for car damage if the plug is left attached overnight. It's an indication that there is something "portable" in the car that might be valuable and could attract the attention of the less than honest fraternity.

If the car is garaged in a secure area then It would not be a concern.

Cheers

Go930user

 

[canderson]

If this is of concern, try the plug of the cig lighter itself. Various vehicles come with

a) all constantly powered outlets (aka "unswitched")
b) outlets that aren't powered unless you have the key in ON or Accessory (aka "switched")
c) outlets that are a mix of a and b

So try the other socket and see what happens. The adapter does take a very small amount of current even when the unit has been fully charged, and would take a very long time to run down a battery.