Just had a stereo installed......

[afousek]

Works great, sounds good, but have a question......

I added a marine battery to power my accessories (radio, lights, etc.). However, the guys that installed for me said they could not run the radio through my key switch since that went to my other batteries? Is that right?
Basically, I was wanting the radio to only come on if the key switch was turned on.

Also, on the radio, they have the "memory" wire from the radio going straight to the marine battery. Even when the radio is off, the time still shows on the radio's display. The only way I can turn this off (as of now), is to remove the faceplate from the radio. If I left it on, how quickly would it run that battery down?

Bottom line.......I have a marine battery for the radio, so what is my best option fo rmaking sure it does not stay "on" all the time? Is there anyway to run it through the key switch, or would I have to install another "toggle" switch on the dash?

Thanks in advance.

I'll try to add pics later......it turned out nice.

[FJCRUZR]

You can use a key switch with 4 terminal, 2 for the motor On/Off and 2 for lights and you use the light terminal to power the radio On and Off...
Assuming you don't already have light hooked up to that switch!

Just my $0.02

[FireAtWill]

Originally Posted by FJCRUZR

You can use a key switch with 4 terminal, 2 for the motor On/Off and 2 for lights and you use the light terminal to power the radio On and Off...
Assuming you don't already have light hooked up to that switch!

Just my $0.02

But If you do have lights you will have to keep them on to run the radio. My stereo is directly hooked up to my batteries. Just remember to turn the radio off.

[jauguston]

See if you can find a small relay that has a 36v DC actuator coil. Trigger the relay with your ignition switch and run the accessory power through the relay contacts.

If you can't find a 36v relay you can use a 12v automotive one with a resistor in the line to the relay coil to drop the voltage. It will take someone that has some electrical knowledge to figure out the resistor value but it can work fine.

Jim

[FJCRUZR]

Originally Posted by jauguston

See if you can find a small relay that has a 36v DC actuator coil. Trigger the relay with your ignition switch and run the accesory power through the relay contacts.

If you can't find a 36v relay you can use a 12v automotive one with a resistor in the line to the relay coil to drop the voltage. It will take someone that has some electrical knowledge to figure out the resistor value but it can work fine.

Jim

I belive Gaston could help ya with that!

[SP-Electronics]

The problem with running your "memory" wire through a switch or anything is, you will have the wrong TIME displayed on the screen every single time you go to use the cart and turn on the radio, and you will not have any presets for radio stations, etc.. If you don't care about all that, then just wire both red and yellow wires together through the switch, so it ONLY powers up when you want it to.

Your best bet is to go back to whoever installed it (oh wait, no, don't do that because they obviously don't know what they're doing), and have them wire a relay to the factory ignition switch to turn on the radio only when the ign switch it turned on. The ignition switch will only be used to "close" the contacts on the relay, which then passes voltage from the marine battery to the radio, turning it on as needed. It's a simple procedure, and ANY competent audio installer should be able to accomplish the task properly.

If you can't get anyone to do it, and want to try it yourself, let me know, and I'll send you a diagram for wiring the relay, or you can go to installdr.com and get info there.

Here's a link to a basic relay wiring chart on that site - http://www.installdr.com/TechDocs/999404.pdf

[afousek]

If I run the main power thru a switch and leave the memory on the battery (to keep time and presets), would the memory wire pull much on the battery? I'm assuming it would take a LONG time before it would zap a battery just for that.

For those with marine batteries, do you drain them down all the way before recharging? Do you know of any cheap, portable battery meters that I could use for my marine battery?

[SP-Electronics]

It shouldn't draw that much power just to maintain memory. It's the same as in every aftermarket radio installed in any car/truck everywhere, they don't go dead overnight or anything, but since your cart does not have a charging system while running (no alternator, etc.), you will want to be sure to keep the battery charged on a fairly regular basis. Considering you'll be running the stereo while driving around, it will draw power while doing so, and over time it will run it down. If you have amplifiers, etc., it will drain it faster. A basic head unit with 2 speakers and no amp will probably run for quite some time before you'll need to charge the battery. Could be all day, could be several days, or even weeks depending on how much you use it. You probably could run the radio for HOURS without putting any significant drain on the battery, but you'd be wise to get a small 12v charger that can be wired to the battery permanently, and every time you park the cart after using it, plug it in and let it maintain the charge on that battery. Basically every time you plug in your cart charger, plug in the 12v charger as well, and keep things topped off.

Even with deep cycle batteries it's not a great idea to run them all the way down before charging. They are a little sturdier, and will tolerate that condition better than a standard car battery, but it's still not a great idea. It's also not great for your equipment (car stereo) to let the battery voltage get too low too often. If you run it so low that the radio starts shutting itself off, or cutting in and out, you have let it drain too much. :)

[afousek]

Originally Posted by SP-Electronics

It shouldn't draw that much power just to maintain memory. It's the same as in every aftermarket radio installed in any car/truck everywhere, they don't go dead overnight or anything, but since your cart does not have a charging system while running (no alternator, etc.), you will want to be sure to keep the battery charged on a fairly regular basis. Considering you'll be running the stereo while driving around, it will draw power while doing so, and over time it will run it down. If you have amplifiers, etc., it will drain it faster. A basic head unit with 2 speakers and no amp will probably run for quite some time before you'll need to charge the battery. Could be all day, could be several days, or even weeks depending on how much you use it. You probably could run the radio for HOURS without putting any significant drain on the battery, but you'd be wise to get a small 12v charger that can be wired to the battery permanently, and every time you park the cart after using it, plug it in and let it maintain the charge on that battery. Basically every time you plug in your cart charger, plug in the 12v charger as well, and keep things topped off.

Even with deep cycle batteries it's not a great idea to run them all the way down before charging. They are a little sturdier, and will tolerate that condition better than a standard car battery, but it's still not a great idea. It's also not great for your equipment (car stereo) to let the battery voltage get too low too often. If you run it so low that the radio starts shutting itself off, or cutting in and out, you have let it drain too much. :)

Thanks for the response. This is where I get confused. I continually hear different things from people about how and when to charge batteries. The guy that installed my radio said that I should let the marine battery drain all the way down before I recharge it. He said that if I didn't let it drain all the way that it would limit the effectiveness of the battery.

However, I tend to agree with you. To me, it seems like it'd be best for the battery to continually stay close to a full charge.

I've also heard the same for my regular Trojan cart batteries. Is there a sure proven method? Charge batteries after every use or wait until they are completely drained?