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Re: Looks like around 200-300mA drain Posted by Bill Homer [Email] (#3427) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Bill Homer) on Wed, 20 Apr 2005 16:31:38 In Reply to: Looks like around 200-300mA drain, Geza in CA, Wed, 20 Apr 2005 14:54:25 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
A 300 mA constant drain at 12 Volts is like keeping a 3.6 Watt (Power = Voltage x Current) light bulb going for the week you left it. Not a lot of current, but it is about ten times what the normal drain should be, assuming that you are measuring it properly - see next paragraph. Over time, this is enough to wear down the battery.
When you first measure the current after disconnecting the battery, you will be drawing more current than normal, as various circuits (their capacitors) need to charge up. When I do this test, I try to get my test probes connected to the battery and the battery cable, then carefully take the cable off of the battery, current now flowing throught the meter, never allowing a complete disconnect. Otherwise you have to wait a while for an accurate reading.
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