Becker radio may drain your battery | FerrariChat

Becker radio may drain your battery

Discussion in '348/355' started by m.stojanovic, Aug 7, 2020.

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  1. m.stojanovic

    m.stojanovic F1 Rookie
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    #1 m.stojanovic, Aug 7, 2020
    Before switching my battery isolator "ON", I decided to (as a routine check) see what the battery drain is with everything switched off. I was surprised to see a large parasitic draw of 0.85 Amps. My last previous check was a few years earlier and it was ~4 mA or 0.004 Amp, practically nothing.

    I spent a couple of hours checking things (pulling the relays and fuses out, in the luggage compartment first) but no change. Then, it came to my mind that, since the mentioned last current draw check, I had installed a Becker radio ("Ferrari", came out of a 355).

    Flipped the radio cover up and saw that the radio was powered-up (even though the ignition was off) and waiting for the code to be keyed in. Switched it off manually (via its on-off button) and, straight away, the parasitic current draw was gone. I then tried again a few times with the battery disconnect-reconnect and, despite the fact that I manually switched it off before disconnecting the battery, it would power-up and stay "on" after every battery reconnect. Looks like it does it by default and I couldn't find any info on whether this default can be changed through some radio settings.

    So, with the radio cover mostly closed (as we prefer to hear the engine sound), you cannot see that the radio was powered-up after the battery reconnect and, if after a drive you don't disconnect the battery again but just park the car, you may have a large battery drain by the radio (if you have Becker) - at the mentioned 0.85 Amps, the battery will be dead in just 2-3 days.
     
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  2. Ferrarium

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    #2 Ferrarium, Aug 7, 2020
    And the radio is not wired to constant power? It is wired to key ignition power for radio power only when key is on?
     
  3. Koenig1

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    #3 Koenig1, Aug 7, 2020
    I'm going to assume there is both a 'switched' power(ignition) and a 'constant' power for memory of stations/sound settings? Any chance those 2 wire feeds are interchanged?
     
  4. Qavion

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    #4 Qavion, Aug 7, 2020
    How many connectors does the radio have? The F355 wiring diagrams don't show the CD stacker, just a 7-pin "presetting for radio receiver" connector. I'm not sure if "presetting" is Italian for "provisional" (wiring).

    Anyway, the "presetting for radio receiver" connector is wired straight to the battery via fuse 4 in the luggage compartment. There are no inputs from the ignition key shown, so I guess it's up to the installer what additional wires go where. The display on my car is certainly not active with the ignition off.

    I can't say I've used my radio since I bought the car. I don't know if the stations are erased if the battery is disconnected (long or short term).
     
  5. junglistluder

    junglistluder F1 Rookie
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    #5 junglistluder, Aug 7, 2020
    If the radio is on with they key off, then it's wired wrong.
    You have the "remote" wire connected to constant power instead of switched power.
     
  6. Ferrarium

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    #6 Ferrarium, Aug 7, 2020
    There is always parasitic drain for memory functions etc but that is different than radio actually on with key off, unless that specific radio does not have a remote power.
     
  7. Qavion

    Qavion F1 World Champ
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    #7 Qavion, Aug 7, 2020
    Does the Becker have the same plugs as the previous radio? Was there any rewiring involved at all or was it a simple swap.

    I think we are trying to teach granny to suck eggs here. It's not like Miro to hook up the wrong wires.
     
  8. Ferrarium

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    #8 Ferrarium, Aug 7, 2020
    exactly right, that would be very odd
     
  9. m.stojanovic

    m.stojanovic F1 Rookie
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    #9 m.stojanovic, Aug 7, 2020
    The radio, as most do, has a permanent supply and ign. switched supply and is wired correctly. I bought a new Becker connector/pigtail (the radio came without any), found a pinout for it and first bench tested the connections/operation. The radio is "Ferrari" Becker Online Pro BE6105.

    After studying the Operation Manual I just found for it, I discovered that this radio can be switched on via its "ON" button even when the ignition is completely off and it is also controlled "on-off" by the ignition (ACC) in the usual manner. So, it appears that, because of its feature for manual switching "on" without the ignition in ACC, it is automatically powered-up on battery reconnection and waits for the code. However, according to (not so clear) info in the manual, it seems that it will stay so powered-up for 1 hour and then go off which is not too bad for the battery drain.

    I will experiment more with the radio today - verify whether it really goes off after 1 hour from battery reconnection and see if there is any way (setting) to make the radio not come on automatically when the battery is reconnected.
     
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  10. m.stojanovic

    m.stojanovic F1 Rookie
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    #10 m.stojanovic, Aug 8, 2020
    Tested the radio "behaviour" today. I thought that perhaps how the radio was last switched off, by the "ON" (and off) button or by the ignition key, prior to battery disconnect may change what happens when the battery is reconnected. No difference, the radio gets powered-up (and draws 0.85 Amps) on battery reconnect in both cases.

    Didn't have time today to do the "1 hour test". Will do tomorrow and report.
     
  11. Koenig1

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    #11 Koenig1, Aug 8, 2020
    Thanks for that info, Miro. Hadn't heard of that arrangement before. Now you've got me thinking how great that could be! ... as long as it turns off in 1 hour, LOL! Enjoy it!
     
  12. m.stojanovic

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    #12 m.stojanovic, Aug 9, 2020
    Final findings on Becker radio:

    After battery reconnect, it stays on (0.85 Amp battery drain) for just about 5 min. so not a big deal. The only time when you need to keep this in mind is if you (like me 2 days ago) intend to check the battery parasitic drain - manually switch the radio off after insertion of an ammeter. I did the drain check by bridging the battery isolation switch with an ammeter which caused the radio to be powered-up and gave me the worrying battery drain reading (the radio cover was down so I could not see it).

    The "1 hour" I saw in the Becker operation manual appears to apply in the case when the ignition is completely off and you switch the radio on via its "ON" button. Good feature, you can listen to the radio when you "park" without having to keep the key in the ignition.
     
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  13. Carmellini

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    #13 Carmellini, Aug 9, 2020
    Great follow up. Certainly good to know
     
  14. taz355

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    #14 taz355, Aug 12, 2020
    My factory 99 radio also worked that way you describe. Car could be off but radio stayed on. Had to shut off manually. I did kill the battery one time because of it.
    I started to just shutoff battery disconnect after that
     
  15. Gizzi

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    #15 Gizzi, Aug 13, 2020
    We had this same issue a couple of months back with a customer's 355. The drain was caused by the unit, and would not go to 'sleep' as it should. The customer never used the radio, but I suggested we just remove the battery positive supply to the unit and replace it with an ign. switched source, that way they could still use the unit, albeit with having to re-tune the station they wish to listen to.
     
  16. AutoFanaticF355

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    #16 AutoFanaticF355, Aug 13, 2020
    My car also had an issue since new with the shop who installed the aftermarket stereo, UNGO alarm and K40. when sifting through the paperwork i kept seeing the same complaints. When my car got to me last week i went to connect my battery tender and was wondering why it was not fully charging, i then discovered all the aftermarket gear, ripped it all out and put back to stock and my battery is fine now after 18 hours of my labor. it depends how you connected the radio and these cars when new always had issues with aftermarket electronics i used to be an installer back in the days. All it takes is one component in the car to be causing a drain to drive you nuts, best advice eliminate all of it today.
     
  17. Mirek

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    #17 Mirek, Feb 2, 2022
    Bumping this thread because Yes, I can confirm that if your Becker radio shows “Wait” it will slowly draw on your battery even if the car is not running and the alarm is activated.

    I literally just charged my AGM battery full to full 3 days ago, removed the radio 2 day ago and screwed up the code. So I went out to my car and started it only to see the big red battery light for the first time this morning. I should note that I also have a new alternator so it is not that or anything.

    The stereo owners manual does not mention this happens but does it does state that the car must have the ignition switched ON for 60 minutes so that you can try the code again — so I put it on a charger and am doing just that.
     
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