Usb Stick Drains Battery?

[mikestodds]

Hi all,

Ive had a Titanium for a few weeks now and have been using a USB stick for MP3 files.

I leave it plugged in all day long but after leaving the car for 5 days I came back and found battery completely dead.

The only reason must be the USB stick.

Is there a way to stop the stick draining the battery?

Do you guys usually take the stick out overnight or leave it plugged in?

I think Ill probably just go for a Y Cable with my iPhone but again can I leave this plugged in (without the iphone) all the time or will this kill the battery?

Seems odd that the car doesnt have a cut off feature for all electrical stuff if car has been left for a day or two.

[Solaris]

I'm pretty sure the usb port constantly draws power regardless of whether the engine is on or not. When i plug my phone in with the engine off it goes to charging status so I'd assume it's not a good idea to leave a usb stick in there when not in use.

[igglepiggle]

Hi all,

Ive had a Titanium for a few weeks now and have been using a USB stick for MP3 files.

I leave it plugged in all day long but after leaving the car for 5 days I came back and found battery completely dead.

The only reason must be the USB stick.

Is there a way to stop the stick draining the battery?

Do you guys usually take the stick out overnight or leave it plugged in?

I think Ill probably just go for a Y Cable with my iphone but again can I leave this plugged in (without the iphone) all the time or will this kill the battery?

Seems odd that the car doesnt have a cut off feature for all electrical stuff if car has been left for a day or two.

I never unplug mine, never had a problem, recently left car for 3 weeks whilst on holiday and battery was fine.

My USB stick has a light which comes on as soon as you press the door open button on the remote, when I lock the car via the remote the USB light goes off at the same time as the radio and dashboard lights timing out (usually a couple of minutes)

[jay1981]

I've left a USB stick plugged in for months, with no problems. My USB stick has light on it, and this seems to be on every time I open the centre console (where the USB socket is on a focus) even with the ignition switched off.

My guess is, after a while of the car being locked the display in the instrument cluster switches off, this also turns off the USB as well because I've never had a flat battery, even after a couple of days being parked up.

I would think that the battery drain would elsewhere, but the fiesta might have a different USB system to the focus.

[ozzrahog]

Mine is 3 weeks old now and the usb in left plugged in, no probs with the battery so far. The again I have done 1200 miles in those 3 weeks so the battery is getting plenty recharging lol

[aguycalledmal]

May be the radio draining the battery

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15418&st=0&p=97457&hl=battery&fromsearch=1entry97457

[coysht]

I always leave a usb flashdrive plugged in and regularly dont use the car for 5 or 6 days - never had a problem with the battery. As mentioned above, the usb appears to be turned off a few mins after the car is locked and even if it wasnt the drain from a memory stick is tiny.

[Hen Pecked]

The worst offending USB memory sticks draw around 60 mA when operating, so assuming that you have a fully charged battery and the stick is sucking out current at it's max rate, it would take about 14 days to lower your battery to half power status.

All depends whether or not the stick is drawing current. If it is, the light would be on.

[Stephen Leak]

May be the radio draining the battery

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15418&st=0&p=97457&hl=battery&fromsearch=1entry97457

I remember hearing something like this. IIRC, they were set to scan for and record traffic information updates, even when apparently switched off. Of course, they were, to all intents and purposes, still switched on, just not making a noise.