"Battery Brain" - no more drained battery!
Discussion
Guys,
My Chimaera is often not used for 2 weeks at the time (I live in London and mainly use the Vespa to commute and run around, plus the mrs also has a “sensible car” (not sure if you can call a Nissan Figaro a “sensible car) that we use if needed. I have a garage for the TVR but no electricity in it to plug in a trickle charger…
You know the story: TVR + no regularly used = battery drained and usually it means using the “battery booster” to jump start the car (either connecting it the Leven “jump start” cables (I had them hardwired in my previous Chimaera) or no disappearing down the passenger footwall …).
But not anymore: I have had the BB “Gold”
http://www.batterybrain.co.uk/productspage.php
installed for several months now and have not yet had a single time when I have not been able to open the doors & start the car….
So basically, I lock the car with the alarm on, as usual…. When the battery gets drained “Battery Brain” kicks in and isolates the battery…. So far the alarm has not even kicked in when BB isolates the battery (maybe the guys that have installed it have connected it in a clever way allowing the alarm to get powered (Not sure, had it installed at the TVR Center).
When I want to use the car, I press the alarm remote, if the door open, it mean that “BB” has not isolated the battery. So I jump in the car and start it. If when I press the alarm remote, the doors do not open, I know that BB has isolated the battery, so what I do is:
1) Press on the BB’s remote, which reconnects the battery
2) Open the door with the remote
3) Get in the car and start it….
BB also allows you to isolate the battery as soon as you get out off the car (should you decide to do so):
1) You close the doors and lock the car
2) Your press to BB’s remote to isolate the battery
BB is small enough to be installed on the top of the battery…. Should something fail (or should the batteries of the remote control empty), there is also a way of “overriding” BB (button on the top of it).
Cheer, Frenchie
My Chimaera is often not used for 2 weeks at the time (I live in London and mainly use the Vespa to commute and run around, plus the mrs also has a “sensible car” (not sure if you can call a Nissan Figaro a “sensible car) that we use if needed. I have a garage for the TVR but no electricity in it to plug in a trickle charger…
You know the story: TVR + no regularly used = battery drained and usually it means using the “battery booster” to jump start the car (either connecting it the Leven “jump start” cables (I had them hardwired in my previous Chimaera) or no disappearing down the passenger footwall …).
But not anymore: I have had the BB “Gold”
http://www.batterybrain.co.uk/productspage.php
installed for several months now and have not yet had a single time when I have not been able to open the doors & start the car….
So basically, I lock the car with the alarm on, as usual…. When the battery gets drained “Battery Brain” kicks in and isolates the battery…. So far the alarm has not even kicked in when BB isolates the battery (maybe the guys that have installed it have connected it in a clever way allowing the alarm to get powered (Not sure, had it installed at the TVR Center).
When I want to use the car, I press the alarm remote, if the door open, it mean that “BB” has not isolated the battery. So I jump in the car and start it. If when I press the alarm remote, the doors do not open, I know that BB has isolated the battery, so what I do is:
1) Press on the BB’s remote, which reconnects the battery
2) Open the door with the remote
3) Get in the car and start it….
BB also allows you to isolate the battery as soon as you get out off the car (should you decide to do so):
1) You close the doors and lock the car
2) Your press to BB’s remote to isolate the battery
BB is small enough to be installed on the top of the battery…. Should something fail (or should the batteries of the remote control empty), there is also a way of “overriding” BB (button on the top of it).
Cheer, Frenchie
I may be wrong. But, my understanding of the battery drain problem is:
The main source of battery drain is the alarm system.
To eliminate the drain you would have to completely disconnect the battery.
By disconnecting the battery you would power down the alarm system. If that happens (with my car fitted with the Meta alarm) then the backup battery in the siren starts the siren screaming.
If when the BB kicks in and isolates the alarm (assuming Meta system) why doesn’t your backup battery set the siren off?
As a note:
When I got first my car, it did not trigger the siren when the battery was disconnected and I discovered that the siren was defective.
I would be interested to see what they have done, circuit wise, to prevent the battery drain whilst the alarm is still active.
Finally, if the ‘BB’ isolates the alarm system how does the insurance co. view the idea not having the car protected by the alarm when parked up?
Sorry if that sounds a bit negative. But, I am curious as to how it works.
The main source of battery drain is the alarm system.
To eliminate the drain you would have to completely disconnect the battery.
By disconnecting the battery you would power down the alarm system. If that happens (with my car fitted with the Meta alarm) then the backup battery in the siren starts the siren screaming.
If when the BB kicks in and isolates the alarm (assuming Meta system) why doesn’t your backup battery set the siren off?
As a note:
When I got first my car, it did not trigger the siren when the battery was disconnected and I discovered that the siren was defective.
I would be interested to see what they have done, circuit wise, to prevent the battery drain whilst the alarm is still active.
Finally, if the ‘BB’ isolates the alarm system how does the insurance co. view the idea not having the car protected by the alarm when parked up?
Sorry if that sounds a bit negative. But, I am curious as to how it works.
brogenville said:
What about insurance? Not sure your insurance company would be too impressed if they found out you fitted a device to the car which will disable your theft detterant alarm.
That is the issue, Insurance always requires the car to be secure and in most cases the imobiliser Thatcham rating has to be declared. Magic919 said:
Hang on a mo'. The immobiliser part doesn't require power to work if it's Thatcham approved, surely?
I doubt the insurers will see it that way. If a claim is made and the appointed engineer finds this device it will raise questions and that'll be all they need to reject the claim. At the very least the insurer needs to approve the installation. 
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