Auto-com power RT?

[Isettanut]

I have been using my auto com powered by the rear power outlet. It works o.k., turns off shortly after turning off the key. No ticking sounds at all. However, i would like to power off the tail light wire as I did on the 04RT. Since the tail lamp and brake lamp operate off the same green and blk. wire,will the Auto Com on the same feed cause problems?

Inquiring minds want to know. Leon

[johnlt]

That's where I power mine from and it seems to have worked fine for a couple years.

[Isettanut]

Since this is an '05RT with a different electrical system I would hesitate to hook it up this way without knowing for sure that it would not cause a problem. Thanks Leon

[John Bentall]

I had my system installed at the UK factory and they powered fom the rear accessory socket feed.

Why are you keen to change?

[EffBee]

I have been using my auto com powered by the rear power outlet. It works o.k., turns off shortly after turning off the key. No ticking sounds at all. However, i would like to power off the tail light wire as I did on the 04RT. Since the tail lamp and brake lamp operate off the same green and blk. wire,will the Auto Com on the same feed cause problems?

Inquiring minds want to know. Leon

Don't do it. Your '05RT has a CANbus electrical system and any "tapping of power" into the wires controlled by the master computer can cause your computer to malfunction.

 

Use Autocom Part #158 (aka #PS-A1) to power your Autocom straight off the bike's battery. Part 158 turns the power on when its internal relay is tripped. The trip wire for the relay should be connected to the positive lead to the accessory port. This accessory-port lead is not CANbus controlled.

[John Bentall]

I had my system installed at the UK factory and they powered fom the rear accessory socket feed.

I had better retract this statement. The install was done the supplying dealer - not the factory.

[George]

I had my system installed at the UK factory and they powered fom the rear accessory socket feed.

I had better retract this statement. The install was done the supplying dealer - not the factory.

 

Good choice John, THEY may be watching you, have a good ride today (SAT)

[JohnJC]

What's the advantage of using a relay? The Active 7 only draws 50mA, and if I remember correctly the power outlet is good for 5A. I wouldn't be surprised if the relay draws 20mA. Unless you're getting noise from the power outlet, which I'm not, then why not leave it tapped directly?

[Ken H.]

I've got to vote with the others, leave it where it is. What advantage would you get by moving it to the tail light circuit? An electrically more noisy circuit, plus (although I doubt it) the potential to set a CAN-BUS fault. It seems like just inviting trouble for no good reason.

[EffBee]

What's the advantage of using a relay? The Active 7 only draws 50mA, and if I remember correctly the power outlet is good for 5A. I wouldn't be surprised if the relay draws 20mA. Unless you're getting noise from the power outlet, which I'm not, then why not leave it tapped directly?

The cleanest power anywhere on a bike is direct from the battery. In this case, if the Autocom were tapped into both the positive and negative of the accessory socket, yet leaving the socket open, it would be susceptible to noise from whatever load variations were created by the items that do get plugged into the accessory socket.

 

Take Gerbing products, for example. The heat controller for a Gerbing is not a rheostat or potentiometer. It is a variable-width pulser. It turns off/on a couple of times per second, in varying durations, depending on whether you've got the controller set for low heat or high heat. This on/off cycling could possibly affect the Autocom if it is sharing the same power wires.

 

By powering the Autocom off the battery and only tapping the relay trip wire to the acc socket's positive lead, an accessory like a Gerbing would not affect the powering of the Autocom, nor would it possibly introduce noise into it, since the relay is only a switch and not a direct part of the power input system.

 

Now, if you never plug a variable-load item like Gerbing into the acc socket, then what you suggest might well work. But what I was concerned with was not load, but clean power. And for that, it's tought to beat battery-direct.

[Tom B]

Well put Fernando

 

Autocom-UK-Tom

[Isettanut]

Thanks for the input. I rewired my auto com today powered from the battery both pos. & neg. with a relay. The reason I would rather use tail lamp power rather than the rear power outlet is the wires to the outlet are really small and there is some risk of damage. the tail lamp can be tapped with a double spade connector. I do intend to power passenger gerbings from the rear socket. So can I use the tail lamp connector to fire the relay or should I hook to positive of the rear socket? Leon

[Ken H.]

So can I use the tail lamp connector to fire the relay or should I hook to positive of the rear socket?

You can try it if you want, you're not going to hurt anything, but don't be too surprised if you set a tail lamp fault.

[Tom B]

 

 

Autocom systems typically draw about 20mA while in standby, and this goes up to between 80-150mA with loud speech, maybe peaking at about 250mA with very loud music (the sort of very high level you may need with some earplugs).

 

If you bike power your transceiver through a Pro-series then this can go up to over 1 amp, with spikes when you transmit. This sort of power surge can cause disruption to some computer controlled systems such as ABS and CANbus etc which is why Autocom recommends you avoid them.

 

If you have a lamp failure or ABS circuit then it is really best to avoid these and consider alternative power pick up points.

 

Like Fernando said, the battery is ALWAYS the cleanest point for audio power and our part 158 allows you to pick up your Autocom power directly from the battery via the relay with a FIXED 20mA trigger that can go to any recommended switched ignition points, without risk of spikes or surges.

 

Our lads at the UK factory say use the green wire with red (or brown) pin stripe that goes to the rear aux power socket (1200RT there’s only two wires going to this socket and the others plain brown which is the earth , but don’t use this to earth your Autocom, go directly to the bike battery negative post.

 

Using part 158 for your power also provides you with a good power point for other accessories such as your GPS, Radar stereo etc, all from one convenient power point.

 

In any case always put the Autocom earth directly to the bikes battery earth for cleaner power and while you may be able to wire in other ways, we HAVE to be cautious and provide safe advice.

 

Autocom-UK-Tom

[Isettanut]

Thank's Tom I can see the wisdom in your explanation. As always the consumer needs imformation to take advantage of the products we purchase. Leon

[wadham]

What would the trigger be connected to.

[Ken H.]

If you really want to relay the power to an Autocom (which I'm still struggling with given it's low consumption) on a R1200xx series trigger it from the rear accessory outlet. The Autocom will activate when the key is turned on even before engine start. Nice for checking helmet conncetions, passanger ready, etc. And it will shut down when the accessory socket does xx seconds after engine shut down. (I forget what the interval is at the moment.)

[EffBee]

And it will shut down when the accessory socket does xx seconds after engine shut down. (I forget what the interval is at the moment.)

I can't speak for all the CANbus bikes, but on the R1200RT, I've timed it and it's exactly 60 seconds.

[wadham]

Thanks Ken