Planning a roadtrip with HD200

[inlvnv]

Not sure if anyone else already tried this; but since my Honda Odyssey has a built in DVD entertainment system with AC plug and RCA auxiliary port, I thought I'd give the HD-200 andWD Passport 2.5" external drive a try. Worked out nicely and am planning to fill up couple of external drives for our next roadtrip to keep my family entertained.

[hugenbdd]

Nice
We have an Odyssey also, where do you keep the HD-200? I don't have an AC plug in mine and the RCA auxiliary port is in the back. Are you going to keep the HD-200 in the little box by the port? If so how is the IR going to make it back there?

Dave

[inlvnv]

I was thinking of running the cables under the mats and putting the HD200 under or top of the retractable console in the middle of front row. This seems to be the most out of the way place. AC is live only with the ignition switch in the ON position or when engine is running, so I am thinking of using DC to AC converter box plugged into one of the (always) live DC (cigarette) plugs.

[hingepin]

Keep in mind that a converter will suck a battery dry in no time when the car is not running.

[paulbeers]

Any reason to not just do a DC to DC connection to the power adapter?

[inlvnv]

Not that I'll be watching anything for an extended amount of time with the engine shut off, but I just didn't like the idea of HD200 and external drive shutting off everytime I turn off the engine, like when fueling etc.

DC to DC sounds good and am searching for one. Any suggestions?

[dgeezer]

Keep in mind that a converter will suck a battery dry in no time when the car is not running.

This is true. I ran my battery dead with the inverter that runs my laptop by leaving it on overnight. However, short periods of time would be fine. I can go an hour or so at lunch just on battery power no problem.

If you do buy an inverter try to find one that doesn't have a fan. I have one from walmart that puts out a good amount of power but the fan on it is louder than my old shuttle pc.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by inlvnv

Not that I'll be watching anything for an extended amount of time with the engine shut off, but I just didn't like the idea of HD200 and external drive shutting off everytime I turn off the engine, like when fueling etc.

DC to DC sounds good and am searching for one. Any suggestions?

Just get a Universal DC car adapter. Any big box store or electronics store sells them. You just need to make sure it can output the amperage required. Check the adapter for the HD200 first to see what it requitres. I know it uses a 12 volt power supply, just not sure on the amperage. This will not drainn your battery like a power converter.

[Ceer123]

Must be a board full of Odyssey owners...

I put my 200 in the back driver side cargo bay and connected to the RCA jacks nearby. I also wanted a solution that would run all of the time because the 200 takes a while to boot up. First of all I had to run a wire to the fuse box since the power socket is switched. After that I used a 75 watt power inverter to power up the 200. Unfortunately when I started the car the inverter shut down which cause the 200 to reboot. Then I realized the power is 12 volts for the 200 anyway so I modified the power cord and plugged it into the car directly. This seems to work fine. So far the unit has not rebooted while starting.

As far as killing the battery it appears these things only pull about 24 watts of power (with a 250GB simpletech hard drive attached). So that should run for many hours (anyone know how to do that math?).

[inlvnv]

Thanks paulbeers, planning to order a DC converter on Amazon.

Originally Posted by Ceer123

Must be a board full of Odyssey owners...
As far as killing the battery it appears these things only pull about 24 watts of power (with a 250GB simpletech hard drive attached). So that should run for many hours (anyone know how to do that math?).

I used the formula on this site.

Per the kill-a-watt meter read out:

HD200 uses 6 watts when off and 8-9 watts when on.
HD200 with 2.5" WD 500GB Passport uses 8 watts when off and 10-11 watts when on.

I'm guessing my HD200/hard drive combo with 12V DC converter would have to be left on for a couple of days to kill the battery.

[cat6man]

Originally Posted by inlvnv

Thanks paulbeers, planning to order a DC converter on Amazon.


I used the formula on this site.

Per the kill-a-watt meter read out:

HD200 uses 6 watts when off and 8-9 watts when on.
HD200 with 2.5" WD 500GB Passport uses 8 watts when off and 10-11 watts when on.

I'm guessing my HD200/hard drive combo with 12V DC converter would have to be left on for a couple of days to kill the battery.

don't forget the inefficiency of the converter..........watts out is not the same as watts used

[jpappas]

Originally Posted by inlvnv

I used the formula on this site.

Per the kill-a-watt meter read out:

HD200 uses 6 watts when off and 8-9 watts when on.
HD200 with 2.5" WD 500GB Passport uses 8 watts when off and 10-11 watts when on.

I am planning an RV installation, so I am very sensitive to the power needs of the gear. The battery duration discussion is fairly involved, but in terms of the Odyssey, the car battery is not a "deep cycle" battery, so it not best suited for long duration, low amp draw application like this one. However, since the device is 12V, makes the calculations easier. On average, a car battery has a capacity of 100 Amp Hours (Car batteries are usually rated in Cold Crank Amps, not AHr, since they are not designed for deep-cycle use, rather, short, high-amp draws to start the engine).

Thus, a 12V, 12W device draws 1 amp (the 24W quoted earlier would be 2A, as W=V*A), an average car battery with no other load would last ~100 Hrs (~4 days). As there are usually other loads on the battery (keyless entry, radio Clock/memory, etc) so expect less than that. Following that, if it does use 24W, cut that number in half; double it in a 6W sleep mode.

I am glad that inlvnv measued it and posted the results, as the specs do not include the power draw of the HD200.

Thanks!
John