POWERING OFF DETECTOR ?

**JUS2MCH** · 08-20-2007, 12:23 PM

I find myself pulling the plug on my detector a lot, because I switch from car to car frequently during the day. Sometimes I don't turn it off with the power button first. I would like to get some opinions on this. Does anyone think not powering down properly might cause some adverse effects to the detector, or is it just a stupid thing to worry about?

**jdong** · 08-20-2007, 12:47 PM

No, I honestly don't think radar detectors care about their power down method.

**ELVATO** · 08-20-2007, 12:49 PM

Hmm, I see you have an STI, which has a button, right? Personally, I see nothing wrong with it. On the X50, it can't be any worse to unplug it, than the use the wheel, which sometimes slips and it turns back on. Basically, you're doing the same thing, cutting the power/opening the loop.

**CJR238** · 08-20-2007, 01:13 PM

Most sensitive electrical devices should be powered down before unplugging to decrease the chances of damage/shock to the components. Think of it this way, when you are handling electronic boards you should be grounded to prevent static shock to the components.

I have fried USB systems by just unplugging with out powering them down. Obviously that’s more sensitive than a RD but something to think about.

**xrs9430** · 08-20-2007, 01:16 PM

better to be safe than sorry :wink:

**stray444** · 08-20-2007, 01:57 PM

I've never heard of a detector being damaged because of cutting the power supply without powering down....

by the way do any detectors have an actual powering down sequence?//?

**Paperlantern** · 08-20-2007, 02:06 PM

I dont think many, if any do to be honest. Mine flashes (Low Volt) when i turn the key off to my car. Half the time I leave it up, half the time i take it down, and usually when i take it down I am turning it off before i turn the car off, then unplug the power cord, and put it in a case.

But no I dont think it will hurt anything. I ran a Uniden for 5 years straight, and almost NEVER took it out of the car, it would start up when the ignition switch went on, and turn of when the key was turned off, never broke. Still worked the day it was stolen. I think youre fine.

**Orbital75** · 08-20-2007, 02:28 PM

From what I understand the powering down Method doesn't matter.
know for the Power up cycle it does. If you have your Detector in the
on position where it will turn on with the car, the detector is getting two
sudden jolts of electricity and this can cause issues.

**HighVoltage** · 08-20-2007, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by CJR238

Most sensitive electrical devices should be powered down before unplugging to decrease the chances of damage/shock to the components. Think of it this way, when you are handling electronic boards you should be grounded to prevent static shock to the components.

Unplugging should not be an issue however plugging it back in can sometimes be an issue. It depends on the design.

I dont understand how static shock is an element in this discussion. It is a concern when handling sensitive electrical components but it has nothing to do with powering them up or off.

Originally Posted by CJR238

I have fried USB systems by just unplugging with out powering them down.

What "systems" for example? Its common to corrupt data on a R/W device during a write operation but I have never come across a USB peripheral that "fried" because of unplugging it. If this is occurring it is a rare case of non-compliance. http://www.usb.org/developers/compliance/

I have come across one example of a USB host failing during an unplug of its peripherals but this should not have happened and I suspect it was an error in the power supply circuit of the host.

Originally Posted by CJR238

Obviously that’s more sensitive than a RD but something to think about.

I dont believe either is any more "sensitive" than the other. They both classify as consumer electronics. You may be right with respect to the robustness of the power regulation but beyond that I dont suspect there is any difference. They should both be handled in the same manner.

**speederX50** · 08-20-2007, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by Orbital75

From what I understand the powering down Method doesn't matter.
know for the Power up cycle it does. If you have your Detector in the
on position where it will turn on with the car, the detector is getting two
sudden jolts of electricity and this can cause issues.

Really? Isnt this the same problem you would be facing if you hardwired it? When the key hit the acc position it turns on for a split sec and the comes on again when the car is running. I have mine on and it turns on with the car and it seems to work perfectly. Can anyone else back up that this is bad?