Turning Radar Detector on

[jbay]

I have a question to those that are more knowlegable than I.
I am running a Bel 955 and just leave the unit itself turned on and plugged into the cigarette lighter. The RD then turns itself on when I start the engine and off when I turn off the engine.
Is there any evidence that this is harmful to the RD ?

[kpatz]

The surge when starting the engine can cause harm to the RD.

Do you know if the lighter plug turns off when cranking the engine (when you turn the key to "start")? If it does, this is better than if it doesn't.

I have my V1 wired in to a home-built delayed-on circuit that powers it up 5 seconds after starting the car.

[GET 1T DONE]

Don't worry about it. Most likely power is cut momentarily while the engine is turned over. To test, just turn the key to ACC so that the unit is powered up, then turn the key to start the car. If the unit restarts, that's because the power was cut while the engine started.

[jbay]

I turned the RD on in ACC mode . The RD turns off when cranking the engine and back on when engine starts . Maybe I can just leave the RD turned on and plugged in all the time. This would be so much easier .

[oakhed]

I have the 945. the cord has two ends. I plug mine into the back of the cigarette lighter insert after starting the car... Momentary on/off/on cycles can be detrimental to electronic components... better to have on or off.

Of course, I'm an old guy... I even let the truck warm up for 30 seconds or so before I race out of the driveway...

I wonder why you would need the RD on the moment the vehicle starts...

There's likely not a LEO sitting at the end of your driveway clocking your egress from the property, in the parking lot at the convenience store on the way to work, or in the parking lot where you work looking for violators of the 5mph rule on company property.

As to the inconvenience of having to turn it on 3 times a day (or even 20) It's no more of a hassle than tuning to a different radio station or muting the radio so you can talk on your cel... ay?

[GET 1T DONE]

I turned the RD on in ACC mode . The RD turns off when cranking the engine and back on when engine starts . Maybe I can just leave the RD turned on and plugged in all the time. This would be so much easier .

It's not going to harm anything. Does your car radio go bad from this? No. 99% of RD owners who have imports (aka vehicles that don't constantly supply power) do this and do their RD's die from this? No. Do the RD manufacturers mention anything about this in their documentation? No. Why wouldn't they just integrate a simple delayed startup circuit in the first place? Why? Cause it's not necessary. I mean hell, if you are going to be worried about this, you must be worried about all the constant vibrations from being mounted on the windshield or dash. And the heat from the sun or just the hot air inside the car in the summer. Heat is a major enemy of electronic equipment.

If the RD is that sensitive, then IMO the manufacturers didn't use much common sense in their design and crappy components. These are devices made to be used in an automobile. They obviously have to be robust.

[laserblaster]

i contacted vr about this when i got mine and they said it doesnt harm it..

[Synbios]

I doubt it harms it. That's how I've been doing it since I've had my detector for over a year now and it still works fine.

I don't think there is a "surge" of power...

[411]

I don't think there is a "surge" of power...

Right , most likely all the circuits are cut to deliver max voltage to starter circuit , and if if it is not this way = there is a drop in voltage not a up ...as said by many don't wary (to leave it plugged all the time) ... be happy

[physicsnerd]

to handle this "surge" one would think there would exists some voltage regulator circuit in the radar detector, as it does in most electronic devices.