XTL O3 high power consumption when off

[tvsjr]

I'm having a bit of a challenge with a mid-power 700/800 XTL5000 O3. Regardless of what I've tried so far, the radio draws right at 1 amp when turned off from the control head - and remains toasty warm all the time. After some searching, I've tried enabling the "require control head to power on" option. Set ignition sense to auto power off and tried switching the radio off that way. No dice.

Radio is running R17.01.01 firmware.

Anyone have any suggestions before I just write this drawer off?

[Jim202]

I'm having a bit of a challenge with a mid-power 700/800 XTL5000 O3. Regardless of what I've tried so far, the radio draws right at 1 amp when turned off from the control head - and remains toasty warm all the time. After some searching, I've tried enabling the "require control head to power on" option. Set ignition sense to auto power off and tried switching the radio off that way. No dice.

Radio is running R17.01.01 firmware.

Anyone have any suggestions before I just write this drawer off?

Have you looked at the instructions for the installation? I can tell you from personally being there that on the M5 and O5 control head versions, the red wire from the control head must be tied to a hot +12 volts all the time. You can switch the yellow wire to use as an ignition control. If you also switch the red wire, the radio will pull about 750 ma when you kill power to the yellow wire.

This is another great design goof by the software and hardware wizards at Mother M.

Jim

[tvsjr]

I have... for better or worse, the O3 receives all of its power from the deck via the control cable. Theoretically, the radio should operate properly with nothing more than +12 to the main power connector and an O3 mic plugged into the TIB. At least, that's what I've always found previously. I'm wondering if this one has an issue with it's brain...

[Bigfella237]

~ You can switch the yellow wire to use as an ignition control. If you also switch the red wire, the radio will pull about 750 ma when you kill power to the yellow wire. ~

I'm wondering, if you "switch" both the yellow and red wires, where exactly can the radio draw 750mA from?

Andrew

[tvsjr]

In the remote O5 configuration, there are three power sources in play:
Constant power to the deck (red)
Constant power to the head (red)
Switched power to the head (yellow)

If you switch both red and yellow on the control head, the deck won't actually shut down (it never receives the command to soft-power-off). So the deck will continue drawing about 750mA.

For better or worse, the O3 is different - obviously no wiring to the head itself.

[escomm]

Do you have the accessory connector jumped to ignition, out of curiosity?

[Tom in D.C.]

Terry,

My 7500/03 setup is powered from the Subaru's rear power connector, with the ig. sense and main power tied
together so that it's impossible for the radio to draw power except when I turn it on because the rear power connector
is ignition controlled. While running a mid-power mobile from this kind of connection isn't exactly by the book it seems to
work very well. I believe the power outlet is rated/fused somewhere between 10 and 20 Amps.

Regards,

[motorola_otaku]

Are you supplying ignition sense through the rear connector or the DB25 on the TIB?

I ran a UHF R2 XTL (2001-vintage, R09 firmware) as a factory spec'd O3 remote kit with the big hunka-hunka cable from the TIB DB25 going up front to supply ignition sense and speaker audio, and didn't notice excessive current draw or the radio drawer staying warm. When I switched to a remoted O5 head (with correct DC wiring on the head) I did notice the drawer staying warm after power-down.

[escomm]

Are you supplying ignition sense through the rear connector or the DB25 on the TIB?

High power radio.... no rear connector.

[motorola_otaku]

Are you supplying ignition sense through the rear connector or the DB25 on the TIB?

High power radio.... no rear connector.

Post says 700/800, so I would assume "high power" means 35W in this case.

[escomm]

Durrrr, title says high power, post says mid power, 800mhz radio won't ever do high power so uh, my bad.

[tvsjr]

Durrrr, title says high power, post says mid power, 800mhz radio won't ever do high power so uh, my bad.

I guess that would have been more clear as "XTL O3 - high power consumption when off". I do not have one of the elusive Cowthief 100-watt 800MHz radios.

I ran a UHF R2 XTL (2001-vintage, R09 firmware) as a factory spec'd O3 remote kit with the big hunka-hunka cable from the TIB DB25 going up front to supply ignition sense and speaker audio, and didn't notice excessive current draw or the radio drawer staying warm. When I switched to a remoted O5 head (with correct DC wiring on the head) I did notice the drawer staying warm after power-down.

Ignition off the rear connector... but now that I think about it, that's probably an unsupported configuration. I think I have a spare Y-cable... guess I should give that a try when I get back home...

[Pj]

Not that it prob helps, but I am running O3 7/8 with the accessory cable to the front using on/off via the control head button and the igition wire to all TX inhibit. Everything stays cool. I can leave the swtich on to try to reproduce, but I don't recall it even that way (when off) getting warm.

I have found it odd that the XTL's and the APX do get warm just sitting there in RX over time...thought it was just the head from the road but both are noticable warm after being on for awhile.

My XTL in O5 would power itself up into mat mode after removing the fuse when letting the truck sit at the airport for a week or so, and the head would kill the battery after awhile. APX O5 doesn't seem to do this. I am wondering if certain firmware revisions keeps the radio in a non-displayed powered up configuration when supposely off.