Ciggie Lighter

October 23, 2011

Thanks for all the replies, i don't think it's the sat nav at fault because i had to disconect the Battery the other day and i bought a memory saver that plugs into the lighter socket, and that is powered by a 9v Battery.After reconecting the Battery, i found that i still had to reset the clock and radio staions Which led me to suspect that the lighter socket is at fault.

October 23, 2011

Let me see if I have this right,you have a 9v power supply that you plugged into a system that requires 12v and removed the 12v Battery which is a part of the circuit.

How can this work if the system is open circuit or did you connect the + and - clamps together.It may be just me being thick,if so ,sorry!

I am always ready to learn and this is in no way a sarcastic reply.

Also if you add your comments under your original post it helps people follow the discussion easier if they wish to add input as there are some sparkies on here who are seldom found lacking in the help dept.

Del

October 24, 2011

Pretty sure a memory saver will not work on a RAV4. The cigy socket is wired to the ignition probably via a relay so you would need a main Battery present for it to work. Even if you did not have a relay in the circuit, turning on the ignition would effectively drain the the 9V Battery in a instant.

Memory savers are designed to be used in cars with permanently wired cigy sockets, they effectively wire another Battery across the existing main battery with a diode so the little battery does not get charged/cooked. Thus when you remove the main battery the little battery takes over and still provides a small voltage and current that is just enough to power memory circuits etc in the car.

On the subject of the GPS.

1) Test the cigy socket with the ignition on, either with a meter or a know good appliance.

2) Check for a fuse in the end of the charger plug (as previously suggested)

3) If its a TomTom GPS the older chargers have a habit of cables going bad (breaking) just before the right angle connector that goes in the TomTom. If you open up the cable/connector there are three wires 0V +5V and a sensor wire. If the sensor wire breaks the charger in the TomTom can provide 12V which is known to cook the TomToms onboard charger circuit.

4) Double check you GPS still charges from the mains (ie nothing is broken in the GPS)

October 24, 2011

Let me see if I have this right,you have a 9v power supply that you plugged into a system that requires 12v and removed the 12v battery which is a part of the circuit.
How can this work if the system is open circuit or did you connect the + and - clamps together.It may be just me being thick,if so ,sorry!
I am always ready to learn and this is in no way a sarcastic reply.
Also if you add your comments under your original post it helps people follow the discussion easier if they wish to add input as there are some sparkies on here who are seldom found lacking in the help dept.
Del

You're right del it can'nt possibly work just me being a spanner ! i'm new to the site and just finding my way around so apologies everyone

October 24, 2011

Pretty sure a memory saver will not work on a RAV4. The cigy socket is wired to the ignition probably via a relay so you would need a main battery present for it to work. Even if you did not have a relay in the circuit, turning on the ignition would effectively drain the the 9V battery in a instant.
Memory savers are designed to be used in cars with permanently wired cigy sockets, they effectively wire another battery across the existing main battery with a diode so the little battery does not get charged/cooked. Thus when you remove the main battery the little battery takes over and still provides a small voltage and current that is just enough to power memory circuits etc in the car.
On the subject of the GPS.
1) Test the cigy socket with the ignition on, either with a meter or a know good appliance.
2) Check for a fuse in the end of the charger plug (as previously suggested)
3) If its a TomTom GPS the older chargers have a habit of cables going bad (breaking) just before the right angle connector that goes in the TomTom. If you open up the cable/connector there are three wires 0V +5V and a sensor wire. If the sensor wire breaks the charger in the TomTom can provide 12V which is known to cook the TomToms onboard charger circuit.
4) Double check you GPS still charges from the mains (ie nothing is broken in the GPS)

Thanks Ianxt4 will give your suggestions a try and hopefully find a soloution