I finally got around to installing my system, deck 2 amps 2 12inch subs 2 6z8 2 4inch 2 2inch tweeters. I had parts installed, but i finished and soldered all the connections.
While I was doing that I installed a 12v red led into the dash, like an alarm would have, and wired it to a hidden toggle under the steering part of the dash. My question is, now I am paranoid that I will some how drain the battery if I leave this little light on overnight. I am just being silly right? how can I figure out the longest I could leave it on without worrying about it not having enough juice to start>?

 

I don't know... but I'm having trouble with a new bettery and getting it started. Its lasting about ten minutes before draining.

2nd gen, but same V6 3.slow

 

Any regular led I would not worry about power consumption in the least. led lights have very low draw and would be hard pressed to drain any battery espescially a automotive battery. As for the stereo system however, that will have a huge draw if you were to run it without the engine running. Next thing you should think about is a nice powerfull battery, optima, oddessy, something along those lines.

With my optima orange top (the same as the red 34R), I can run my stereo for nearly 3 hours without the engine running before the battery gets weak.

 

Does anybody remember the Pink Floyd live box set from the early '90s? That had a blinking LED on the cover and my brother's blinked for almost 7 years so I don't think you'll have to worry about a car battery.

 

A typical LED will draw about 20ma (milliamps) or 20/1000ths of an amp. Depending on the battery you're running, you're sitting on at least 200 amp hours of capacity. From here, it tells you that 200 amp hours works out to being able to supply 10 amps of current for 20 hours.

If I'm doing the math right, then that works out to being able to supply 20ma of current for about 10,000 hours - or 416 days.

fwiw, I'd bet that the current draw in the keep-alive for your stereo is more than that. In short... I wouldn't worry much about it.



edit: I just saw X-AWD's post and I remember that album. Ummm, I'd think that my math is off then. But the net result is the same. No worries mon!