I have a whole-car kill switch on my MGB, which is really intended to keep the battery from draining, but also serves as a theft deterrent. (Just being an MGB also helps with theft deterrence.) Anyway, I want to put in a new radio. Will new devices retain their programming through loss of power, be it long-term or short-term? Is there any chance of damage from using the kill switch? And yeah, this is for my MGB but also possibly for a Buick down the road.
It likely depends on the device. There are various schemes to retain memory from a simple lithium battery or capacitor to writing it in some sort of non-volatile memory. Most modern devices are going to keep it short term simply because users can't figure out how to reprogram stuff. Ideally, I would call the manufacturer's tech support line and ask.
Some reading revealed by google: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=131610 https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mgb-and-gt-forum.1/radio-presets-with-battery-cut-off-switch.1433207/ Devon
Just be aware of the age of these discussions. Over the past decade, electronics design has changed dramatically.
I have a Retrosound radio in my Buick. Working on different things, I've had to disconnect the battery several times. The radio always retains it's memory though when I reconnect the battery.
Steve in your case for the disco switch use,,,,, not removal of battery... You need to run the memory wire of the radio, stereo, or what ever to the battery itself before the disco switch....
Depends. We drive it a whole lot more during the cool, refreshing winter months. (15 yards -- taunting!) Wife or I hit the switch at work, Home Depot, wherever. But in the summer, it can be weeks at a shot. (We do have a trickle charger, but we don't alway use it during extended down times.)
Would it be easier to find the battery draw? An old junker should go months without pulling the battery down.
Nope, not yet! Depends. I've had it disconnected for at least a week and no issues losing presets or Bluetooth settings.
