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Showing 1 of 12 conversations about:
Kiwi 4 Wireless OBD2 Reader
umrjmac
13
Jul 3, 2019
I got one of these through their kickstarter campaign. They're clever for things like code reading and logging specific data when you're tuning or troubleshooting something. Do not, however, leave this connected long term (i.e. you can't log a week of driving around) if your car sits for more than day without being started. It will kill your battery since the power pin in the OBD port on the car is battery power (rather than switched/accessory). As a result mine has been sitting with my automotive tools and hasn't seen the light of day since I pulled it and recharged the battery. I'll keep it around to use it for reading and clearing codes if any show up which will save me a trip to <insert random auto parts store here> to borrow their reader, but that's about it.
tayloraloy
1
Jul 4, 2019
umrjmacI'm assuming your post refers to Rev 0 (or Version 1 whatever you want to call it) of this device? Sounds like "sleep mode" on Version 4 might alleviate your long-term plug-in concern? I dunno myself, just trying to get more info.
umrjmac
13
Jul 5, 2019
tayloraloyGood thought but no, it was the v4 kickstarter. If the car is driven every single day its most likely fine since the alternator can play catch up, but my car sat for 3 or 4 days and it was dead meat when I went to start it up. Sleep modes and low power stuff helps extend the time before the battery is drained, but the point is still the same since the power source is straight from the battery by the nature of the OBD2 port standard. Unfortunately the connector does not have a switched power pin so manufacturers are limited in what they can do about this scenario unless they make a wiring harness that you have to connect elsewhere for power...and that doesn't help the "easy to connect and use" design philosophy. And don't get me wrong, for lots of use cases this is a fantastic tool especially at a discounted price, but I wanted to post this just in case someone was thinking about buying one to plug in and leave connected full time.
tayloraloy
1
Jul 5, 2019
umrjmacThank you so much for taking the time to clarify. That's useful information.
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