24V cockpit power outlet Gotcha!

[Nigel]

A caution to new owners or those of us that may have forgotten... I use my 24V outlet to power my Anywhere Map ATC/Nexrad unit in my DA40. My usual habit is to power down the ATC an then unplug the power to the Nexrad receiver. Somehow after a flight last Sunday I must have been distracted. I was about to start up for a flight with a guest on Wednesday morning only to discover that I had virtually no power. Certainly not enough to turn over the engine. So it only took three days for the satellite receiver to deplete the battery. According to my AM a full draw down of the battery is not necessarily a bad thing. It's what they do at annual to test the battery anyway. I wasn't planning any more flights for a few days (rain) so I opted for a slow recharge using my Battery Minder and will check how it's doing today (if it ever stops raining). Remember, the AC outlet is always live!

[Nigel]

Oops. Of course I meant DC outlet!

[Tim]

Always live. Wow. Thanks for the heads up.

[Gary]

The overhead map lights are always live. I rarely use them but they can be unintentionally turned on. I replaced the incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs so hopefully the battery will last a while if one is left on.

[Graham]

The overhead map lights are always live. I rarely use them but they can be unintentionally turned on. I replaced the incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs so hopefully the battery will last a while if one is left on.

I checked this on my plane a few weeks ago and with the master off, they did not come on. I have a 2010 so I am wondering if they changed this feature at some point???

[Gary]

The overhead map lights are always live. I rarely use them but they can be unintentionally turned on. I replaced the incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs so hopefully the battery will last a while if one is left on.

I checked this on my plane a few weeks ago and with the master off, they did not come on. I have a 2010 so I am wondering if they changed this feature at some point???

It would be a good thing if they did.

[Chris]

The overhead map lights are always live. I rarely use them but they can be unintentionally turned on. I replaced the incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs so hopefully the battery will last a while if one is left on.

Only the pilot side overhead light switch is always live on our XL. It would be very easy to accidentally leave it on after a night flight since it is a pretty dim lamp.

[Gary]

The overhead map lights are always live. I rarely use them but they can be unintentionally turned on. I replaced the incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs so hopefully the battery will last a while if one is left on.

Only the pilot side overhead light switch is always live on our XL. It would be very easy to accidentally leave it on after a night flight since it is a pretty dim lamp.

I need to check again. It is possible that the some of the overhead lights are disabled when the master switch is turned off.

[Tim]

I know from personal experience that the overhead lights stay on, at least in an '04, when the master is switched off. Luckily the field had a portable power source.

[Rick]

I know from personal experience that the overhead lights stay on, at least in an '04, when the master is switched off. Luckily the field had a portable power source.

It's only the pilot-side light - the other 2 only work when the master is on. I think the reasoning is that you might want some light before/after the master is on, although a flashlight seems like a safer alternative...