1200 and the Starcom power filter

[Deleted account 190920001]

This is just a quick warning to anybody thinking of fitting a Starcom intercom with their power filter to the back of the accessory socket under the seat. Don't it will flatten your battery within a couple of days of not being used. Just fit the starcom unit without the filter and you will be fine.

For those who aren't technical or plain not interested in why you can move on after taking head of the warning above.

If your still here this is what I have found. I fitted a Starcom digital last week and installed their power filter along with it to the back of the socket as is the norm. I didn't know if I would need the filter or not but just went for it anyway thinking it couldn't do any harm. The next morning I thought I noticed the bike turning over a bit slower than normal but it started so I forgot about it. Left the bike for the weekend and on Monday the bike just started and no more. So Monday night was spent diagnosing what was wrong. It could have been a duff battery but its summer and warm and batteries usually die in the cold winter. The intercom was the first suspect as I had just fitted it so I disconnected power from the intercom and checked for amp draw when it should be off. Absolutely no power was flowing so it wasn't the unit staying on. Then the penny dropped, I still had power long after the socket should have shut down. I also remembered when I installed it testing the intercom for a good 30 mins with the bike off. This isnt right obviously so something was causing the ZFE unit to keep the system powered. I snipped the power filter free, cycled the ignition and after about a minute the power went down just as it should. I soldered the standard power lead in place and connected up the intercom and the power still got cut as per normal so all is good but why would the power filter keep the system up? I just happened to put my meter across the input in volts range and the damn thing was putting out over 13 volts. It stayed like that for ages as well or until the lines were shorted. I guess this makes the ZFE unit think its on a charger so it keeps the sub system live to charge the battery where in reality its actually flattening it. There is obviously some pretty beasty capacitors in there to hold the charge for so long but either I have a faulty unit or its a poor design. A simple diode would have stopped this from happening as no voltage would be able to flow backwards. So there you have the explanation for the above warning. Just for your interest I don't think it needs the filter anyway as I cant hear any voltage noise and everything is working perfect without it. I am leaving at the weekend for a 2000 mile holiday on the bike so I will report back after that if I change my mind.

 

[Bobbyspit]

I fitted mine through my Fuzeblock so have had no problem with my battery flattening a I have my power on switched.
Interesting read though.

What do you think of your Starcom? I think its the Dogs!

Rob

 

[ChasMill]

I fitted mine through my Fuzeblock so have had no problem with my battery flattening a I have my power on switched.
Interesting read though.

What do you think of your Starcom? I think its the Dogs!

Rob

Quite the opposite for me. Fitted via a Centec fuse panel and the Sat Nav stays on. Fitted direct to the batery (as the instructions and Starcom themselves say if you speak to them ....) and the rejoice, the problem is cured.

I suspect the gubbins in the filter tricks the Canbus socket into thinking it still requires power, leaving the circuits open?

 

[Deleted account 230524001]

I fitted mine through my Fuzeblock so have had no problem with my battery flattening a I have my power on switched.
Interesting read though.

What do you think of your Starcom? I think its the Dogs!

Rob

Having just changed to a GS I'm about to transfer my Starcom digital to the GS, and intend to use my Fuzeblock.

Am I right in thinking that the Fuzeblock can be easily connected to the GS by using the Zumo splicing lead ? ...which I understand will then switch off power once the bikes ignition has been switched off.

And secondly where did you mount the Fuzeblock on your GS as it seems to me that the Tool tray is the obvious place

Thanks

 

[WindyChuffer]

Having just changed to a GS I'm about to transfer my Starcom digital to the GS, and intend to use my Fuzeblock.

Am I right in thinking that the Fuzeblock can be easily connected to the GS by using the Zumo splicing lead ? ...which I understand will then switch off power once the bikes ignition has been switched off.

And secondly where did you mount the Fuzeblock on your GS as it seems to me that the Tool tray is the obvious place

Thanks

Connect it direct to the battery; fused of course.

Mine lives under the tool tray.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Sorry just back off my touring holiday so have had 2000 miles to test the Starcom. Yes its a good bit of kit all right. It was obvious early on that I made a mistake in choosing the in ear monitors though. 1 they dont block anything like enough noise. In fact they are useless at it. 2 the sound quality from them is fine for speech but when on the move pretty garbage for music. 3 after extended hours in the saddle it was a race to what hurt the most, my arse or my ears. My ears winning most of the time. So much so I emailed Starcom to see if the had any dealers around the Portsmouth area so I could by the helmet speakers. They said they didnt so I had to put up with them for the rest of the trip. I will order a set next week and fit them instead. I would love to get a set of moulded in ear monitors but they are just too expensive unfortunately.

 

[NLC]

Best to mount a Starcom is direct to the battery. Otherwise you end up being a radio transmitter. The power filter is worth getting. I had mine wired via the Fuzeblock and was still getting noise. Beside if you unplug the master headset the unit should go off. Anyways just my thoughts and experience. The connectors on the Starcomm are crap IMHO!