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Change time delay off on the GPS plug

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Inspector Gadget:
You don't give much information about your set-up, bike and so on?

Anyhoe, you can not change this time-out yourself.
The port stays open if it notices a current is being drawn. For example to charge the battery inside a GPS.
(I believe the threshold is somewhere around 1 amps)

What you can try is disconnect whatever you have connected to the GPS-connector and see if that influences it.
If that does, you should consider FuzeBlock FZ-1, Arboreal's Neutrino or Rowe's PDM60, and connect all your kit to them instead.

Other then that, you can not change the time-out settings yourself.
Perhaps the BMW dealRT can, but as far as I'm aware he can't either.

CAN-bus (or rather, the ZFE) senses currents and tries to be smart about it.

Bruce Jones:
Hi Inspector Gadget

Thanks for the response, and for being tolerant with the Newbie!

I have a 2008 R1200GS (facelift) and am based in Johannesburg.

I recently installed my Garmin 220, powered from the GPS connector, as well as LED spots powered from the battery, using the Hella auxiliary power jack for the switched power. As discussed in this forum, the time-out has stayed on the max (15 minutes or so), probably due to the GPS battery not being fully charged.

I can live with the GPS staying on for a while if its battery is not fully charged, but I intend moving the LED spotlight switched power to the tail-light power so that the spots turn off immediately, as suggested elsewhere. I will probably only get around to this on the weekend.

I will send through the results then.

Inspector Gadget:
Hi Bruce, no worries, we all started from the beginning!  :)

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the Garmin 220 has a so-called active GPS-holder.
Meaning, that there are electronics inline (read: in the cable, inside the cigarette-connector or inside the cradle) and that also could "trigger" the can-bus.

But there could also be a rather easy way to check if the battery of the Garmin 220 is the culprit;
You may perhaps notice the charge-indication on the battery-level indication versus a power-on indication on the battery-level.
Meaning, you will see a charge-in-progress versus an indication of the battery-full indication.
Often Garmin's do show a difference. So that you know that the battery is charging or if it is fully charged. (and will then often show that an external power-source connected).
But as I do not have a Garmin 220 you may want to look in the manual, and observe the battery-level indication icon on the Garmin 220 with a fully charged battery and a partially drained battery.

Then a firm warning, if I understood you correctly;
Please do not hook-up any (!) electronics or loads onto the tail- or brake-light of any BMW.
The ABS and the braking system (and the cruise-control, if present) are hooked into the ZFE (the central computer of the BMW) and putting additional load (or changing it, e.g via replacement of the lightbulbs with led-versions) will cause problems.
This is a proven fact and you should stay away from the tail and brake-light. Please.

On the 1200-series, the brake- and tail-lights are modulated, meaning voltage is switched on-and-off very rapidly to emulate brake- and tail-lights using only one filament.
Putting any load or changes of the bulbs will affect the ABS, braking system and cruise-control.

If you want switched power you will need the aforementioned fuze block (et al) so that whatever you hook-up to the bike, it will not interfere with the electronics.

Unless I misunderstood your attentions, and I apologize.

Bruce Jones:
Yowzer! You've scared the *%$# out of me!

I'll take heed and be very careful. Thanks for all the advice.

Inspector Gadget:
Sorry, but it is not uncommon to hot-jump the rear lights on motorcycles.
I do not express any opinion about that.

But with can-bus motorcycles such as the 1200-series, you better not.

The absolute safest way is using a separated circuit so it won't interfere.

Mind you, you can use the GPS connector to draw up to (about) 2 to 3 amps.
I run my coming-home/positioning (led) light from there, and also my GPS.
And use a PDM60 with the Clearwater authority lights (multiple).

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