Whoopeee, I Sure do Love my LockZilla

[ZillaDelorean@xxxx]

So, I go away for a week and come home to 20 odd posts with the Title of " 
Problem with LockZilla".

I really gotta say, I'm disappointed in everybody who posted to that title 
given there was NOTHING wrong with the LockZilla unit that inspired the post 
nor any that followed. 
While we're all very pleased at the tireless and thankless efforts that the 
DML editors contribute to this Forum, 
I can't help but wonder, who was asleep at the wheel ?
Did it not occur to anyone that I might find the Title "Problem with 
LockZilla" offensive ?
If I were new to DeLorean ownership wouldn't I see such a Title as a signal 
to stay away from this device ?
Would a new owner know that it's been in production for 10 years with a 
perfect operational record ?

I'm also surprised ( and I see it often ), how some owners of Zilla Products 
will post the list to ask questions about their unit rather than email me. 
Wouldn't it make sense to seek the answer from the source ? 
It's easy to do. If you can't remember ZillaDeLorean@xxxx 
then I'm sure you can remember DeLoreanParts.com

Now, to answer the question that started the twisted thread:
Every device in your car that is constantly on (not ignition switched ), is 
on because it is in standby or supervisory mode. There is NO FREE LUNCH. 
Every such device has a job to do and will draw a token amount of current 
from your battery. You are very likely to add toys to your car of various 
descriptions that will also have a slight draw on your battery. 

How big a deal is it?
If you drive your car every few weeks, it will present no problem at all. The 
problem is, more often than not, we tend to store our cars longer than we 
think. What we recall as 3 weeks is often a month and a half. It's human 
nature.

It has long been accepted that when you "store" your car, a battery 
disconnect switch is in order. While not the perfect solution, it works.

If I recall the post that started it all......"my battery drops a volt per 
week". 
Personally, I think it sounds like it's time for a new battery.

"What the hell is a GIGAWATT ?"
Some folks are not extremely electronic minded .....
A Milliamp or Amp means nothing to them. 
OK
How much current does LockZilla draw in standby mode ?
13 ma Typical. I noticed someone volunteered this and was glad to see they 
were correct. 
To those folks who need a sense of what 13 ma means, picture a miniature 12 
volt automotive bulb. Got it ?
Now think MUCH SMALLER, about the size of a grain of wheat. To run such a 
bulb at average brightness it would draw more than LockZilla. The bulb would 
need an average of 20ma.

Now, Remember the Sears Die Hard Battery commercials done in the Frozen 
Tundra ? 
Sears would line up 12 cars in the snow and run the headlights ALL NIGHT. Of 
course only the Sears Die hard batteries would still start the cars the 
sometime later. 

While this may be somewhat of a stretch, even if it's close to true, think 
about what this means. Headlamps draw a HUGE amount of power. The starter 
also draws a HUGE amount of power and yet the car still starts.
Please bear in mind, I am not endorsing Die Hards.
Frankly, as a general rule, I think ALL batteries suck.

Conclusion:
If you believe your accessory standby current is your problem you either need 
a new battery or you're over-storing your car and not using a battery 
disconnect switch.
While there are weird exceptions to this rule of thumb, more often than not, 
this is the case.

Bob Zilla


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]