[DMCForum] Relays & current draw

["Ryan Wright" <ryanpwright@xxxxxxxxx>]

Short question: How long until the average relay, energized, drains my
battery? Looks like most Bosch 12v relays draw ~160ma. How long would
that draw take to drain a battery down too low to start, on average?
Days? Weeks? Months?

Long version: I have several features on my car (door launchers, trunk
popper) that I want to tie in to my parking brake's ground, such that
they will only operate when the brake is set. However, the ground wire
& switch on the brake are rather small, and the actuators draw enough
current that I thought it a good idea to use a relay to give me a
better ground path. Problem is I don't want to create a current draw
that will be hard on the battery. Quite frankly I'd like to be able to
leave the car for months without draining the battery. Even though
I'll never do that, I just don't think it's a good idea to build a
system that will draw the battery down within a 3-6 month time frame.

Is there a better way to do this, other than a basic relay? Something
that will draw much less (or no?) power when set?

Thank you!

-Ryan


 
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