MCU2 Upgraded S - Power auto-shutting off on USB / 12v adapter now?

[kmob07]

Is the “always-on” power behavior in the center console ports somehow different for MCU2 cars?

I just upgraded from MCU1 / AP2 to MCU2 / AP3 (HAPPILY!) but since the upgrade the items powered off my center console are all shutting off sometime after I leave the car.

In my ‘17 Model S I have plugged into my center console:
- USB1 = OEM Tesla lightning holder bracket
- USB2 = USBA-> USBC to power MiFi hotspot (for blackvue cameras and escort radar detectors)
- 12v adapter = USB-A power to non-OEM wireless charging mat.

Post-upgrade, I added a tiny flash USB key to one of the USB ports for sentry (works great). But every morning when I come out to the car the MiFi hotspot is dead. It immediately powers up and starts charging at 0% when I go into the car, so it seems clear the ports shut off at some point.

Am I perhaps crazy and this was always the case? (I don’t think so). Or is there a setting somewhere to change this behavior?

 

[murphyS90D]

The power has always shut off. I had to run a cable to the OBD2 port to get always on power. It doesn't shut off immediately. I have not bothered to measure the delay. My guess is it shuts off when the car goes to sleep. All cars now go to sleep at night. In 2014 that was not the case.

 

[kmob07]

Now THAT is interesting... Mine definitely stayed on for days at a time previously. I wonder if in the past I had something that was preventing my Model S from going to sleep... I do use teslafi, but that isn’t something that changed. My MCU1 was in a pretty lousy state of reliability before the upgrade, that may also have played a part...

In any case, THANKS for the insight. I have constant 12v that I tapped for my radar detector and blackvues up near the mirror. I guess I’ll need to another wire down to power the hotspot, which is the only other item that I need to keep on all the time. The phone chargers only need to be active when I’m in the car obviously.

PS if the ports are powering down when asleep... is Sentry mode still able to stay active and record events to the USB drive I have plugged in?

 

[murphyS90D]

I can't answer that. My car is a 2016 pre-refresh that doesn't have sentry mode. I ran the wire from the OBD2 port to power my Blackvue camera when I want it to stay on. That hasn't happened at all since the pandemic hit. I don't need an endless recording of the back wall of my garage where the car spends all but 1 or 2 hours of the week.

That is an interesting point. The addition of sentry mode might have changed the power picture.

 

[croman]

I think mcu2 doesn't have an always on setting. My ic is off with deep sleep but MCU comes on quickly which is way different than mcu1 where ic was far more responsive and stayed on.

12v might go to sleep to save power with mcu2.

 

[cookie99]

I can't answer that. My car is a 2016 pre-refresh that doesn't have sentry mode. I ran the wire from the OBD2 port to power my Blackvue camera when I want it to stay on. That hasn't happened at all since the pandemic hit. I don't need an endless recording of the back wall of my garage where the car spends all but 1 or 2 hours of the week.

That is an interesting point. The addition of sentry mode might have changed the power picture.

is there a reason why you dont just use the power in the top of the rearview mirror enclosure? that one would be way closer, literally inches away, from where people normally put their blackvue and its always on.

 

[murphyS90D]

is there a reason why you dont just use the power in the top of the rearview mirror enclosure? that one would be way closer, literally inches away, from where people normally put their blackvue and its always on.

I have the security module installed up there and don't want to risk damaging it. I already had the plug for the OBD2 connector. I don't want the camera on when parked in my garage so I have two outlets in the console and can connect to the power I want easily.

 

[sjdaniels]

Thanks for leaving this active, I'm now in the same boat. I have a Raspberry Pi installed and as long as I had Sentry Mode On and exclude "Home" was unchecked with MCU1 the USB would remain powered and I could connect to Samba and upload FLAC files to my Micro SD. It did result in phantom drainage, but not enough to care.

Now that I have the MCU2 and latest updates installed the USB ports power off as soon as I exit the vehicle... quite literally.

Anyone have a good link to detailed instructions or a walk through for adding a powered USB connection on a 2017 Model S? Is the 12V port always on? I'm guessing it's not as easy as adding a powered 12V adapter.

 

[sjdaniels]

UPDATE FIXED - I noticed, separate issue, that the vehicle would stop charging after about 5-10 minutes... i.e. the Tesla MCU2 was powering down the entire vehicle, not just the USB. FYI my charging is based on a schedule in the MCU. I have .05 per KWH after 8PM and it did not start. I unlocked the vehicle and it started. After returning to the garage an hour later the charging was off, even though it only charged 5%

My fix, so far working, was to add a blank USB Fat 32 formatted to the second USB port and that's it. It works. The car charges normally and my Raspberry Pi is up and running just fine.