iPad charging drains truck battery?

[SitKneelBend]

Thanks for all the tips. Think I'll just stop being so damn lazy and plug the thing in/out when I get in/out of the truck

Your truck might have a fuse for those ports that can be flipped to a different spot in the TIPM that makes that port ACC too...

 

[RamRigger]

It's unlikely your iPad, as For example, charging it daily may use about 5.76 kWh per year.

Keep checking your voltage on the battery prior to shutting it off, then again after you restart it next morning. It'll get you a baseline. Then place your normally used iPad in again overnight and try it

I use a Battery Tender by Deltran nightly when I'm not driving it for a week or better as our temps have been hitting a low in the 20's lately and the voltage is hovering in the high 13Amps area when I start it up. Cold temps are doing a number when not driving daily for me anyway

 

[ZLAYER]

I haven’t read through all the posts, but I had what I thought was a parasitic drain. I would have intermittent no starts. It went on for over a year. I would use a jumper, booster cables to start. I took the battery to get tested, they said it seemed good, but they’d replace it anyway. It kept happening. I tried to self diagnose but came up empty. I took it to a dealer and they said it was my Tazer Ram. I disagreed, but unhooked it anyway. It kept happening intermittently, but more often. I was watching YouTube videos and saw where a guy replaced his starter, so I bought a new starter. I went to remove the original one and found that the conection for the cable to the starter was loose. I tightened it, and the “no start” hasn’t happened ever again. I returned the new starter and lived happily ever after. Like I said, that went on for a year or more with multiple trips to the dealer. I don’t know if that could be your issue, but it’s worth a try.

 

[SitKneelBend]

I haven’t read through all the posts, but I had what I thought was a parasitic drain. I would have intermittent no starts. It went on for over a year. I would use a jumper, booster cables to start. I took the battery to get tested, they said it seemed good, but they’d replace it anyway. It kept happening. I tried to self diagnose but came up empty. I took it to a dealer and they said it was my Tazer Ram. I disagreed, but unhooked it anyway. It kept happening intermittently, but more often. I was watching YouTube videos and saw where a guy replaced his starter, so I bought a new starter. I went to remove the original one and found that the conection for the cable to the starter was loose. I tightened it, and the “no start” hasn’t happened ever again. I returned the new starter and lived happily ever after. Like I said, that went on for a year or more with multiple trips to the dealer. I don’t know if that could be your issue, but it’s worth a try.

Love this, sometimes we get too into the weeds and forget to start with the basics (check the physical layer first)...

 

[Big_Bill]

I don't know how old your iPad is, but my 9th gen iPad doesn't have a charge limiter like my iPhone 16 does; The latest is Gen 11 (IIRC), and I'm pretty sure they can limit the charge to 80~90%.
That said, even an older iPad has circuitry that limits the current draw once the battery hits 100%, such that the amperage drawn drops way down. If that circuitry goes haywire, the battery can overcharge, but you'll notice it as the case will get very hot, and can bulge. If this happens, you need to recycle it, as it then presents an extreme fire hazard. IOW, if it's operating correctly, it should not be draining the truck's battery, unless your truck's battery is on its last legs. I suggest having it load tested.

 

[Bob1313]

Have you tried plugging in a different device?
For an iPad to drain a vehicle battery in good condition would produce enough heat to melt the pad. Using electricity produces heat.

 

[Marshall]

I don't know why you would think it would not kill a battery.
A 500 ma ( 1/2amp) draw will do that, depending on how good your batter is.
The wife's I pad uses a 2 amp charger, not that I have put a meter on it.

The battery in her Honda will go dead in a few hours if a door is not fully latched and the dome light is on. Mind you it is a little bitty battery that looks the same as my garden tractor used.

A P.S., If the I pad was plugged in before with the truck running, then it's battery should be charged up, If so then the charger should not be using much current.
with a direct usb cord ? I have also used the 110v outlet on my truck and if you feel the charger, you know if it's drawing current.

 

[Indynick]

Back in the old days, before all interior lighting was led bulbs, if you left an interior light on, the battery would be dead by morning. I not sure what the amp draw was on a incandescent bulb, but I think it was 2 amps?