Advantages of having a gryphon php?

[ticopowell]

I have 2 amps running maybe 1600 max power and 800 RMS and I haven't had a problem yet. Just make sure that you turn your radio, and really all other accessories, off before you try and change tunes. You will always have battery draw with the truck off, and with the truck in the on position, but without the engine running, you will have quite a bit more even without the stereo system running.
If your truck sits a lot I would get a battery tender like Jack said, that should keep the battery up even with the system (when off it shouldnt draw any extra power than just the radio).
Hope that clears more up, and feel free to keep the questions coming!

[str088]

Cool. With this second amp I think I'll be up to 2000 watts max and maybe 600-650
RMS. My truck doesn't sit too much. I interchange between my bike and the truck,
but I've been using the truck a lot more for the past month and a half due to some
weird weather we've been having here in Vegas. I'll probably get a tender for the
truck as well just in case. So when you tune it is very advisable to just turn every-
thing off on the truck, correct? Wilco. I'm really fidgety and anxious about the gryphon
getting here. I want to see what it can do for my vehicle.

[ticopowell]

I know you won't be disappointed! That is correct, and that sounds like a good plan for the battery.

[wood4heat]

Holy cow how much power does the Gryphon require to reprogram? You guys all have F-150's? I ask because I'm planning on getting a Gryphon for a 7.3 diesel and wonder if having two batteries would alleviate some of the problems.

Any chance constant reprogramming could cause permanent harm to the ecm? I plan to change back and forth from daily driver to tow tunes quite a bit.

[ticopowell]

It just needs the voltage, not the amperage really... if the volts drop too low then it doesn't have enough energy to do what it needs to do.
If I were an EE I would be able to explain better, but I think that should be alright. and Yes having a second battery wouldnt hurt at all

[Jackpine]

Originally Posted by wood4heat

Holy cow how much power does the Gryphon require to reprogram? You guys all have F-150's? I ask because I'm planning on getting a Gryphon for a 7.3 diesel and wonder if having two batteries would alleviate some of the problems.

Any chance constant reprogramming could cause permanent harm to the ecm? I plan to change back and forth from daily driver to tow tunes quite a bit.

Tico has again given you correct advice. The EPROM in the ECM needs 18 Volts as a signal to accept a new program (in the gas engines - I suspect the diesels are the same). That voltage is produced in the programmer by converting battery voltage. If the battery voltage is low, the converted voltage will also be low and if it drops below a critical value DURING the programming, you could get a corrupted write. That can disable your truck.

This is why I ALWAYS recommend changing the program at home (where you won't be "stranded", and have access to a PC), with a nice, warm fully charged battery.

Having two batteries really doesn't help you. Yours are wired in parallel, to provide the Amperage needed to turn your starter against the compression of your big engine. If the voltage output in one drops, they both drop.

The EPROM in the ECM is good for many thousands of write cycles. It's a whole lot like a "thumb drive", or a flash card in a camera. Yes, there IS a limit, but you'll probably die of old age before reaching it.

I found that my truck has an OEM "parasitic" draw on the battery of 0.05 Amps when it's sitting. The older monochrome Gryphon has an additional 0.05 Amps draw for it's "keep-alive" memory. I don't know what the newer CS/CTS platforms pull - I actually suspect it's less.

So, a total draw of 0.1 Amps doesn't sound like much, but in 24 hours, it uses 2.4 Amps and in just under 21 days, a single battery is "dead" (over 50 Amps lost and a no-load voltage of around 11.5 Volts or less). Two batteries will last twice as long of course, but the voltage is still dropping every day that the truck sits. Cold weather exaggerates this problem.

If you use your truck most every day and are alert to the signs of a weak battery, you should not have any problems. If the truck sits, like mine does, I strongly recommend a Battery Tender. This will add to the longevity of the battery too.

- Jack

[ticopowell]

I do what I can
And you did some good advice too, I didnt even think about the parallel or series configuration of the batteries in a diesel.
That draw also seems right, my truck is always harder to start after sitting for a week or more... Thanks

[str088]

I guess I'll be good then, my truck has never come across any battery problems. I guess
before I do any programming I'll just drive for a bit.