Does anyone know if the USB receptacle in the console box is powered when the vehicle is off? I'd like to know if it is safe to leave an ipod connected all the time in there. Wouldn't want to put a drain on the 12V battery when vehicle is off.
The USB port is not powered when the vehicle is off. I have a Zune (mp3 player) that shows a specific status when it is charging. Several seconds after turning the car off the charging status shows it is not charging.
I don't believe any of the peripheral power ports are live after shut down. My iphone quits charging while using USB in the console when I turn the car off. When I use my belkin iphone/ipod cigarette lighter charge in the console under the gear shift, it also goes dark when shutting down.
I'm interested in how your Zune works in your Prius... Can you control it from the head unit? Does it display the song, album, artist, etc? Do you have the Zune with the HD Tuner? Can you play HD Radio through the Head Unit? Thanks...
Forget the Zune or iPod, I just use a USB thumb drive and yes you can control it from the head unit and or steering wheel controls.
I use the USB port only to charge the Zune, and the AUX port for analog audio input. It is not recognized by the sound system as a memory player, so I can't control it from the head unit. I suppose I could put all my music on a 16 GB thumb drive and control it through the sound system controls, but the Zune is bought and paid for, and it does provide the album cover, playlists, and other options for listening to your music. It has a tuner, but I don't think it's HD, and, as mentioned, the audio interface is analog.
Where is this USB port you are talking about? I have the 2010 Prius option 3 with the upgraded radio and blue tooth.
I left a borrowed iPod Nano plugged into my car overnight. The next day the iPod's battery was totally depleted. It wouldn't even work when I restarted the car the next day. I had to leave the iPod plugged into my computer at work most of the day before I got it to work again. Off topic: should this thread be moved to the Gen III Audio and Electronics forum?
I've had an iPod plugged into mine quite a few times, sometimes for a week or more without turning the car on. No problems depleting either the iPod's or the car's battery.
