mecsw500
Well-known member
Using the following device I bought off Amazon, I did some experiments with my iPhone to see what voltages and amperage values I get from a USB connection from a 60W charger via USB C to my 2026 Sea to Sky with USB A.
I was running my iPhone 15 Pro Max 512GB without using Apple CarPlay to see what kind of wattage I could count upon. The phone was at 90% charged status. My iPhone is running iOS 26.6.1 and my Spyder has firmware release V 5.1.0.
I was running Apple Maps and Apple Music, with a combinations of other apps loaded; Weather, Phone, Messages, Chrome, and Safari browsers.
Running from the 60W charger via USB C, the peak current consumption was 1.6A at 5.0V. Mostly the consumption became steady state at about 1.0A to 1.2A.
Running from the Spyder via the USB A port in the glove box, and using a USB "DATA" cable, the maximum current consumption was 1.44A at 4.8V. This time, the steady state was about 1.2A to 1.3A.
From this, it appears the phone was drawing close to the maximum current draw the Spyder would give at 1.44A. I presume the current draw on the phone was higher, as perhaps it was trying to communicate with the Spyder, despite not having CarPlay started as I had no Bluetooth connection to an audio device configured. It's only 100mA more current consumption than via a charger though.
However, this backs up the fact that my iPhone will very slowly charge when driving, when I connect it without CarPlay running, or at least it will not lose charge. Now, I might be able to eek out a little less of a current draw if I were to disable my iPhone constantly searching for a WiFi connection using AT&T, the "xfinity" SSID, when out of range of my home network.
I understand though, that my iPhone 15 Pro Max is a lower power consumption device than many newer or older iPhones, or perhaps even some of the more sophisticated Android devices. My iPhone 15 seems to have a better battery life than my prior iPhones and my wife's new iPhone.
Skip this paragraph if not interested in the technology behind the Spyder display system I was able to uncover:
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Working back from the FCC filings (with the help of Google, a couple of AI services, and Innovation Control's own website) the Spyder's display board is very likely an Enovation Controls (HQ Tulsa, OK) device running a dual core Arm-A15 Cortex processor. For Apple CarPlay, it seemingly uses one of its two SoC embedded USB A ports, not its USB C port. Whether it runs its USB A port as a High Speed (480Mbps) or a Full Speed (12Mbps) device, I don't know. It seems the board runs the QNX operating system, which will account for a potential for even the High Speed interface running Apple's protocol stack to be well below the 480Mbps theoretical bandwidth. Which speed the board provides, High Speed or Full Speed USB A, might be chosen as to how well the interface copes with electrical interference if the High Speed 480Mbps theoretical data rate was selected. This may also be why a USB C interface with a much higher data rate was indeed, not chosen. The board likely uses separate external Bluetooth and WiFi devices, but I suspect the USB ports are those embedded capabilities provided by the SoC Arm device itself for cost reasons. I'm going to have to delve a little deeper here and perhaps get Enovation Controls to answer questions about their specifically chosen SoC chip, which is very likely an automobile specific version of the Arm device and not something of their own fabrication. Of course, getting hold of a circuit board itself might answer some questions, but I doubt that's going to happen, not unless anyone wants to volunteer sending me one? I think the Maverick R X and R X RS use the same device. Who did the BRP Go! integration, I don't know, but I suspect BRP.
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Now I have baseline data, I'll try to see what the phone draws if you were to use Apple CarPlay on the road.
USB C Tester Power Meter, 4-30V 0-12A Type-C PD Tester Digital Multimeter, Voltage and Current Tester Meter Voltmeter, Power Bank Capacity USB Cable Charger Detector (KWS-2303C)
I was running my iPhone 15 Pro Max 512GB without using Apple CarPlay to see what kind of wattage I could count upon. The phone was at 90% charged status. My iPhone is running iOS 26.6.1 and my Spyder has firmware release V 5.1.0.
I was running Apple Maps and Apple Music, with a combinations of other apps loaded; Weather, Phone, Messages, Chrome, and Safari browsers.
Running from the 60W charger via USB C, the peak current consumption was 1.6A at 5.0V. Mostly the consumption became steady state at about 1.0A to 1.2A.
Running from the Spyder via the USB A port in the glove box, and using a USB "DATA" cable, the maximum current consumption was 1.44A at 4.8V. This time, the steady state was about 1.2A to 1.3A.
From this, it appears the phone was drawing close to the maximum current draw the Spyder would give at 1.44A. I presume the current draw on the phone was higher, as perhaps it was trying to communicate with the Spyder, despite not having CarPlay started as I had no Bluetooth connection to an audio device configured. It's only 100mA more current consumption than via a charger though.
However, this backs up the fact that my iPhone will very slowly charge when driving, when I connect it without CarPlay running, or at least it will not lose charge. Now, I might be able to eek out a little less of a current draw if I were to disable my iPhone constantly searching for a WiFi connection using AT&T, the "xfinity" SSID, when out of range of my home network.
I understand though, that my iPhone 15 Pro Max is a lower power consumption device than many newer or older iPhones, or perhaps even some of the more sophisticated Android devices. My iPhone 15 seems to have a better battery life than my prior iPhones and my wife's new iPhone.
Skip this paragraph if not interested in the technology behind the Spyder display system I was able to uncover:
-----------
Working back from the FCC filings (with the help of Google, a couple of AI services, and Innovation Control's own website) the Spyder's display board is very likely an Enovation Controls (HQ Tulsa, OK) device running a dual core Arm-A15 Cortex processor. For Apple CarPlay, it seemingly uses one of its two SoC embedded USB A ports, not its USB C port. Whether it runs its USB A port as a High Speed (480Mbps) or a Full Speed (12Mbps) device, I don't know. It seems the board runs the QNX operating system, which will account for a potential for even the High Speed interface running Apple's protocol stack to be well below the 480Mbps theoretical bandwidth. Which speed the board provides, High Speed or Full Speed USB A, might be chosen as to how well the interface copes with electrical interference if the High Speed 480Mbps theoretical data rate was selected. This may also be why a USB C interface with a much higher data rate was indeed, not chosen. The board likely uses separate external Bluetooth and WiFi devices, but I suspect the USB ports are those embedded capabilities provided by the SoC Arm device itself for cost reasons. I'm going to have to delve a little deeper here and perhaps get Enovation Controls to answer questions about their specifically chosen SoC chip, which is very likely an automobile specific version of the Arm device and not something of their own fabrication. Of course, getting hold of a circuit board itself might answer some questions, but I doubt that's going to happen, not unless anyone wants to volunteer sending me one? I think the Maverick R X and R X RS use the same device. Who did the BRP Go! integration, I don't know, but I suspect BRP.
------------
Now I have baseline data, I'll try to see what the phone draws if you were to use Apple CarPlay on the road.
