I finally got around to re-wiring my Blaupunkt Mesa stereo so I could turn
it on without the ignition switch.  What I used was a spare rear window
defroster switch.  It has three common legs and one that is switched.  I
picked up 12V from the 4-way flasher which was right above the spare switch
hole I used.  I ran 12V (always hot) to one of the three common legs and
from there to the radio (always hot) connection.  I then ran a wire from
the switched 12V leg to the radio.  This would give me power to the stereo
when camping.  Before I re-installed the radio, I checked the operation
with a my multi-meter and sure enough everything worked as designed. After
installing the radio, all I got was a blinking time display  "12:00", so I
called the Blaupunkt service line.  They told me the unit must have seen a
voltage spike and would need to be looked at.  It was out of warranty, so I
shipped it to a recommended repair place for a look-see.  ($15 bench
fee....)
My question to the list is, why did it fry?  The engine was never started
during this whole time, so it couldn't have been an alternator problem.  I
had the battery disconnected while soldering and taping.  The stereo worked
fine before the modification.  I don't want the same thing to happen to the
repaired unit (or a new unit, if that is the case).  If the 4-way flashers
were turned on while the radio was on, could this cause a voltage spike?
Is there something odd-ball about the switch I used?  I thought it was a
pretty slick install, myself.   If I removed and reconnected the (-)
battery cable while the radio was on, would this have spiked it?  Is the
Blaupunkt guy feeding me a line?

                                                        Jay