Hello, I'm installing a design tech remote start and I'm curious about what the voltage readings should be on the 12 volt side (i.e. ignition 1, 2 or accessory) after starting. I'm reading ~12 volts at rest, a slight drop during start, and then the voltage jumps to around 14 volts when it's running. I'm assuming this is normal but wanted to make sure that there wasn't a regulator or something that wasn't working properly that was causing this.
Thanks.
Yeah, that's fine, voltage is generally higher right after a cold start, and should drop a bit after the regulator warms up- Pretty much what you'd want, to charge the battery back quicker after a start, but doesn't stay there on extended running, to minimize boiling off the electrolyte.
I've installed a design tech ready remote in my '99 Honda CR-V. If I trip the alarm, after I shut it off I get a diagnostic code of 2 which the instructions say indicates "Unit turned off because Brake or Hood was activated. Check to make sure the hood pin switch is depressed when the hood is closed and the correct brake wire is hooked up." I think this diagnostic only shows up after the alarm has been tripped but it may appear if the codes are read with the door open; I need to check (I can't remember). The hood pin is correct and the brake wire is correct. Other than the diagnostic code, everything seems to be working fine.
Given this I'm wondering if I should use something else as the (-) alarm input or use a diode. The instuctions for hooking the input up are:
"If you did not hook up the green wire to the tach, it may be used as an alarm input. This is the factory setting. This wire will accept any negative alarm input, including door inputs, shock sensors, radar sensors, etc.. Option #1 No-Tach/Tach must be set to No-Tach for the alarm to function. Any sensor that supplies a negative or ground output when activated is acceptable. If you are using a sensor or input that switches to (+) when triggered, you will need to reverse the polarity before connecting to this GREEN input wire (Ford door switches for example)."
"No-Tach" is selected. The voltage on the door trigger wire is 12v when the doors are closed and it drops to around .5v when they're opened but it doesn't go to 0v. I'm not very familiar with electrical circuits so I'm wondering if it's ok to have a 12v potential on the alarm input when the doors are closed, hench the question about using a diode. I'm also wondering if maybe this code is normal after the alarm is tripped and the instructions need to be updated.
Thanks.
The voltage on the door trigger wire is 12v when the doors are closed and it drops to around .5v when they're opened but it doesn't go to 0v.
This is where you need your diode...you need to stop the 12volts from feeding back into the alarm brain when the doors are closed.
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Will having it wired like this damage the brain? I can't get to the car and put a diode in until later in the week. It would have been nice if directed was more specific with their instructions.
Could somebody tell me if having the neg. alarm input wired to the door trigger would harm the brain? What are my options for hooking up this alarm input?
Also, no offense to you Kar TuneMan (I'd like a second opinion), but is it really a problem to connect the neg. alarm input to the door trigger that rests at 12v? I'd imagine that for most people that use this system the door trigger is the most likely source and if 12v on the input at rest is a problem the manual would specify the use of a diode. Just trying to make sense of it all, thanks.