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I've been paying attention to the 12v level with the new SG2 on a Gen1 HCH and have a few questions:

Observations:

13.6v-13.8v during regular ICE-on driving, during regen and sometimes during assist.
12v exactly during assist sometimes. Edit: now also observed during normal driving as well...
11.3v-11.8v ICE-off/headlights-off.
10.8v-11.3v ICE-off/headlights-on.

Questions:

1) Do these values seem normal?

2) Is the electric PS a 12v system? (It seems like turing the wheel in a FAS lowers the voltage)

3) Why do you think that the voltage during assist is 12v sometimes and 13.6-13.8 volts other times?

Hi Jason:

___Off the top of my head …

Yes.
Yes.
Smart Inverter/converter. When the ICE is running, the inverter/converter will supply the 13.6 - 14 V to trickle charge the 12V. Honda has done the following in the past on some of their high FE non-hybrids. So much trickle charging and it decides any more would not be necessary so it cuts off the feed. Think along the lines of a smart alternator.
___Good Luck

___Wayne

ya mine is 14.4 or 14.5 when it needs to charge, 14.3 to 14.1 is trickle charging and then bogs down in the 13's area when A/C is turned on.

when fasing 13 is high, 12.3-5 is normal (with DRL) and in the nighttime i'm high 11's.

I put a new WestCo Miata battery in the HCH today. It is holding the FAS voltages quite a bit higher. The charging voltages are still about the same at 13.7v or so but the lowest I've seen the FAS voltage go is 11.5v (headlights on) compared to 10.8v with the older battery. Today was a little warmer so I'll update with new figures after driving in cooler temps....The headlights were quite a bit brighter during FAS.

when fasing 13 is high, 12.3-5 is normal (with DRL) and in the nighttime i'm high 11's.

That's about where I'm at right now (I drive with the headlights on 24/7 for safety).

I've been doing quite a bit of FAS lately -- So, with an aging battery (about 3-4 years old), when should I be concerned about it dying? This may be more of a "Cold Cranking Amp" vs. Voltage question -- any thoughts?

RH77