vF Tuner for the 3.5L Tacoma

Yes, I understand that adjusting the charge voltage is for AGM batteries and not stock batteries.

What I don't understand is what OV Tune had said, "increase the duty for the added work". I don't know what that means.

 

Pretty sure it's because the alternator will be working harder to produce the additional output, so by increasing duty, you should be compensating for that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong

 

Ok. I get the alternator will be working harder to produce the additional output, but what is increasing duty? How do you compensate for that? Is it something that can be done with software or added on hardware?

 

Yes this is what I meant. Additional voltage requirements and if you have heavy electrical loads you should increase the duty cycle to account for that.

 

Cool. Got it.

 

I know this has been beaten to death in the other threads with no reported claims so far... But I'm on the fence for vF Tuner for my 2020 MT because I have an extended warranty up to 100k that I'm worried about voiding. I'd like to do the tune, but if my truck that I owe money on takes a dump that's going to really suck if I void my warranty.

Any additional input or thoughts?

 

You can always flash back to stock if you needed to

I’ve been tuned since approximately 20k miles.

 

Few trips to the dealer since? I have no doubt the tune is amazing and will address what I don't like about it.
Did/do you flash back before your trips to the dealer? And thank you for the reply.

 

What if I told you, there was no dealer....
Bought used at 34k - tuned ever since and am now around 55k

 

I thought this clip of info was informative for those who don't know about Duty Cycle:
https://www.zena.net/htdocs/AltBatFAQ/dutycycle_A.shtml

 

I did my 2 free maintenances but aside from that my truck has only been to the tire shop.

I wouldn’t bother flashing back to stock unless you have some issue with the drivetrain.

 

Other than the fact that the truck drives abnormally well, there should really be no way for the dealer to know that the tune is loaded.

 

Thanks man. That makes sense and the info was helpful for my understanding of what a duty cycle is in reference with an alternator.

 

It seems based on that explanation that the designed duty cycle of an alternator is static for a given voltage; depicting how much it should run at that load. If one were to increase the voltage, that could over stress the alternator - therefore you would want to decrease the duty cycle about the same % that you increased the voltage?

 

Not everyone here knows what ‘Duty Cycle’ means, if you would be so kind as to explain the term.

Frank

 

Wish I could - I'm trying to learn along with the rest of us. Just my take-away from that article, but I can't say for sure if it's an accurate representation.

 

I did find the below in a discussion related to GM ECM controlled charging systems. It seems to correlate with the values in the graphic Mat posted previously:

Commanded Duty Cycle Generator Output Voltage
10% 11 V
20% 11.56 V
30% 12.12 V
40% 12.68 V
50% 13.25 V
60% 13.81 V
70% 14.37 V
80% 14.94 V
90% 15.5 V

 

Roughly put, it's the amount of time something "works". If your air conditioner runs for 10 minutes and then is off for 10 minutes, and continues that way all day, it is operating at 50 % duty cycle. In electronics, it is similar. If a device outputs a signal, (or voltage), for half a second and then 0 for half a second, it is at 50% duty cycle. If it outputs for 0.75 seconds and then nothing for 0.25 seconds, it is operating at 75% duty cycle. You can use any time interval, it's just easier to visualize if 1 second time frame is used for reference.

 

Thanks, this seems pretty straightforward and makes sense. The relationship, and corresponding changes when making voltage changes, is what I think we're trying to ensure we understand. Is it a design constraint for a given alternator? or, just a reflection of how long it needs to be on for a given level of demand? Possible both it would seem.

 

i have an AGM and it would be nice if i didnt have to top off my battery all the time