How to disable Assist/Regen

30177 Views 81 Replies 32 Participants Last post by charlieinjax, Dec 24, 2012

Calpod

Discussion Starter · Nov 22, 2005

Here is how to disable Assist/Regen when you don't need it, such as when you are trying so keep from depleting the battery charge on long hills, or when you don't want background charging, or when you are going downhill and don't want to regen.

Take the 2 wires from the clutch pedal, run them thru a toggle switch and you're done, now anytime you don't want to use assist or regen, just flip the switch and IMA is disabled. :idea:

21 - 40 of 82 Posts

IamIan

· #21 · Jul 9, 2006

in My 2000 Insight... if I am not in-gear / neutral... but ideling at stop instead of AS... I can get low level regen one of two ways .... the first is common when the car wants to do a forced charge... the second is if I push the MIMA jostick to full regen.... the light comes on to show MIMA is active and then slowly the other green light comes on to show regen... it starts as a faint flicker... then steady but dim.... then a bit stronger.... then eventually the first green LED is completely lit up at full.... eventally from this I have seen the SOC go up slightly... but like any time you are at 1 green LED of regen it can take a while....

I am not sure why it starts with the low flicker and builds up to the idel regen... but it does.... When the ICE is colder and I don't want to use FAS to force a AS I use this to regen at the idle.... that way I am at least taking advantage of some of the wasted gas at idel....

I've never seen this go above the 1 green LED ... but when the IMA wants to do a forced charge I have seen that do 2 Green LEDs even in neutral / idel.

See less See more

Willie Williford

· #22 · Jul 10, 2006

BCM/MCM recall

Joe,
I have had the recall done on my 01 and have the CARD switch installed.
It works the same as before.
I also have the FAS button installed and am able to get full regen as before.

Willie

Infidel

· #23 · Jul 10, 2006

JoeMultihuller said:
Infidel and mds2: what exactly are the responses both above and below 19mph?

I can't help but have a twinge of concern about new engineers at Honda messing with code that was designed many years ago ... you don't suppose they goofed? After all, if you push in the clutch (presumably releasing the gas pedal at the same time) you should not expect any Assist and thus it made sense to disable it (as in the old version) ... so why did they change it in their latest revision? Conversely, you'd think that Regen should still have been allowed to function (only to be inhibited below 19mph?) even if the engine is only idling (is that what it does now with the clutch pushed in?). Sorry, too many questions.

BTW, MIMA's LEDs sure let us see the disparity between the dashboard Regen indicator and what's really happening 8) - thanks again, Mike. JoeS.

Well, as I don't have MIMA, I can't tell you what actually is happening, but as far as I see things, there's appears to be no change in behavior with the clutch bypassed above/below 19mph. Assist functions as normal with the clutch in, regen as indicated does not function via the brake pedal or lifting the throttle. Then you let up on the gas with the switch flipped, it feels the same as if you're batteries are topped off (no simulated compression braking effect).

I guess I don't know for sure if background charging is still there or not, but I do know that somewhere between 2/3 and 1/2 SoC, Force charging begins, and the clutch switch does NOT disable that. I can only assume that if the ECU is Force charging anyway, that ABC is happening as well.

How does MIMA disable ABC? Is it via some flavor of a clutch switch interdiction?

Incidentially, everyone here has always said that AS only happens below 19mph. Even before the clutch switch, my 06 would sometimes go into AS by itself a little bit faster, say 24-25mph. It doesn't happen all the time, and always when the clutch is in and under moderate braking. Also, i've noticed that when the batteries are near full (that in-between time when just tapping the brakes only gives you 4 bars of regen), that you can sometimes get a little bit more regen by adding a little brake pressure. It's almost as if there's a brake pressure sensor or an accelerometer or something that feeds into the regen algorithm.

Do pre-06's not behave this way then?

See less See more

highwater

· #24 · Jul 10, 2006

Infidel wrote:

Incidentially, everyone here has always said that AS only happens below 19mph. Even before the clutch switch, my 06 would sometimes go into AS by itself a little bit faster, say 24-25mph. It doesn't happen all the time, and always when the clutch is in and under moderate braking.

I read an ancient post 8) , in which xcel (Wayne) had given an account of another Insight driver, of which the name evades me at the moment; in which this driver had perfected getting the Insight to AS at the 24~25 mph speed. I worked on the technique, and was able to duplicate it. It can be made to happen most every time. On a downshift from 5 to 4th, with the clutch still depressed and the brake slightly touched, and leaving the tranny in neutral until I turned the corner or came to a stop. I don't remember what thread it was or what I was searching for, and I believe I'm right that Wayne was the teller of the story. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

I don't do this anymore, as FAS is doable at any speed

.

Randall

JoeMultihuller

· #25 · Jul 12, 2006

First of all, thank you Mike, Ian, Willie, Infidel and Highwater for the follow-ups. I hope to borrow Wifey's 2006 and do some testing. In the meantime, here's a little more information to keep this thread rolling: regarding behavior when the engine is idling -

I just came back from the garage and can attest that when the car is not moving and the engine is idling and not in AutoStop, I was not able to detect any Regen in either my 2002 or my wife's 2006, irrespective of clutch depression.

I'll comment and further elaborate on Ian's wonderfully-accurate IMA/MIMA idling engine response description on the MIMA thread whenever/wherever it reactivates.

The question now remains: What can be done to a 2006 Insight to regain this Assist Disable capability?

As an aside, I just came back from a 10-mile city and uphill trip working very hard to recharge the IMA battery on Wifey's 2006 Insight - that sucker sure seems far more anxious to utilize Assist than my 2002. Succeeded in bringing it up from two bars to full, but it wasn't easy! Sure missed that clutch switch!! JoeS.

See less See more

ibangpots

· #26 · Oct 15, 2006

it works for me

I just did the mod. It works on my 2000. The only thing I did different or will clarify is that I left the original connections and just tapped into them to make a switch to alternatively close the circuit. I don't know if the clutch switch is important for something besides IMA (like not being able to start the car in gear) so I wanted the original connections to still be there and have the ability to switch the IMA system off. It works a lot better than reaching into the back to switch the battery off. It was a pain in the a$$ to work under there and took me about an hour. Thanks for the great idea!

Tom

Tranquility

· #27 · Oct 15, 2006

Calpod said:
I'd like to find out what changed on the 2006 model, it works great with mine, (2000)

Pre 2006:
Removed picture to avoid confusion, Tranquility.

And for 2006 we have this:

Removed text to avoid confusion, Tranquility. Sorry for the mix up!

See less See more

Insightful Trekker

· #28 · Oct 15, 2006

AH HA :!: :idea:

Your upper pic is with an _added_ aftermarket crusie control switch :!:

My 02 is factory equipped exactly as your lower pic shows (and is in agreement with the 00-02 Factory Service manual, _ONE_ clutch switch)

AND the confusion is _GROWING_ with multi posting this "problem" in different threads. PLEASE DON'T MULTI POST.

The clutch switch must be simulated _closed_ clutch pedal down to "fool" the IMA system that the clutch is engaged (released, as in pedal down). It is by design a N.O. (normally open) switch. Electrically this means that the removed connector must be shorted back unto itself (jumpered closed).

See:
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=5607

and please continue _this_ segment of the discussion there.

See less See more

Tranquility

· #29 · Oct 15, 2006

Sorry for the confusion.

Calpod

Discussion Starter · #30 · Oct 17, 2006

Insightful Trekker wrote:

See:
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=5607

and please continue _this_ segment of the discussion there.

Oops, has this thread been hijacked? should we post all future disable assist OR regen topics there?

Tranquility

· #31 · Oct 17, 2006

Sure, go head. Make feel even worse.

I took this thread to be a clutch mod thread but the clutch mod didn't work on the 2006. So I started another thread looking for alternatives. I then got confused over a picture showing what I thought was a second clutch switch on pre-2006 models, but wasn't. So I thought I'd share it with this topic 'cause you were looking for what might have changed. But I was mistaken.

Never intended to do any hyjacking.

tomauto

· #32 · Mar 24, 2011 (Edited)

I did this mod tonight and my assist and regen still functioned as normal.

When I had the switch flipped one way the car would not start. The in the off position on the switch the car started as normal.

I have a DPDT Center off toggle switch and I have the wires from the dash going into the middle two connectors on the switch. Then I have the wires from the switch going to the clutch plug.

Did I do something wrong?

Willie Williford

· #33 · Mar 24, 2011 (Edited)

Wire the switch in a "parallel" circuit not in "series" to the switch mounted in the clutch pedal assy. A simple on-off switch is all that is required. All you are doing is simulateing the clutch bein "in".
I used a On-Off pushbutton switch mounted in the shifter knob. Easy to oprate with the thumb "anytime".
HTH
Willie

TopFuelTim

· #34 · Oct 1, 2011

Looking forward to getting ready for this mod tomorrow.

Tim

TopFuelTim

· #35 · Oct 9, 2011 (Edited)

Like the Calpod mod

This was easy. I like it a lot. Just a little more control of the car. I can get the SOC up to 19 or 20 bars, then the long hill just before I get home (over a mile) can take away a couple of bars. Not any more : )

Thanks again Calpod for posting this mod.

Tim Glover

Calpod

Discussion Starter · #36 · Oct 14, 2011

You're welcome, Tim. This is a very simple mod and most people should be able to easily do it, I just did it on my second Insight, have to do a lot of catch-up on the mods to the new one.

TopFuelTim

· #37 · Oct 27, 2011

Can an indicator LED be added easily to Calpod Switch mod?

A couple of weeks ago Kurzweil asked if I knew of a way to add an indicator light to the Calpod switch (to let the driver know it is engaged), and I did not know. Is adding an indicator light (LED?) feasible? Easy? Would it require diodes to prevent sending a bad signal to the computer?

Thanks,
Tim Glover

Eli

· #38 · Oct 27, 2011

Should be easy, just get a lighted switch and jumper the light connections. I guess you'll need to attach a ground point somewhere. I don't know the voltage levels on the clutch switch wires, but I would assume 12V?

There are tons of 12V lighted switches out there. It shouldn't do anything to the signal.

Eli

· #39 · Oct 27, 2011

Man, I seem to be the only one having double post problems? Weird.

May as well add useful content to this post.. I've never done this mod and am not familiar with it, so please double check before trying, but it should be trivial to do. There are some pretty neat switches out there with lights in or on them.

Calpod

Discussion Starter · #40 · Oct 28, 2011 (Edited)

When the clutch switch is activated the green auto top light will not flash but will remain on,'this will show you the switch is on.
Sorry, I just realized that you won't always will be in Autostop when the switch is active, I did have a lighted switch when I first did this mod, it works OK. (there may be a picture of it on Mikes web site at 99mpg.

21 - 40 of 82 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.