Skip to main content

TI — True Ignition

Configures voltage-based ignition detection. When enabled, the device determines vehicle ON/OFF state from the main battery/charging voltage instead of the hardware ignition input.

Overview​

In many vehicles, battery voltage rises above ~13.0V when the alternator is charging (engine ON) and drops below ~13.0V when the engine is OFF. True Ignition uses this behavior to detect ignition state without requiring a dedicated ignition wire.

Default behavior (TI not configured): Ignition state is determined by the hardware ignition input (signal F00).

When TI is configured: Ignition state is derived from the main power ADC voltage and the hardware ignition input is ignored.

Format​

  • Set (enable): >STI1{THRESHOLD}<
  • Set (disable): >STIU<
  • Query: >QTI<

Set Command​

FieldDescription
1Action: enable True Ignition
UAction: disable/delete True Ignition
{THRESHOLD}Voltage threshold in millivolts (required when enabling)

Query Response​

When TI is not configured:

>RTIU{DEFAULT_THRESHOLD},{ADC_VALUE}<

When TI is configured:

>RTI1{THRESHOLD},{ADC_VALUE}<
FieldDescription
U or 1U = undefined/disabled, 1 = configured/enabled
{THRESHOLD}Configured threshold in mV (or default 13000 when undefined)
{ADC_VALUE}Current main power ADC reading in mV

Default Threshold​

  • 13000 mV (13.0V)

Examples​

Enable True Ignition with default 13.0V threshold:

>STI113000<
>RTI113000<

Enable with custom 12.8V threshold:

>STI112800<
>RTI112800<

Query current state (configured):

>QTI<
>RTI113000,13200<

Query current state (not configured):

>QTI<
>RTIU13000,13200<

Disable True Ignition (restore hardware ignition):

>STIU<
>RTIU<

Stability Logic​

The detector uses hysteresis and consecutive-sample debounce to prevent rapid toggling near the threshold:

ParameterValueDescription
ON thresholdConfigured thresholdVoltage must exceed this to turn ON
OFF thresholdConfigured threshold − 200 mVVoltage must drop below this to turn OFF
Consecutive samples3Number of consecutive qualifying readings required

State Transitions​

  • OFF → ON: Voltage must remain ≥ ON threshold for 3 consecutive samples (~3 seconds).
  • ON → OFF: Voltage must remain ≤ OFF threshold for 3 consecutive samples (~3 seconds).
  • Voltages between ON and OFF thresholds do not cause transitions (hysteresis band).

Ignition Source Behavior​

TI StateIgnition SourceSignal
Not configuredHardware ignition inputF00 from yellow wire
ConfiguredMain power ADC voltageF00 from red wire voltage

The rest of the system continues reading F00 transparently — only the source changes internally.

AD Extended Tag​

The AD extended tag reports the current main power ADC value (in mV) used as the True Ignition source. This value is reported regardless of whether TI is configured.

Format: ;AD={value}

Example event with AD tag:

;AD=13200

Persistence​

The TI configuration (enabled state + threshold) is stored persistently in the interface database. It survives device reboots.

Notes:​

  1. This functionality is only available for 12V vehicles.
  2. True Ignition is not supported in Power Saving Mode (PSM). If PSM is required, configure alternative wake-up criteria such as motion detection.