I just checked the specs of my Valentine1 - Power requirements = 11.0-16.0 Volts DC negative ground. Beltronics only seems to note 12V as their requirement. Considering that every car's voltage will run well over 14V they're not being very specific.

 

14.8 volts will noy hurt your decetor. most DC aplicatyion are given a 5 volt range where they will work.

 

Yeah - I'm no longer concerned about it. Seems like everyone agrees (including the dealer) that anywhere in the 14v range is normal. I even checked the wife's car too, and it was about 14.5.

Looks like the detector is going back to BEL again. Nothing like having a factory service rep have you look for a problem elsewhere than in their product.

Thanks for your input all.

 

I'll segway to the cigarette lighter vs accessory outlet question-IMO the real answer is that the lighter is not switched and accessories plugged here will run down your battery over time if the engine is not started-accessory outlet is switched and if not in acc or on position draws no current.

 

Sounds like everyone is measuring the unloaded voltage at the socket. You need to have something plugged in and loaded to get a true reading. I don't have the wiring diagram but discrete voltage regulators can float very high until loaded.

Even the 9V AC/DC adapter (black block) that a lot of people have around their home can read as high as 15V until it's plugged into a device (like the base station of your cordless phone).

So even if there isn't a voltage regulator to the socket the reading can be high until loaded. Also, check the spec of what you're plugging in. Many devices accept a range of voltage since they often have an input regulator.
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Incorrect - both sockets are switched (ACC/ON). Most newer cars operated this way.