Maybe I'm nuts, but it's annoying to me that my car does not beep when I use the remote to lock it. I know I can press the button again so the horn sounds but I think that's just too much.

A friend's Toyota makes a nice beep-beep sound when he locks it, and I want the same

I happen to be an electronics engineer so for as far as I'm concerned there is always a solution to an electrical problem.

I'm designing a small unit that monitors the tail light that flashes when you lock the car. When it lights the right amount of time it will sound one or more beeps. (selectable) It will mount in the trunk by the tail light behind the covering.

If anybody else is interested I'll build more than one. It will have a nice circuit board with three wires, 12V, GND, and tail light.

EDIT: Things have evolved a little... we're now looking at auto-windows up and sunroof close on lock, and auto-windows down and sunroof open on unlock depending on how long you hold down the button on the key fob... read more on page 4... input wanted!

D2.

 

...like a good idea.

S

 

You rock! I want to see this happen.

 

I am interested. What is the cost for this?

 

cool deal - keep us posted. I would be interested.

 

It's good to hear I'm not the only one who wants beeps

For as far as price goes, I'm guessing around $** for a PCB with wires, no enclosure. You can just tie-wrap it to a wiring harness somewhere as long as it does not touch anything metal.

Of course I had another idea...

Since this module now knows when the car is being locked, maybe add a few outputs to roll the windows up and close the sunroof?

For as far as I understand there is a relay that controls the power to the windows that it would have to turn on and then simulate the door window switches for a short period of time.

If there is a similar power relay for the sun roof... you get the idea.

I could add that functionality for another $** or so. The thing I like about it is that it all works with the original remote integrated into the key.

Am I going too far? Of course I'd need some wiring diagrams to know where to connect the wires...

D2.

 

I think we would have to worship you if you can do that and still put it in a nice little package/enclosure. Be careful about announcing prices on the board. It can jeopardize this whole thing because I don't think it is allowed unless you are a paying vendor. At the very least you should leave out the prices and talk to us about what we would like and what you can do for us.

 

Edited to avoid deletion......

If you can develop it without mentioning prices, we can deal with that when it's all done......

S

 

That was partly my fault for askin for price. Sorry!

 

I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I couldn't posts prices... it's all jsnbd3ll's fault

Thanks StealthTL for editing out the prices.

I'm reading some auto-window threads and I'll report back what I find...

D2.

 

Dutch2, I can get you any wiring diagrams that you will need for this project. Just pm me with a list and i will send them to you.

~Jay~

 

Thanks jzrx8 for offering the wiring diagrams. Without them it would be pretty much impossible to do the window and sunroof part of this project. I've sent you a PM with what I think I need.

This is what I've come up with so far:

• Microprocessor controlled unit that senses the lock/unlock light flash to drive a beeper and optionally the windows and sunroof.
• User selectable number of beeps on lock and unlock.
• Relay output to turn power to windows on after key has been removed.
• Relay output to control the two window-up switches.
• Relay output to turn power to sunroof on after key has been removed.
• Relay output to control sunroof close switch.

Right now I'm most concerned with the way this thing will connect to the car wiring. Is there any way to get to the window controls without putting the module in the door? Same question for the sunroof controls...

Having fun

D2.

 

I wish you the best of luck and hope you can pull through on your attempts. You could possibly be sitting on a gold mine if you can do all those things for us.

 

Thanks to jzrx8's wiring diagrams I have a much better idea now on how to get this done

I figured out a way to control the windows and the sunroof. The best place for this module to live is going to be in the driver side door because most of the wires have to go there.

Two thin wires (20 gauge or so) will have to come from the module through the door boot. One will go to the sunroof close switch, and the other one to the Keyless Control Module or Flasher Control Module.

One thing we will have to do is to move the power for the sunroof so it will operate when the car is off. I've read some threads and it seems other people have done this already. If anybody has some input on how this is done, please let me know.
The unit could work without this modification, but it would require more and thicker wires to be run through the door boot, which I think would be a pain.

I found a nice loud (105db) beeper, so I'm hoping you'll be able to hear it from inside the door

I'm supposed to be working, but this is more fun

D2.

 

With this set-up would the alarm still sound the horn or just the "beep-beep" noise?

 

The circuit is triggered by the light flashing, so the first time you press the lock button and the lights flash, it will beep, close the windows, and close the sun roof.

The second time you press the button the lights don't flash, so the module does nothing, and the horn will sound like original.

For as far as the beeping goes, you can select if you want one beep or multiple beeps. If you select one beep, you can set the length of the beep, if you select multiple beeps you can select how many up to 8. You can do this for both lock and unlock.

Any suggestions on how to change/improve this are welcome

D2.

 

I thought the reason the horn honked on the second time you hit the button because the alarm on the car is the horn honking. Is the point of this module to eliminate the horn honking when you arm the alarm? I would want a module that does that!

 

There is a wire from the Keyless Entry Control Module to the horn relay. I guess you could cut that wire to eliminate the horn honk as long as it does not interfere with the operation of the alarm.

The point of the module is for the car to beep when you lock it the first time so you don't have to press the button a second time for the horn to make sure it is locked.

The auto window and sunroof functions are just a nice by-product.

D2.

 

Dude this sounds awesome! I have always wanted that little beep beep thing and the up down windows with the key is also really cool. Yeah, I am jealous of my friend too, he has an accord and his rolls down when he unlocks it.. but not the beep

 

Hmmm... roll windows down when you unlock... now there's an idea

Maybe if you hold the unlock button down for longer than 2 seconds?

Maybe that is the way to auto window up and sunroof close should be too... in case you want the sunroof open a little in the summer?

 

I just thought I would let you know that I would be interested in this as well. I am a software engineer so if you need any help with microcode I would be happy to help.

 

Will this beeping sound like the Toyotas? That would be pretty awesome.

Guys, I know I am getting way ahead of myself here but I figure I would take advantage of having this much brain power and knowledge in the same thread. I have always wanted those power vented windows you see in minivans. How likely would it be for us to have that retrofitted to our RX-8 vented windows? Right now, I don't use them because it is such a pain to reach for them when I am already in the car.

 

^^^Nice, same here! BMW 3-series coupes have this auto mechanism for their vented rear window. Maybe check into those mechanism.

 

Well I hooked the oscilloscope up to the Keyless Receiver Module wires that go to the Keyless Control Module. Unfortunately it does not matter how long you press the key, the receiver only sends one message.

In other words, there is no way of knowing how long the unlock key is being pressed, making it impossible to make the windows go down only when you press unlock for more than 1 second. Wah!

So close windows and sunroof when you use the remote to lock the car is possible, but open windows and sunroof on "long" unlock won't work. Our car is just not set up for it.

So we're back to the following functions...

• Look for the "light flash" when you lock or unlock the car.
• Beep on lock. (Single or multiple up to 8)
• Close windows on lock.
• Close sunroof on lock.
• Beep on unlock. (Independent single or multiple up to 8)

At least we won't have to look for the flash (drives me nuts) and we won't have to press the lock button again to hear the annoying honk.

Comments?

D2.

 

When you say, "Look for the 'light flash'" you are monitoring the keyless receiver module, correct, not really a flash/power going to the lights themselves?

And as for roll down, how about this, roll down when unlock is pressed three times in a row. I know not the best solution, but it could work.

Also where is the keyless receiver module mounted?