How's it going Dutch? Get your car back from the shop yet?

 

Bump cause I am still very interested in this!

Any news?

 

Ditto on the bump!

 

Well the house is painted and sold... I've moved... I'm getting married Saturday...

I think I'm going to be busy the next few weeks

Anyway, I got the boards back and I soldered a bunch of parts on them, and everything worked as I expected.

Some things I am pondering about / working on:

* Use a USB interface for the PC instead of a Serial RS232 one.
* Add the current sense circuitry.

The serial setup is easier while the USB may be more common now.

I found a great chip to do the current monitoring so I think that will make it into the next version.

Oh, and something to be frustrated about... it took three weeks for my 8 to recover from the deer hits. I picked it up and took my daughter for some ice cream afterwards... I parked it at Dairy Queen for 5 minutes, somebody made a 12 inch scratch on it! About 3 inches are all the way down to the metal, it looks like it was done with a knife.

There are some sad people in this world!

D2.

 

That is very sad.

USB would be very cool, I would prefer that over serial.

 

Dude.. people suck.

Agreed, USB would be cool but I'd take either.

 

I've been following this thread since the beginning. I'm very curious about the final product and if it ever becomes available. If you are keeping a list, add me to it.

 

Hey Dutch... any updates???

 

I've been busy.... wedding, honeymoon, beach vacation

Oh and moving into a new house... building a work bench now so I can get back to work... it's almost done so I should be able to unpack this project pretty soon...

Sorry for the delays

D2.

 

im real interested in gettin this installed on my car.. sounds hot and iz very convenient

 

Sounds like you've had your hands full, in a good way.

Glad to hear the project is still alive. Can't wait for the finished product.

Keep us posted.

 

I want to ask.... seeing as you are electronics savy is there any way you could make a smart key solution... ie walk up and it senses it kinda thing or do I have to buy the shinka door system... and the original idea is great btw

 

There are several ways of making a smart key solution...

I don't know anything about the shinka system though... does it have something like it?

Does our "regular" 8 know that the key is near? If so, we may be able to use that signal to trigger an unlock, no extra parts needed?

D2.

 

well i know that if you have a shinka you dont need to use a key. the door handle has a button on it and when you get near the car with your key in your pocket you can hit the button to unlock the car. The cars alarm system is different as well. it beeps similar to that of a lexus/toyota/bmw/audi/you know what i mean, not the actual horn beep. plus when in the car you dont have to put your key in the ignition instead there is a cover over the ingnition that you turn to start the car again you dont have to use your actual key for this it just needs to be with you.

 

the regular 8 doesnt have the same key system. the new ones have the switchblade key/ the shinka key is thin about the same size as a credit card but a little bit thicker (obviously). You can put it in your wallet. Its called the Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry, the 07 grand touring edition and shinka come with this.

 

Isn't there a "chip" in the switchblade key that communicates with the car to make sure it is a valid key?

I might be wrong (very possible) or maybe it only does that when you try to use the key to start the car...

I seem to remember something about having to tape the key somewhere to make keyless starting work? (again, I may very well be hallucinating)

 

OK Dutch. I can't stand it any more. I've held back till now because you're an electronics engineer so should know what you're doing. However, after seeing that circuit board layout, I really had to say 'what is this guy doing?' You seem to be trying to do something like build a fairly primitive car by going to the dealer and buying the individual pieces.

At the off chance I will not know what I speak, can you please articulate where exactly you intent this project to go, and how you expect people to actually implement this feature in their vehicles, including approximate assembly time and costs.

 

You don't have to but a Shinka to get this, just a model with the Advanced Keyless Entry. I have it on my 07 GT. As long as the key is on you (or in your bag, etc), you can unlock/lock the doors using the buttons on the handles, unlock the trunk using the button under the bumper and start the car without putting the key in the ignition.

If you search the site you should be able to find a discussion about the keyless entry and also about installing a start button. Both have some further info about the advanced keyless entry.

 

Delmeister, I'm not sure what you mean by "build a fairly primitive car by going to the dealer and buying the individual pieces" but I can try to explain what I am trying to do...

Of course it all started because I want my car to politely beep when I lock it instead of the light flash you have to look for or the horn blast that makes everybody jump

Then the temperature went up to 95+ and I thought it would be nice to automagically open the windows and sunroof when I unlocked the car...

Then I found it annoying that you can't close the windows or sunroof after you remove the key and thought it would be nice if they would close when you locked your car...

Of course then somebody mentioned automatically closing windows could chop a child in half, which may be bad, so I thought about adding current monitoring...

All this created a giant wiring mess so I thought of the ability to add multiple modules that communicate through one thin wire...

Then 50 people wanted to do 50 different things with it so I made the whole thing programmable using PC software... something like "if turn signal light flashes twice then close windows until current limit is reached".

Basically there will be a number of inputs you connect to all the things you want to monitor like the turn signal light. In the software you name these inputs so the "program" will be easy to read. You do the same with the outputs.

As for cost, I'm doing this for fun, and I know we're not supposed to talk about cost, so all I can say is that low cost is one of the design goals. I'm thinking there will be different levels of this module depending how many inputs and outputs you need.

As for implementing this into a vehicle, I believe this module will simplify wiring for larger projects since you can connect multiple modules using the one-wire interface. A good example for this is the window and sunroof open/close project. One module can live in the driver door and one by the sunroof with only one wire going through the door boot.

Technical: I'm using a Microchip Microcontroller using MPLAB and PICC for the module and Delphi for the PC software...

I've tested most of the individual parts except for the current sense circuits because it was not on the original PCB.

If you have any specific questions let me know because I'm sure there are things I haven't thought of

D2.

 

Thanks for the review Dutch. I've read the whole thread but having it summarized in one post makes it convenient to discuss.

Consider two statements you made
Make that 51, but it's going to require some willing programing and some computing horsepower.
These emphasize the need for generality. You don't want to be in a position where a requirement is added and the original design is compromised.

Except for the specifics, what is being attempted here is quite common. Consequently you can buy very powerful computer modules for probably no more than the cost of a custom designed and manufactured empty circuit board. An example is http://www.futurlec.com/PIC18F8720_Controller.shtml

Consider the specific issue of the windows and sunroof. The primary benefit of the internal modules is if you do not have to run any wires at all to the module. Although you say that a wire running in the door boot can control the sunroof module, I do not believe this is true. The last time I looked, it really seemed you actually needed to get a control wire up in there, and once you have to do that, the benefits of the system become questionable if getting any wire at all there is a pain.

Now that might change if for example you used a wireless communication method. Three come to mind. Flood the passenger compartment with infra-red as with remote control televisions, use radio as model airplane guys do, or use the power line as is done with such control units in the home to dim lights, close garage doors etc. But these are pie in the sky for now. The system should not be held up for these modules to be designed, tested, built, etc. For now, run the wires where that can be done easily. The generality of the system can easily accommodate any future communication developments

For the windows you could use a module such as this http://www.futurlec.com/Opto_Relay_4.shtml. If you put it in the door itself you could feed it with a common six-conductor telephone cable. Otherwise you could have the module outside with all the other modules, but using more and heavier wires.

So you want to monitor current. OK. If the module is in the door, stick a 0.1-ohm resistor in the ground line since all currents flow through there, and ensure only one window is being operated at any one time. Use one of the spare conductors to feed back the voltage to one of the A/D converters on the computer module. No need to redesign a circuit board.

Also, as wish lists and complexity increases, the project should solicit the involvement of capable and eager people who want to, and can contribute towards building a system with the power and usefulness that would appeal to most members on this forum (I don’t mind contributing to discussions on concepts, but would stay away from programming). Ultimately, programs would be written, tested, downloaded to a laptop, and then to the computer module.

With regard to the specifics of your system - how did you intend to get this out to the masses? Were they each going to have their own board manufactured, buy the individual components and solder the whole thing together? I hope not – this could be a nightmare. Were you going to buy the stuff and have it assembled externally, and then sell it?

 

del -

i think you're a little ahead of him. from what i can tell, dutch is just playing around and having fun... evident from his writing "having fun" and having smiley faces at the bottom of almost every post of his.

to me, it seems like he's just fooling around haphazardly, adding stuff here and there, hoping to make a working prototype. i dont think he's considering production value and product distribution issues.

i could be wrong with all this, but i dunno.

i say we let dutch have fun, screw around, hopefully build a working prototype... report on how it works. and from there, let him choose how he's going to distribute it. maybe this is a one time thing for him, and he'd be kind enough to just share his source code and wiring schematics so the more talented DIYers can build it on their own? or maybe if he has time he'll start producing and selling them himself... though he probably has more important things to be doing, seeing as he just got married.

so yeah, i say let him do his thing and not pressure him for specific details until he's ready.

oh and congrats on your marriage dutch, hope its going well

 

Hey 1145climber, I admire the guy as much as you do.

Dutch, I know I can be a bit abrasive when I have trouble understanding things, but believe me I have a great deal of respect for your character. I am basically asking technical questions directed towards technical discussions.

How's your marriage going?

 

Interesting concept, cant wait to get better info on a finished product -=)

 

I wouldnt mind just the beeps/ chirps.... Dutch, it seems you already solved that problem so how do I go about doing it for myself.

 

Try this if you don't mind being the first to do it. https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-beeps-not-horn-when-remote-lock-unlock-120594/