How to:
First and foremost, if you want to do a modification to your car. Don't take what I say for gospel, use a multimeter, double check everything, and don't blame me if it doesn't turn out as you expected.
I decided I'd attempt this because my car has a proximity key and I like to be able to leave it in my bag, pocket or wherever, which means I need to find my keys or have a button floating around the car. Plus those buttons have a tendency to get annoying as the batteries wear out.
My car is a 2012 GD elite, CRDi. I have no idea if the unit I modified is the same across the range, I assume that it is.
I'll apologise in advance for any typos and lack of editing; I'm writing this on my phone from the passenger seat while travelling.
What you will need:
-Multimeter
-Phillips head screwdriver, 1 large, 1 small
-Soldering iron and solder
-Drill with a fine bit and a 12mm bit
-Some lengths of small gauge wire
-Double sided tape
-A low profile momentary push button switch (
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=SP0656)
-A compatible universal garage door remote that is paired with your door and uses a 12V battery (this will be the hardest part to find, I found mine on eBay)
What to do:
1. Disassemble the 12V garage door remote down to the circuit board, keeping note of the button that is trained to your door.
2. Find the feet for each side of the switch and solder some fine wire to each side, taking care not to bridge any tracks/components. (In the picture below I used slightly too thick wire, and changed it for some smaller later on)
3. Identify the +ve and -ve terminals for the 12V battery, and using your soldering iron, wet the solder for the battery terminals and lift them off, then replace with leads to power the transmitter. Red for +ve, Black for -ve.
This image shows the circuit board with leads attached. I should have used smaller gauge wire here, it still works fine. The box behind wasn't used.
4. Remove the sun glasses holder from the roof, by taking the two phillips screws out when the sunglass door is open. There's a power lead which is easily unclipped.
5. Use your multimeter to identify the permanent 12V pin and the -ve in the socket hanging from the hole in the roof. Be sure to close your doors, as there will be 12V supplied on a pin when the door is open, for the door setting on the lights.
6. Once you've identified the pins, use your multimeter to follow the +ve and -ve rails through the test points on the black circuit board for the lights, mounted behind the sunglass holder. Be careful to test those rails with the might switch in multiple positions.
In the next picture, you will see the locations that I identified, but I think it would be wise to test it yourself to be sure. Once you've identified the rails, open the plastic a bit using a sharp drill bit on a test point for each rail, so that you can solder the leads running to the battery terminals on the circuit board.
7. There is a test hole directly opposite a centred location to mount the switch, using your fine drill bit, drill through to the plastic underneath, marking it.
8. Remove the four small phillips head screws to remove the light circuit board.
9. Using the 12mm drill bit, open up the small hole you marked in step 7. Fix the switch.
10. Drill a hole through the black plastic in the corner behind where the switch will lie, refer to the next picture to see where the leads come through. Be careful not to drill through any tracks for the lights.
11. Feed the switch leads from your circuit board through the hole in step 10, and solder one to each side of the switch.
12. Fix the black light circuit board back to the sunglass fixture, using the 4 screw, then in a suitable location use double sided tape to neatly stick the circuit board down.
13. Neatly solder your red lead to the +ve rail, and your black lead to the -ve rail which you opened up in step 6.
It should look something like this. This picture will show you suitable places for the holes, and access points for the 12V rails.
14. After using your multimeter to test the switch and satisfy yourself it's connected correctly, connected the leads, test, and put it back together!
Job done!
I'll put a few more pics below which may be useful. The job shouldn't be too hard, I hope my poorly written instructions are helpful to anyone else wanting to do this.
It would be quite easy to incorporate an LED in series to indicate when it's transmitting. There are even some switches the have built in LEDs, I even bought one, but the switch was too deep to fit in that location.
Lex.
