What would you like in automatic AC controls.

**h3rk** · 04-14-2007, 08:37 AM

I've been listing functions of automatic air conditioning systems for a project, and I think I've pretty much covered everything, but I'd like to get some input from this community regarding:

What features you would like to see in an automatic AC control system?

-or-

What features exist that you think are an important part of an automatic AC control system?

Feel free to include, but no need to limit ideas to, things that can only be accomplished by software.

**Dingo509** · 06-20-2007, 08:45 PM

I know some of the newer vehicles with automatic climate controls have a sunlight sensor, so if they sit in sunlight it would know the vehicle is is hotter than the temp says.

also maybe a fan that doesn't blow full blast trying to heat the car until the engine is actually hot? It should be able to hook into existing temp guages though. as i for one don't have any extra water ports on my engine.

I would actually like to see a completely stand alone system. So it would work indepentant of the computer. and have a nice flat single DIN display. or be easy to design and build your own interface.

how's that for a few unobtainable ideas? lol

Dingo

**h3rk** · 06-20-2007, 08:56 PM

Those things are good ideas and already have been included in the specification for my project. Thanks. I don't know how long this will take, but it is still moving forward.

**Dingo509** · 06-20-2007, 10:01 PM

Well i'm not too good at the software, or curcuit stuff, but i can diffently help with the vehicle integration part. that is of course if you need help with that lol

Dingo

**Area3** · 06-20-2007, 10:11 PM

Usb Controlled Ac Module

**sebberry** · 06-21-2007, 04:11 AM

Definately a cool idea, especially for cars that have the climate control and audio systems integrated into the same device (ie, the Subaru Legacy with the automatic climate control. The climate controls are part of the radio head unit)

How would you interface the system with various vehicles tho? a simple USB to car adapter? Will it work with dual zone systems?

Oh, and one more word about the sunlight sensor. I believe that some vehicles also use it to detect the amount of condensation on the inside of the window to run the defrost mode.

**JasonWW** · 06-21-2007, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by sebberry

Definately a cool idea, especially for cars that have the climate control and audio systems integrated into the same device (ie, the Subaru Legacy with the automatic climate control. The climate controls are part of the radio head unit)

How would you interface the system with various vehicles tho? a simple USB to car adapter? Will it work with dual zone systems?

Most new vehicles are using digital signals for the modules to communicate. Several use CAN and BMW has their I-bus are whatever so it's going to depend on what system the vehicle has and hopefully a USB adapter can be made to interface with it. This is just off the top of my head, though.

**Dingo509** · 10-28-2007, 12:09 AM

Any news?

**h3rk** · 10-28-2007, 12:23 AM

well, it turns out that the hardware design was a bit much for me at the time, so I have to let this one go for now. I'm working on the skills I need to do it later. Sorry for any false hopes I may have given. But there is good news. Mastero has announced that he is 60% done with the design of Aircon 3 which will support full automatic control. The other more flexible, but less desirable in some aspects, method; is to use Nick and Tim's Fusion Brain (it has its own subforum in hardware discussion). Analog out is just about to come out, and that will open the door for Automatic Climate control. The downside vs/ Aircon is that there will be no control of AC without the original controls or the computer up and running. I have a skin I'm working on: Modernity, which is going to let me figure out what it will take to universally control most vehicle's climate controls. Maybe by then I will have had enough time to come up more success than I have had. I'm kind of hoping the answer will be a hardware add-on for the Fusion Brain that will allow control of outputs with no computer running, but that's a little far fetched. Also, if you haven't looked yet, you might want to check out Mastero's thread, and in the fusion forum look for greenman100's (co-creator) write up, appearantly he is successfully controlling his climate controls with the fusion brain.