Thread: Valentine1 Serial Adapter - Now Shipping!

Hi there,

What you've described is exactly what I have done. I've used clear acrylic to create a totally sealed box around my V1 and then have mounted it in the front of the car.

Rear detection still works, just not as well, but front detection is exactly the same in fact a little better as I tested by finding a radar source and putting my second V1 up on the windscreen and seeing which went off first and with 4 different sources, there was no more than 10 metres in each occasion before they both alerted with the front mounted unit going off before the windscreen one if anything.

You can purchase sealed boxes for V1's off the net from a few places, but they were rediculously expensive for what they were. I just sealed off the cable coming out with silicone sealant and also covered the box in sealant on any areas I wanted to be 100% sure of, but I used sealant inside the box also before sealing the lid so I'm pretty sure it'll be water tight, but haven't had it in the car for long enough to give you a definative answer. Oh and yeah I drilled a small hole in the back so you can still get to volume switch to be able to program it if needed and sealed it with a flexible rubber bung that expands so should seal OK.

So I hope that answers your question about why this is useful

Will post some pics of my first effort if you want later on.

CityFan86 - I've got a challenge. My car has an LCD in the gauge cluster (see top screen)which displays messages from the various computer modules in the car (like the door module, which sends a "passenger door open" message when you open the door) via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. I'd be willing to help develop a interface like connect but rather than outputting via RS232, outputs messages to the CAN bus.

Many cars these days have similar screens, and they almost exclusively use CAN, however the protocols are probably different across makes, and even models. So the challenge is:

1) Develop a CAN hardware platform that can automatically determine vehicle network speed and monitor messages.
2) Create a USB interface that can log messages from the CAN bus.
3) For each make/model, have the user log a bunch of messages while triggering things that show up on the LCD
4) Start an online CAN message database/forum where CAN logs can be posted and us techies can figure out a "driver" for each vehicle
5) Once there's a driver, allow it to be loaded in the device and connected to the V1

You up to it? If not I'd still like to use your reader in my design.

BTW:

So what I don't understand is that I'd still need to keep the V1 (or any radar detector) up on my windshield correct?

I just put mine here:

Which looks to cops like

Originally Posted by DAE51D

Does your V1 actually work well shoved up there in the roof with all those electronics and no line of site to front or rear (and worse, metal from the car's frame).

Also, what is that crazy knob thingy?

Actually it works better there than on the visor. I have about 1.5 mile range with Ka. It has a metal free LOS out the front and back windshield, and plastic doesn't block microwaves. It's mounted perfectly level (can't tell from that pic but I made a bracket to hold it to the headliner support structure). The electronics are minimal and only affect the rear antenna sensitivity slightly.

The one thing it can't do is laser, but that's what the LI is for. Detecting laser is pointless.

The knobby thing is a Parrot BT interface.

I've done a number of these stealth V1 installs since VA isn't too fond of the whole radar thing. The S40 was the first that had enough room to put it there. The s60r went inside the rear center headrest. Mustang GT went in a custom lifted rear deck. 335xi went in the center domelight. I can post pics if y'all want, but prob in a different thread.