Steering Wheel Controls

**DjBac** · 09-08-2004, 07:28 AM

Originally Posted by Curiosity

So if you use a TV remote you get events in Girder, and the SWI-X flashes the IR emitter when you press buttons on the steering wheel but you get no events in Girder? Maybe incompatible IR signal or something? Anybody??

IRman works...
SWI-X works because when I change the resistor input it sends IR signals!!!
So either my ST/W controls malfanction or they are digital..
Is there a way to interface them??

**JC-S60** · 09-08-2004, 08:57 AM

If they are digital, you could just open them up and rebuild them to be analog. A bit of soldering and a couple of resistors....

I think the digital protocol will be proprietary, otherwise, you could hook them up to a serial port...

**god_of_cpu** · 09-08-2004, 09:42 AM

DjBac,

As was mentioned before, the steering wheel controls actually work based on changing current, not on changing voltage, although voltage does change with the current. They work by changing the resistance of a wire that goes to and from the head unit. The real way to test for this is to hook up your voltmeter, but set it to check resistance. (Testing for voltage will only work if you tap into the lines as they are hooked up to your head unit cause this is where it gets the power from) You should hook the ground going into the controls to one wire on your voltmeter and one of the TX things you have to the other one. Your resistance reading should change when you press a button on the steering wheel. If it doesn't you either have the wrong wires or it's just using some other way thats not going to work.

Since you said you have gotten the PAC SWI-X to work, my method *should* also work. I don't believe that the SWI-X supports and other format then the resistance changing one.

**JC-S60** · 09-08-2004, 09:51 AM

If I understood a previous post, he'd gotten it to work by using a resistor, not the steeringwheel controls...

**Curiosity** · 09-08-2004, 11:47 AM

Yeah, god_of_cpu is right. I got totally off track. Get rid of the 12V power supply as well. You don't need it. If your buttons light up when the headlights are on, then that explains the 2 extra wires. Otherwise, I don't know what those are. It could be ground, 12V, left buttons, right buttons?

**DjBac** · 09-08-2004, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by god_of_cpu

DjBac,

As was mentioned before, the steering wheel controls actually work based on changing current, not on changing voltage, although voltage does change with the current. They work by changing the resistance of a wire that goes to and from the head unit. The real way to test for this is to hook up your voltmeter, but set it to check resistance. (Testing for voltage will only work if you tap into the lines as they are hooked up to your head unit cause this is where it gets the power from) You should hook the ground going into the controls to one wire on your voltmeter and one of the TX things you have to the other one. Your resistance reading should change when you press a button on the steering wheel. If it doesn't you either have the wrong wires or it's just using some other way thats not going to work.

Since you said you have gotten the PAC SWI-X to work, my method *should* also work. I don't believe that the SWI-X supports and other format then the resistance changing one.

I will try it now!!!!

I am using a power supply because I test them at home!!!!!!

**DjBac** · 09-08-2004, 07:21 PM

Still no result!!!

The resistance will stay constant!!!

I now I can do it if I connect each button to SWI-X... But I want to avoid running so many cables through the steering wheel!!!

**msb5150** · 09-08-2004, 07:27 PM

Hey god_of_cpu, I emailed you previously on this subject but got no response, probably from me sending the message to the wrong address, but anyways. Where can I see the source-code to your program to interract with these steeringwheel->joystick remotes?

**Curiosity** · 09-08-2004, 11:42 PM

DjBac, can you open it up and look at the components? You might figure it out that way. You sure you tried every possible combination of wires? Holding down a button and checking ohms doesn't result in some odd value?

**DjBac** · 09-09-2004, 02:51 PM

I have the open because I've changed tthe colour of the leds!!!

I have one wire of the multimeter to the ground and the other either to TX+ or TX- but nothing!!!