steering wheel controls, on steroids!!!!! - Page 3

turbocad6 · 03-05-2005, 12:56 AM

I don't get why everyones first thought when seeing this is crashing

JoezDog4 · 03-05-2005, 02:17 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by turbocad6

I don't get why everyones first thought when seeing this is crashing

....

th3madc0w · 03-08-2005, 07:03 PM

about your limited wiring in your column, you said u needed 3, 6 and 12 volts, why not just run 12 and step it down once in the wheel? that would free up 2 more wires. hope that helped.

PatO · 03-08-2005, 08:30 PM

Beautiful install! I don't know about the placement of the keyboard, but it's still awesome. Incidentally, I have one of those Gyration keyboard/mouse setups. How did you mod the keyboard? The pics you have of the keyboard in a rounded shape make me think it has a flexible backing, but I highly doubt it....

Any tips? I'd entertain the thought of having my keyboard dashboard or visor moulded....

Cris · 03-08-2005, 08:42 PM

Dude, I know you probably get this all the time, but you're insane...well, in a good way

! Nice work so far. I admit I never even thought about a keyboard in a steering wheel...any new pics?

grepzen · 03-08-2005, 08:48 PM

I think once you have the personal discipline NOT to type letters to the editor or play astroids while navigating rush hour traffic.. it certainly IS a handy place for a keyboard.

The skillset to embed these items.. to BEND a keyboard.. is astounding. I want some simple controls or to extend the ones I have already to my CarPC.. I may be looking you up in the future for some inspiration and help.

Good Stuff man..

ROFLMAO: "I'd be worried about hitting "rm -rf /" in an accident..."

turbocad6 · 03-09-2005, 09:58 AM

grepzen, you said it, personal discipline is what is required obviously......after all, most of us here have the ability to watch movies, browse the web, send & recieve e-mails, answer the phone, eat a big mac, read a newspaper,there are many possible distractions but it is up to "the nut behind the wheel" to be able to disipline enough attention to driving.......I have done quite a few strange things while driving, as I'm sure most have......I have never crashed, not once, from a distraction...unless you count the time I hit the car in front of me while I was looking at this really fine & scantily clad young thing on 86th st when I was a kid....there are many possible distractions that we are ALL capable of falling victim to....what makes this any different.

I'll go a step further & say that this is actually a SAFTEY ITEM in a way.....assuming you didn't rip out an airbag to provide it........as far as vehicle design, it is an advantage to design a cockpit that has every necissary function "at your fingertips" great efforts are made to make necissary functions easier to use wile driving, the less a driver has to take his eyes off the road to turn on the wipers, raise the heat,or open a window the better.......

how many here can actually say that they have never attempted to say enter an address in there navigation or search a list of mp3's while driving......let me tell you that it is no more dangerous to type say "cyp[enter]" while driving to find all music by cypress hill, than it is to use your touchscreen with your front end..... it's actually safer....glancing down at a steering wheel is no more problematic than looking at your fuel gauge or checking your speed...... it take a lot less brain cycles than reaching over to a center console for a remote control, then looking at the screen at a list of mp3's while navigating to whatever.....heads up displays,gauges set up in your periferal vision, & steering wheel controls are all saftey items...I am well self trained to use my periferal vision, I have driven race cars, rode bikes, it is all up to the nut behind the wheel(or handlebar)...I have seen drivers that aren't doing anything distractive & still crash.....most of the times due to errors in judgment to some extent.........most of my crashes have been when I was focused on my driving, intesly actually, & pushing the performance of my vehicle........or doing something reckless......

as far as the bending goes...no the gyration is not a flexable design, but it isn't made of cast aluminum either. it is a sandwhich of two thin layers of formed mild steel sheet with traces for the keys & mounting provisions for the keys , bending it is easy.....bending it & having it still function is another story.......but as I discovered it is possible. The first one I did was almost there when all of a sudden I lost a trace that afected the right side of the keyboard...I lost several keys including the enter button & two arrow keys....straihtening it back isn't an option, as once it's gone it's gone.....

I almost gave up... but to be so close.....I really wanted this, so I went to best buy & bought ANOTHER setup.....$130 down the drain, but in the end it was worth it to me....I got it to work perfect. I would say that this wheel has cost me around $1,500 so far, including my labor which I ALWAYS count... by the time it's done....a cool $2,000..maybe an actual cash outlay of $600 & $1,400 labor.. but you can't by this....if you could find a professional to build this for you expect it to cost you around $1,500-$2,500.depending..That is my estimate for who ever wants this....will I ever get a customer for this..maybe......I bet you anything if this showed up in plush magazine or car audio & electronics I will have people contacting me to inquire..........will that happen....probably not.

turbocad6 · 03-09-2005, 10:48 AM

I can't wait to get my hands on the latest bluetooth keyboard......can't wait to rip it apart & check it out....This will open up a lot of possibilities I think...... & to the guy questioning the different voltages question, yes, I planned on just 12v through the column & step down/regulate in the wheel....

RPM_VR4 · 01-19-2006, 09:08 PM

Wow TC... that's a little over kill. I stuck with just the thumb-pad in mine. I use the 2 air-bag wires to run USB +/- to a hub in my center consol (the air-bag computer just happened to be right under it). Power is provided by a 5V regulator connected to the 12V for the steering wheel controls.

DJiK · 01-19-2006, 09:12 PM

VR4, aren't you worried about the air bag popping and leaving a qwerty imprint on your forehead?

turbocad6 · 01-19-2006, 09:45 PM

if he's using the airbag wiring for usb the bags aren't connected.....

DJiK · 01-19-2006, 11:02 PM

Oh, I thought he had them in parallel with the airbag system... Which would make it even more dangerous.

0l33l · 01-19-2006, 11:52 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by DJiK

VR4, aren't you worried about the air bag popping and leaving a qwerty imprint on your forehead?

When he got the car, the airbag light was on or something. So he just removed them and installed this

RPM_VR4 · 01-19-2006, 11:56 PM

TC got it right. Actually I got the car used and when I was running speaker wire up the center console I noticed that there was a bunch of connectors that were unplugged from a square metal box. Rather than just plug the connectors in, I looked the box up and found out it was my SRS computer. I was afraid to plug it in thinking the previous owner might have unplugged it for a reason (plus I had CarPC plans for the extra space under the center console), so I removed it. When I saw that thumb pad about a year ago I bought one and I also bought a steering wheel center with air-bag off E-Bay. I pulled the air bag out of it, cut a hold for the thumb-pad, and glued it in. Then I re-used the 2 wires that are normally for the air bag as my USB cable running to the center console (where I have a USB hub).

When my car was inspected after a crash, I swapped back my old steering wheel center without the keyboard

.

I have since then also built an Alps touch-pad mouse in to the lid of the center console (which doubles as an arm-rest so my fingers are always right on top of the touch-pad.

...and my 3" square ash-tray in between the center-console and the gear-shift was replaced by a piece of plexi-glass which slowly fades from red (the ash-tray LED light) to blue as the Griffin Power-Mate knob that sits on top of it strobes its blue light. The Griffin Power-Mate is just like the BMW iDrive knob

.

Edit: LOL you do know this story Ol33l