Several of our cars have Homelink transmitters to open the garage doors. For years, I have carried around a remote, hoping that I would eventually find a Gentex self dimming mirror with Temp, Compass, and Homelink built in, for less than the price of a major appendage. Mike Ohio offered the Gentex mirrors with everything I needed except Homelink, at a price that I just couldn't pass up, so I jumped.
This was the result. A heck of a bargain, if I may say so.
It comes with the later transmitter that will handle the "rolling codes" used by newer garage door openers. Makes it harder for someone to drive around and record your code and come back later to break in. (The newer "rolling code" transmitters have amber lights. The older ones have red lights.)
I thought about installing it in the center console like Skitime did, but I wanted something that was a little more difficult for curious eyes to see. This is the result.
In order to make room for the transmitter, I had to remove the lamps from the center positions. I was going to leave them blank for the interim, or rewire the two outside lamps to come on with the door switch, when I remembered the huge assortment of LEDs that are now available at my local Auto Zone.
It comes with two strings of four modules each, designed to mount under the bed rails of pickup trucks. Each module has four LEDs. Here's one string. One string is enough to do a car.
Illuminated
Fortunately, all of the modules are wired in parallel. It takes 12 volts to run a string, but if you take the individual modules out of the string, they still run on 12 volts.
I wired two of the modules in the center section of the housing, and one in each side. Held everything in place with 5 minute epoxy.
Here's the result.
It casts a nice white light on the console. The side lights are similar.
The Homelink transmitter? Works perfectly.
I used an old overhead housing to do this. One of the switches is a bit flakey. Now that I've figured out what I'm doing, I may move everything to a nicer housing, and try to cut a neater hole. This one is a bit sloppy. This really only took a few hours to finish. The hardest part of the whole project was cutting the hole for the opener in the front of the housing, and in the metal bracket that holds the pushbutton switches. Trashed a bunch of miniature Dremel cutoff wheels. If you want to copy this, be sure to mount the LEDs deep enough that the lenses will still snap on. I had to move one of the LED modules that was in the way of the lens. ------------------ Raydar 88 Formula IMSA Fastback. 4.9, NVG T550 Praise the Lowered!
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 06-14-2012).]
How do you program it, I have one of these but have not put it in the car yet . I have a old craftsman garage door opener I wonder if it will work I cant seem to get the homelink in my bravada to work either
You hold the 1 and 3 buttons for a few seconds to clear out any old programming. Watch the LED. You'll be able to tell when it changes.
Then you press and hold the desired button on the Homelink and the button on the opener remote at the same time. The Homelink will "record" what your old opener is transmitting. The LED will indicate when you're done. (Be sure that nothing is in the way of the garage door. It will operate when you do this.) After you do that, you may need to "train" the receiver unit (the motor unit) to the Homelink. (Applies to "rolling code" openers, usually made after 95 or so.) If so, there will be a button that you will need to press on the receiver. Press that button, and then press and hold the desired button on the Homelink until the LED changes again. One of my doors worked perfectly the first try. The second one, I had to "train" the receiver a second time. The "train" button may be under a cover on the receiver unit. I have a Genie opener. It's under the lens, next to one of the lamps.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 05-13-2012).]
Cool I will have to try it in the morning! oh and that home link unit is from a cadillac, Av8fiero pointed them out to me in the bone yard last summer.
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 05-13-2012).]
That is a good idea, I also seen that same unit installed along side the cigerette lighter on the center console. It elements the removal of the overhead lights.
Nice job! I like the location you chose. That's the same place it is mounted in my 88 Eldorado. I snagged a couple of these when I was at the junk yard last year, put one in my caddi and I'm saving the other for my Fiero. My only issue is that my garage door opener unit is kind of a pile and you need to hold the opener like inches away from the door to get it to operate, and my cars are all parked outside unfortunately.
Someday, when we replace the opener, or when I can afford my own place with a garage it will be very convenient though.
He indicates that he is out of this particular style. maybe he can find more.
quote
Originally posted by skitime:
Nice work. I like it.
Thank you sir! Yours was the inspiration.
To answer a few other questions... There are three terminals and two wires. The plug is NOT polarized. It will slide on either way. I wired mine the same as skitime, with the + terminal on the outside. The middle terminal is blank, and the far inside terminal is ground.
This one came from a Cadillac Deville, but many newer cars have them. Our '04 Trailblazer has it. Our '05 Honda Odyssey has it. You can buy just the small unit like this one, or you can buy an entire overhead console with it built in. They all work the same. (Be careful of the newer CANBUS Chrysler products. Dodge Challengers (I believe) have the buttons in one place, and the transmitter in another.) If they don't have an LED (which confuses me - you need the LED to see what it's doing) anything newer than ~95 - 96 or so should handle the modern "rolling code" openers.
Go to eBay and search "homelink transmitter". You'll have several pages of different styles to choose from.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 05-13-2012).]
Cool! And here I thought I was covering new territory.
What did you do about your courtesy lamps?
I moved my lights that came on with the doors opening to the outside slots. The buttons for the map lights on mine were removed because I later installed aftermartket power lock switches in those holes. My car didn't come with power locks.
Edit for image
[This message has been edited by donnie072003 (edited 06-14-2012).]
Thank you sir. It's actually a lot easier to install in the center console, but I stuck it in the overhead because it's more difficult for someone to tell that there's a transmitter there.
Also, the transmitter will retain its programming even if the power is interrupted. i.e., you can wire it to "switched" 12 volts, so that it's inoperable with the key off. I don't know how long it will retain the settings, however.
Originally posted by Raydar: Also, the transmitter will retain its programming even if the power is interrupted. i.e., you can wire it to "switched" 12 volts, so that it's inoperable with the key off. I don't know how long it will retain the settings, however.
I wired mine to 12v switched since I don't lock my doors. I didn't drive the car for a week and it retained the codes.
Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun?
I installed mine this week. My overhead lights are just about done. The hole I cut looks like Raydars (meaning, not the prettiest but it works). I wired it up at the same time I wired up my Gentex mirror (again, same as Raydars). Currently, it's hanging by a few zip ties next to the overhead lights currently in the car (not chopped up...yet...needed one in the car to keep the headliner in place). I had to use the "learn" button on my garage door opener. One thing I noticed is that the HL device can't lie flat in the overhead light. In order for the front of the device to remain flat with the front of the light assembly, the device has to be at about a 35* angle. I don't see any reason why it won't still fit. My headliner's black, the device is black and the hole isn't perfect so I painted the overhead black. I'm hoping this will help hide the crappy hole. I still need to mount the device with 5 minute epoxy. I think I'll find a more accurate way to cut the hole and try again with another overhead (which means I'll have to buy another HL since I'll be epoxying this one in place).
I installed the three button ones found in Fords but I placed it on the plastic shroud that goes under the steering wheel. Unobtrusive, looks stock, and out of the way.
I installed the three button ones found in Fords but I placed it on the plastic shroud that goes under the steering wheel. Unobtrusive, looks stock, and out of the way.
At home. It willl be awhile until I can get to it. Just picture right above your right knee on the lower steering column cover panel using the three button HomeLink from this:
Interesting. Never thought of doing things that way. Do you have the same kind of connector as I do (and Raydar)? Trying to figure out how you'd unplug it to remove the cover.
Originally posted by johnyrottin: Just picture right above your right knee on the lower steering column cover panel using the three button HomeLink from this:
I could never get the shape of that rectangle to look like a factory fit. there was always tiny gaps around the edges. This way makes it look perfectly stock and it just snaps in and out when you need to take it off.
In part because I'm an autodim addict, I went with a Gentex 453 mirror, which has the Homelink buttons, autodim, and a compass with amber/orange display. It needed switched/accessory power, but since I already had the headliner out that was pretty simple. I used the ground and constant 12V from the map light/overhead.
He's got some really good prices. I probably would have done the Homelink/compass/temp mirror, had they been available when I was looking. All I could find were new ones, for stupid amounts of money.
Originally posted by lorennerol: I used the ground and constant 12V from the map light/overhead.
I was going to do the same thing, but the wire for the lights always has power, thus the mirror would be "on" even while parked. I was worried about it draining the battery. I wound up running a wire to the bottom left of the fuse box to an IGN connector (+12v only when the key is on.
I was going to do the same thing, but the wire for the lights always has power, thus the mirror would be "on" even while parked. I was worried about it draining the battery. I wound up running a wire to the bottom left of the fuse box to an IGN connector (+12v only when the key is on.
The mirror I got needs constant power if you want the door opener buttons to work with the key out. It also has switched power for the compass, display, and autodim. So I ran from the fusebox for switched, and used the courtesy light wire for constant.
The mirror I got needs constant power if you want the door opener buttons to work with the key out. ...
The only reason that I didn't wire my door opener up "switched" is because you almost have to stand on your head to even see the buttons, from the outside. If it was more obvious, I think I'd have opted to have it turn off with the key. (They will retain their programming, even with power removed.)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
