[Ripper]

Hi all,
Some months ago i was hunting for a steering remote that would be small enough which would not interfere with my driving. Looked at the original pioneer remotes, Chinese ones and the universal types that were available at most accessory shops, but somehow none suited my requirements and i was left with not options. So googled for some more options liked many but were too pricey. Then one day i was just casually reading some instructables on instructables.com when i stumbled on a project which go my brains working in a new direction. Though i was confident that i could pull it off with ease, somewhere on the back of my mind i was scared that if anything goes wrong i would have to kiss goodbye to my OE pioneer remote. In the end i took the plunge and am more than happy with the results.

The process.
1) Luckily i had 2 spare TV remotes with me, i used them because i wanted the rubber membrane and the moulded plastic to work with.

2) Got myself a solder Iron, solder wire, PCB, some buttons and electronic thin guage wires.

3) Opened my cars steering wheel took off the horn connections and bracket, did a markup and got to work.


4) Opened the pioneer remote and drew a circuit diagram so i knew what wire went where ( thats because im zero in electronics), learnt to solder watching videos on youtube.

5) Soldered the wires to their respective button and taped the whole thing up.

6) Next i cut the horn button and plastic welded the remote surrounds to it. Then sanded, applied putty , then primer and finally painted it.

7) Connected 2 wires to the IR led of the pioneer remote and connected another 6 LED's in parrallel. This was done in order to have a seamless IR signal even when the wheel is turned completely left or right.

8) Tested the whole thing one last time and tucked everything in its place, ready for use.


Total cost of the project was something around 600 bux some im happy.

[Sankar]

Nice work, i like the idea. The final finish around the button could have been bette, but good enough for a first time job. Where have you placed the LEDs?

[camchennai]

Excellent work Ripper, to be honest it’s an innovative DIY.

Few questions:-
1. How is the remote connectivity working now??
2. Plastic weld was DIY or was done by some specialist?

Few more pics of the DIY remote would be appreciated (read casing)

[esteem_lover]

Great looking job and a first here too. Is it fully functional even while turning ?

[Ripper]

Some pics of the internals.

1) The Victim
2) connections with their new buttons mounted on the PCB
3 The IR connectors, note the horn type clips for easy removal.
4) The IR Leds placed behind the steeing frame and their male connectors. total 6 leds mounted on the back of the wheels spokes 1 per spoke and 2 in the center.
5) close up of the IR wiring.

Im unable to post certain pics, will figure out the problem and post it here soon.

[raghav.carfreak]

Brilliant work my friend....absolutely commendable!!

[Ripper]

@ sankar: Thanks bro. I have placed the LEDs on the plastic casing of the steering ( the black part facing the dash.

@camchennai: The remote is working flawlessly when the wheel is at all angles, have tested it so am sure. The problem arises when i plug in the pen drive, the ir on the HU is blocked by the pen drive when plugged in. Somehow during my trial runs i had not used my pen drive hence the goof up, am working on it..will update once done.
This project is a 100% DIY job from the cutting to finishing all done at home.

@esteem lover: Thanks, Yes it is fully functional.

[HarneetBarmy]

Simply Amazing, great work Ripper. Although I do not use remotes for my car Audio, but this is good Idea & would love to try it on my lancer. Thanks for sharing.

[TaureanBull]

Great job buddy.

I am not sure why you called yourself zero in electronics. Even if you dont have previous experience, this project shows that you have aptitude for it.

[TOR]

Amazing work !

Few queries :

1)does the horn get in the way?

2) what all does the buttons control?

[Ripper]

@taureanbull: Thanks bro! Well thats a fact, i had never taken interest in electronics thats probably one reason im doing my BE in mechanical engg. Its just that im passionate about cars and id do anything to make my ride keep pace with modern day cars. Next, im working on my speedometer backlight, want to get an effect similar to that of the chevy beat. Fingers Crossed.

@TOR:
1) was expecting this question. when seen from outside it looks like its mounted on the horn switch but in reality the horn switch is nothing but a rectangular bracket which works when it touches the other terminal which is mounted on the wheel. The audio controls and fixed on the inner side of the horn button. Ill post some pics tomm, it would be easier to understand that way.

2) On the left hand side i have the Volume up, Volume down, Mute and Source and on the Right hand side i have the Folder Up, Folder Down, Track up , Track down, Enter.

[S.I.N.G.H]

great work my friend! but one question. had you put just one ir led, your system had worked perfectly as you wont change channels or use the remote while turning the vehicle. so just one led would have done the job. never the less, its a commendable DIY. as i work with led's and circuits, i know that its not easy to work with circuits. hats off to you!

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Nice work, i like the idea. The final finish around the button could have been bette, but good enough for a first time job. Where have you placed the LEDs?

Exactly my reaction. Kudos to the thought process & effort. The finish could have been better but hey, you now have steering remote

So what all can you adjust from this remote?

[Ripper]

@Singh: Thanks bro. Initially i had just one LED, but the thing is that in the lancer the HU is placed at a lower point than most other cars so the IR receiver wasnt picking up signals when tilted to about half turn thats when i thought of adding more LED's to make it work seamlessly. Right now my pen drive is blocking the IR reciever, so have to tilt the wheel slightly towards the left to make it work. Am trying to make a USB male female socket which would place the pen drive parallel to the Head unit. Any inputs in this regard would be appreciated.

@technocrat:Thanks bro. On the left hand side i have the Volume up, Volume down, Mute and Source and on the Right hand side i have the Folder Up, Folder Down, Track up , Track down, Enter. I hope this is what u wanted to know.

[Ford_madhan]

^^why don't you use a small usb extension cable? This you don't have to modify anything..