Re: Automatic Up/Down Window Module

["Music Research Corp." <mureco@telenet.net>]

Hello Steven, Huw and others interested in full up & full down!

    After repairing my drivers side window regulator,  I test the
re-stringing (I use Spectra Polyehylene Fiber for my windows fixes) by
hooking up a 9.6V battery (the replaceable battery from my portable
hand-held drill) to the electrical plug of the motor.  By changing the
negative to positive and the positive to negative, the motor changes
direction.  It would seem logical to me to consider the following.
    If you really need this full up & full down,  do away with using the
existing switch in the conventional manner.  Keep it hooked up but not
plugged into the door module.  Replace the switch in the door module with a
two way toggle switch which would be spliced into the wiring harness.  By
reversing the polarity, you achieve the switching to the motor and in turn,
have a full up or full down, depending upon your need.
    I'm assuming that the reason the motor stops is that an overload to the
motor closes down the circuit when the "full travel" of the "slider" is
reached.  This may shorten the life of the motor, shorten the life of the
wiring harness or a variety of other fire related problems.  But. .  you
will have that full up/down feature that you are striving for.
    It's possible that "other" overload modules could be part of the wiring
so only good would come from this. .  but one more variation for up/down
motion. To those that have the electrical knowledge, you probably know just
how that overload feature works.

Wayne Scheer
Amsterdam, NY

'87 5K with 252K
'89 1C with 122K  Both cars with Euro lights with 55/60W bulbs.  Great
improvement!

-----Original Message-----
From: Buchholz, Steven <Steven.Buchholz@kla-tencor.com>
To: 'qlist' <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: Friday, February 05, 1999 3:39 PM
Subject: Automatic Up/Down Window Module


>I have been kicking around a few ideas on this for a while ... last night I
>sat down and focused on the project.  In the past what I was looking to do
>was to reverse engineer the OEM part to see if it would be possible that by
>making a simple change to the existing module one could make the auto-up
>feature work as it does for opening the window.  Huw was actually looking
>for the function to operate differently ... if the window switch is clicked
>to the up or down position and released in a short amount of time that the
>controller would then fully open or close the window.  If the switch was
>held in the up or down position longer than that interval then it would
>operate in a manual mode.
>
>Well, I have a design that would work as Huw proposed, but rather than a
>simple change that could be done with a wire or two and perhaps a resistor
>or a diode, getting this sort of thing to fit into a module would involve
>the design of a small PC board to hold the circuitry; meaning that I will
>have to invest a bit to make the new module.  This would not be a big deal,
>but I thought I'd test the list to see how much interest there would be.
>Please review my thoughts as to the way the new module would work given
>below and feel free to express your comments, concerns, ideas ... whatever.
>I'm thinking that direct e-mail would be best, but of course, you should
not
>hesitate to post to the list if you think it would provide value to the
list
>members.  I have no idea what the cost per unit would be, but if you have
>any thoughts about how much something like that would be worth to you I'd
>appreciate hearing it.  So far, I have only been considering something that
>would be a drop-in replacement for the type 44 cars (5000/100/200/V8), so
if
>you are interested but have another model let me know that too.  If you are
>talking about a car other than the type 44 let me know if the car already
>has an auto-down capability of some sort already.
>
>Functionality/features:
>* supports latching power for interior lights and sunroof after car
>turned off until front door opened (probably using the V8Q as a model -
>supports roll up with front door key lock) [probably will provide easy
means
>to diable this]
>* plug-in functionality for any window that already has an automatic
>mode of some sort.  Windows that are manual power windows will require
>additional wiring.  For windows that have multiple switches the wiring
could
>be extensive if to allow all switches to have the automatic feature
>* safety circuit to minimize the risk of injury
>* Automatic functions disabled for some time after the window motor
>has been activated to allow the operator to be able to make fine
adjustments
>of window position
>* Adjustable time setting for switch from automatic to manual
>operation, nominally 0.5 seconds
>* "double width" relay module [note some cars have a single width
>module for auto-down]
>
>... final question ... is there any interest out there for a cheaper
>alternative which would add auto-up to the existing relay but operating as
>the current module's auto-down function does?  Note, this alternative may
>not have a robust safety feature.
>
>Steve Buchholz
>San Jose, CA (USA)
>