Wiring Archives - Page 9 of 16

Lucas Switch

March 24, 2017/in Wiring /by admin

There are very few companies in the car world that get the ribbing of Lucas Industries. They are the butt of many an old car guy’s jokes about reliably, safety and burning. The company was founded in the 1860’s in the UK and produced electrical components for over 100 years for all of the popular British brands. These include MG, Austin, Cooper, Jaguar and even the ubiquitous Cobras built by Shelby. It is not uncommon to hear of them referred to as “Lucifer” because of their alleged history of causing vehicle fires. One of the benefits of our Infinitybox system is that you can use practically any switch to control things in your car. This includes a period correct Lucas switch in your restoration of a MG or a Cobra replica build. Read below how to connect the Lucas 31788 headlight switch into the inputs on your Infinitybox MASTERCELL.

Our Infinitybox system has been used to wire some of the most advanced resto-mods and Pro-Touring builds. At the same time, our customers use our system in a lot of classic restorations and component car builds. The most popular component car that we see from our customers is the MK4 Roadster from Factory Five. This is a great replica of the Cobra made famous by Carroll Shelby. A lot of guys want to build this car and customize it to make it unique to them. Other guys want to build it period correct to look like the original Cobras but with all modern systems under the skin.

We got a question this week from one of our customers building a Factory Five Cobra. He wants to use the original headlight switch from Lucas in the car and wanted to know how to wire it to the MASTERCELL inputs. He’s using the Lucas 31788 switch. That’s an easy thing to do.

One of the advantages of our system is that it takes very little current to turn on a MASTERCELL input. The actual amount is less than 1 milli-amp. (0.001 Amperes). This means that you don’t have to use high-current switches to turn your lights, fans, ignition or starter solenoid on or off. The high-current part of the circuit is managed in the POWERCELL. A lot of the alleged issues that Lucas had over the years came from too much current being pushed through their switches. Our MASTERCELL completely eliminates that.

This diagram shows you the specifics on how to wire the MASTERCELL inputs for parking lights and head lights to the Lucas switch.

Picture of Infinitybox wiring diagram showing how to control headlights and parking lights from a Lucas Switch

Terminal 4 on the switch needs to get connected to ground. If you understand how the switch works, this may seem counter-intuitive, just trust us. You can either connect this terminal directly to the chassis or use one of the black ground wires that is included in the MASTERCELL inputs harness. Using one of the dedicated ground wires is our preferred way of wiring these kinds of switches.

From there, connect the MASTERCELL input for the parking lights to terminal 7 and the input for the head lights to terminal 8. The switch is set up internally so that the parking lights will stay connected when the switch is in the headlight position.

Check the specific configuration sheet that came with your kit for the exact wire colors and connector locations for these inputs. Different configurations may have different wire colors and connector locations.

You can read these blog posts to get more details about wiring the head lights and parking lights to the POWERCELL outputs.

That’s all you need to do to wire your headlights and parking lights to this Lucas switch. When you turn on the parking lights or the headlights, the MASTERCELL will see the switch turn on and send the appropriate commands to the front & rear POWERCELLs to manage the lights.

You can download a PDF copy of this wiring diagram by clicking this link. If you have any other specific technical questions, you can contact one of our technical support engineers by clicking this link.

Digital Guard Dawg iKEY

March 6, 2017/1 Comment/in Wiring /by admin

We always say that our Infinitybox system plays nicely with any other piece of automotive electronics. We have our own remote keyless entry system with inLINK and our one-button start feature is built into all of our 10 and 20-Circuit Kits. Some of our customers like to use push-button start feature and Passive Key Less Entry (PKE) system manufactured by other companies. This post will go through the details of connecting the Digital Guard Dawg iKEY system to the Infinitybox system.

Before we go any further, you must thoroughly read and completely understand the manuals that come with your Digital Guard Dawg iKEY system. In the case of this system, there are two manuals. One for the push-button start module and one for the PKE module. This blog post is only going to describe how to connect the wires that are relevant to the Infinitybox system. Carefully follow the instructions for all of the other connections to their harnesses including power and ground.

By connecting the Digital Guard Dawg iKEY to the Infinitybox system, you get all of the advantages of Infinitybox plus the PKE features of the iKEY system. The iKEY system has several outputs that are +12 volts and ground switched. The Infinitybox MASTERCELLs work on ground signals. You will need to use our inVERT Mini‘s to connect the +12 volt outputs to the MASTERCELL inputs. Failure to do so will damage the inputs on the MASTERCELL and will void your warranty. Also, you must use a diode to isolate the ground outputs on the Digital Guard Dawg iKEY from the MASTERCELL inputs. Failure to do this could result in damage to the inputs and will void your warranty. You can use a 1N4001 diode easily sourced from any electronics store. Also note that the orientation of the diode is critical. Please pay attention to this in the wiring diagrams.

Please note that the wire colors and connector locations shown in the following diagrams may not match your system exactly. We have several different configurations. Please reference the configuration sheet that came with your kit for the exact wire colors and connector locations.

The following diagram shows you how to connect the Push-Button Start module to the MASTERCELL inputs and POWERCELL outputs of your Infinitybox system.

Picture of the wiring diagram showing the Digital Guard Dawg Push Button Start Wiring with the Infinitybox System

Here are the details:

Digital Guard Dawg has a dedicated harness with Negative Ignition Outputs designed to work with our Infinitybox system. You can use this harness to connect directly to the MASTERCELL inputs for the Ignition, Starter and Accessory. The yellow wire in their harness connects to your starter input. The green wire connects to your ignition input and their white wire connects to your accessory input.
Connect the Black wire from the accessory harness to the neutral safety or clutch interlock switch. This is the same switch used for the neutral safety input going to the MASTERCELL. Be sure to wire in the diode to isolate the MASTERCELL input from the Push-Button Start module.
Tap off of the brake light output on your rear POWERCELL and connect that to the Brown wire on your accessory harness.

This diagram will show you how to wire the PKE module to the Infinitybox system.

Picture of the wiring diagram showing the Digital Guard Dawg PKE Wiring with the Infinitybox System

Here are the details.

Connect the Brown wire on the power harness through a diode to an optional input for a trunk popper. Not all of our systems may be set up for this feature. Your system may need to be updated to add this.
Connect one of the Grey wires from the power harness to an inVERT Mini. Tap into the MASTERCELL input for the parking light and connect that to the MASTERCELL side of the inVERT Mini.
Connect the Green and Blue wires from the power harness to the optional inputs for door lock and unlock. You need to have inMOTION for this option to work. The MASTERCELL inputs must be isolated from the PKE module by diodes as shown in the drawing.
Connect the Purple wire from the power harness to your MASTERCELL input for the horn through a diode.
Connect the Green wire from the accessory harness to the pin switches on your doors. This is the same switch used for the interior lights input going to the MASTERCELL. Be sure to wire in the diode to isolate the MASTERCELL input from the Push-Button Start module.
Tap off of the brake light output on your rear POWERCELL and connect that to the Brown wire on your accessory harness.

You can download a PDF version of this wiring diagram by clicking this link.

If you follow these instructions, you can get the full functions of the Digital Guard Dawg iKEY system. You can pop your trunk and control your door locks from their system. You get PKE functionality from their remotes. You get their one-button start feature.

Click on this link to contact our technical support team with additional questions about connecting your Digital Guard Dawg iKEY system to our Infinitybox system.

Picture of the Infinitybox 20-Circuit Kit

Download the New Diagnostic & Troubleshooting Document

February 3, 2017/in Wiring /by admin

One of the most powerful features of our Infinitybox system is the diagnostic and troubleshooting capabilities that it has. You can point to exactly where problems are in your electrical system with a few presses of buttons on your MASTERCELL and a glance at the LED indicators on the POWERCELL. No scanners, tools or laptops are necessary. We just published a new diagnostic and troubleshooting document in the Resources section of our website.

This new diagnostic and troubleshooting document covers all these built-in tools. Each is shown with pictures and examples to show you what to look for on your MASTERCELL inSIGHT screen and the POWERCELL output indicator lights.

This new diagnostic and troubleshooting document shows covers these topics:

The basics of Infinitybox diagnostics
How to check the CAN cables
How to check your switches
How to check your outputs
How to read the built-in Error Log
How to use the POWERCELL over ride headers

You can get to this new Diagnostics and Troubleshooting guider under “Installation Instruction & Documentation” in the Reference section of our website. You can also download the document by clicking this link.

Our technical support team is always available via email or the phone to walk you through getting your car wired with our Infinitybox system. Click on this link to contact us for support or with questions.

Examples of three different PWM duty cycles

Pulse Width Modulation

October 13, 2016/3 Comments/in Wiring /by admin

Our Infinitybox System is far different from a traditional fuse & relay based wire harness. There are things that Infinitybox can do that you couldn’t even begin to imagine with a good-old bundle of wire. One of our biggest goals when we educate people about our products is to de-mystify some of the potentially scary terms that we use. One that we use a lot is Pulse Width Modulation or PWM. This is a fancy term for turning something on and off very fast to control power.

We don’t use relays in our POWERCELLs. Instead, we use MOSFETs. Yes, I know that is another scary term that we’ll talk about later. For now, all you need to know is that MOSFETs are solid state stitches. Unlike relays, there are no mechanical parts in them. You can turn a MOSFET on and off literally millions of times per second. You can do that with a relay 2 to 3 times per second before you have to worry about burning up the contacts.

The ability to turn a MOSFET on and off very quickly allows us to control the amount of power coming out of a POWERCELL output. We do this by using something called Pulse Width Modulation. PWM is the process of turning an output on and off quickly. The effective power coming out of the output is proportional to the amount of on time as compared to the off time. The ratio of the on time versus the off time is called the duty cycle. So for example, if we turn the output on for half of the cycle time and off for the other half, your duty cycle is 50%. The effective voltage of your output is approximately 50%. This picture shows you what we mean.

Examples of three different PWM duty cycles

The three different graphs are 10%, 50% and 90% duty cycle.

Check out this video showing you more about PWM. If you haven’t seen Colin’s Lab on You Tube before, it is a worthwhile watch. He is a geek’s geek but makes great videos explaining the basics of electronics. As part of Make Magazine, his stuff is filled with tons of useful electronics projects, tips and tricks.

So you’re asking yourself, “What does this mean to me”? “I’m wiring a car, not building circuits.” Pulse Width Modulation is a very effective and efficient way to control the brightness of lights and the speed of motors. There is very little heat lost with PWM as compared to using resistors or rheostats.

The Infinitybox system has PWM capability built into the POWERCELL outputs. We can effortlessly dim lights, create daytime running lights, theater dim interior lights, control fan speeds, and fuel pump speeds. For those who need that advanced control, it is built right into your system. No external modules or hardware are required.

Click on this link to contact one of our technical support guys to talk about your specific requirements using Pulse Width Modulation.

Atomic EFI

October 11, 2016/in Wiring /by admin

We’ve blogged before about how to power many different EFI systems with Infinitybox. Examples include the Ford Coyote ECU, the GM LS ECU, the Holley Dominator, the FAST EZ-EFI and many others. This post is going to cover how to wire the Atomic EFI system from MSD.

Here’s what MSD says about their Atomic EFI:

“The Atomic EFI provides the performance and driveability benefits that you expect from fuel injection. Quick starts, smooth idle and great throttle response just to name a few. Combine the fact that the Atomic will support ignition timing through the ECU and you have a win-win combination. Initial timing is handled through a compact handheld monitor where you simply answer a few car guy questions about your engine and you’re off and running!”

Just like any other EFI system, wiring it with our Infinitybox 10 or 20-Circuit Harness Kit is very easy. You get several advantages over wiring with a traditional wiring harness.

You run less wire in the car. The ECU sits behind the dash and connects to the MASTERCELL. The cooling fan and fuel pump are wired to their local POWERCELLs. You’re not running wires from the ECU all over the car.
You can eliminate the need for relays and external fuse holders. The POWERCELLs are your relays. Each output is fused inside the POWERCELL.
You get security and immobilizer functions in your Infinitybox system. You don’t have to add a separate alarm system to keep unwanted people from starting your car.
You can get cooling fan timing and delays right in the Infinitybox system. You don’t need to add separate controller modules.

Before you connect your Infinitybox system to your Atomic EFI system, you must completely understand the instructions from MSD. Click on this link to get to the manual for their Atomic EFI PN 2910 – Throttle Body Kit. This post is going to show you how to wire the key-on power to the Power Controller. It will also show you how to wire ground, constant battery power, the fuel pump trigger and the cooling fan trigger. See the MSD manual for the rest of the electrical connections to their harness.

This diagram will show you the details of wiring your MSD Atomic EFI system to your Infinitybox system.

Picture of wiring diagram showing how to wire the MSD Atomic EFI Power Module with the Infinitybox 20-Circuit Kit

To start, you need to connect constant power and ground to the MSD Power Module harness. MSD recommends connecting the large red wire directly to the battery. The ground wire should get connected to the chassis through a metal-to-metal connection.

The small red wire is the key-on power wire to the Power Module. When you key is in the on or start position, you should have battery voltage on this wire. The small red wire in the MSD harness is going to connect to the ignition output wire on your POWERCELL. Check the configuration sheet that came with your kit for the correct color and connector orientation for all of the POWERCELL connections.

There are two wires in the MSD Power Module harness for cooling fan triggers. The pink wire is the primary and the tan wire is for the secondary cooling fan. Both of these wires are intended to ground a relay coil to turn on the fan. You can connect them directly to the MASTERCELL inputs. The MASTERCELL inputs are expecting a ground trigger to turn on the inputs. You must put a diode in-line between the Power Module fan trigger wires and the MASTERCELL input wires. This should be a 1N4001 diode. The orientation of this diode is critical for this to work properly. See the diagram above for correct orientation of the diode.

Once you have the MASTERCELL input wired to the Power Module for the cooling fan trigger, you need to connect the POWERCELL output to your cooling fan. See the configuration sheet that came with your kit for the proper wire color. If you want to use a secondary cooling fan, you can use any of the OPEN outputs on your system.

There is a large orange wire on the Power Module harness for the fuel pump. This wire puts out a positive signal for the fuel pump. You will need to invert this signal to a ground signal to work properly with the MASTERCELL. You can use a relay to do this. This link will show you how. The easier way to do this is to use one of our inVERT Mini‘s.

Once you have the MASTERCELL input for the fuel pump properly connected to the MSD Power Module fuel pump output, you need to wire your POWERCELL output to your fuel pump. Again, your configuration sheet will shows which wire to use.

That’s it. All of your relays and fuses are built into the Infinitybox system. Once you follow these steps, you’re ready to power up your system and start tuning the engine.

You can download a PDF copy of this wiring diagram by clicking this link.

Contact our technical support team with any questions related to wiring the MSD Atomic EFI system with your Infinitybox system.

GTR Start Stop Button

October 7, 2016/in Wiring /by admin

In previous posts, we showed how to take the Engine Start button from a Honda S2000 and use it with the One-Button Start feature built into the Infinitybox system. A single push of this button turns on your ignition and cranks the starter. Just like a lot of modern cars, you can get this feature in your hot-rod, resto-mod or kit car. The Honda S2000 button is pretty popular with our customers. So is the Nissan GTR Start Stop Button. It is very well built, has a great feel to it, mounts easily in practically any dash and works well with our Infinitybox system. The GTR Start Stop Button has the added feature of some extra lights built into the switch that can indicate when the engine is running.

You can purchase the GTR Start Stop Button from many different on-line retailers. When you buy it, you want to make sure that you get the pig-tail harness that plugs into the back of the switch. Having this harness will make your life easier. Different harnesses may have different wire colors in them so you want to pay attention to the numbers of the pins in the connector on the back of the switch. These numbers are molded into the plastic. You may need a magnifying glass to see them. There are 8 pins on the back of the switch. We’re only going to use a few of them.

Remember how the MASTERCELL inputs work. You simply connect the input to ground through your switch. When the MASTERCELL sees this ground signal, it starts the process of turning a POWERCELL output on. Since there is very little current required to turn on a MASTERCELL input, you can safely use a switch like the GTR Start Stop Button to control outputs with no extra relays.

This diagram shows a simplified schematic for the GTR button and which wires connect to the pins on the back of the connector.

Picture of wiring diagram showing how to connect the Nissan GTR Start Stop button to the Infinitybox system to manage the One-Button Start

You can also tap into the Ignition output on your POWERCELL and bring that to pin 8 on the switch. You then need to ground pin 7. When you wire it like this, the ON light built into the switch will light up to indicate that your ignition is on.

When you wire the GTR Start Stop button to the Infinitybox one-button start input, you simply press and hold the button to start the car. When you press it, the POWERCELL turns on the ignition output then waits for one second. After that, the POWERCELL turns on the starter output to crank the engine. After the engine starts, you release the button. Your engine is running. To shut down the engine, you simply press and release the button again. Just like most new cars.

You can download a PDF version of this wiring diagram by clicking this link.

Please let us know if you have questions or comments about wiring any car or truck with our Infinitybox system.

Battery Isolator

October 6, 2016/in Wiring /by admin

Our customers continue to add electrical content to their cars and trucks. The more electronics they add, the more current they consume. This is especially true when you are adding powerful stereo systems with sub-woofers and high-wattage amplifiers. A lot of our customers will add multiple batteries to their electrical systems to increase the available power. To add multiple batteries safely and get the most reliability out of them, we always recommend adding a battery isolator between them to that they charge and discharge safely. This post is going to go through the details of battery isolators and why they are critical to multiple battery systems.

In most cases, you want to have a battery in your car or truck that powers all of the main functions. These functions include your ignition, starter, lighting, fans, fuel pumps, horn and turn signals. You also may want to add a second battery just to power the high-wattage demand of your stereo. This second battery would power the amp and sub-woofer. You may also want this second battery to power any other A/V equipment like TV’s and gaming consoles. This way you can take your car to a show or take it tailgating, use your stereo and not risk running down the main battery that starts the car. The problem is that in some cases, two batteries wired together can cause problems. If one battery is weaker than the other, it can rob charge from the stronger battery. This picture shows how this happens.

Diagram showing the issue of using two batteries in parallel without a battery isolator.

A weaker battery can drain a healthy charged battery in your vehicle.

The simple solution is to add a battery isolator between the two batteries. Examples of good battery isolators are manufactured by Littelfuse . These can be purchased at companies like Del City and Waytek Wire. This picture shows the battery isolator wired between two batteries.

Diagram showing how a battery isolator works with two batteries

The battery isolator stops current from flowing between the two batteries while allowing both to charge safely from the alternator. This picture shows how most battery isolators are wired between the alternator and the bank of batteries.

Schematic for wiring dual batteries with a battery isolator

When you’re using our Infinitybox system, that is going to get powered from the primary vehicle wiring. All of your accessories like amps, sub-woofers, inverters and winches will get their 12-volt power from the second battery. If the accessories drain the second battery, this drain will not pull down the primary battery.

Click this link to contact our technical support team with questions or comments about this post.

3-Wire Alternator

October 6, 2016/in Wiring /by admin

Here’s a quick blog post showing you how to wire a 3-Wire Alternator with our Infinitybox system. When guys are updating their electrical systems in their cars, they have lots of choices. One of those choices is between a 1-wire and 3-wire alternator. Most cars originally came with a 3-wire alternator.

As its name implies, the 3-wire alternator has three electrical connections to it. The first is the large lug that connects to the battery. This is the main current feed that charges the battery and powers the car when the engine is running. There are two smaller terminals, usually spade terminals on the top of the alternator. One of these is the sense terminal. You connect the output of the alternator back to this terminal so that it can sense and regulate the output voltage. The other terminal is the exciter. This is what excites the field of the alternator.

The following diagram shows the wiring for a typical 3-wire alternator connected to our Infinitybox system. Please refer to the manual and wiring diagram that came with your alternator for more specific details.

Picture of wiring diagram showing how to connect 3-wire alternator to the Infinitybox system.

Here are the important parts of this diagram.

First, you need to connect the alternator directly to the positive terminal on the battery. This is how the battery gets charged when the engine is running. It is very important to make sure that nothing interrupts this feed to the battery. You should never install a disconnect switch between the alternator and the battery. If the alternator is ever disconnected from the battery when it is charging, you get something called a load dump and that’s a bad thing. Read this blog post for more information.

Next, you must wire the sense terminal. Check the manual that came with your alternator. Usually, this is a direct connection from the alternator output back to the sense terminal.

Lastly, you need to wire the exciter. This is where the charge light gets connected into the system. One end of the charge light connects to the output of the POWERCELL that is powering the ignition in the car. The other end of the light connects to the exciter terminal on the alternator. You also need to install a diode on the POWERCELL side of the light. This diode blocks current from feeding back into the ignition system. Without this diode, the engine will continue to run even though you have turned off the ignition output. The orientation of this diode is critical, check the diagram for more details.

Here’s how the charge light works. When the ignition is on, there is 12-volts on the POWERCELL side of the light. Without the engine running and the alternator turning, there is no voltage on the alternator side. Current flows through the light and turns it on.

When the engine is running, you have battery voltage on the POWERCELL side of the light. Since the alternator is turning, you also have battery voltage on the exciter wire from the alternator. There is no net voltage drop across the bulb so it does not light.

If your alternator stops generating current when the ignition is on and the engine is running, you back to the first scenario. There is voltage on the POWERCELL side but no voltage on the alternator side. This makes the bulb light and warns you that you have a problem with your alternator.

Please note that this is intended to work with an incandescent light bulb for the charge light. You can do this with LED’s but you must have a bypass resistor so that the exciter will work correctly. See the instructions that came with your 3-wire alternator.

You can download a PDF of this wiring diagram by clicking this link.

Reach out to our technical support group with any questions or comments about this wiring diagram.

Security

October 6, 2016/3 Comments/in Wiring /by admin

We received a great question from a potential customer. He was looking to add the Infinitybox inLINK wireless upgrade to his system and wanted to know how secure it was.

inLINK is a great option for your Infinitybox kit because it easily adds remote control to your wiring system. You get our inLINK radio module and two key fobs. The radio module easily installs in the MASTERCELL. If you purchase inLINK with your kit, we pre-install it for you. If you purchase it later, it is very easy to install yourself. It is completely plug & play with no software required. This link will take you to the instructions to install inLINK in your MASTERCELL.

You can use your Infinitybox inLINK key fobs to control many things including your lighting, popping your doors and expressing-down your windows. Most importantly, inLINK gets you security and alarm functions. When you press the lock button on the inLINK key fob, Infinitybox completely disables the inputs for the ignition, starter and fuel pump. This is done from within the MASTERCELL so it is very secure. If you try to start the car when Infinitybox security is on, you get a clear message on the inSIGHT LCD module alerting you that the car cannot be started. Additionally, you can tie MASTERCELL inputs to switches in your car so that if they are triggered when security is on, you can sound the horn or an external siren. This makes inLINK a very powerful vehicle immobilizer and alarm that is built right into Infinitybox with no additional wiring required.

Since inLINK is the key to the vehicle’s security, the question about the wireless encryption is important. We use Microchip’s KEELOQ hardware and encryption technology for inLINK. This is the exact same technology used in OEM remote entry systems, vehicle alarms, highway toll collection, garage door openers and medical device monitoring.

KEELOQ uses a frequency hopping, 64-bit code system. There are over 4-billion code combinations and every time you press a button, the system randomly generates a new code. The hardware is designed never to react to the same code twice. If you could try each of the different code combinations, it would take you 17-years to go through all of them.

We have our own seed key that is unique to Infinitybox so that other devices using the same KEELOQ technology cannot link to our system.

The Infinitybox inLINK system uses an industry proven, rock-solid technology to ensure reliable transmissions and hack-proof security.

You can learn more about inLINK at this link.

Foot Operated

September 30, 2016/in Wiring /by admin

Customers ask us to help do some unique things electrically in their cars. In most cases, we’re helping their classic car do something that their new car does. We were just asked how to get a foot operated trunk release mechanism. This is a pretty cool request. Everyone has seen the commercials for cars that let you open a trunk or tail gate with only your foot. You wave it under the bumper and the door magically opens.

On one hand, this is pretty simple. You can get a sensor, wire it to your existing wiring harness and get your trunk to pop when you waive your foot under the rear bumper. However, there are a few safety and security concerns that you need to consider. Our Infinitybox system makes managing this really easy.

Before we get to safety and security, let’s talk about sensors. You need some sensor that is going to detect the presence of your foot being waved under the bumper. There are really two different kinds of sensors to use: ultrasonic and infrared. For all intents and purposes, infrared sensors are more cost effective and easier to use in these applications.

The advent of the hacker movement has brought tons of cost effective infrared sensors to the market. You need to find one that is environmentally sealed considering that it will be mounted outside of your car. You also need one that has an adjustable range so that you can set it correctly. This picture shows an example of an infrared sensor found on Amazon. These work by emitting an infrared signal and measuring the amount of light that is reflected back by an object in front of the sensor. You can adjust its sensitivity to get the right range.

Picture of an IR sensor that can be used to sense distances

You need to choose your sensor based on the distance between the underside of your bumper and ground. The sensor above has an adjustable range of 3 to 15 inches. You also want to make sure that the sensor can operate in the 12 to 16-volt DC range. Lastly, you want a 3-wire sensor. This illustration shows typical wiring for these sensors.

Schematic of simple IR sensor used to detect objects

You connect the black wire to ground. You need to get battery voltage to the red wire. The yellow wire is going to connect to an input on your MASTERCELL.

For battery voltage, we recommend powering this off an output on your rear POWERCELL that is on when security is disabled. That way the sensor only has power when you turn off security from inLINK. This will help to reduce the drain on the battery.

The yellow wire is going to a MASTERCELL input to trigger the trunk popper. You have to make sure that the sensor grounds the yellow wire when it is triggered. In most cases, this is called an open collector. Check the literature that came with the sensor or test it with a power supply and a multi meter.

You are going to have to set the range of the sensor to work properly with your car and your bumper. The sensor should be pointing down towards the ground in an area under the bumper that you can easily access with your foot. The sensor will have a screw on it that will allow you to set the sensing distance.

Here’s where our Infinitybox system makes this really easy. There are a few things that you need to consider with a foot operated trunk popper. First, you don’t want the trunk popping randomly as you drive down the road and go over an object. Also, you don’t want anyone else to be able to come up to your car to pop the trunk with their foot if security is enabled.

To handle these two issues, we can program your system so that the trunk popper can only work then the car is in park and when security is disabled.

Here’s how this would work. As you approaching your car, you press the button on your inLINK key fob to disable security. This is going to activate the sensor on the back. If the car is in park, the trunk will pop when you wave your foot under the rear bumper.

You can do the same thing with other doors. You can also do the same thing to control inMOTION outputs to drive a linear actuator to actually raise the trunk when you waive your foot under the rear of the car. This is just a simple example of some of the powerful things that you can do with your car wired with our Infinitybox system.

Click on this link to contact one of our technical support team members to get more details on foot activated trunk poppers or any other option with our Infinitybox system.