One button window switch.

[N2MYE30]

Im not an electrical knowing person but I was wondering if it is possible for one window switch to control all windows without frying anything?

Ive done some searching but I wasn't able to find anything. What I would like to do is install an additional window switch in the dash next to the top up/down switch, and link them to the individual switches. Is there a problem in running them all together?

Cheers!

[StereoInstaller1]

How I have done that is to use E36 window switches, the ones that cannot be used without relays, then wire in relays (duh, right?) and use a 2 window (up and down) window control module.

The module is triggered by a ground pulse, so an additional E36 switch can be made to do all windows up and down.

In addition, any keyless entry/alarm can also roll all windows up automatically when you lock the doors.

Alternately, an E46 body control module could be used...but I am an electrical genius. I will be doing that in my car sometime soon. I expect it to take me 30 to 40 hours at minimum. Not a project for the faint of heart!

Luke

[colombacho]

^Great, so after that you can mass produce it and sell it to fellow r3vs at an insanely low price, right?


jk

[StereoInstaller1]

^Great, so after that you can mass produce it and sell it to fellow r3vs at an insanely low price, right?


jk

yeah...like all the money I make on the damn boxes!

[N2MYE30]

Woah, and all I thought was to splice into the current ones to one switch. So, why wouldn't my way work then?

[StereoInstaller1]

WHY wouldn't it work?

Here is the deal: an electric motor requires positive and ground to operate, right?

BOTH wires "rest" on ground, then when you push the switch, one of them switches over to positive and the motor moves the window. That is how 99.99% of anything electrical that changes directions works, just so you know.

If you are using just a switch, there is no way to isolate that wire from ground, and if you did, whatever motor was connected would not work.

So, you need to connect it AND disconnect it AND isolate it all at the same time, see?

Only relays can do that IF you are using the stock switches.

There is of course more to it than that, but that is the basics.

Luke

[Wh33lhop]

WHY wouldn't it work?

Here is the deal: an electric motor requires positive and ground to operate, right?

BOTH wires "rest" on ground, then when you push the switch, one of them switches over to positive and the motor moves the window. That is how 99.99% of anything electrical that changes directions works, just so you know.

If you are using just a switch, there is no way to isolate that wire from ground, and if you did, whatever motor was connected would not work.

So, you need to connect it AND disconnect it AND isolate it all at the same time, see?

Only relays can do that IF you are using the stock switches.

There is of course more to it than that, but that is the basics.

Luke

Diodes. :)

It would be kind of a pain though.

[StereoInstaller1]

Nope, diodes would not work either, as each of the two wires need to be both positive and negative for up/down.

[StereoInstaller1]

Diodes. :)

It would be kind of a pain though.

Care to explain how a 1 way check valve is gonna do anything to make this work? I took the time to explain WHY relays were needed, how about more than 1 word?

:)

Luke

[kronus]

For the late-style E36 switches you need at least an H-bridge to drive the window motor, the switch itself won't take that much current through it (peak 1.2Aish).

I am actively researching this at the moment. The possibility of a plug-and-play IC-controlled window module is looming, with 1-touch and door lock-hold cracking.

[StereoInstaller1]

Have you metered the late E36 switches?

If you trigger the second (one touch) click, the opposite wire triggers, but both in ground.

If you do IC work, that should be fairly easy to get to work as full 1 touch.

Don't forget the sunroof too!

Luke

[kronus]

Have you metered the late E36 switches?

If you trigger the second (one touch) click, the opposite wire triggers, but both in ground.

If you do IC work, that should be fairly easy to get to work as full 1 touch.

Don't forget the sunroof too!

Luke

I had the e36 and e30 diagrams printed out somewhere, let me dig for them.

There is really no way to do it other than with combinational logic, so IC's are the way to go. Yay PIC programming! I'll be making a project thread once I make a bit more headway into it.

[bmw325csi]

get 2 of these

http://www.a1electric.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AEOS&Product_Code=530T

and use big base e36 switches, works like a charm. Next up is what luke said, widows going up with alarm.Sucked for me though, I had to get 2 modules and 4 switches for the vert.

[george graves]

The possibility of a plug-and-play IC-controlled window module is looming, with 1-touch and door lock-hold cracking.

I've been down this road. You'll be hard pressed to put together something for less than what the mass produced alarm companies can do. But if you can, more power to you. It all come down to cost.

- You'll want a pic(microcontroler) like the PIC12F675 to cut down on your parts cost since it has a built in ADC. You may need a op-amp in there depending on how cleaver you are at coding and what resolution you can get out of those onboard ADC's.

- 2 current sensing resistors, and two relays per window. You might be able to get away with one resistor per window, but then you'll need some type of rectifier - but that won't really work with such low voltages from the current sensors. The relays need to be "automotive" grade and rated for lots of cycles and handle the current or they will just burn up on you down the road.

- power supply/filtering. You'll need a hand full of parts to protect the pic and filter the power.

- custom PCB with wide-ass tinned traces, case, wiring harness, connectors.

All of it adds up fast. Not to mention the whole liability thing of the window closing on someone kid's neck.

Feel free to pick my brain - I'd be glad to help.

[StereoInstaller1]

I
Feel free to pick my brain - I'd be glad to help.

you just keep breathing, OK? Stupid fucking window modules can wait...