Electrical homelink custom install
homelink custom install
My garage door opener buttons tend to rattle at certain speeds. This was driving me nuts, so I picked up a generic rolling code homelink transmitter on ebay and mounted it to my sunroof motor cover.
To remove the cover, I grabbed the oval part with the switches and slid it back. The rest of the cover just popped out of the moonroof frame. There's was a spot inside the cover where the tab on my transmitter centered it perfectly with the cover. Unfortunately, the back was just a little too small, so I dremeled out the support (see pic 1). There still enough meat on the support for it to work.
Next, I opened the transmitter and used the buttons as a jig to drill out the holes for the buttons, light, and mounting tabs (see pic 2). You can see how the transmitter fits in the cover. For power, all the remote needs is power and ground, so I tapped the map lights. Brown is ground, purple is +12V, iirc. To remove the map light module, push it towards the windshield until the hooks clear the headliner, then pull down.
After mounting the buttons and bezel (see pic 3), I found that the cover was a little too thick, which prevented good contact between the button membrane and the microbuttons on the circuit board. To fix this, I rolled up some paper to add some thickness to the membrane. In addition, the buttons would not activate consistently because there was no support on the topside of the transmitter; the whole cover just flexed when I pushed the buttons. To fix this, I rolled up some cardboard and wedged it between the transmitter and metal roof.
Some additional notes: while I had the transmitter opened, I extended the antenna with some aluminum foil. Homelinks operate in the 288-400 MHz range, so I split the difference and made an 8" antenna (one-quarter wavelength). Now I can open my garage door from down the block.
About the color, the transmitter is black supposedly but it doesn't match the cover exactly, and the flash makes the difference even more pronounced. In regular light, it's barely noticeable though and the bezel is paintable if it really bothers you.
To remove the cover, I grabbed the oval part with the switches and slid it back. The rest of the cover just popped out of the moonroof frame. There's was a spot inside the cover where the tab on my transmitter centered it perfectly with the cover. Unfortunately, the back was just a little too small, so I dremeled out the support (see pic 1). There still enough meat on the support for it to work.
Next, I opened the transmitter and used the buttons as a jig to drill out the holes for the buttons, light, and mounting tabs (see pic 2). You can see how the transmitter fits in the cover. For power, all the remote needs is power and ground, so I tapped the map lights. Brown is ground, purple is +12V, iirc. To remove the map light module, push it towards the windshield until the hooks clear the headliner, then pull down.
After mounting the buttons and bezel (see pic 3), I found that the cover was a little too thick, which prevented good contact between the button membrane and the microbuttons on the circuit board. To fix this, I rolled up some paper to add some thickness to the membrane. In addition, the buttons would not activate consistently because there was no support on the topside of the transmitter; the whole cover just flexed when I pushed the buttons. To fix this, I rolled up some cardboard and wedged it between the transmitter and metal roof.
Some additional notes: while I had the transmitter opened, I extended the antenna with some aluminum foil. Homelinks operate in the 288-400 MHz range, so I split the difference and made an 8" antenna (one-quarter wavelength). Now I can open my garage door from down the block.
About the color, the transmitter is black supposedly but it doesn't match the cover exactly, and the flash makes the difference even more pronounced. In regular light, it's barely noticeable though and the bezel is paintable if it really bothers you.
Last edited by louisut; Jul 17, 2009 at 06:31 AM.
Not without custom buttons. All three buttons are on a single rubber membrane which is held in place by the bezel.
1st Gear
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 38
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how to instructions
I made some how to instructions if anyone else is interested...
http://r53minicooper.wordpress.com/2...-less-than-20/
http://r53minicooper.wordpress.com/2...-less-than-20/
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