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Design and instructions to take your F56 JCW Pro Exhaust, and hard-wire the flap. This is great if you lost the expensive remote and don't want to buy another, or if your unit is getting bluetooth interference and constantly closing. It opens and closes easily with one push of the button, and stays in position when shutting off the car.
All credit to @SoCalF56 for the concept, design, and wiring diagram. I'm just putting it together in an easy to follow format. As he explained to me, the way it works is this- it's simple to get the flap to open, pull your wire off the box, and connect the two black and two red wires together.
But there is not a simple way to close the flap- the box uses some kind of complicated signal. What does close the flap, however, is just plugging the connector back in. That's what these relays do:
Relays on = the controller box is connected to the flap directly, and flap is closed.
Relays off = the flap gets 12v and opens. The controller box is disconnected from the system.
The button is wired so that depress = relays off.
Parts list. It all comes out to about $50 or so. Digikey and Mouser are sources for the special connectors and pins, but they both didn't have everything in stock. These connectors are slated to be discontinued in a couple years according to the site.
Switch with connector. This is a latching push-button switch. There are a ton to choose from, but nice that this one includes harness. This is the one in my pics & video:
Also- have some extra fuses on hand. 5a small and 3a mini. This set would cover you. I blew a few while figuring out that I had some wires going to the wrong places:
Wire connectors- take your pick. Two places you will have 3-4 wires coming together in the box, and then also somehow you'll need to connect the switch to a long wire running back to the box.
Mini cable ties, electrical tape, heat shrink tubing.
Tools needed:
Needle nose pliers to crimp pins to wires
Wire cutters
Wire stripper
Solder gun- optional. I used it only to add some bulk to the wires going into the clamps on relay board for extra grip.
Diagram:
Key note on the diagram, to someone unfamiliar like me- different relays will have connections in different places. This is the position of things on SoCalF56's relay board, but mine was a little different. The inputs on the left of mine go +,-,1,2,3,4. And each of my relays goes NC,Com,NO. So just triple check that everything is going to the right place based on what it says here, not the physical placement.
Now some pics of the parts coming together. Pins crimped on wires: GT7-2022SCF(70) and GT3-2024SCF(70)
and into the male connector H124756-ND. The pins click in place, and I don't think it's possible to remove. I had to trash 2 connectors when I got it wrong the first try! So order extras, and careful not to push them ALL the way in until you've done a full test (they will still make contact halfway in). These wires I made about 10" long.
Retainer attached (GT7-26R). I don't think it's actually needed, because the pins snap so firmly in place. But whatever, they're less than a dollar.
Wires on female connector GT7-26DP-DS(70). Used the same pins. Covered in heat-shrink. Unfortunately it's not as super clean as the other end. I wrapped this whole thing in electrical tape in the end. 10" wires on this end as well.
Another view
Project box. I drilled out 4 of the standoffs that were in the way. The 4 outermost standoffs are really close to fitting my relay, but not quite. 2 screws fit perfect though, and seem secure enough.
Wiring into relays. Once I had everything working, I added a bit of solder to the end of each wire, to give the screws something to latch onto. Made for a bit more permanent connection.
Other side of the board. Notice that my + and - wires are not in the same order as on the diagram. This relay has a jumper to switch between high & low level trigger. Basically this reverses the action of the relay, so you'd have to reverse the action of your switch. More on that below. I ended up with mine on high.
Looks like a jumble of wires, but everything leads to the right place!
Another view.
In the box, with 2 screws attached. Heat-shrink shrunk. Electrical tape ties it all together and protects against the lid. Drilled a hole in the lid (cracked it a bit) and whittled it smooth.
Everything! Wire going to the button is about 12' long, which has plenty to spare.
Lid in place
In the car, in flap closed mode (red relay lights are on). I cleaned everything with alcohol, then used nice industrial velcro to attach. There is a little screw post coming up from the fender, so put one mounting tab on that for good luck. Zip tied a few wires to keep things from bouncing around too much. The red **** next to the project box- that's my permanently installed adjuster for my KWs- another thread exists if you're curious =)
Now you gotta run the wire for the button. I got this flimsy wiring up to the dash by taping it to the original JCW wire that runs to the fuse box, then pulling it through. There is enough extra JCW wire, and it worked great- easier than the first time I had to get that wire through. Need to loosen / remove the same interior panels, of course- look at the JCW install instructions if you're not familiar.
And the button itself. I could not figure out how to get it so that button up = LED off. The combinations that worked close enough are:
Relay set to low-level, switch NO connects to + and relays (this is what the diagram shows). This produced LED on all the time, either button up or down. This is what's in the video above. Or...
Relay set to high-level, switch NC connects to + and relays (just switch NO and NC on switch vs. what diagram shows). This has the LED on when button is up, and off when button is down. Opposite of what I want, but at least it changes so I have a visual on the flap. I tried every combination I could think of and couldn't get the LED to be the reverse of this. I think because when the relay is off, that's when the flap opens. Any ideas how to reverse the LED action?
So mount it up- Pick a panel that's easy to get on and off, and cheap to replace. I'm going to try to put mine in place of where the rear fog-lights button goes- stand by for pics and info if that pans out. Besides that, I think the driver's knee panel would be a good place- just have to clear out some of the mounting material down there (careful though, looks like an airbag there as well). SoCalF56 did his next to the USB / lighter area.
Enjoy! Thanks again to SoCalF56 for all his assistance with troubleshooting and getting this off the ground.
This is brilliant, thank you! Also, check out the switch/button wiring diagram on Amazon, that might answer the light on/off issue you're having. Just a thought... Thanks again!
I'm thinking about getting the JCW F56 factory exhaust for my 2021 JCW which is on the way here from England now. As we know, this Bluetooth controlled exhaust is no longer offered on these cars since 2018(?) due to some particulate filter(?) that isn't even used on the JCW model (from what I understand)...
Aside from the missing ECU tune that you'd normally get with the exhaust, could this custom switchbox be used to enable/disable the flap as installed on a 2021 JCW? I assume so, but not sure if it's worth the cost of the $1500 exhaust (with CF tips) even if it fits perfectly, unless you're also getting the matching ECU tune... I was planning on the NM tune, if that makes any difference.
But either way I think it's a unique opportunity since the actual exhaust kit is still available for a little while longer.
I finally tried this following the diagram, so everything went where it was supposed to. End result was button up would be relay off, button down the relay was on. LED's weren't right either so I followed instructions (I think correctly) to swap NO and NC on the +,-, 1,2,3,4 side. After that it stopped working completely, at least before I could open and close the flap at will. So I swapped it back, nothing works. Instead the flap opens immediately and stays open until I reconnect the original set up.
I tried different combinations but nothing worked, so I don't know if I messed up my board by swapping NO and NC on the + and -.... also discovered that for me, the button's NC (which was previously unused) instead of NO resulted in button up as relay on, button down relay off, which is what I want to happen. I also removed the button's - to just totally eliminate the LED, as the LED seemed to stay on even after my car turned off completely.
So I'm kind of stuck, I have no idea what's wrong with my setup. I wonder if I need to replace the relay/board now?
Dang, so close! Did you check for a blown fuse? I blew a bunch of them while trying different combinations.
I started to but cleaned out my glove compartment instead lol, then opened the panel and decided to continue tomorrow. I have a bad back and was crouched down too long today so wasn't feeling well physically. Also, I ordered another relay board just in case, since it's not that expensive anyway. I'll update once I figure out the problem, but hopefully it ends up being simply a fuse?
So I checked every fuse and they were all good, none had blown at all. So I think I did something wrong when I swapped NC and NO on the + and -. I have the other relay board coming tomorrow so I'll probably give it a try Thurs or Friday.
Also, I have that book! It's been a huge help for me. I re-injured my back at the end of April and spent a whole month with almost no improvement. Then someone suggested that book and in the last 4-5 weeks I went from totally dependent on my wife to being independent again and generally low to no pain, unless I accidentally forget about spine hygiene. So grateful for the tips and exercises in that book, only wish I had known about it years ago.
Update: new one came in, wired it up and it worked perfectly. So I think I did mess up the first one when I swapped those two cables after all. All that's left for me is to fully run the wire up to the front and install the push button! Thanks for the guide!!
I haven't driven my car since installing it this past Thursday, had to drive to the office today and my car wouldn't start... totally dead. I think it's on the original battery so not sure if it was coincidence or not. but wondering if the relay draws power even when the car is off? How could I check that?
Oh man, that sucks. Fingers crossed just the battery... So the valve isn't working either?
Hm, how to check if it's drawing power... I believe it depends what slot on the fuse panel you have it tied into. Some are hot all the time, others only when running. Possibly others "wake up" when you open a door or the hatch. Maybe shut yourself in the car until the radio goes to sleep (10 min?), and see if the switch will work. Probably could do the same with the door open, but unsure. Not really sure about any of this, just ideas.
I bet you I messed something up again, lol, but also hoping it's just the battery since I do think it's the original one. I'm not 100% sure what fuse it's using though since I didn't have to touch any of them but I did find the JCW Tuning Kit install guide from Mini and it shows which two fuses it supposedly goes to, so I'll test by taking them out and trying to find out if they are always on or not.
False alarm, sorry!! It powers down with the rest of the car after some time... I didn't time it though but definitely within half an hour. So my battery is just low unfortunately.
Condor , Not sure if you are the creator of this new way to do it.
Is it possible to still hardwire a switch as I am trying to integrate to where the Heated Windscreen switch is (I dont have a heated windscreen but i have the control unit)
Yes you can use a simple relay with a button if you want a simpler solution... just hardwire the button to the gpio of the relay..... or for a very better solution you can hardware a button to the ESP8266 GPIO and trigger the relay with the button or with the phone
I adopted the phone way as i don't want to spend time for running the cable along the car.
Yes you can use a simple relay with a button if you want a simpler solution... just hardwire the button to the gpio of the relay..... or for a very better solution you can hardware a button to the ESP8266 GPIO and trigger the relay with the button or with the phone
I adopted the phone way as i don't want to spend time for running the cable along the car.
Just ordered off Amazon now , you have just saved me so much Agg trying to locate connectors.
Going to have a go during the week , where is the GPIO on the wireless chip as I can't see from the pictures , sorry I'm being a pain not very good with electronics ... more of a bodywork guy lol
still can't thank you enough for your phone solution the remote is so crap for me it lasts about 30 seconds at a time before closing.
I din't investigate the gpio, but ESP8266 is very versatile so there's for sure! Keep in mind that you have to make a new firmware winch handle the physical button.
Moreover you can make a wifi button which connect to the esp8266 access point, maybe another esp8266.... i've adopted that solution precisely because it allows more options
Condor, I've been reading about these esp8266 controllers... they are very interesting.
Do you have any suggested way to do this?
Basically I have got my spare AC Control unit (with the heated windshield button) Soldered a wire to each side of where the circuit for the LED runs (This will act as my physical switch)... Light on = ON (OPEN) / Light off = OFF (CLOSED).
Condor, I've been reading about these esp8266 controllers... they are very interesting.
Do you have any suggested way to do this?
Basically I have got my spare AC Control unit (with the heated windshield button) Soldered a wire to each side of where the circuit for the LED runs (This will act as my physical switch)... Light on = ON (OPEN) / Light off = OFF (CLOSED).
Also do I still need to have the controller connected to my phone via WIFI??
Maybe you know an even easier way to achieve this? or is this even possible :/
Mmmm... Currently i don't ever used a push button with esp8266, but i have a project about the kitchen Hood which has 5 buttons to drive. I Hope to have some spare time to look at that during August vacation, icll be back. Maybe if your First target is the phisical button you can use a simple 12v relay without involving the esp8266....
Condor, I've been reading about these esp8266 controllers... they are very interesting.
Do you have any suggested way to do this?
Basically I have got my spare AC Control unit (with the heated windshield button) Soldered a wire to each side of where the circuit for the LED runs (This will act as my physical switch)... Light on = ON (OPEN) / Light off = OFF (CLOSED).
Also do I still need to have the controller connected to my phone via WIFI??
Maybe you know an even easier way to achieve this? or is this even possible :/
I have changed the GND cable, pay attention to look a the latest github update. Now i'm using the GND cable near the control unit itself, not the one coming from the fuse box. In this way i saw it's more stable the energy passed to the ESP8266.
06-28-2019, 02:05 PM
