Introduction
Below are instructions for a simple low cost remote garage opener buttons.
After seeing several garage opener hacks people have done, I chose to do a hack
similar to Eric (Plug Guy). Thanks to Eric for the idea. I like this style of
hack as it gives a factory look, does not require me using dash switches
which are intended for other purposes, and uses an otherwise blank dash
piece.
There is nothing particularly clever about
these hack instructions. What makes them useful is:
a) the buttons I found are a great match to the rest of the trim and
b) the advice provided to help you drill and mount the buttons.
These instructions are for a 2 buttons...in my case Garage Door and
Gate.
Normal disclaimers apply i.e. you use these instructions at your own risk.
Parts Required
2 x Radio
Shack Momentary Push Buttons Part # 275-644
4 X 12 inch
wires (shown with female connectors already attached)
4 X 3 foot
wires (shown with male bullet connectors already attached)
4 x female
connectors
4 x male
bullet connectors
Plastic ties
and Electrical Tape
Velcro tape
Felt Tipped Pen
Oval Trim
from left side of dash
Note I have used red wires for the garage button and
green wires for the gate button. Later pictures show all green wires as that
is how I did the hack the first time. Having separate color wires
alleviates the need to mark which wires are which.
Tools Required
Drill and
several drill bits
Wire
Cutter/Stripper
Soldering
Iron & Solder
Butter knife
Wire cutters
Not shown...circular
file
Step 1 - Solder Small Wires to
Garage Remote Circuit Board
Firstly open
your garage remote and remove the circuit board carefully.
Every remote
is different, but in general you will find buttons on one side connecting
to the circuit board. You need
to solder 2 short wires to the connectors for each button. (Wires shown
already soldered)
These wires
will ultimately run to the remote buttons and close the circuit.
My remote had
4 buttons. I wired switches for 2 of them (garage and gate)
Note - On my
circuit board each button was actually connected to the circuit
board by 4 connectors. (see red boxes in pic) I tested the connectors to work out which ones
closed the circuit before I performed any soldering. To do this just get a
small piece of wire and connect the 2 connectors you believe make the
circuit, and see if the garage door responds.
Start by
using the wire stripper to remove approx 1/2 an inch of insulation from
both ends of the short wires to expose the bare wire. (2 of 4 wires shown)
Now solder
each short wire onto circuit board (4 in total). When doing this be careful not to heat
the circuit board itself, or you may damage the electronics.
You will need
to drill or cut holes in the remote casing to run the wires through.
Replace the
circuit board in the casing and runt the 4 wires through the holes in the
casing. Now crimp 4 female connectors to the end of the short wires...work on the remote is now complete.
Optional: If
you have a 12v remote, you can choose to run power to it. I wanted
to keep the remote self contained and removable from the car, so I
skipped that step.
Step 2 - Remove and Trim Oval
Trim Piece
Remove the
Oval Trim from left side of dash. Use a butter knife to pry it out from
below. Go slowly as to not damage the dash.
Using the
wire cutters or similar, trim away the back of the Oval. Be careful not to
damage the 4 large and 4 small legs that hold the trim in place.
You need to
trim the rear to make it easier to drill the holes.
Step 3 - Drill Holes in Oval
Trim
You now need
to drill 2 holes in the Oval Trim piece. For 2 buttons it is a tight
fit.
Remove the
nuts off the Radio Shack Momentary Push Buttons and use then as a guide.
Have the nuts
side by side and mark a center point for drilling.
Replace the
trim piece back in the dash. It is best to drill it while it is in the dash, as
this holds it firmly in place.
Start by
drilling a very small pilot hole. The holes ultimately need to be exactly 1/2
inch in diameter, but you cannot drill it that large initially as the
plastic trim will rip and the trim piece will be pulled out of the dash by
the drill.
After
drilling first holes, check the alignment.
Now change to
a slightly larger drill bit and re-drill the holes again. It is a
good idea to place pressure on the oval with your spare hand as you drill
to avoid it from being pulled out.
Continue
re-drilling the hole larger and larger. When you have a hole large enough
to accommodate a circular file, stop drilling. Now use the circular file
to enlarge each hole until they are exactly 1/2 inch in diameter. Check
the hole size by inserting the Radio Shack Momentary Push Button....when
they just fit...stop.
Step 4 - Solder wires to Radio
Shack Momentary Push Buttons
Start by
stripping 1/2 an inch of insulation off each end of the long wires.
Insert one
end of each wire in the eyelet at the end of Radio Shack Momentary Push
Button and then fold back the wire. Then solder the wire so it stays in
place and will not touch the other side. Repeat for the other side and the
other Button.
Finally crimp
male connectors onto the end of each long wire.
Step 5 - Insert Radio Shack
Momentary Push Buttons into Oval Trim
Insert the
Radio Shack Momentary Push Button into Oval Trim and tighten in place
using the nuts provided. Note in my case I tightened the nuts in backwards
(teeth to rear). I did this because of the tight fit.
Using the
plastic tape, tape all the wires together. (Not shown)
Now run the
wires through the hole and pull then down under the dash.
Note the above is a pic of my existing buttons where I used
the same color wire for both the garage and gate wires. I suggest you use
different colored wires to make it easier to connect to the remote later.
Step 6 - Position Remote and
Tidy Up
Using the
Velcro tape position the remote under the dash. I find it works best
directly behind the map pocket under the steering wheel. From this
position it is also easy to remove.
You may need
to experiment with several locations.
Plug the male
connectors into the female connectors in the remote and tidy up loose wire
using the plastic ties.
You now have
a remote garage opener that has a very OEM look and feel.
