how to rig up custom window switches?
 

hey guys...my window switches went out for good finally, and like i know most people have thought about...i was curious if and how i could go about wiring up some custom switches.
i figured i could get some center off toggle switches from radio shack and somehow wire those up to roll my windows up and down.
i swore i saw some writeup like over a year ago but i havent found too much of anything that's helped me... so plleeaaaasee, if anyone could direct me in the right way, or explain to me which wires connect where on the drivers dual switches, and the passengers single i'd greatly appreciate it.
thanks!

If you want to make a fortune, here is one you could incorporate into the new switches that you refer to: THE CLAPPER. Call it the "TAPPER", have it in same location as the switch is now, so to roll up or down, TAP ONCE DOWN, TAP TWICE UP.

Being the genious that I am, I will only take at 15% royalty on YOUR new invention.

PEACE THE DOG

Already exists. My mom's '97 Chevy Lumina will roll the driver's side front window down all the way if you press it down past a soft stop.

I've been toying with this idea as well. I'd like to make something that looks decent, but cheaper than the stock switches.

Check out the "2 Switch Kit Illuminated Push/Pull (33040161)" on this page:
http://www.commandoalarms.com/itmidx4.htm

If the dimensions are small enough, they ought to fit in where the stock ones were. Just need to fab some kind of adapter plate and find a clean way to attach it. Maybe the stock switch housing could be salvaged to make the adapter...

If I decide to try this rather than just find some not-too-bad used stock switches, I'll post my results.

edit: Or these switches...
http://www.a1electric.com/Merchant2/...de=4990-10-420
More pricey, but they look more likely to fit.

That wasn't his suggestion. Nice try though. :fawk:

His suggestion is a different user interface for the same idea. Also, the soft stop version is more elegant.

Well bascally one wire makes it go up and one wire makes it go down. You can hook the connector from the door panel lights into it to make it go down to double check that the motors work properly. You can get basically any generic switch to make it work as long as you wire it correctly.

To make the window go back up simply take a jumper wire from the door light connector and reverse the + and -.

Elegant? It's a fucking button you push to make the window move. Unless your button is gold plated, how the fuck is it "more elegant".

:dunno:

He's talking about the soft-stop switch where you push it past a certain point and the window goes all the way down on it's own. One quick push to make the window go all the way down. They wussed out and it didn't make it go all the way up the same way. Afraid kids would get their heads caught in it or something :P RX7 windows are two wires. Ground on top, hot on bottom to go one way, reverse to go the other way. I installed power windows in mine but I'm working on a switch that uses the stock roller arm, so I use the booster pack and some alligator clips to roll the windows up and down :D

I know what the hell he's talking about :fawk: . I just don't see how it's "elegant".

There is a box you can buy that will automatically roll the windows all the way up or down with a single push. It will stop and revert to normal with a second push.

I installed one on my '84. The box actually fit inside the center console where the switch was anyway.

I can't find the link right now but I think I have it at home.

ed

I still dig the car alarms that you can add a temperature module to it, then they'll automatically roll down the windows a little bit when the temperature gets above a certain point. If someone comes close enough to the car to set off the proximity switch, it rolls them back up. :D

Check out the "body electrical" section in the FSM.
The passenger side gets its ground through the driver's side switch.

If you adapt a generic up/down switch to both positions on the driver's side, the passenger switch will have no ground.
Then if you add a ground lead to the passenger door switch, and you and your passenger happen to hit both door switches at the same time, you blow the fuse.

You'd have to use a switch that switches two different circuits at one time, so that in the middle, both leads to the regulator would be grounded, when you press up, ground would be on one lead and hot on the other, then down would be the opposite of the top. Seems like a regular DPDT would do it, but you'd probably have more luck with one of those "HELP!" window switches from Autozone.

OMFG...dude those soft-stop switches are really nice and all but Elagent?
:bsflag: How the F*CK is that elagent.....and what the hell are you all arguing about?...honestly now.

Oh crap, I didn't realize we were arguing! Let me try again.

"You ignorant bastard! Everyone knows that " <insert prior message here> "you f*cktard!

:D

alright so after some finagglin with a radio shack center off toggle switch and the window motor i found a way to make the switch work.

i cut the power wire that goes to the stock window switch plug, and spliced in two other wires which i hooked up to the opposite corners of the contacts on the toggle switch.

i'll just say this is a diagram for the 6 contacts on the bottom of the switch.

- - -
- - -

wires hooked up to switch from spliced stock window switch power(p) wire:

p - -
- - p

then i hooked up ground(g) wires on the other opposite corners:

p - g
g - p

and then ran the last two middle wires to the male prongs on the window motor(wm) two prong plug:

p wm g
g wm p

so itd be something like that. when i move the toggle switch to one side it goes up, the other side it goes down, and middle it doesnt move.

so it worked but...
is this a good idea?
bad idea?
fire hazard waiting to happen?
i only played around with the drivers side cause its getting too late and i'm tired as shat..
but yeah, any thoughts would be cool..
thanks doods

Like I said.

That will work the driver's side.
No hazard.
The trick is getting the passenger side to work from both switches.
One possibility is to add one of those auto resetting circuit breakers to the added passenger switch ground. Size the breaker smaller then the fuse.

Re: Elegance of soft-stop window switches.

I'm a mathematician/physicist/computer scientist. Therefore, I look for elegant solutions. Tapping a switch twice in rapid succession has debounce and logic problems associated with the solution. A soft-stop switch has no debounce issues and much less circuitry and logic associated with it, as well as a more intuitive interface.

Which is more useful for the user:
1. Push down, window goes down, push really far down (like when you want it down all the way), window goes really far down.
2. Push down, window goes down, push down again within a short time (like when you're adjusting the window so it's cracked open just right), window goes really far down.

Obviously, the soft-stop is more elegant: marked by scientific precision, neatness, and simplicity

Actually, using those switches, it looks like if he wired a switch on the drivers side the same way with WM for the Passenger window motor, and did the same thing on the passenger side, splicing the wires together at the Passenger window motor then it would work from either switch. In the center position the circuit is open for the switch that's not being pressed, and power is provided to the motor by the one that is.

Years ago when I put power windows on my car, I didn't bother with the stock switches at all.

I got two DPDT momentary toggle switches from the electronics store and mounted htem in the space below the radio. One switch per window. The two movable conacts (generally middle on the switch) connect to the window motor. Then the two sets of fixed contacts (generally the outer terminals on the switch) connect together in an X pattern. Then power is applied to one set of outer contacts. That way if you move the switch up, the motor is connected to the battery in one polarity, and if you move it down it is connected opposite.

Elegant: Characterized by or exhibiting refined, tasteful beauty of manner, form, or style.

Thus, it's matter of opinion. :)

"2 : something that is elegant" ?

I hate those definitions... so useless. Anywho, back onto topic. Agreed? :)

....

Well, you edited to say 1d instead of 2. There's a reason it's 1d, not 1a. :wink:

Read Elegant. One of the examples is: "an elegant solution", which clearly follows my use of the definition in this context. You need to learn context and the differences between denotation and connotation.