light sensors and remote revving

I have got it right to remote control a cars revving on 4 cars already.I was wondering what happens when i get a computer controlled accelerator.Some new cars does not have cables that lead to the engine bay ,but wires to a computer ecu.So how to go about this.And also i will love to fine a cheap way to build a simple light sensor that can work decently on most vehicles.WHere could i fine a simple light sensor circuit diagram.
Guys i am glad to be back here on this excellent   forum .
If you guys want me to teach you how you do remote revving,I will gladly help out .

-------------
the only interesting answers are the one that destroys the question.

What do you wish this "simple light sensor" to do?  Turn on the headlights when it's dark..or another purpose? If for the headlights you can buy an aftermarket setup...they are not expensive so IMO not worth the hassle of building it yourself. But thats just me.

The newer cars without throttle cables at the accelerator pedal are called "drive by wire"..If you wish to control the vehicles "revving" (I assume this means RPM) you will need to rig up whatever it is you do at the accelerator pedal...perhaps a linear actuator w/ cables and pullies...I would have to see the specific vehicles accelerator pedal control to accuratly advise how to do this...safety being a major factor...you don't want anything binding up or catching your foot while driving..that can never be a good thing.

Can you explain how you were doing this before?  Where you using a cruise control servo or something like that?

-------------

If you do wish to build a light sensor here is a link to a basic setup. It can be used to trigger a relay when it gets dark..or when it gets light..depending on your needs.

https://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/circ/sensor2.htm

Or you can purchase something like this or similar....DEI part # 545T nite-lite system. about 35 dollars US retail.

  It will automatically energize the vehicle's headlights and parking lights whenever it becomes dark, or whenever the vehicle's windshield wipers are turned on. If used with a security system, the 545T will turn on the headlights and flash the parking lights on arming and disarming if it is dark. It can also be activated and deactivated by one of the security systems auxiliary channels.

This unit will also include daytime running light mode. The unit is shipped with this feature enabled so that anytime the ignition is on the headlights turn on. This feature only affects the headlights. The parking lights are still controlled by the photocell.

-------------

cruise control servors are to weak for these operations.You do need a welder at hand to build your brackets so the servor motors can fit in the engine bay.Clutch release servors are the best with heat plating.they wont burn out under stress and is much safer,kinda like a trunk release solenoid,must be a clutch release system.first i need a simple circuit to switch lights on when its dark.
like those smart kits you get,but those kits have a relay that energized immediately when power is put on them,and this can draw mA out of the battery and a draw of at least 30 to 40 mA will be in spec with most cars,but i need a kit or diagram to have a minumum draw when the circiut is closed.Only when the darkness comes then the relay must switch and draw current,o..sorry i forgot i use heat resistant solenoids in the engine bay with cable to pull accelerator cable at the point of the connection at the injection system(fuel injection head),kinda like popping a boot or door open ,just modifying it to pull accelerator cable.this is easy on e30 bmws as they have a bracket already which i use to mount my solenoid.but most cars require building a bracket,always test this setup for days under harsh conditions.I have so many ideas,and i always put them to work for car shows.but i will really appreciate a wiring diagram for a simple light sensor circuit.In south africa this is not easy to buy a complete kit,its very exspensive



-------------
the only interesting answers are the one that destroys the question.

I have used this circuit before as it looks familiar,I think this is the one that draws so much current in stand by.thanks very very much for responding.We put heads together we can com up with some truely unique, custom stuff for car shows.Like i said i have many ideas,that people wont even think of.I like to invent.thanks again will check into that circuit draw after i build it

-------------
the only interesting answers are the one that destroys the question.

I still do not understand what you are doing with this light sensor. You are worried about the current draw of the relay..but..a light will certainly draw more current then a relay coil.. Unless this is just for an LED? If you are using this to turn on the headlights while you are driving and it gets dark the DEI turns off whenever the vehicle is off so current draw is not an issue. Perhaps you can explain more specifically what you wish to use this for and I can help.

Also why would a cruise control servo be too "weak"...nothing is better designed specifically for opening a throttle. BTW is there a specific reason you want the car to rev by remote (such as voltage increase) or just the "cool" factor?

-------------

this car i have been working on has many custom electronics an the battery runs down .The current draw in all is about 100mA,which is way above normal,thus we want to bring it down to 40.(let me explain the car is on a carousel and as the car turns the it hits light and dark areas of the show room so the light comes on and it switched of and comes on and switches of shining light onto a board,I know what you saying in that the lights is gonna draw more current than the relay,I was not thinking clearly,i thought the less current draw the better as the car will revolve for a weekend by itself.about the remote revving for cool factor for the show,but i never really looked at the servors you talked about.Can i see a picture of this,maybe its the same thing.In our country we dont have the luxury of such cruise control units.Customers dont really want to pay for those ,so i improvise.Can these what you talking about pull and release quickly.I will try to get one of those,maybe it makes my job easier.Thanks again for the diagram,
I do have another problem but i will post that problem when i am done with the building.
Just a matter of interest can remote starter kit be put in a vw golf5 without a bypass alarm disarm transponder kit.i had a customer ask me this and i told him forget it as its not possible without him loosing his warranty due too the fact that i will have to tap into his cars computer/alarm box.Was i right in saying this.



-------------
the only interesting answers are the one that destroys the question.

Ok..now I understand what you are doing...a cruise control servo is not nessecary if this is just for show...they are vaccum operated and are controled by an electronic module the monitors speed etc..you would need to do some enginnering to get it to operate and an acutator is so much simpler...press and pop..thats all you really need for a display vehicle. Now as far as current draw..most batterys can not last overnight with more then 20ma max..so are you doubled up on batteries? and hopefully using deep cycles on something like this.

My other question is....if you are using this "revving"..that means the engine is running. So the alternator should be charging the battery(s). Just start the car every so often..that should eliminate the current draw from killing the battery.

As far as the remote start in the golf5....we do not have those in the USA. My sources tell me that an immobilizer is not available for that vehicle..you would need to check sources in your country..it must be something weird. I can tell you that late model German made vehicles can be a pain to do a remote start in..there are a few we have not been able to do even when a programmable bypass mod is out there listed..it just doesn't work and no one has yet figured those out 100%.

As far as voiding the warranty I am not sure about the laws where you are..in the US a warranty MUST be honored UNLESS it is proven the device installed caused the problem. So to answer your question you may have been right in telling him this..can't say for sure..probably a good call I would think.

-------------

strange that golf 4 is imported to america but not the golf 5.
I have done 4 remote revving before and all work perfect,but this car like you say has the computer controlled accelerator.So i wont be doing this to the car.thanks again.

-------------
the only interesting answers are the one that destroys the question.

Well the "computer controlled accelerator" as you call it would not be a problem with a remote start installation..the RS simply mimicks what the key does.

The problem with doing a remote start in that vehicle is finding the right bypass module to allow crank, if there are any available yet that can do that golf..

-------------

there are non. security is tight as a muther on that car.I am not gonna do this car as it is still a new golf 5 gti.I will wait qabout 6 months befor i do this.Bythe way,do you know of a cheap way to make a rain sensor.Is there a cheap way.

-------------
the only interesting answers are the one that destroys the question.

Well I never really felt the need for a rain sensor...I can usually tell it's raining by the water falling from the sky..lol.

But the cheapest way I could think of would be to install a shock sensor to the windshield.....adjust the sensitvity with a garden hose. Sounds funny but it should work. Send the output trigger to a relay to do whatever you wish to happen during a rain.

-------------

a shock sensor..gawd damn.I think thats not a bad idea,but say your wife bangs against the window and gets a smack from a wiperblade.(thats if the switch is on in the car to auto the window wipers.She wil not be to happy,I guess that wont work to well,what about an utrasonic sensor ,naa i dont think so,no other ideas ,I could just buy the kit but this will be very expensive

-------------
the only interesting answers are the one that destroys the question.

If your wife was banging on the OUTSIDE of the windshield..she would deserve at least a smack from the wipers...lol

You would need something that can detect the thumping of rain on the windshield for this to work so I think a shock sensor is the best for that if going cheap.

Anything else would require a way to pick up the moisture, I don't have any ideas for a cheap way to do that which would be reliable...and where to mount it as well might be a problem.

-------------

The way the factory rain sensors work is by sending an IR beam through the windshield.  If there is moisture on the windshield the beam will reflect back.  I'm guessing they are fairly sophisticated as you don't want false alarms, yet you still want them to react faster then a human could.

-------------
Kevin Pierson

Well now that we are on the subject of rain sensors..heres some interesting info I picked up...

In 1958, the Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors experimented with a water-sensitive switch that triggered various electric motors to close the convertible top and raise the open windows of a specially-built Eldorado Biarritz model, in case of rain.

The first such device appears to have been used by General Motors, for that same purpose, in a concept vehicle designated "Le Sabre" and built seven years earlier, in 1950-51.

Nowadays, rain sensors are integrated in a system to automatically start the windscreen wipers (intelligent windscreen wipers).

Most common rain sensor implementation is based on prinicple of total internal reflection: an infrared light is beamed at a 45-degree angle into the windshield — if the glass is wet, less light makes it back to the sensor, and the wipers turn on. (you hit that one KPierson)

Yep..definatly sounds sophisticated...Not something a "hobbiest" might be able to accomplish inexpensivly with any relaible results.

There is an aftermarket device I found called "Rain Tracker". It retails online for 150 dollars.The Rain Tracker uses beams of infrared light to sense how much water hits the windshield.  It constantly adjusts the speed of the wipers so that they run just often enough to keep the windshield clear-- from all the way off to (most applications) high speed.  This frees the driver from that task, reducing driver distraction.  And driver distractions is the cause of 26% of all fatal crashes, says NHTSA.  The model RT-50 Rain Tracker controls the wipers in a full range of operation, from fully off, through intermittent and steady slow, and on up through high speed (in most applications) if that is what is called for.

Talk about scare tactics...lol...This is trying to get people to believe 26% of all fatalities on the road are caused by turning on the wipers..although it doesn't say that directly..it is misleading.

I have never even thought of this as I never felt it a big deal to switch the wipers on when it rains..but now my interest is sparked. I am going to experiment with different types of sensors and see what happens. I need to find something that can discriminate the resonance of rain on the windshield vs. road vibration (combined with some kind of moisture sensor I will probably need to build myself and place properly) ..and I need it to cost WELL under 150 dollars to build this or it's a waste.

I'll post results.

-------------

Forget cell phones and fast food it's windshield wipers that make people terrible drivers!!!!

-------------
Kevin Pierson

Who woulda thunk...lol

-------------