therossinator

I have completed the modification and am very pleased with the results. In addition to mad soldering skills the main parts requited are:
1. tiptronic steering wheel ($80)
2. tiptronic clock spring (can be a 996 part number) ($30)
3. small gage wire ($10)
From Digikey (all for $15)
4. LM3914
5. LTV-846
6. A9AAT-0808E
From Radio Shack (all for $30)
7. pack of 500 resistors
8. small solder board
9. small project box
10. transistor
11. ethernet cable(1ft or longer)
12. ethernet female to female adapter

I recommend purchasing double parts from digikey in case you break anything. They are cheap enough

What is going on with this setup is that each button on the steering wheel send a specific resistance to the chip (LM3914). The chip detects this resistance via the voltage drop in the wire and depending on the voltage will open up one of 10 switches and power an LED. The LTV-846 has an LED in it which the light from will open the base of the transistor and allow current to flow through the leads. The other ends of the leads connect to the faceplate on the radio and to the contacts of the physical buttons themselves. Because of this hard wired solution, you will not be able to fully remove your faceplate. You will have more than enough room to use radio removal tools but it will forever be tethered to the radio.

Due to limits with the clock spring (only adding 2 more wires to the steering wheel) and the chip that buttons connect to on the faceplate PCB (it uses I2C databus) I have determined that this is the easiest way to accomplish the task.

This allows me to use vol up, vol down, track up, and track down from the steering wheel. I also made it so that pressing vol up and track up simultaneously will switch the audio source.

If there is any interest in a full DIY given the complexity of parts needed, let me know. I posted a DIY on an aux input for the stock cassette decks (which seems a lot more useful and much easier) but it didn't seem like anyone tried it out so I am hesitant to write up a DIY that no one will try. Perhaps this is just a proof of concept.

IT CAN BE DONE!!!

Johnny_law

Love you electrical guys... That's a heck of a DIY.

BesideTheBox

I probably won't do this to my car, but this is really cool.
If you post a DIY (or even just more details about how this works), I bet you will generate other creative ideas for improvements.

M. Schneider

+993 !
A man after my own heart ..... a great modification and a significant undertaking.

I'm looking to complete a similar "tiptronic steering wheel" control however using a PAC module to control an aftermarket Pioneer P99RS head unit.

MartinC2S

I would be all over this!!!! Please post a DIY!

RichPugh

Neat... LOL. If it weren't for the Tiptronic wheel, this would be worth doing for me. How about doing One Touch Down -AND UP- window switches?

tcsracing1

impressive!

therossinator

I'm not an electrical guy. I got Ds in both of my EE classes in college. I'm a "finding a solution" guy.

The P99RS head has a spot for a wired remote. Use this DIY.

You could do this with any switches, not just a the ones on a tiptronic wheel. I was thinking it would be possible if you had touch sensitive contact switches on the opposite side of steering wheel (facing the gages). Worth considering if you don't want a whole new wheel.

As for windows, I really don't have a good idea. I'm sure theres an IC out there that would do the trick for only a couple bucks but I don't know what. I think with the number of integrated circuits on Digikey it was a miracle someone knew the LM3914 would fit the bill so well. Its designed for to provide a visual voltage indication using 10 LEDs but if you use your imagination the possibilities are much greater. http://www.electro-tech-online.com/ was a great resource to figure this all out.

zenithblue993

This sounds great! I would deff attempt this in the summer while taking my EE lab class. Plus I already have a tiptronic.

therossinator

You won't be able to use the buttons to change gears if you so this.

zenithblue993

True, good thing I never use the buttons for gears. Always the stick in Fun mode

therossinator

Have you tried this?

This thread might also be relevant.

600RR

I have installed window express in each car that lacks one-touch. One of my favorite mods. Part of the allure of the SW controls is for a manual trans car to use a Tip SW for head unit control.

BTW, another favorite mod is a push button hood unlock that is enabled/disabled by the immobilizer. I don't have to open drivers door, unlock the lever, pull, re-lock, go back to the front of the car. Makes using the boot much friendlier.

Thx for the post on the SW controls.

therossinator

What is that? I would love to put groceries up there but if I'm already in the car to open the hood, I may as well leave the groceries in the cabin.

M. Schneider

therossinator - thanks again for your project details.

The Pioneer DEX P99RS DSP unit in stock form allows for both wired and or RF remote functions. The current practice is using the supplied RF remote which is an (full feature) appendage of sorts, then fitted to the 993s 4 spoke steering wheel. I'll be glad to give up a wee-bit of function for the clean aesthetic of the "tiptronic wheel" modification. The P99RS DSP truly brings our cars HiFi speaker option up to date. And now for the last of the install details; Good to Great.

WTB a Tiptonic steering wheel.