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Aftermarket Heater Controller For Ba/bf


turbocorty

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  • Member For: 21y 2m 28d
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Melbourne

Hi Guy's

I am looking for what interest there is out there for a replacement HVAC controller that replaces the the one intergrated in the ICC?

Yes, This means you can remove and turf out all the stuff at the back of the icc and add whatever you want.( Aftermarket Headunits, screens, carputer whatever ).

At this stage there are two or three options regarding the operation of the new HVAC system.

option 1. You remove and cut the ICC plastic leaving just the vents and create a custom plastic piece to house the new entertainment system below it. - I will design a seperate HVAC control panel with built in display that can be mounted anywhere.

option 2. You cut the middle section of your ICC Starting from under the Vents all the way to just under the CD slot, and I will create a new PCB to take advantage of the factory HVAC buttons

Option 3. People with carputer, We will need a HVAC screen designed as a SW addon with RS232 commands comming out into my interface that will control the HVACI. This means your HVAC becoes touchscreen.

I have spent a little time verifying the concept on my bench and can confirm that it is possible, the only thing stopping me now is knowing if people out there are interested so that I dont waist my time. I for one think that its a good option for people with the LOW series ICC to have the option to updrade to whatever they like without loosing the HVAC / Door Lock / Interior light options.

Please feel free to bring up any thoughts / fears you may have.

Cheers,

G

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I'm interested.

I'm also a c/c++ programmer, so if you need any help or just need someone to hear your ideas then I'm all ears. I have been thinking of doing the same thing for a while now, but just haven't had the time to sit down and do it.

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  • Member For: 21y 2m 28d
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hi austcro,

If you can write the HVAC application (Graphics ans serial command for XP) I can make the can bus interface to control the system. This will allow people with the carputer to have a very nice intergrated system with touch screen HVAC controls.

PM me if you are interested.

Cheers

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  • Member For: 18y 7m 21d
  • Location: Melbourne

Hello Turbocorty,

Nice idea, one which I have been toying around with too - but, my problem is I am an idiot with C++/high-level programming, I know assembler a little, but, my main forte must then be networking/interfacing due to my 16+ year background in Industrial Control Systems.

I have a very neat Rockwell Serial CANbus interface here, and then a J2534 Mongoose FEPS USB unit.

I am willing to act as a guineapig for option 3, as I would luv to get rid of this monstrosity called ICC - please see my Project Log for my progress on my Carputer setup....

Please keep me posted, and yes, I will pay that sort of money for the interface(soft+hardware) to rid us of the evol that is ICC :)

Take care,

MrBean

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  • Member For: 18y 7m 21d
  • Location: Melbourne

@ Turbocorty: Ok, I have just studied the wiring schematics on the ICC/related circuitry, and there area few things you need to cater for - you probably know all this already, so this is some info for the uninitiated.

A)

I) The Instrument Cluster 5W illumination comes from the ICC, pin 19H on C-364

ii) For those that have factory Sat Nav installed, you need to consider the 4 Nav signals, ie Nav Mute, Amp+, Amp- and Shield signals on pins 213, 668A, 669A and 48A, all on C-364.

iii) Same goes for the telephone signals, Telephone Mute, Telephone Audio+ and Telephone Audio- on pins 823, 725, 724 on C-364

iv) There's a few CANbus connections to/from various modules, pins 914N/915N to the BEM, and pins 914M/915M to the Instrument Cluster.

No ii and iii is no real problem for those of us that will be using carputers vs std ICC, and I guess you will cater for this market only (for now).

No I and iv is important to keep in the back of your mind, as I have a feeling the CANbus loops through each module to the next, ie cascading in/out - so your connector must fascilitate this, or we need to manufacture a plug to support this function once the ICC is removed.

B) Ok, having a looky at the HIM schematics, it seems the only comms from the HIM is from the ICC, and fortunately for us, via CANbus - take note this is CAN 11-bit network, most of the devices on the market can do 29-bit, make sure about compatibility.

So we only need the command-structure (which we can trail/error test based on std CANbus protocol), and then which bits do what to the HIM.

One more note on this, which might stuff you up with your software - depending on which ICC you have, either manual HVAC, or Dual-zone control, will determine what software is running in the HIM - this load is different for these 2 control units, and you will have to cater for both - I hope the dual-zone comes first, as I have one...lol...

In reality, I have one of each, and can easily ask Ford to flash HIM back to support manual HVAC....

The CAN network on the BF is running at 500k baud, and I think the fastest serial CAN-modules you will get on the market, ie the high-quality industrial ones, will do 115k - so, we need to discuss with Ford to set the comms parameters to accommodate this (compatible) speed, and divorce the HIM CANbus comms from the rest of the car's control-area network - this way all the other (important) modules can communicate at the default 500kbits, while the carputer (via serial) to the HIM will be on it's own dedicated slower bus - we don't need fast here anyway, so no problem...

Or, did you have another plan?

Keep us posted of your ideas, maybe this would be good to get input from the community, I believe there's much on offer, even to the extend of testing bit-functionality, as we have the proper tools, and Lukeyson over at Fordmods have done great work so far on quite many VIDs.

Chat to you later, but whatever you do, please do not go and hide - :)

Edited by MrBean
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