How-To: One Touch Auto-opening Moonroof

[ZapWizard]

(Can a mod move this to the how-to forums, or better yet, give me rights?, thanks)

Hey folks, time for another how-to:



<HR>

Automatic opening moonroof

2003 Mazda Protégé - By ZapWizard

http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/moonroof.jpg



<HR>This modification allows you to open your moonroof with a "one touch" press of the open button.


I recommend that you first apply my always-on modification located here: (Click Here) (http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Index.html)



<HR>The tools needed are:


Soldering iron, preferably cordless
Wire cutters
Solder
Wire


<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/01-Auto-moonroof.GIF




This modification involves simply adding a timed relay to the existing OPEN button on the moonroof control assembly.

The relay is closed when you press the open switch.

The relay self-latch's and stays on, as long at the Capacitor is charging.

Once the capacitor reaches full charge, there is not enough current to keep the relay closed, and therefore the relay turns off. The 1200ohm resistor determines how long the capacitor takes to charge. It also limits the amount of drain on the car battery. This circuit consumes 10mA.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/02-relay.jpg


First the relay:

All you need is a simple cheap 12volt Single Pole, Single Throw relay.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/03-parts.jpg


The other two electronic parts needed is a 2200uF Capacitor, and a 1200Ohm resistor.

These are the values I used, different values will give you different timed openings.

The capacitor needs to be rated at least 24volts.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/04-Soldering-iron.jpg


The soldering iron I used is a RadioShack Butane soldering iron.

If you use an electric iron MAKE SURE AND DISCONNECT THE CAR BATTERY



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/01-Controls.jpg


First locate the control box. (This should be easy)



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/05-pull.jpg


Get your fingers under one side of the controls an pull down.

If you need to use a tool, make sure it won't damage the plastic, or the fabric.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/06-out.jpg


The control box should pop out with some wires attached.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/07-Cables.jpg


Disconnect the control and power wires.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/08-Overview.jpg


Once removed, view the wires on the back.

It should be noted, the Ground wire (highlighted above) should be to your RIGHT.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/09-Closeup.jpg


The terminals are labeled with numbers. We are interested in terminal 2 (Open switch) and terminal 5 (Ground)

Sorry for the messy look, as when I first did this mod I accidently hooked up to the close switch.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/10-relay.jpg


First we need to prep the relay.

Bend the end wire straight out, and leave the other wires as they are.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/11-Superglue.jpg


Apply some superglue to the relay.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/12-glued.jpg


Then glue the relay with the straight pin touching terminal 5 (Ground), and the bent end terminal touching terminal 2 (Open) The other two wires should not be touching anything.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/13-Solder.jpg


Solder the two end wires to the terminals they are touching.

Be careful not to de-solder the already attached wires.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/14-power.jpg


To drive the relay we need +12volts.

We can get this from the power wires running to the lights.

The blue power wires meet in the middle, and have tape wrapped around them.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/15-power.jpg


Remove the electrical tape to expose the bare wire.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/16-Soldered.jpg


Cut a piece of wire and solder it to the bare power wire.

If you did not disconnect the car battery, you could blow a fuse if you touch the power wire to a ground connection.

Once soldered wrap this connection back up with electrical tape.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/17-power.jpg


Solder the other end of this wire onto the lower of the two free wires on the relay.

Be careful that the wire is not loose, or the wire could cause a short while driving.

Once you complete this modification, I recommend applying high temperature hot-glue to all the new connections to prevent any shorts.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/18-Capacitor.jpg


There is one more free wire on the relay. This will connect to our capacitor.

But before we can connect it, you first need to know that large capacitors are polarity sensitive, like batteries.

Their negative side is marked with a minus sign running down one side of the capacitor.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/19-Solder-Cap.jpg


Connect the positive side of the capacitor to the free wire on the relay. (The side without the minus sign)

Use superglue or hot glue to keep the capacitor in place.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/20-Resistor.jpg


Now we need to attach our resistor to the negative side of the capacitor.

If you want to be able to tweak the trimming you can replace the resistor with a 10K Potentiometer.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/21-Resistor.jpg


The other end of this resistor attaches to terminal 2 (Open) on the moonroof control box.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/22-drain.jpg


Capacitors can carry their charge for a long time, making the moonroof not able to close right away.

If you experience this you can put a resistor directly between the positive and negative legs of the capacitor. This resistor should be at least 4 times larger then the timing resistor.

I used a value of 27,000 ohms.



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/23-Complete.jpg


Your circuit is now complete.

(The drain resistor was added after this photo)



<HR>http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/24-Reinstall.jpg


You can now attach the cables, and test the circuit.

Your moonroof should open fully, at normal speed.

You should be able to close the moonroof with-in a few seconds of it being fully open.

As long as the capacitor holds a charge, you can open or close the window like normal, once the capacitor drains, the circuit is reset, and pressing open will fully open the moonroof.



If you want more exact timings, use a Variable resistor (potentiometer) instead of the static timing resistor.

But note: Changes in humidity and temperature can affect the timing slightly.



<HR>Here is a movie of my moonroof after I did this mod: (825kb)


http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/movie.jpg (http://www.zapwizard.com/car/moonroof/Automatic/movie.wmv)










<HR>

[Mr. Win]

coool do one for all the windows...

[ZapWizard]

Note: For a second after the moonroof is open, if you try to close it you may hear a clicking noise. This is the relays fighting, and will not cause any damage to the relays, or motor. To prevent this you can tweak the timing resistor.

This circuit will also work to take the window from tilted-up, to fully open.

The exact same circuit will work to auto-close the moonroof, just wire it to the CLOSE terminal.
Note: Automatic-closing can be dangerous, as there is no way to stop the window from closing on an object.

Thanks to Poseur for the info on getting the control box out.

[Natey]

Another great How-To!

You are truly aptly-named. (thumb)

[Mike R]

Very nice job. Gonna have to do this one!

[Poseur]

Zap's a superstar...

I kinda thought it would be morethan JUST a plain relay. butyes VERY welldone man, You are my hero and then some... Nowthen, I'm assuming that an alarm's momentary grounded output would simply need to be added to Terminal 2, correct?Most of these things don't really have the ability to handle a HUGE amount of current, but I'm assuming it really wouldn't take much seeing as this is simply triggering the relay, and nothing else, correct?

[ZapWizard]

Any grounded pulse at terminal 2 will activate the relay.
These connections are not handling the window motor, just the control relays, so there is very little current involved.

[ZapWizard]

coool do one for all the windows...I already designed it:

http://www.zapwizard.com/car/windows/PressCircuit-2.gif

That is the circuit for making the passanger window auto-role UP.
To make it role down, just rewire the OPEN side, rather then the CLOSE side.

It would be the same for the back windows (minus the driver's side circuit)

It is more complicated, as you have to install your own limit switches, and due to the existing car design you have to re-wire the windows switches.

Here is how the passanger side is wired:

http://www.zapwizard.com/car/windows/PowerWindows.gif

[Poseur]

Resistor question,

I don't have any 1.2kohm resistors in my stash, would a 1kohm or a 1.5 work as well? I'd assume these would change the open times, yes?? Also for the discharge capacitor, again, no 27kohms, I'd assume going bigger would be the safest?

[ZapWizard]

Resistor question,

I don't have any 1.2kohm resistors in my stash, would a 1kohm or a 1.5 work as well? I'd assume these would change the open times, yes?? Also for the discharge capacitor, again, no 27kohms, I'd assume going bigger would be the safest?
A 1k, or 1.5K would work.
I find I can't close mine for about 2 seconds after it is fully opened.
With a 1K, I can close it immediatly, but it opens a few inches short.

The discharge resistor simply drains the cap to reset the circuit, really any value will work.

[Poseur]

Issue...

Okay, so I Actually tracked down a 1.2k resistor seeing as that is indeed optimal.

Nowthen. I was noticing that I do, however have a problem. When I use the tilt function and go to close it, it doesnot stop at closed, it continues on through to sliding the sunroof open. Does yours do this too? I checked everything, it's all as it should be. makes sense in a way seeing as it's a single motor, but I would think that whatever normally pauses it inbetween would again be doing this in this case.

[ZapWizard]

Yes, mine does this.
It is because the DOWN and OPEN are wired the same, only that the down has a limit switch.

[PhreakV]

VERY NICE, congrats on another stellar mod and how-to ZapWizard :D (yippy)

[NVanP5]

That is an awesome how-to...

I was wondering about the auto window DOWN... are you planning on doing a detailed how-to on the windows as you have with the moonroof??? I understand your diagram, but I don't know which wire is which... I'm just a dumb newbie.

Any help would be great.

[ZapWizard]

That is an awesome how-to...

I was wondering about the auto window DOWN... are you planning on doing a detailed how-to on the windows as you have with the moonroof??? I understand your diagram, but I don't know which wire is which... I'm just a dumb newbie.

Any help would be great.
I have thought about how I want to do the auto-window down.
What I now plan on is making it so that when I use the Auto circuit, both the driver's and passanger's window's role down.

That way I have normal control over both windows, but with the added auto-down function on both windows.

[NVanP5]

Okay, that sounds cool... either way works for me :)

What I was hoping to do in the end is make it so when I hit the panic button on the stock remote key-less entry all the windows roll down and the sunroof opens... that way I can let all the hot air out before getting in. I figured I would just have to rewire the wire going from the key-less entry to the relays in the window...

you don't happen to have a diagram off hand of the exitsing window wiring, do you? That way I could compare them and see what I need to add. Or is there somewhere I can find this info? - what do you guys use when figuring out what wire is what - like you did for the sunroof?

Thanks for the help

[holokaustos]

The discharge resistor simply drains the cap to reset the circuit, really any value will work.

1. As long as it's a minimum of 24 Volts, right?
_________________________________________________
Solder the two end wires to the terminals they are touching.

2. What kind of solder would you recommend for such a small electrical job?
_________________________________________________
Once you complete this modification, I recommend applying high temperature hot-glue to all the new connections to prevent any shorts.

3. Would epoxy be alright or should I just stick to the high-temp hot-glue?

Thanks!

[aceP5]

wow . . . you are a bad ass.

I have one question, hough. Would it still be okay to do this mod without the "always on" mod first? Because I like the idea of a one touch button, but have no need for the switches to work when the key is not there. Thanks!

[ZapWizard]

you don't happen to have a diagram off hand of the exitsing window wiring, do you? That way I could compare them and see what I need to add. Or is there somewhere I can find this info? - what do you guys use when figuring out what wire is what - like you did for the sunroof?
You could make your keyless entry work the windows.
I will PM you the link you need

1. As long as it's a minimum of 24 Volts, right?
2. What kind of solder would you recommend for such a small electrical job?
3. Would epoxy be alright or should I just stick to the high-temp hot-glue?

1: Yes
2: Any normal radioshack solder works, normaly it is a 60/40 blend.
3: Epoxy would be even better, I am just lazy.

wow . . . you are a bad ass.

I have one question, hough. Would it still be okay to do this mod without the "always on" mod first? Because I like the idea of a one touch button, but have no need for the switches to work when the key is not there. Thanks!
This mod would work without the alway-on just the same.
But my normal thing now before I start the car is to press the auto-down on my window, and now the auto-open on the moonroof.

[holokaustos]

Thanks, Zap. I'll let you know how it turns out... (hmm)

[ZapWizard]

Hey folks, I just figured out a way to make a "press-to-stop" function.

Where you would simply press "Close" to stop the moonroof from opening.
This is handy if you want to tweak the opening, or just crack it a little without opening it all the way.

All it takes is two-diodes, and a different order in the hook-up of the rest of the parts.
Fortunently, my parents bought at protege at the exact same time, so I will make a fresh guide using their car. (If they let me)

[Poseur]

Sweet, I'm interested. Also, do you know of any way to keep the tilt down function independant?

Anywhich way, thankyou... I honestly was unaware of relays this size. I've only dealt with normal 30a automotive relays before. This setup streamlined my sunroof setup quite a bit. I put a 2nd relay on the opposite side of the unit that controls my close function. it's just a simple piggybacked switch. No cap or resistors necc. My alarm shows it a 8second ground signal which is perfect for closing the sunroof. (the extra 2-wires hanging off with connectors are hooked to aux channels from my alarm)

Eitherway, thanks man, MUCH improved from my previous setup (the one with the big pair of clunky relays hanging off to the side)

[Myk]

Good job and great mod!

Cant wait to give it a go!!

[ZapWizard]

Sweet, I'm interested. Also, do you know of any way to keep the tilt down function independant?
Cool, so you did your close function off the same capcitor and resistor?

As far as the tilt, the problem is that the cap gets enough charge that there is no pause between the down and open funtion.

Looking at the schematics for the 5door, you guys may be able to tap into the wire between the limit switch, and the motor/relay. Mabye you can use this to stop it.

[NVanP5]

"Looking at the schematics for the 5door"...

Where did you get the schematics from?

[EviLMaN]

hey i want the ability like the driver window if u press the button down a little it will stop when u let go and when u press it down all the way when u let go the window goes all the way down... i wanna have that on all the switches (only for me aka the driver) make the other ppl HOld the switch to put the window all the way down lol... is this possible and if it is how do i do it??

[ZapWizard]

hey i want the ability like the driver window if u press the button down a little it will stop when u let go and when u press it down all the way when u let go the window goes all the way down... i wanna have that on all the switches (only for me aka the driver) make the other ppl HOld the switch to put the window all the way down lol... is this possible and if it is how do i do it??
That is easier said then done.
The Driver's switch is a four position switch, where as all the rest of the window switches in the car are three position switches.

That and it's not just the switch, it has a whole timer circuit behind it.
Here is an image of the guts of the driver's side control box:

http://www.zapwizard.com/car/windows/rewire/10-pcb.jpg

The three white box's are the normal windows switches, the blue/white box is the driver's side switch. Along with a relay, and other control electronics.

It can be done, but it's a lot of electronics to add-on.

[Bijou-MP5]

this is awesome!!! thanks!!

[holokaustos]

Okay. I did the "Always On Moonroof" mod from ZapWizard. You'll have to read the reply on that thread to get all of the lowdown. It was pretty much okay, with only a few obstacles; nothing major, though. However, the mod for the "One Touch Auto-opening Moonroof" (also from Zap) was not so lucky. I can divide it into two groups: the things that happened during installation and the things that happened after installation. First, let's start with during installation:

1. I did the "Always On Moonroof" mod first, as Zap recommended. Like I said, it was pretty much okay.

2. I got all of the same parts (even the identical relay), except for the resistor and the capacitor. I had to go with a 1.5k resistor instead of a 1.2k and a 1000 microfarad capacitor at 25 volts instead of the 2200 uF capacitor at 35 volts that were in the instructions. Why? Because RADIO SHACK DIDN'T STOCK THEM! Morons.(rant)

3. Taking out the control unit was a breeze, in no small part to Zap's pix and instructions. (brownnose Everything was pretty self-explanatory.

4. I got the relay all glued in and the two ends soldered. HINT: To make things easier on you (especially if you're relatively new to soldering, like me), bend the remaining two small end wires OUT at a 45 degree angle from the end wire that will be soldered to the #2 terminal. Believe me, this will help immensely when you go to solder them later on...

5. Halfway through the instructions, Zap recommends to use hot glue on all of the connections to protect them and prevent them from shorting out. Now, this was totally my fault and, I admit, I'm an idiot sometimes, but, please...WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE COMPLETELY DONE BEFORE YOU DO THAT!!! Yes, sir, it was real fun to have to go back and chip off the solid glue on terminal two to complete the resistor. And all because I took the instructions literally and did the hot glue right then! Not Zap's fault; my own. D'oh! (braindead

6. Be very careful of soldering the three end wires together on the left. If you're experienced, you'll be fine. If you're not, then you'll be a doofus and spend a fretful 45 minutes trying to clean up your mess. No joke. These end wires are very close to each other and can easily be the victims of runaway solder. HINT: Try tearing off a 2"x2" piece of cardboard and place it beneath the top wire of the capacitor when soldering it. It'll stay in place by itself and will save you the headache of dripping or runaway solder. That cardboard will also work for underneath the top end wire on the relay.

7. You need to remember that the pictures in the How-To give the illusion of lots of work space. THERE ISN'T. It's quite a tight fit, so I would highly recommend that you take the unit out of the car and over to your work area! Again, if you're experienced and think you can do it in the car, more power to you. However, if you're a noob who's normal soldering jobs would make Dr. Frankenstein himself proud, then don't.

Well, that pretty much takes care of the problems during the installation. Really, just some minor glitches, but nothing serious. The real problems came after the installation...

I got it all done, then tested it out in the car. Everything worked fine the first two times I tested it. Unfortunately, those are the only times it worked right. After the second time, it began to only open in intervals of a quarter. For instance, I pressed and released the button once, it opened 1/4 of the way and stopped. Then, I pressed and released it again and, once more, it opened up only a quarter of the way, to the halfway point, and so on and so on, until it was fully open.

Now, I figured that I probably used a capacitor that was too small and not holding the charge long enough, so I waited until the morning and tried it before going to work. Sure enough, it nearly worked all the way, then it did the same thing with the following attempts.

I've checked everything (all the connections and soldering and such) and everything checks out. I highly doubt that it's the 1.5k resistor, since that was already discussed. And I thought that the 1000 uF rating for the capacitor (which was 25 volts) wouldn't matter, since that was already discussed, as well. Plus, the "Always On Moonroof" mod works with no problems. So, if it's not the capacitor, then I'm at a loss, because I know everything else is done correctly. Even my terrible soldering job appears to be fine!

Someone, please help, because I would really like to have a functioning, one-touch moonroof. Sure, it still works in the normal fashion (push and hold), but what's the fun in that? In the meantime, I hope my experience can help others with avoiding any road-bumps. Hats off to ZapWizard for putting together a thorough and helpful How-To! Hope there's many more to come...

[ZapWizard]

Thanks for the feedback.

The reason you can't work it multiple times in a row, is due to the capacitor holding a charge.

Here is how it works:
You press the button-the relay closes and the cap starts to charge up.
The relay stays closed as long as the capacitor is charging.
Once the cap reaches full charge, the relay disconnects.

If the cap still has 50% of it's charge left in it, the roof won't open fully.
So in this case add the drain resistor I mentioned in my guide.
This will speed up the cap's dis-charge.

I didn't use one, as it allows me to fiddle with the window for about a minute, before the auto-circuit kicks in.

[holokaustos]

Okay, so I got it backwards. I thought that the capacitor was NOT holding the charge for the required time, when, in actuality, it's holding the charge for too long, right?

If that's the case, then why does your larger capacitor (2200 uF@35 volts) work just fine without the drain resistor and my 1000uF@25 volts capacitor doesn't? Should I just replace the capacitor or would it be easier to simply add the drain resistor?

Also, does my 1.5K resistor matter? Should I have stayed with the 1.2K?

Finally, my project isn't a lost cause, is it? I mean, I can still get this mod to work, right? (dunno)

[Poseur]

Cool, so you did your close function off the same capcitor and resistor?

As far as the tilt, the problem is that the cap gets enough charge that there is no pause between the down and open funtion.

Looking at the schematics for the 5door, you guys may be able to tap into the wire between the limit switch, and the motor/relay. Mabye you can use this to stop it.
Oops, sorry didn't check in for a day and I missed a ton... Nope I didn't wire the close to the capacitor at all. I just used the same relay. It's essentially just working as an electircal switch piggybacked to the stock. My alarm's trigger signal is adjustable for time, so I set it to about 8seconds which is ideal for closing the sunroof. I'd imagine that if I did wire it for auto, it would possibly tilt open too at this point (atleast 'til we figure out how to get the tilt isolated from the open/close).

[ZapWizard]

Correct, the cap is holding a charge for too long.

Your 1.5k is just fine, it makes up for the smaller capacitor.
Adding the drain resistor would be easiest.
You can also increase your timing resistor to get a longer run out of the cap.
As long as it isn't so big that the relay can't flip over.

[holokaustos]

Correct, the cap is holding a charge for too long.

Your 1.5k is just fine, it makes up for the smaller capacitor.
Adding the drain resistor would be easiest.
You can also increase your timing resistor to get a longer run out of the cap.
As long as it isn't so big that the relay can't flip over.

Okay. Well, it's the opposite of what I thought the problem was, but now I know what to do. Yeah, adding the drain resistor should be far easier than replacing the capacitor. I'll try that this weekend and post the results. Thanks for the info...

[holokaustos]

Well, THAT sucked. I put on the drain resistor, but I still had the same problem as before. But now, there's a new twist. NOW, it opens up a quarter of the way and that's it. Sure, it'll open up the rest of the way if I hold down the button, no problem, but that's it. At least before, I could do the one touch and have it open in increments of 1/4. Can't even do that now...

I'm at a loss here. I thought that maybe the wire from the bare battery wires was too large (I used 12-gauge hookup wire, 600V, 80C, 1/32 PVC, stranded), but I switched it out with some speaker wire (just as a test!) and it still wouldn't work correctly. I rechecked the soldered connections and saw no problems there. I even cleaned up some of the worst ones, but nothing seemed to matter.

Here's a list of what I used:

1. 12 VDC Relay, identical to the one from the mod
2. 1.5K resistor, same brand as in mod, just not 1.2K
3. 1000 uF, 25 Volt capacitor, radial-lead
4. 30-volt soldering gun
5. .062, 60/40 solder
6. 22K drain resistor, same brand as the 1.5K one
7. Standard wire for battery power hookup (see above description)
8. Standard hot-glue and glue gun

I followed all of the instructions and have rechecked everything, but still no luck. I highly doubt that my '99 Protege LX is THAT different from ZapWizard's 2003 Protege LX, so, as I said earlier, I'm at a loss. Any ideals anyone?

[snooky]

man you have the best how to's, even if im not able to do them its still cool to understand how its done. Tanks again!

[FLSilverP5]

now u need to do the one touch opening windows. hehe

[ZapWizard]

now u need to do the one touch opening windows. hehe
It's on my todo list.
Well at least making the front's one-touch.

I plan to wire the passanger window into the automatic circuit that runs the one-touch driver's side.

[BLU_MP5]

I just finished this mod, only took 30 minutes, Works great, I love it. No problems at all. Thnx

[h2ooh]

Well, THAT sucked. I put on the drain resistor, but I still had the same problem as before. But now, there's a new twist. NOW, it opens up a quarter of the way and that's it. Sure, it'll open up the rest of the way if I hold down the button, no problem, but that's it. At least before, I could do the one touch and have it open in increments of 1/4. Can't even do that now...

I'm at a loss here. I thought that maybe the wire from the bare battery wires was too large (I used 12-gauge hookup wire, 600V, 80C, 1/32 PVC, stranded), but I switched it out with some speaker wire (just as a test!) and it still wouldn't work correctly. I rechecked the soldered connections and saw no problems there. I even cleaned up some of the worst ones, but nothing seemed to matter.

Sounds like your capcitor is charging too fast since you're only using 1.5K resistor with the 1000uF capacitor. To get similar charging time as zapswizard design you will need to use at least a 2600 ohm resistor but don't go higher than 3000 ohm resistor. I'm not exactly sure how the drain resistor works so I can't comment to see why are getting negative results after the installation.

If my calcuations are right that should fix your problem.

As for the power wire you don't need to use 12 gauge, 18 gauge is fine, wouldn't go any lower than that though. 18 gauge wire can handle about 10 amps of current. If you want to be on the safer side I guess you can go 16 gauge.

[h2ooh]

Hey folks, I just figured out a way to make a "press-to-stop" function.

Where you would simply press "Close" to stop the moonroof from opening.
This is handy if you want to tweak the opening, or just crack it a little without opening it all the way.

All it takes is two-diodes, and a different order in the hook-up of the rest of the parts.
Fortunently, my parents bought at protege at the exact same time, so I will make a fresh guide using their car. (If they let me)

First of all I love the details of all your mods, you have some very interesting stuff. You mentioned in this post that you've modified the circuitry a bit to accomodate a stop option. I was wondering if you can provide some details in that so I can accomodate it into my design.

I'm currently trying to create a circuit so when you press the button it will open all the way, however if you continue to hold the button it will bypass this circuitry and function as normal. I also have the schematics for the P5 moonroof and will try to get the limit switches into play to bypass the tilt issues others have been experiencing. Not sure if that's been resolved but I haven't seen any post of it being fixed.

If/when I get things working I will be more and glad to share my design with everyone else.

[ZapWizard]

For the guys with timing issues, your results may vary.
Going too long won't hurt anything, but it will prevent you from being able to close the moonroof until the capacitor reaches full charge.
You will hear a clicking if you try to close the moonroof right after it auto-opened. A drain resistor will help with this slightly, but is not needed if the right capacitor/resistor are used.
The values I used have worked perfectly for mine since I did the mod.

You mentioned in this post that you've modified the circuitry a bit to accomodate a stop option. I was wondering if you can provide some details in that so I can accomodate it into my design.

I'm currently trying to create a circuit so when you press the button it will open all the way, however if you continue to hold the button it will bypass this circuitry and function as normal. I also have the schematics for the P5 moonroof and will try to get the limit switches into play to bypass the tilt issues others have been experiencing. Not sure if that's been resolved but I haven't seen any post of it being fixed.

If/when I get things working I will be more and glad to share my design with everyone else.
I actualy worked on trying to get the STOP function to work for hours.
The idea was to use the close switch to short-circuit the relay and kill the auto-open circuit. I can do this successfully, the problem is that if you continue to press close, the moonroof actualy finishes opening, due to the charge left in the capacitor. I will try another circuit this weekend.

As far as a "press to open" "Hold for normal operation" meaning you let the button go where you want it to stop, it is possible, but not with such simple circuitry.
You could use an timer (555 timer IC) circuit that can detect a "Short pulse" or missing pulse. Basicly it looks for a pulse that is not as long as it should be. (pressing the button a short bit)
If it detects a short pulse it activates the auto-open circuit.
If the pulse is longer (You are holding the buttton) then the timer ignores the pulse, and you moonroof works as normal.

[snooky]

i cant wait to do this mod!

[wannabe]

hey zap! fix your website..cant see any pics, or even get to them on your website...

[khaosman]

I applied this mod earlier this week and it worked great! I didn't use the drain circuit. Also, I used a 1.5kohm resistor as the 1.2kohm resistor I had was HUGE, I believe it was audio grade :)

One thing I was curious to is... why did you disconnect the battery when you can entirely remove the control console from the vehicle?

Anyways, great how-to and mod! A bump so others will see it and do it. Thanks!

[bobby-digital]

I have thought about how I want to do the auto-window down.
What I now plan on is making it so that when I use the Auto circuit, both the driver's and passanger's window's role down.

That way I have normal control over both windows, but with the added auto-down function on both windows.

Have you completed this mod yet and if so how is it done? I would like to have this feature in my car. By the way the one touch sunroof is great!