Fail-safe for keyless entry

Leave the electronics as is, and modify the fob to add some height around the holes the buttons with some epoxy. That way accidental pressing of the buttons will be difficult.

This also has the advantage of being cheap, and if the electronics ever go on the fritz, you can just pop the new guts into the old case and your good to go.

I should have said epoxy putty. It comes in a ribbon with two colors and you slice off a chunk and knead the stuff together untill the color is even.

The method I would suggest is to remove the board and the buttons from the case and then rough up the front of the case with 100 grit sand paper.

Shape the epoxy putty into little rings and shape those around the holes in the case that the buttons fit through.

Once the epoxy putty is set, any ooze over can be filed away and the surface can be sanded smooth.

Paint to match or leave ugly.

Hope that helps.

I've a friend who would often bring me his huge remote key fob for his Dodge pickup for repair. I would solder the battery contacts back on to the little circuit board until the board board started coming apart. He said the darn things were very expensive.

TDD

I don't know if anyone mentioned this but I just thought there might be a way to make a swing cover for the remote much like what I've seen for a small pocket magnifying loupe. I think something like that would be the perfect thing to protect the buttons on a key fob remote.

"Robert Green" a écrit dans le message de groupe de discussion : hql728$emd$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org...

Did you try the Heat-shrink tubing approch?

when it will be worn out replace and your on the road again!

Robert, this is a fairly common problem. Can you reprogram the receiver? If so, set it so that it will only trip upon two successive signals within say a 2- or 3-second interval.

If reprogramming the receiver isn't an option, consider replacing it with something that does. These systems are inexpensive to build from scratch and may prove to be an entertaining project.

I can help you select parts if you like though technically I've retired from my online business.

Regards, Robert

"Robert Green" wrote

Robert,

One other non-tech solution is to cement a 1/4" deep plastic ring around the button so you have to push into it to hit the button.

Regards, Robert

Hit Control Q quick and then tell everybody what you have done!

Robert,

One other non-tech solution is to cement a 1/4" deep plastic ring around the button so you have to push into it to hit the button.

Regards, Robert

No, I hadn't thought of that, but it could be the winning suggestion. I'd have to copy the markings on the buttons with a silver tipped pen, but I think I have some heat shrink large enough to at least make a trial run.

Thanks for your input! I'm off to try it right now. . . .

Just tried it with one layer of heat shrink, and that helps. I think there's room enough for a second layer, and that should do the trick!

Good call. This is why I always take my intractable problems to Usenet for the "group mind" approach. Thanks to all who contributed to the process, as there were some very good "also rans" in this thread.

The heat shrink method is not invasive, doesn't require good hand/eye coordination and looks like it will do the trick, making the buttons just a little harder to depress by accident. Considering how much I use heat shrink tubing for everything around the house, I am surprised I didn't think of it. I use the large diameter stuff to put on broom handles, canes and other things where I need to have a good grip (and not get splinters!). Turns out to be the right size for the fob, too. Best thing is that it won't come undone accidentally like my O-ring/washer solutions do after a while. Now to try to draw little pictograms on the buttons to indicate what they do.

Thanks again, Pete, and to everyone who responded. Good work!

-- Bobby G.

Perhaps well placed holes with a paper hole punch may may the button pressing more available??

Heat shrink can become brittle after a while with the heat exposure and maybe UV?? Slit and replace every year or so?

Nice

No, I hadn't thought of that, but it could be the winning suggestion. I'd have to copy the markings on the buttons with a silver tipped pen, but I think I have some heat shrink large enough to at least make a trial run.

Thanks for your input! I'm off to try it right now. . . .

Just tried it with one layer of heat shrink, and that helps. I think there's room enough for a second layer, and that should do the trick!

Good call. This is why I always take my intractable problems to Usenet for the "group mind" approach. Thanks to all who contributed to the process, as there were some very good "also rans" in this thread.

The heat shrink method is not invasive, doesn't require good hand/eye coordination and looks like it will do the trick, making the buttons just a little harder to depress by accident. Considering how much I use heat shrink tubing for everything around the house, I am surprised I didn't think of it. I use the large diameter stuff to put on broom handles, canes and other things where I need to have a good grip (and not get splinters!). Turns out to be the right size for the fob, too. Best thing is that it won't come undone accidentally like my O-ring/washer solutions do after a while. Now to try to draw little pictograms on the buttons to indicate what they do.

Thanks again, Pete, and to everyone who responded. Good work!

-- Bobby G.

Are those power doors or manual ones? Both my side door and my hatch are powered and open all the way by themselves when a button is pressed.

My van is a "conversion" done by a company that works with Chrylser and gets the vehicles in a semi-stripped state so they don't have to remove stock items to do the conversion:

Pressing the key fob slides open the right side door, lowers the van about six inches and then deploys the ramp. You'd think you'd hear that racket walking away from the van when you've accidentally activated the system, but it's really very silent. The only exception is when the van has not been used for a while and the suspension binds just enough to make a loud bang when the van begins kneeling.

It's a great system, but it's got its flaws. Number one is that you need almost a full car width worth of space to deploy it and maneuver the powerchair off the ramp. I can't tell you the number of times I've come back to find the side completely blocked off.

I'd love to hear suggestions about how to keep the space next to me unoccupied. I used to keep a traffic cone in the van, but it got stolen the third time out. The second time out, someone just moved it aside.

The other problem is manuevering out of the powerchair and into the driver's seat. It would be a lot better if there was no driver's seat and you could maneuver the chair directly in front of the steering wheel. I know such conversions exist - maybe on the next van.

-- Bobby G.

I have enough tubing to do a fleet of fobs, so when it starts to go, I'll just slit and replace, as you suggest. The only problem I see now is that the silver pen writing on the heat shrink will wear off very quickly. I am going to see if I can find white shrink tubing in the 1.5" size so I can write on it with an indelible Sharpie.

It turns out that a second layer of heat-shrink tubing did the trick. I tried to accidentally activate the unit and it only responds to direct pressure now. Sweet!

Now, if only I had thought of replacing the battery before I put the shrink tubing on. D'oh!

Now I won't have the neighbors asking why I left the doors open and the ramp down all night. Ironically, when I leave it parked in the driveway, it's impossible to see from the window or the CCTV cams whether the door is wide open. It's on the opposite side and the rear windows are tinted. Three cheers for Usenet and for Pete who came up with the heat shrink tubing. Honorable mention goes to Josephi for the tape solution which had the same idea using electrical tape, only slightly messier. (-:

-- Bobby G.

Why not use transparent heat shrink?

'Cuz I didn't think of it!

!!!

D'oh times two.

Thanks,

-- Bobby G.

I've gotten into arguments with people that park in the striped off spaces next to the handicap space. Some people refuse to believe that space is striped off to keep you from parking there. "The wheelchair is painted on the other space. This one isn't being used and I need it."

I often park at an angle, covering part of the striped off space (or another adjacent space if there are no van accessible spaces available). That way, there's still room for the ramp and the chair, but not for another vehicle.

There are advantages to having a driver seat since you're able to do the transfer. The biggest one is that someone else can drive, if needed. While it may be your vehicle and no one else needs to drive most of the time, there are emergency situations where just having that ability to accommodate another driver is nice.

That said, I'm actually very interested in driver side power chair lock down systems right now. The problem we've run into is that the ones I know of (EZ Lock and Permalock) require a special chair and/or a modification to the chair. In the case of the EZ Lock, the mod is a non-retractable pin that reduces ground clearance. A lot of people talk about getting hung up on threshholds, stones, broken sidewalks, etc. The Permalock is only available for Permobil chairs. I'm open to suggestions on this one. (I'm also open to a more appropriate place to ask this. I'm not looking to hijack a thread. But the OP brought up the topic.)

Robert,

I've used SAharpie fine point laundry markers on wire for years. It will last forever once it's dry. I actually prefer it to Dymo labels.

I did not realize you use a chair. So far I've only got a cane. I've been offered a power chair but I don't want it. Trying to get by with as few machines as I can. :^(

Regards, Robert

You're not hijacking a thread. You're participating and you're welcome to join the conversation.

Regards, Robert

Call the cops and get 'em towed.

In some rich suburb, maybe. Anyplace else, no matter what they say on the phone, it is not likely to be treated as a high-priority call. OP may wait hours, if they respond at all. About the only suggestion I can offer is to ask someone else to hop in and move the van, but that requires a whole lot of trust and dependence on the kindness of strangers.

Some places, they are putting the ramp-van slots in places where another vehicle can't block the ramp landing zone, or walling the landing zone off with those yellow post thingies, and zebra-striping the area.

-- aem sends...