PAC-SWI-X Questions, for keeping steering wheel controlls

[Justintoxicated]

for those of you who purchased teh PAC-SWI-X I have some questions.

How difficult was the install?

Where is the best place to mount the LED? It says far back and no in the dash where the CD mounts). I really can't think of a place to put it.

On the stock controlls you can press and hold the track skip button to make the stock CD-player change CD's is there any way to add a second function like this with the PAC-SWI-X?

I can see the IR sensor on my Eclipse, I don't understand what is wrong with mounting the LED right in front of it other than the directions tell me not to?

[titanse05]

I have it installed (wasn't too bad), but I haven't mounted the sensor anywhere yet. I am going to experiment and let you know. I have to finish my installation first then program the adapter. I am hoping that I can place it in the dash and have the signal reflect off the rear glass and back to the HU.

[smoketitan]

install is really easy, I and other contributed to a detailed write up on the install somewhere here in the av section

i put my sensor on the metra kit right above the decl left hand upper corner--drilled a small hole. 90% of the time its fine, in high sunlight it gets blinded so I have to reflect it off my hands lol

i think the best locale is in the center console poiting to the deck somehow

make sure you dont lose that small gasket for the sensor
if I did it over again Id do that

[Justintoxicated]

Originally Posted by smoketitan

install is really easy, I and other contributed to a detailed write up on the install somewhere here in the av section

i put my sensor on the metra kit right above the decl left hand upper corner--drilled a small hole. 90% of the time its fine, in high sunlight it gets blinded so I have to reflect it off my hands lol

i think the best locale is in the center console poiting to the deck somehow

make sure you dont lose that small gasket for the sensor
if I did it over again Id do that

I can't think of a location in the center console that could both point at the HU and not get blocked by a drink in the cup holder. Also I can't rely on the rear glass as I tend to pile stuff up in the back of the cab when I go camping. I'm starting to think this is not a very viable solution due to lack of places to mount the dang thing. Would it be possible to mount it to the dash near the CD-Players sensor and change the IR diod to a more powerful one or a side emitting one? I'm sure this owuld require a different resistor but I dunno what else to do. I'm really going ot miss the steering wheel controlls, maybe I am really starting to think I should have just gone with the JL solution. Someone said the other version of my HU has no pause button, mine better have a Pause! That would drive me nuts. I use Pause when I answer my phone.

[Timba24]

could you maybe mount in up in the overhead console or by the dome light and have it point downward to the deck?

[Justintoxicated]

Originally Posted by Timba24

could you maybe mount in up in the overhead console or by the dome light and have it point downward to the deck?

I was thinking about this also, but 2 possible problems I can think of is using the over head trays would block it while in use, or turning on the dome light maybe (not sure if that would affect it). I would be really hard to run the wire for that though I think.

maybe I can mount it into a special hat that I can wear when I drive lol

[Timba24]

well how often do you leave your dome light on or leave your overhead bins open to block it? running the wire shouldnt be all that hard either just run it up the side pillar and into the headliner.

ill have to look around my truck for more ideas when I get in it after work. how big is the IR port.

[Sammy Sandbag]

If you mounted it overhead you'd have to splice in extra wire, as there isn't enough to make the run IIRC. It won't bounce off the rear glass, so don't plan on that aproach. I mounted mine centered on my bezel just below the stereo. It works about 80% of the time by reflecting off my right arm. If I lean to the left it usually won't work during daylight. It works much better at night. If I get a new radio bezel I will mount the IR emitter on the left side, closer to my body and closer to the IR receiver on the stereo.

I don't believe you can train it to do two seperate functions per button push. For example: I programmed the steering wheel lower toggle button to change tracks, it automatically FF and RWDs when I hold down on the button instead of changing cds, because that is the result you get when you hold down on the corresponding remote button.

[grunge311]

Hey I dont mean to threadjack but when you intall the pac swix does it interface with the rear CC controls as well? I figure those should run inline with the steering wheel controls, and with the proper install maybe you could make both work off of one pac?

Any thoughts?

[Sammy Sandbag]

Originally Posted by grunge311

Hey I dont mean to threadjack but when you intall the pac swix does it interface with the rear CC controls as well? I figure those should run inline with the steering wheel controls, and with the proper install maybe you could make both work off of one pac?

Any thoughts?

Mine don't work after programming using the steering wheel (using the volume and mode buttons.) I'm not sure if you tried to program it using the rear controls during the programming that it would work. Anybody tried this?

[smoketitan]

im not sure what you are asking

but all my volume, scan, mode buttons all work using the PAC

so what exactly is the problem??

[Sammy Sandbag]

Originally Posted by smoketitan

im not sure what you are asking

but all my volume, scan, mode buttons all work using the PAC

so what exactly is the problem??

Your rear A/V controls work using the PAC? I believe that was the question.

[Justintoxicated]

I guess I'm just not visualizing how to intall it to work. It sounds like it might work better if the IR LED was replaced with multiple LED's else a more powerful one? I don't think it is worth the money if it only works sometimes or at night.

And while I don't mind drilling into the bezel I would like to avoid drilling into expensive dash and overhead pieces.

[Sammy Sandbag]

Originally Posted by Justintoxicated

I guess I'm just not visualizing how to intall it to work. It sounds like it might work better if the IR LED was replaced with multiple LED's else a more powerful one? I don't think it is worth the money if it only works sometimes or at night.

For the $40 I paid for it I'd say it's very worth it. Like I said earlier, I think I just need to tweek the placement a little better. Don't plan on mounting it on the shifter finisher, tried that and it didn't work, now I have a hole drilled through my lock out cover. If I'm sitting in the driver's seat with my arm on the arm rest it works fine, but if I'm leaning to the left it doesn't have a surface to reflect off of apparently. I'm not sure how you'd go about wiring in a more powerful IR emmitter, but that would be the way to go. My old Pioneer's remote control was super powerful, you could use it way off from outside the vehicle and bounce it off nearly any surface. I'm not sure why they didn't make the PAC SWI-X more powerful, especially since it's got a constant 12v source.

[Justintoxicated]

I have never messed with IR LED's before but I have played with some expensive LEDs (see avitar). I was under the impression they were $140 not 40, so I may get one just to play. Although I'm thinking about getting it later after I finish the install.

Why does it say not to locate the IR LED right next to the CD Players Sensor?

I was thinking drill a hole right in the new bexel in front of the IR sensor on the CD player.

I believe the formula is Vi-Vf = I * R off the top of my head

So you pick in IR LED say 3V 100ma.

(12-3)=.1(R)

7/.1 = 70 so you would use a 70 ohm resistor

to figure out the resistors power rating (watts) you use P=I * Vd where Vd = Vi-Vf

So the power the resistor needs to disipate is P=.1*7 = .7 watts. so a 1 watt resistor would work in this case.

However I believe car electrical systems vary in voltage (engine off vs engine on and ccan also spike, so it might be better to use a current regulation rather than a simple resistor. or else calculate a value closer to 14V so you don't fry the LED. A simple LM317T would work you can get them at ratshack for $1.50, it would also make it easy to try multiple LED's wire in parallel. Hell you oculd mount like 3 LED's if you wanted.

That is, if you could find a decent place to mount them.

Any of you notice if the PAC-SWI-X works better with the car turned on rather than off when the sensor is in the sunlight?