Tired of pushing the TC button?

jumpinjackflash

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Just finished installing a little circuit I made that pushes the Traction Control button for me every time the car is started. I can still turn it on and off like normal, but now the car comes on with it disabled and i just have to remember to hit the button if I want it on.

It took about 3 hours to get all the parts and wire up the board and about 30 minutes to decipher the connector on the back of the button and install the black box. I know there are off-the-shelf devices you can buy for about $50 to do this, but it was so simple and cost me less than $9 in parts (most of that being the black plastic box) that i just had to do it myself. If I did it again it would probably take about an hour start to finish.

I'll try to attach the schematic in case anyone else wants to do this. The parts you really need are a 555 timer chip (made by National, TI, NTE... very generic), some resistors, some capacitors, a diode, a small prototyping circuit board, some wire, and three inline splice connectors. All this stuff should be available at Radio Shack or any electronic hobby shop. The 12V normally closed relay makes it more reliable but is not absolutely necessary. If you don't have the relay, you can't turn the power on without starting the car and still have the timer work, you need to turn the key on and start the car immediately. If you include the relay, you can turn power on, sit there for as long as you like, then start the car and it will still turn the TC off for you.

I got very tired of the TC kicking in after I made turns out into traffic from a stop and cutting the acceleration just when you need it most. This will also give me one less thing to do when staging at the track.

If anyone wants more info or has any questions, I'll be happy to answer 'em.
 

needspeed

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Nice work; I will build one this week. I had a 99 and 01 Cobra and never felt the need to turn off the TC near as much as on the 03. Now I am always turning it off and when I forget I almost get killed when it comes on unexpectedly. Thanks for posting a simple and elegant solution.......Steve
 

2003snake

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would you mind putting the diagram in english, I know I sound like an idiot, but I have no clue what all those uf and funky numbers are.......

Thanks,

J.
 

jumpinjackflash

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Originally posted by 2003snake
would you mind putting the diagram in english, I know I sound like an idiot, but I have no clue what all those uf and funky numbers are.......

Thanks,

J.

I can add labels to the diagram tomorrow. But for now;
uF stands for microFarads (capacitor).
MOhms is megaOhms (resistor).
The triangles made out of horizontal lines are connections to ground.
The triangle with the line in front of it is a diode.

If you don't understand anything else, let me know.
 

coleman

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awesome!
can one of us make a few and send them out for cost+assembly time+shipping?
if not completely assembled, then just all parts necessary?
how many people would want one? ... i'd image quite a few if it works well!

... i'm damn tired of pressing that darn button !!!

i know i can (at the very least) get the parts, but my soldering skills just plain suck.
 

toofast4u

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Originally posted by 2003snake
would you mind putting the diagram in english, I know I sound like an idiot, but I have no clue what all those uf and funky numbers are.......

Thanks,

J.

No offense, but if you are confused by the "funky numbers” this mod is most likely not one you should try.
 

coleman

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does anyone else here have any constructive criticism in this design before anyone attempts it?
jumpingjackflash, how cheaply can you get the parts for in Houston?

and jumpingjackflash, KUDOS! i'm not quite a laymen, but close enough. does the timer circuit turn the TC off after some period of time or what?

is the TC push button just a momentary switch on our car?
i'd like to attempt to build this circuit :thumbsup:
 

raider187

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You can buy a similar item on eBay... I'm not sure of the cost, but it's a great mod.

Nice work doing your own, very impressive, I'm not that savy with electroincs, wish I was.
 

jumpinjackflash

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Originally posted by coleman
does anyone else here have any constructive criticism in this design before anyone attempts it?
jumpingjackflash, how cheaply can you get the parts for in Houston?

and jumpingjackflash, KUDOS! i'm not quite a laymen, but close enough. does the timer circuit turn the TC off after some period of time or what?

is the TC push button just a momentary switch on our car?
i'd like to attempt to build this circuit :thumbsup:

Here's a list of the parts I purchased and how much I paid for them,

TI 556 timer chip: $0.75
small breadboard: $0.59
relay: $1.95
plastic case: $3.95
3 inline splice connectors: $0.45 each

I already had the resistors, capacitors, diode, and wire. The diode is nothing special, the timer can only source 200mA and I'm sure the computer doesn't need to see more than 10mA to switch. The plastic case isn't really needed. The relay I used is a little too tall to let it close completely anyway. If I did it again I would just use a little plastic square to mount the board. I put a couple of velcro squares on the bottom of the case and stuck it to the top of the tunnel in front of the shifter.

If enough people were interested, we could get everything needed from www.digikey.com and put a kit together (I could solder it all up if anyone didn't feel comfortable doing it) and mail 'em out.

The circuit works by supplying 12V on the output line for about 5 seconds after power is applied. After that the output goes to ground. The diode lets the button still turn the TC on and off. The relay allows the circuit to reset itself very quickly and function correctly after the brief power outage when the starter runs.

It works as if you held the TC button down, started the car, and released it after 5 seconds.
 

raider187

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I'm interested. One suggestion, you could do is to POT them w/ Epoxy.

I did someting similar once... I used a Icecube tray coatated with johnsons wax set the board in the tray filled it with epoxy and popped them out, worked great. It is a good way to maake your work bullit proof.
 

Bosko

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Verrry Cool jumpinjack. Id like to make one of thoes for mine, but I dont want to hack the factory wiring. You wouldnt happen to know a source for factory ford style connectors would you?
 

JoeAsheville

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Originally posted by toofast4u
No offense, but if you are confused by the "funky numbers” this mod is most likely not one you should try.

Agreed. Perhaps a college course or two would be in order...

EDIT: In response to your post below...YES, since you sound like a dumbass.
 
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jumpinjackflash

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Originally posted by Bosko
Verrry Cool jumpinjack. Id like to make one of thoes for mine, but I dont want to hack the factory wiring. You wouldnt happen to know a source for factory ford style connectors would you?

I don't know a source for the factory connector off the top of my head. But you are more likely to have a problem if you cut off the existing connector and reattach the six factory wires and the three new wires than if you just use the piggyback connectors.
 

harry gilbert

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For those of you who have not worked with electronics, a 555 timer is a "chip" that is used to control an electronic circuit (in this case, the TC). The timing to turn it on/off once, (or repeatedly), is based on the combination of resistor and capacitor. Picking the right combination is done with some math that we won't cover here, but it's "programmable" from thousandths of a second to hours. The solenoid is an electromechanical device used to interface the relatively low-power chip to the auto's electrical circuit. It would be helpful, jumpinjackflash, if you could post a pic of the circuit board and some interface instructions for the less electronically educated. Good job!
 

jumpinjackflash

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Here's a picture of the board. I put in an LED to help me troubleshoot the circuit if anything didn't work. But everything worked and you never see the LED when it's installed, so I didn't put it on the schematic.
 

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