Okay, it’s not quite networking, but let’s get distracted for a bit!
So my wife has an ’05 renault megane, and I have had the headache of trying to keep up with the regular failing of the windows due to the complete lack of waterproofing by Renault, and crap electrics!
I had tried the only solution (besides paying up to €300 for a new unit) that was available on the internet (that I could find), and it was a pretty valid one, and did work. That was to open the individual window control units and replace a capacitor on the circuit board which would get water damaged by the water ingress. So this does work, is a lot of effort, and doesn’t last long as the water still damages the circuits after you put it all back together.
So I sat down with an electronic engineer buddy of mine and discussed the problem, and we felt the control unit could be replaced with something simple and cheap.
And we were right!!
He came up with a very simple design that uses two 40A automotive relays to control the window motor, removing the control unit altogether!
I have now replaced two of the control units to the motors in the car, and so far so good. The windows go up, and they go down. WooHoo!
The only downside is that we’ve lost some features of the windows, like the one-click open/close function, and the safety feature that prevents getting your hand or head stuck in the window (it used to stop automatically when there was resistance to the window closing). Also because the buttons on the doors have a ‘two-step’ function, only the first step works now.
But it works!
So here you all go folks, here’s the circuit diagram for your perusal.
Enjoy! Oh, and if you like it, then leave a message!
Liam