Flashing Light for Remote Unlock/Lock Change?

[McVibe]

Okay, I had a good Idea. Is it possible to make the reverse lights light up when you press the lock/unlock button on the remote? I'm not sure if it is or not...It would be hella-tight if it would work.

[Altus]

Just wondering - why? The turn signals already flash....But if it's just for esthetics, I'd say it wouldn't be easy. I have a feeling this is probably inside our friend the DRL controller module...

[BOZACK]

Why not get the reverse and fog lights to flash. That would light up front and back. It would make your car easy to find in big parking lots.

[northvibe]

wouldnt u just need the wiring diagram?

[ragingfish]

If you're referring to mimicing the RKE systems on the G6 and Malibu, where the reverse lights go on and stay lit for a preset time when you hit unlock on the remote, that is VERY complex, and a project that, IMHO, is not worth persuing.

[the_nite_owl]

With work you could do this but I agree, it would be much more work than it is worth.To be safe you would NOT want to tie into your parking/driving lights for the signal though, otherwise you may end up with reverse lights flashing or solid depending on the state of the driving lights and that would be unsafe.To be safe you would need to detect when the ignition is OFF and provide a power line only with igntion OFF. To do this you could use a normally closed relay tied to ignition passing voltage from a constant source. When the ignition is OFF the relay closes the connection providing power from a constant power source. When the ignition is ON it opens the relay circuit shutting power OFF from the constant power source. This way with the ignition ON now power would go directly to the rest of the circuit.The next step would be a relay(s) tied to the power locks picking up any lock/unlock pulse to the motor. Each time a signal is pulsed it would provide power to a Normally Open relay. This relay would allow power from the first relay circuit to flow through to the backup lights.The problem with all of this is that it is somewhat complex and requires a lot of wiring. Also, if the relay tied to ignition failed for some reason then it would not latch OFF power to the circuit while you were driving. Then anytime you lock/unlock the doors while the key is in the ignition it would still be flashing your backup lights.You can counter all of this with more wiring and relays of course but it just gets way beyond worth.If the ECU has outputs that tie into the driving lights and pulse ONLY when the lock/unlock occurs then you could tap that line to drive the reverse lights. More likely though is that the circuit is internal to the ECU and combines the output for the driving lights normal functions as well as flashing for lock/unlock in which case you would NOT want to tie into it.No matter what you did you would need to make certain you used diodes to keep current from running back along the circuit to other items so that for instance, going into reverse did not cause your taillights to come on or turning on taillights did not cause reverse lights to stay on.Anything is possible if you want to spend the time/effort on it but you have to consider all the safety implications as well.The methods I describe above are also very generalized and subject to modification based on the actual design of the doorlock system. For instance if the door lock systems has separate lines for lock and unlock then you would need two different relays, one for each state. If the system uses voltage reversal then it gets even more complex.This is just a description of the general approach and not to be taken literally or even as a completely safe method.

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by the_nite_owl »Also, if the relay tied to ignition failed for some reason then it would not latch OFF power to the circuit while you were driving. Then anytime you lock/unlock the doors while the key is in the ignition it would still be flashing your backup lights.With factory RKE that is a non-issue. It disables the RKE signals with the key on.

[the_nite_owl]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »With factory RKE that is a non-issue. It disables the RKE signals with the key on.Yes but in the configuration I described any pulse from the door locks themselves would cause the same flashing. I had not even been thinking of the RKE system. If someone happened to press the door lock/unlock button, or the autmatic system kicked in then the reverse light would flash.Not really a worthwhile mod as far as I am concerned, it's just more an exercise of how it COULD be done and what the obstacles would be. Keeps the mind from going soft and distracts me from the work I SHOULD be doing right now.