Geno's Steering Wheel Accessory Commander

[HGH]

Hi All,



While spending some money at Geno's a few minutes ago, I saw the subject item under the "Electrical Accessories" section for Dodge Diesel's.



It is a wireless 3 switch pad that can be mounted on the steering wheel. This would be an excellent item to use for an exhaust brake application. The write up on it also suggests lights.



Anyone using this? It is a bit pricey at just over $200. It would be nice to find it cheaper or just a one button switch, since I only want it for exhaust brake application.



Any ideas?



Thanks in advanced.



Enjoy.





Hal

 

[Rambling]

I did see this item: http://www.accesscnc.com/doorlck.html . It has more channels (10) than you asked for but the price is right.



Go to the main page ( http://www.accesscnc.com/ ) and select the icon at the top that says Door Kits when you run your cursor over it. It appears they sell a four channel.



You'd have to figure out how to attach a keyfob to the steering wheel (velcro strap?)

 

[Joel - BAA]

As the manufacturer of the steering wheel accessory commander (SWAC), and since it is a new product, I would like to add some information to this thread that would benefit the TDR membership:



The SWAC was designed specifically for the application in which it is marketed for. Major concerns were to not interfere with vehicle computers AND to work when a cell phone was in operation. Another concern was that our unit had to work when OTHER types of electrical or RF (radio frequency) interference was present, especially in the environment. Our unit is a superheterodyne (super selective) device that fits these parameters.



In addition, our buttons are progammable to operate in push on / push off mode (example: exhaust brakes) or in momentary mode (example: to run air or musical horns). Button programming is done by the installer of the product dependent on what accessories the device is operating.



To address the previous post where a doorlock module was suggested as an alternative to the SWAC - here would be my major concerns: 1. All doorlock / keyless entry modules work only as a momentary devices, and thus would not work with an exhaust brake. Maybe you could build a circuit that would convert a button's operation to push on / push off, but would that circuit be reliable over time? Designing / installing such a circuit would involve additional costs. 2. There is question as to how "solid" the design of the transmitter / receiver of a doorlock unit is in respect to RF interference and selectivity issues. After all, if you're going down a grade, and push a button you WANT your exhaust brake to turn on.



Even though the author of the original post only needed one button for an exhaust brake, we have three, and here are a few suggestions for the uses of the addition buttons he may consider that will add nice features to his truck:

You can make one button mute the radio so cell phone operation is easy - no more fiddling with the radio volume control. My personal truck is set up with this feature.

You can dual function a temp gauge by adding a second sending unit and use SWAC to toggle between the two senders.

These are just a couple of suggestions, for more information, see the copy of our press release in the TDR.



The last issue I would like to address is cost. Of course cost is an issue, but it seems like that we all forget that cost vs. QUALITY is a more important issue. We buy the highest quality parts for our unit. Believe me, we could source much cheaper parts, but what do we give up in quality? In addition, our unit is made in the USA where we keep american workers working. Sure we could have made our unit cheaper, but for all the wrong reasons.



Joel Toy

Baker Auto Accessories

 

[EShaw]

Joel,

Welcome to the TDR... ..... Thanks for bringing key points to our attention... ... .

Boys... . He hit every nail on the head... ... . That's good enough for me... ... ... Quality... ..... Versatility... ... ... Made in the U. S. A.

I read about it in the last isuue of TDR and liked what I saw... ... .

Eric

 

[Rambling]

Welcome, Joel!!

Thanks, Joel, for highlighting the benefits and features of the SWAC.



In response, I want to state that I have no vested interest in the AL-10 Channel Controller System nor it's retailer that I linked in my previous post.



When one reads my previous post, it did not identify the product, identify its capabilities other than the number of channels, make a product comparison, recommend the product nor list a price of the AL-10 Channel Remote Control product.



The AL-10 Channel Remote Control product was only presented as a possible solution that, with some minor modification, might meet the needs of at least one member. I also made a reference to a 4-channel controller. Again, no specifics.



However, I do feel an obligation to the membership to clarify some information that was presented by you, that while maybe true concerning doorlock/keyless entry products (I'm no expert), is not correct concerning the AL-10 Channel Remote Control.



For those that have not traveled to the linked site, here are some highlights:



The AL-10 Channel Remote Controller is not a doorlock module. However, I assume it could be used that way.



*Four Button Remote (Keyfob)

*10 Channels with Advanced Fault Tolerant Outputs

*5 Channels (CH1-5) each separately programmable to be latching or toggle (Ch. 5 requires pressing two buttons).

*5 Channels(CH6-10) latching only (Ch. 6 - 10 requires pressing two buttons)

*500 ma output per channel.



+The AL-10 system does not have an LED status panel.

+The AL-10 system does not have a dedicated steering wheel mounted controller. This would have to be addressed. However, I envision it would take less than $5 to mount the keyfob.

+An extra remote control option was not listed.



Just as a historical note: the superheterodyne receiver was developed in the mid 1920's. It has been the basis of almost every RF receiver ever since due to its sensitivity and selectivity.



I own neither product. My comments are based onwhat each manufacutrere/suppler has published and my personal knowledge on electronics.



Most of us want to know what options we might have. That is the one of the purposes of this forum.



I hope what I've presented here has been of benefit to the membership



Joel, I wish you the best with your product. It's a great idea and appears to be well thought out. You never know. I might be one of your customers one day.

 

[Rambling]

Another Alternative

I was in Autozone today getting some stuff for an installation on my hitch and saw a single channel remote control by Pilot for controlling driving/fog lights. It had a small two button (on/off) remote. It's designed to fit into a mounted holder. The Pilot unit will control up to 10 amps (110 watts). It did not indicate whether it supplied a voltage or a ground.



However, again you would need to find a way to mount the remote on the steering wheel if you want the convenience the SWAC presents as a finished product.



I don't know anything about its quality or reliabilty.



A clarification on the AL-10: It supplies a ground circut I believe (-500ma) as opposed to 12 volts.

 

[HGH]

THANK YOU all, especially Rattlin, for your postings on this. It's always nice to have options.



After sifting through the sales write up in the latest TDR, although I think it would be very convenient to have an on/off switch on the steering wheel, I think I will just go with a toggle switch for the exhaust brake for now.



Enjoy... ... Hal