Running door lock actuators without relays

[Bitsyncmaster]

This is a modifcation to the OEM door lock unit that should work but I have not tested it.

As it turns out, the OEM door lock relays do have normaly closed ( NO ) contacts. They are not connected to anything. So if you wire those two contacts to the ground connection, it should run the actuators or the solinoids without using extra relays.

It won't help anything doing this with the solenoids but should not hurt anything.

If you get this working, post some photos so others can do it.

[Bitsyncmaster]

As pointed out by a member......I meant to say (NC) for normally closed contacts

[ramblinmike]

Wouldn't the actuators burn out since the relays stay closed? Or am I not understanding what you are proposing?

Mike

[dmc6960]

Only the ground would stay closed. The 12v would still cut off when the other relay turns off. Two grounds means no current.

Stock lock system with solenoids with dedicated ground...
LOCK - 12v - Open
Unlock - Open - 12v
Idle - Open - Open

Modified as Dave suggested for actuators with alternating 12v/Gnd
LOCK - 12v - Gnd
Unlock - Gnd - 12v
Idle - Gnd - Gnd

[ramblinmike]

Only the ground would stay closed. The 12v would still cut off when the other relay turns off. Two grounds means no current.

Stock lock system with solenoids with dedicated ground...
LOCK - 12v - Open
Unlock - Open - 12v
Idle - Open - Open

Modified as Dave suggested for actuators with alternating 12v/Gnd
LOCK - 12v - Gnd
Unlock - Gnd - 12v
Idle - Gnd - Gnd

I misunderstood. That sounds awesome. I rigged up a set of relays to to the switch for the actuators I installed on my car. I can eliminate them now. Cool. Less stuff cluttering the relay compartment and less stuff to break!

Thanks!

[Bitsyncmaster]

It looks like an easy modification if you can solder. Just will need to add two wires. I would use about 20 AWG solid wire but I'm sure you can make due with most anything you find.

[Patrick C]

Can anyone post pictures of this modification for those of us that are more visually inclined? Thanks!

[dmc6960]

When I looked into doing this, turns out its actually not so easy to do. The wire tracing on the PCB is backwards for this type of setup. Meaning the 12V power is fed in through the common pole on the relay. If this were to work, the 12V would have to be fed into the NO pole. If you connect the NC contact to GND your just going to melt your controller.

[Bitsyncmaster]

When I looked into doing this, turns out its actually not so easy to do. The wire tracing on the PCB is backwards for this type of setup. Meaning the 12V power is fed in through the common pole on the relay. If this were to work, the 12V would have to be fed into the NO pole. If you connect the NC contact to GND your just going to melt your controller.

Good find. When I used the stock relays for someone making my new door lock circuit I did not think of checking where the common was feed since I wired them to the new circuit board.

You could still do it but as stated you would need to rewire both contacts.

[Chris4099]

Fortunately Toby now includes a harness that makes adding the relays a plug and play deal. No more having to remove PINs from the stock harness and wiring them in. I noticed the new harness one day when I was in his shop and asked about them. He sold me one so I could switch the wiring back to stock and clean things up a bit. Of course the digital lock module has that built in and no extra relays required if you want to spend the money.

[Patrick C]

Fortunately Toby now includes a harness that makes adding the relays a plug and play deal. No more having to remove PINs from the stock harness and wiring them in. I noticed the new harness one day when I was in his shop and asked about them. He sold me one so I could switch the wiring back to stock and clean things up a bit. Of course the digital lock module has that built in and no extra relays required if you want to spend the money.

Can you post pictures? I'm trying to solve a wiring problem on my setup that has the external relays and the pins I removed from the harness. If you still have your original instructions, I would love to get a copy to double check I did this right many years ago. I've since lost my instructions.

[Chris4099]

My instructions are long gone. Just call or E-mail toby (at) delorean (dot) com and he can send you an electronic copy of the instructions.