New Door Lock ECU

[Bitsyncmaster]

The number one problem with the OE door lock ECU (and the LOCKZILA) is the sticking relays that can lock you in the car and damage the solenoids and wiring. It’s not that the relays are under rated, it’s caused by the slow voltage drop on the relay coils that cause arcing and the contact burn closed. Have you ever slowly switched a wall switch in your house and hear the arcing?

The second problem is the 12 ma. constant current draw for non-daily drivers. Without charging the battery you only get a few months before you have lost 50% of battery power.

The third problem is you can’t driver actuators without adding extra relays. The unit has to ground the outputs when not driving the to 12 volts.

When I first got my car I built a new door lock ECU using CMOS logic and that worked fine for me but I never got enough requests from other owners so never did a PCB for it. Well I finally did a new design with a micro and got PCBs made. Now the problem is getting the OEM style 9 pin connectors. DeLoreanGO has some but I suspect even their stock will go away. The two pin connectors are also impossible to find. So we may have to start replacing connectors with something else. Now the door lock ECU has two power wires (both brown always hot) not really needed. It also has the driver outputs separated for each door. Those 4 connections can be made to two connection is they are joined on the harness side rather then the ECU side. Since the ECU is only driving power for a fraction of a second, wire melting is not a problem with smaller gauge wires.

So anyway, my unit has all 9 wires but I’m not adding a connector (yet). My unit has the power running to a 20 amp internal fuse. Standby power is 279 ua. The unit drives power for 333 ms. Which will drive either solenoids or actuators. I’m still designing the filtering routines in software to reduce a problem with the door switch electrical noise. My drivers door switch seems to randomly not work so I I have to pull the covers off the door and adjust the locks and switch (I did have an unlock failure on that door when no ECU was connected). I think the ECU helps prevent the unlock problems because it moves the linkage a little better than just using the mechanical switch. I just drop the ECU in the area beside my relay plate and the car body.

[Domi]

Really nice board!

[Farrar]

Dave, this is excellent! I have connectors that I can reuse for my car, so is there any chance I could order one of these modules from you with no connectors so I can add my own?

[Malevy]

Got a price set on the new DLM?

I had the "noise" problem with my design too, a capacitor cleaned it up.


This place said they will make more connectors as the orders come in..

https://www.automotiveconnectors.com...ale-black.html

[WHO1DMC]

This a link for a company in PA for connectors and other things. I have ordered from them in the past with no problems.
They also have a UK office as well.
I would also be in the market for one. I also have connectors so not a problem.

http://www.britishwiring.com/Multi-W...ctors-s/35.htm

[Malevy]

This a link for a company in PA for connectors and other things. I have ordered from them in the past with no problems.
They also have a UK office as well.
I would also be in the market for one. I also have connectors so not a problem.

http://www.britishwiring.com/Multi-W...ctors-s/35.htm

They only sell it in a "set", male and female.. Don't need both.

[larsmhh]

Hi Dave!
That is an elegantly designed PCB.
But I do not like two aspects: 1) The use of SMD components which makes it much harder to change components or to find cold solder joints (if it gets a few years old) or to change components and 2) the special on-board fuse (why not use blade fuses that could be integrated in the housing).
Please do not understand this as criticism but as a community talk.

I did revise the original ECU with the modifications I did find here (? - I´m not sure, maybe it was somewhere else in the internet. If desired, I could search for the link) with different resistors and transistors to lower the stand-by current. It works fine - hopefully also in the future...

Best wishes and have a mery christmas,

Lars.

[Josh]

This a link for a company in PA for connectors and other things. I have ordered from them in the past with no problems.
They also have a UK office as well.
I would also be in the market for one. I also have connectors so not a problem.

http://www.britishwiring.com/Multi-W...ctors-s/35.htm

They do not sell 9 pin connectors anymore.
The site is also missing listings for the female terminals, but they have the male terminals. Does not make sense.
I order wire from them though, they have a good variety and mostly all the same colors and diameters as stock.

[Bitsyncmaster]

This a link for a company in PA for connectors and other things. I have ordered from them in the past with no problems.
They also have a UK office as well.
I would also be in the market for one. I also have connectors so not a problem.

http://www.britishwiring.com/Multi-W...ctors-s/35.htm

Britishwiring is only showing 16 of the 9 pin pairs in stock. I wonder if they can get more. I do have some 9 pin connectors but I would need a supply of them to sell many units with the connector attached.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Ive got 8 units (no connector) with 9 inch long wires ready to sell. If you wanted one I will sell for $75 including shipping to US address.

I attached my notes I started for documentation. Also a photo of a stock connector wired.

I'm still working on notes but if you have any questions, let me know.