AutoTop DIY

[geraintthomas]

Originally Posted by JayG

could be your battery

They are electric motors, so if the voltage was lower, they would be slower

Thanks. Seems to be absolutely fine, might have been something to do with me constantly testing it in a short space of time. It's perfect now

[jpc763]

Has anyone done this recently? I have been waiting for a RoboTop or a ComfortTop to become available and they are not so I am ready to pull out my soldering iron and get to work.

I would think that the basic Arduino will have changed a few times over the past 2 years.

[Polaris]

Arduino is still the same as it ever was, so no problem there. Just make sure you get one of the Atmel ATMega 328 based boards.

[jpc763]

Originally Posted by Polaris

Parts List:
-5 male automotive crimp-on connectors
-5 female automotive crimp-on connectors
-1 splice connector

I ordered the Arduino Nano board for $5.88 shipped. ATMEGA328 Compatible Nano V3 Improved Version Board with USB Cable for Arduino | eBay

I have put all of the components in a cart on Mouser and am now trying to get the connectors.

Does anyone know the specifics of these automotive crimp-on connectors so that they fit between the harness and the switch?

Thanks, John

[JayG]

Originally Posted by jpc763

I ordered the Arduino Nano board for $5.88 shipped. ATMEGA328 Compatible Nano V3 Improved Version Board with USB Cable for Arduino | eBay

I have put all of the components in a cart on Mouser and am now trying to get the connectors.

Does anyone know the specifics of these automotive crimp-on connectors so that they fit between the harness and the switch?

Thanks, John

they are just regular 1/4" push on terminals
Gardner Bender 16-14 AWG 0.250 in. Disconnect F TAB (75-Pack)-75-143F - The Home Depot
I used an insulated version
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner-Bender-1-4-in-Blue-Fully-Insulated-Wire-Disconnects-15-Pack-15-153F/202521914

[jpc763]

Originally Posted by JayG

they are just regular 1/4" push on terminals
Gardner Bender 16-14 AWG 0.250 in. Disconnect F TAB (75-Pack)-75-143F - The Home Depot
I used an insulated version
Gardner Bender 1/4 in. Blue Fully Insulated Wire Disconnects (15-Pack)-15-153F - The Home Depot

Thanks! I ordered the components and will go to HD to get the connectors! Can't wait to get this project rolling!

John

[JayG]

Originally Posted by jpc763

Thanks! I ordered the components and will go to HD to get the connectors! Can't wait to get this project rolling!

John

Make sure you get the correct ones for the wire gauge you are using.
IIRC, I used red ones. The package tells you what gauge wire will fit

[jpc763]

Originally Posted by JayG

Make sure you get the correct ones for the wire gauge you are using.
IIRC, I used red ones. The package tells you what gauge wire will fit

What gauge wire should I be using?

John

[jpc763]

I will post when I complete the project.

[JayG]

The regulator connects to +5v

[Beriaan]

Does anyone have the shcematic for the arduino nano? It is hard to find out wich is the pin out number on the arduino nano it is very different then the schematic that polaris did.
Thanks guys!

[Polaris]

Everything is on the digital pins, and it should correspond to the same pin-out numbers even if they are in a different order.

Alternatively, all the pinouts are set up through constants, so you can change the pinouts the code uses by changing the constants at the top of the code before compiling and uploading to your arduino.

I have made this successfully with both the arduino one (my original version) and eBay Chinese nanos without issue, so it should be possible.

[mikehkang]

Hello Polaris,

Coming late to the AutoTop party.
The link to the arduino code is broken in your original post.
Where can I find the code?

Thank you in advance.

[oldskool73]

@mikehkang - you can grab it from my github if you need, this first commit is just an import of @Polaris's original code .... https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oldskool73/autotop986/4080d0e94c0b5fdb2546379d614b5992477a9e4d/autotop986.ino

[mikehkang]

Originally Posted by oldskool73

@mikehkang - you can grab it from my github if you need, this first commit is just an import of @Polaris's original code .... https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oldskool73/autotop986/4080d0e94c0b5fdb2546379d614b5992477a9e4d/autotop986.ino

Thank you oldskool73!!

P. S. Do you also know where I can get the circuit diagram? Thank you in advance.

[VIW9419]

Hi Guys.

If anyone has the schematic I would be most grateful.
Thanks

[JayG]

Here is the Schematic

[kjc2050]

Guys, need some help. I've ordered the components to do this, and installed the Arduino IDE on my Mac, but the plain truth is I don't know Arduino from Andouille. When I open a new "sketch" with the software, I see some basic code:

void setup() {
// put your setup code here, to run once:

}

void loop() {
// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

}

SO... where do I put the code that oldskool73 shared aboe (comment #116)???

I've found a basic tutorial on Arduino, but frankly thought it'd be a bit more direct to just ask here.

Appreciate any help &/or advice anyone can offer. TIA!

[Toddyus]

I was looking into buying the commercial version of this, but it now costs $500. Found this thread and wanted to say thanks to Polaris and all the contributors over the years. This is an excellent mod and works great!

Since not everyone who wants one of these is an electronics wiz, one tip I thought I’d throw out there that might help someone in the future:
I bought a clone Arduino Nano V3 with header pins already soldered. To wire everything up, I used breadboard jumper wires (female to female), like these: https://www.amazon.com/GenBasic-Piece-Female-Jumper-Wires/dp/B01L5ULRUA/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=breadboard+jumper+female+to+female&qid=1586186495&sr=8-3

The DuPont connectors plug directly onto the pins of the board, but for the connection to the car harness and switch, the bare wire is too high of a gauge to securely crimp to the spade connectors. So instead of stripping the wire for the spade connector, I removed the DuPont housing. The crimped DuPont receiver inside the housing fits securely into a red (18-22ga) spade connector and crimps well.

Then, for the transistors, you can plug those directly into the breadboard wires, put some heat shrink on the transistor and wires and that secures them.

Finally, I soldered the resistors into the corresponding wires rather than directly to the board. The spacing for the pins on the board is just too close for my cludgy soldering abilities.

[Starter986]

Welcome to the forum.