single start/stop button eureka!

[lunarhighway]

i've been thinking for a while on how to go about making a single button engine start stop system, but a few days ago while taking apart the dash it all fell together when i saw the rod that connects the gear levver to the gearbox!

This basically slides back and forth and rotates to select a gear. It's connected to a mechanical setup in the engine bay that goes to the gearbox.
So for gears: R 1 3 5 it's all the way out and for 2 and 4 it's all the way in, in between is neutral! so having the in between position activate a swith could be the key. If i could either tape a ring around the rod to that would press on a microswitch or tape a magnet to it so it would activate a reed switch i'd be good to go!

when the car is in gear the dash mounted push button would make it start, it it's out of gear it would interrupt the iginition. some sort of creative lighting system would indicate wich function is active.

here's a scematic of a possible system



the only downside is that the gear detector would be activated everytime a gear is selected, so a phisical contact switch might wear out fast, on the other hand a reed switch might not stand up to vibrations so i'm a little unshure about what route to take

now i just have to build it!

[NiHaoMike]

You can eliminate one relay by rewiring it.

[Piwoslaw]

Hmmm, I've been thinking about something similar, more manual, but less complicated:
It's not exactly one button, but two buttons in one housing, a mom-off-mom rocker switch.



You can probably get one in an automotive store as a replacement for a power window switch. I'm thinking of using it as an engine on/off switch: hook it up to relays, rock forward - engine on, rock back - engine off.

[lunarhighway]

It's not exactly one button, but two buttons in one housing, a mom-off-mom rocker switch.

thought about that one to, but i really wanted to pull it of with one button... two buttons would work well to of course

You can eliminate one relay by rewiring it.

yes, but the breaker relay will go into the steering wheel comumn, while the rest will go to the center console.... i'll just have two wires running to the steering column, i want the relay in the steeing colum to be activated by grounding it, so that i don't have to look for an aditional grounding point in the column wich is pretty tight.... and i have enough car relay laying about to it's not really an issue.

good to know someone is checking my doodles though!