Tag: Model3

Adding HomeLink to a regular Garage Door, using the RemotePro receiver

Posted on by yendor

So one of the cool features of the Tesla Model 3 is HomeLink (wikipedia). HomeLink gives you the ability to Open and Close your roller door directly from the screen in the Model 3. Homelink can also activate based on location, so you can have your car automatically signal to open the roller door as soon as you approach the end of your driveway.

Unfortunately, HomeLink doesn’t natively work with many Garage doors in Australia. However, a company in Queensland sell a small device that you can fit to your Garage Door to give it HomeLink capability: Tesla HomeLink Compatible Garage/Gate Receiver from RemotePro.

  • V (+12V to +24V supply)
  • Ground (0V)
  • Relay 1
  • Relay 1
  • Relay 2
  • Relay 2
RemotePro Homelink Receiver (Outside)RemotePro Homelink Receiver (Inside)
Images from: https://www.remotepro.com.au/products/tesla-homelink-compatible-garage-gate-receiver

The RemotePro interfaces to the existing Garage Door with up to six wires:

To get it working, you need to supply power between 12V and 24V on the V/GND terminals, and then utilise one of the relay contact to trigger the garage door controller.

My garage door is a “Automatic Technology Securalift GDO-9V2”, pictured below:

GDO-9V2

I found a manual for the roller door here: http://www.ata-aust.com.au/AtaAust/media/Manuals/GDO-9v2-Enduro-GDO-9v3-Manual-v1-01.pdf (However, as I found out, you shouldn’t blindly trust the manual.)

Opening up the rear of the controller exposes the control circuitry:

GDO-9V2 Control Board

The bit I was really interested in was the terminal block in the top left:

GDO-9V2 Terminal Block J2

The pins didn’t exactly match the pins described in the manual, so it took a little experimenting to confirm what each one did:

  1. PWR: Supply Voltage
  2. PE: PhotoElectric beam (to stop the door closing if obstructed)
  3. PE-: PhotoElectric beam (to stop the door closing if obstructed)
  4. GND: 0V
  5. OSC: Open/Stop/Close (this pin will trigger the door to Open/Stop/Close when momentarily connected to ground.
  6. AUX: Auxiliary out (for things like external lights)

The first task was to confirm the supply voltage for the RemotePro. Putting my multimeter across the PWR and GND shows it’s a bit too high for the RemotePro, at 32V:

GDO-9V2 Voltage

This 32V is a problem – the RemotePro only has an input range of 12V-24V.

So the next step probably won’t be required for everyone, but if you have 32V, here’s a simple way to turn it into 24V. I grabbed a simple 3-pin regulator (LM7824) and a couple of capacitors, a diode, and wired them onto a tiny PCB.

3-pin Voltage Regulator (zoomed)3-pin Voltage Regulator in-line

Connecting the wires as follows:

ColourFromTo
BlueController PWRVoltage regulator +ve input
White/BlueController GNDVoltage regulator -ve input
BrownController OSCOrange/White & Green/White
From the Controller to the mini-PCB
ColourFromTo
OrangeVoltage regulator +ve outputRemotePro V (+24V)
White/OrangeVoltage regulator -ve outputRemotePro Ground (0V)
GreenMini-PCB (OSC for Relay)RemotePro Relay 1
White/GreenMini-PCB (OSC for Relay)RemotePro Relay 1
From the mini-PCB to the RemotePro

And the results speak for themselves:

Output of the Voltage Regulator

So, now I had a cable with two pins with the voltage, and two pins for the relay. All I needed to do was connect these 4 pins into the RemotePro:

RemotePro wired-up

With all the wires connected, it was time to configure the Car. Just use the remote from RemotePro, and follow the on-screen prompts.

With everything working, it was time to close it up and do a final test from out on the street:

RemotePro installed on the ceiling

And that’s it. I’ve now configured the HomeLink in the car to automatically open the RollerDoor when I get home (set to 21m distance), so the door starts rolling up as I turn into the driveway. Very futuristic!

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this to anyone with HomeLink in their Tesla. I’m not sure if I would pay the $450 install cost to put HomeLink into the carif I didn’t get it for free, but if you have HomeLink then the $60 for the RemotePro is definitely worth it!

Power Tailgate in RHD Model 3 SR+

Posted on by yendor

So I’ve just installed the Hansshow Power Tailgate (v3) in my RHD Tesla Model 3 SR+. This kit has multiple great installation videos online – however these don’t quite match the new v3 kit from Hansshow, and there are differences with the RHD that the instructions from USA/China don’t cover.

This is an early preview of the page – more photos and videos still to be added.

INTRO

The Product: Model 3 power Trunk and Frunk from Hansshow(currently US$499)

I originally saw the kits on Reddit/Facebook and loved the idea of making the Model 3 a bit more premium, especially with the way the boot lid takes a decent push to lock closed. Before purchasing the kit, I looked at the instructions and watched a few YouTube Vids. The instructions really aren’t great, but this video was great:

Install Video: Tesla Model 3 – Hansshow Power Trunk Liftgate Installation and Review!!! from Because Tesla

That video, and every other video I could find, were based on the original v1 kit. It appears that the kit changed at some point, resulting in some of the wiring connections differing. There are now v3 instructions from the manufacturer, but they still leave a lot to be desired.

Instructions: Tesla Model 3 electric tailgate installation instructions – Version 3.0

I’m not going to re-explain everything in the Video from Because Tesla, but I will outline everywhere that the new kit and/or the RHD model differ from the video.

Difference 1. Cable through the tube

The cables that need to run to the tailgate in the v3 kit are different to the v1 kit. The only wire you need to run into the tailgate now is the three-core cable to the tailgate button. To get this though the tube, you de-pin the connector, pull it through, then re-pin it:

This is the tailgate switch connector.
Carefully remove the yellow part.
Remove the pins by angling them up, then out.
The pins will now be free of the connector body.
Attach them to the pull wire with electrical tape.
Pull the cable through the tube.
Put the pins back into the connector.
Reinsert the yellow tab to lock the pins in place.

In the v1 kit, multiple wires are run into the trunk. In the v3 kit, there is a new “tailgate signal wire”, which plugs into a connector on top of the rear deck.

Difference 2. Tailgate Signal Wire

So this is the new wire. I’m guessing Hansshow switched to the new design because it doesn’t require tapping into wires, so it’s more removable later on. But here’s the thing: you need to disassemble half of the rear of the car to get to the connector in question (see exhibit 1 below):

Without a fish-eye lens, it’s hard to show how much of the car needs to be disassembled to get to the tailgate signal connector.

The manufacturer instructions kinda show what you need to do, but it’s really unclear, and definitely doesn’t convey how much work is involved. Those instructions also seem to show some steps that aren’t relevant to the v3 kit. Maybe I got something wrong – but there are no wires left, and the kit works. Or maybe there’s an easier way – if you know of it, please message me. (This was at least 4 hours work, but now I know what to do I could probably do it in 60-90 minutes.)

1. Make sure you have enough room to open the tailgate and both rear doors.
2. Lay down the rear seats.
3. Remove the bolsters beside the rear seats:
4. Remove the side rail trim between the tops of the B pillar and C pillar:
5. Remove the C-pillar upper trim:
6. Remove the C-pillar rear trim:
7. Remove the parcel shelf:

(Images above courtesy of the Tesla Model 3 Service Manual, copyright Tesla.)
8. Now that you have the parcel shelf out, identify the stock connector on the right hand side, and run the new connector up through the small hole from the boot/trunk:
9. Disconnect the stock connector, and insert the new connector:
10. Use a zip-tie to tie down the New Connector, so it doesn’t obstruct the parcel shelf. (Sorry, no photo of this bit.)
11. Reverse all the steps from 7 back to 2, to reassemble the vehicle.

Difference 3. Power

The instructions from Hansshow tell you to run power to the front right side. Unfortunately the instructions have a really low-res photo, so it’s completely unclear where that connections is meant to go to.

There have been a few sources identified by Ingineerix on YouTube/Reddit (LINK). I checked to see if the VCLEFT connector was usable, but it appears to already be populated in my RHD Model 3. (The online conjecture is that this is for a future trailer connector.)

EDIT: Since installing, I found out there’s meant to be a bolt where you can grab 12V from. See the second photo from the LINK here. I think this is what Hansshow were referring to – but the 160pixel photo isn’t really clear.

Ultimately, I was left with two options:

  1. The +12V Battery at the front; or
  2. The DC-DC converter on the HV battery penthouse.

To avoid the issue with the “12V Battery Needs Service” error, I connected the B+ wire to the output of the DC/DC converter, and I connected the GND wire to a screw in the boot/trunk.

Photos coming soon…

CONCLUSIONS

So after reassembling everything, I’m happy with the results. The Kit works beautifully with any of the controls from the vehicle, although occasionally I need to unlock/relock the vehicle to get it working with the App.