i’m about to do this in my prius largely based on confidence from your video, thanks :) i heated the seat backs recently and honestly, i should have done both of these 9 years ago when i bought the car

@avsti

7 ай бұрын

Awesome! I've already installed this on 2 friends' Priuses (2nd & 3rd gen)! The OEM clockspring should have plenty of spare wires for you to use.

well done!

Nice idea. I already done everything and couldn't get passed getting 12v and ground through the clockspring and into the steering wheel. This helped a lot! (I am doing this on a VW)

@avsti

2 жыл бұрын

Nice! Yeah for the power level you want you definitely want to lower the current and step up the voltage!

@sergeydudukin4214

Жыл бұрын

@@avsti did you consider electrical shock danger and automotive wires voltage rating???

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

@@sergeydudukin4214 yes, that's what the electrical tape / leather cover are for. To keep your fingers from ever touching live wires.

I’m trying to build a heated brake lever for my snowmobile. However figuring the correct wire, power, resistance to try and achieve a particular temperature is driving me nuts. Thanks!

Cool idea! Thanks for sharing!

@giorgimamardashvili.

2 жыл бұрын

I think it is warm Idea!

Can I hire you to do this install for me?! I am just not sure I am capable of this level of complexity. I've read another thread on tacoma world another guy did the same thing. Im in CO and heated wheel would change the game. I might give it a shot.

This is exactly what I am getting ready to try. Can you tell me how you came up with 700 Ohms for resistance? Also would taking the old leather wrap off the wheel eliminate the need for electrical tape to insulate the gap on the new wrap? Thanks, this is awesome.

@avsti

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your interest / kind words! The 700 ohms was determined through trial an error, testing (with insulating gloves on) how quickly and how hot different lengths of 36ga nichrome wire got to when supplied a 220V AC input from the transformer. If you go slightly higher or lower, there will be an impact on total heating power, P=V×V÷R. If you cut the resistance in half, but keep voltage the same, power and current going through the wire will double (and the risk of the wire overheating / melting will increase). I'd say aim to be within 600-800ohms and you'll be fine. Outside of that, do you own testing and validation. The electrical tape is to protect your fingers from touching the wires, so the alternative is to just not have any gap in your steering wheel cover. Of course, if your steering wheel is metal and conductive underneath your original cover, you'll want to insulate that :)

I’d like to try this on my VW. Getting extra leads through the clockspring is the only step I’m lost. I removed the airbag and it looks like there are a couple unused pin slots but no pins. Even there were, I’m worried about excessive heat from only using two pins for such current. To anyone reading…Any ideas or alternatives than using the original clock spring? Thanks!!

Where is your ground wire connected to?

Well done. Can you tell me where can I find a matching size leather? Thanks in advance.

@avsti

2 жыл бұрын

Search Amazon or eBay for ' steering wheel cover diy' or similar.

Yeap, the concept it's correct!

If my steering wheel is already heatex and I order an after market one that's not can I convert the new one with the wires from my main one or would I have to order the aftermarket one with heated element added ???

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

If it were me, I'd try to keep the set my existing heating functionality and button, which might require doing a lot more investigation into the voltage and factory steering wheel heating element resistance to copy that.

I have a 2008 Mazda 6 GH and a 2006 Opel Astra H that i would like to add heated steeringwheel elements to like you did in this video. It all seamed great and fun up until the point where you need to mess with the wires for the clockspring. I have already ruined the CIM module for my Astra H as i was trying to repair the indicator stalk connection points. Basicly as i was assambling everything back together the clockspring bursted out on me and the ribbon wire got ripped off, everything at once. So now i have to wait for a newer second hand CIM module that arrives tomorrow, and trust me i will only fit it right in, mount the steeringwheel back on, program the CIM module and call it a day haha Anyways, if you have any experience with doing this procedure on a Mazda 6 GH, and it does not involve the ribbon cable for the clock spring, let me know.

@avsti

6 ай бұрын

Why did you need to open the clockspring itself rather than just test for unused wires?

@CasSpell

6 ай бұрын

@@avsti No you don't get me. I didn't need to open the clockspring at all. I did however have three screws in the middle of the clockspring housing that i had to remove for me to open up the whole housing for the CIM module, so i could finally get the the circuit board for everything. But as i was assambling it all back together, i did not lign up the pieces properly in the middle, and that's how the clockspring exploded on me as i was pushing the locking tabs around the housing together.

The transformer isn’t available anymore but I’d really like to do this. Is there another you would recommend?

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

Ah, dang you're right. eBay might have the original. But searching for high voltage boost converters, I found: - DEVMO 8-32V to 45-390V DC-DC High Voltage Boost Converter ZVS Step-up Booster Module - DC-AC 150W Inverter DC 12V to AC 220V Dual 110V Boost Converter Board Step Up Transformer Power Inverter Square Wave Output Single Silicon Pre-Stage Boost Circuit Board - ASHATA 500W Inverter Boost Converter Transformer Power DC 12V/24V to AC 18V 0-220V-380V Inverter Boost Module Board for Field Night Market Vendors, etc

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

I think the steering wheel, as designed, draws less than 100W. So any of the 150W units should be fine!

@joshuatoral5105

Жыл бұрын

@@avsti thanks for this! I’m just now seeing this! I’m ordering parts today to try and tackle the project!

Would this work without the transformer? As in a DC circuit instead of AC?

@avsti

2 жыл бұрын

Don't see why not, but you'd still want high voltage + low current to keep wires from melting.

@oliverkerr3382

2 жыл бұрын

@@avsti Ok so I'm guessing at 12V, this would be too low for the wire? Sorry I'm not exactly the best with electricity; however, I do find this DIY project really interesting.

@avsti

2 жыл бұрын

@@oliverkerr3382 correct. Think of the amount of heat you want to generate in terms of 'power' or Watts. For example, you can go out and buy a little 1500W space heater, which will heat up a room a lot faster than a 500W one. My goal was to heat the steering wheel with about 60W of power. If I wanted to do that using only 12V, I would need to send 5 amps through the heating element (60W=12V * 5A). 5A is a LOT of current to send through a small wire. It would fry the clockspring, but also would require just 2.4 ohms of resistance through the heating element (12V / 5A = 2.4 ohms). You'd have trouble finding wire thin enough and long enough to complete the heating element winding. On the other hand, nothing wrong with just bumping up the DC voltage. For example, perhaps to 120V DC, which would require 0.5A / 240 ohms to achieve the same 60W of heating. You'd just need a 'boost converter" to bump the car's voltage up. 12VDC -> 240VAC transformers just happen to be a lot more plentiful since that's a way you could power a real 240V appliance with your car's electrical system.

It is possible to do something like this without going through the clockspring? I dont have any available pins/wires to use in mine

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

Hmm. Not any good way that I've found. Might be worth checking for clocksprings from similar models?

@Safari_Secrets.

6 ай бұрын

Did you ever find another possible way to do this without going through the clock spring?

I've got some more questions sir: I talked with a guy who did this on the same model truck as me, but kept the power DC 12v. He bought an additional clockspring, ribbon, and inserted the new ribbon into the CS, connected the 3 hot and 3 ground and its working for him. I don't think there are any open wires for our truck, since its has a lot of electronic features. Will this DC power produce similar results if not converted to AC? thank you for your help

@avsti

6 ай бұрын

DC is perfectly fine, but consider how much current your clockspring wires can carry before they turn red hot / burn up. They're very thin. So let's say you do some testing and decide the limit is 1 amp. At 12V, and with a 1Ω heating element residence (good luck getting it so low) that's 12W of power. At 100V, you can put together a 100Ω resistor and end up with 1A of current pushing 100W of power. My setup is something along the lines of 240V/600Ω/0.4A=96W

@avsti

6 ай бұрын

I will say that running a second clockspring is a clever solution to 'not enough wires' though. That's great thinking.

You’re crazy lol very cool

So you are converting the power from DC to AC to heat the element? Why do you convert? I would wire from the battery to the switch, to the inverter, to the heating element?

@avsti

6 ай бұрын

Yep. Inverting to AC is less important than significantly boosting the voltage.

@microsnook3

6 ай бұрын

@@avsti This is complex. I don't fully understand all of the concepts here. Or how to calculate what voltage I would need.

@avsti

6 ай бұрын

@@microsnook3 well it's mostly trial and error that I arrived at the 170V / 660Ω combination or whatever it ended up being. If you're careful you can experiment with different wire resistances and voltages or just go with what I documented.

I have a honda with a heated steering wheel option but it barely heats up. Can I add the heating element as shown here? I already have all the wiring and system in place

@avsti

2 жыл бұрын

In theory yes, but you'd want to start by measuring the resistance of the heating element and figuring out the right voltage to use from there.

@sergeydudukin4214

Жыл бұрын

try to source another clockspring from the higher trim of your vehicle with spare wires

May I know transformer part number or better spec? Also in going to wire it for 175v with a 10 minute timer relay. Thermostat would require more wiring room which I dont have. Thanks in advance

@avsti

2 жыл бұрын

On Amazon, search for something like "High Voltage Boost Converter DC-AC 12V to 110V 220V 175V AC 150W Inverter Boost Board Transformer" :)

@frankg7961

2 жыл бұрын

@@avsti thank you

How can I contact you to bring my 2015 Nissan Rogue to upgrade to a heated steering wheel? Thank you

@avsti

2 жыл бұрын

Feel free to contact me at avrus96@aim.com

Is this diy specific to Subaru or would the same process be possible on a 2006 Acura TL ?

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

This exact process definitely applies to other cars. I've done 7 already: 2 Subarus, 2 Toyotas, a BMW, a, Mazda, and a VW. By far the biggest variable across vehicles is the clockspring design. The most extreme example for me was the VW, where I had to solder additional pins onto the ribbon cable. All of the cars had unused wires thankfully (usually reserved for features those cars were missing, like paddle shifters or driving assists the cars didn't come with. If you can compare steering wheel photos between your car and higher end trims of the same car and confirm you're missing a few buttons, you'll probably be fine. Or just go ahead and take off your airbag and check with with a multimeter before starting the project at all. Absolute worst case, you could sacrifice some existing steering wheel feature (c volume controls, illumination, etc) to free up some wires (though I've not needed to resort to this myself). Good luck!

@stevenmayhewjr6212

Жыл бұрын

Awesome. This is definitely going on the mods to do list. Very informative video. Best one on the subject I have seen so far. Have been thinking about how to go about such a thing and wasn’t sure if would be at all possible. Feel like after watching is something I can pull off. 👍😎

He sounds exactly like critical

200V is a life dangerous voltage especially if the current will pass through the heart area like between left and right hand. I would stick to 12 V. I think heated wheel would require like 25W to 40W of power so it would be 2-3A of current at 12V. And it is not continuous as you would need it for like 10 min until it heats up. Authors set up provides around 60W of power which is a bit excessive, but can potentially cause elecrical shock danger to driver. Most automotive wires have electrical voltage rating of 60V. Very dangerous advice in this video...

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

This setup draws about 60W

@sergeydudukin4214

Жыл бұрын

@@avsti yeah and that power should be ok for heating. But automotive electrical wires are rated to 60V. There is a serious danger of electrical shock in case of this insulation is damaged. Is secondary of the transformer isolated from vehicle chassis?

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

@@sergeydudukin4214 www.amazon.com/TUOFENG-Silicone-Wire-Feet-black/dp/B0793LXWLK Interesting. Most wire I've seen has 600V insulation.

@sergeydudukin4214

Жыл бұрын

@@avsti SAE-J-1128 is a standard for automotive wiring. It calls for 60VDC 25VAC insulation rating. Why would you put in ICE car wiring with 600V rating????

@sergeydudukin4214

Жыл бұрын

@@avsti If you want to go that route, why dont you consider DC-DC converter to 48V ? You will need 1A for 48W of power, you stay within automotive wiring rating and 48VDC is low enough to create life dangerous electrical shock.

Maybe I'm missing something but this seems completely unhinged, running 220V lines millimeters below the driver's fingers in a car. Hopefully you have been fine since recording but this doesn't seem safe or advisable at all.

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

Totally relies on good insulation to be safe - probably something I should have emphasized more in my video. I've done 7 heated steering wheels like this in the last 5 years, they've all been working great! The reason for the high voltage, in case you missed it, was to reduce the current load on the clockspring wires. Trying to design this circuit to run on, say, 12V, would require a custom clockspring design.

@microsnook3

6 ай бұрын

@@avsti because the wires would be thicker?

@avsti

6 ай бұрын

@@microsnook3 right. To pass more current through a wire without generating excess heat requires a much thicker wire. For a given power level, higher voltage = thinner wire can be used.

@tangointhenight

20 күн бұрын

@avsti Thank you for this great and detailed video. I am wondering if you would point me toward a rectangular (not round) switch that would meet the specifications for this project so that it would better match my vehicle

I can do it all except the math for all the electricity.. that’s a conundrum to me. Especially since I don’t have any of the tech you used to test things out..

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

To be honest it was mostly trial and error for me. It would probably be a good idea to figure out the actual current limit of a clockspring, but between my solution working for years in multiple cars and OEMs beginning to do something similar from factory, I'm pretty confident in this approach.

More ads than working.... Wtf...

@avsti

5 ай бұрын

KZread ads?? I have no control over that. :(

Well I'm to dumb to do this method. Nice video.

@avsti

Жыл бұрын

If you have any questions let me know! It's definitely not easy but maybe it'll help inspire you to come up with your own projects, however ambitious!

@kaybeane7196

Жыл бұрын

Ty

jkulllllooolkkò

Where is your ground wire connected to?

@avsti

7 ай бұрын

The ground for the transformer is just connected to the chassis (e.g. any 10mm bolt under the dash going into metal, near the fuse box). The ground output to the steering wheel leads from the transformer, through the clock spring, and into the wheel.