OEM Heated Mirrors DIY mod

So did you get a momentary switch or do the contacts remain closed?

 

I received a momentary switch. (Sorry if I didn't make that clear)

 

I haven't seen the wiring schematic but do you think the push button will stay illuminated while the heated mirrors are on if it is a momentary switch? I've also read that the dimming feature does not work properly on these switches as our trucks use the negative feed for dimming rather than positive. However the threads I've read that in were a bit older so maybe the switch wiring for the dimming feature has changed. Would be interested to see how you make out... Would you mind posting the wiring diagram of the switch... Would be interested to have a look.

 

As it shipped, the answer to your question is "no". LED will not stay on since it is wired differently internally. I have contacted AirOnBoard to see if I can post a schematic of the switch. If they say it's ok, I'll post one & what needs to be modified to correct it for our needs. I was able to modify mine & successfully tested it today. LED stayed on while timer was energized.

The dimming should still work. One side is +, the other side is "variable". Not a problem. I've wired several LED's successfully to the existing dimmer on my 05. How the dimmer works is this: the anode is always connected to +, the cathode is actually connected to a timer circuit that turns the LED on & off very fast. Turn it off longer than on, & it gives the illusion of being dimmed.

 

Well if they aren't ok with that then no problem as I will probably be ordering the same switch and time delayed relay soon. More than anything am curious how you worked around the switch illumination issue?

 

I basically re-worked it. The switch (I got) had a green LED for the "mirrors" and a red LED for "heated mirrors". I thought that was backwards, so I moved the red LED to where the green one was & put a white LED behind the lettering. (I recently changed the orange LED's in my dash to white so the switches needed to be changed to the same white also). Now my switch has red behind the mirrors & white lettering. The red LED comes on when the timer is enabled. White is separate & only comes on with the dash lights.

I basically rewired the switch to be like the one on the first page of this post. PM me & I'll send the switch schematic(s)

 

Funny you would say that about thinking the LEDs were backwards, I was planning to swap them around too. Interesting on the switch though, PM inbound.

 

I purchased the AOB 8B78GR switch (http://www.aironboard.com/online/pu...replacement-heated-mirrors-led-green-red.html) because it was aesthetically appealing and would fit in my 05 Tacoma. First let me state that this is a first rate switch, and the company that supports it was friendly and prompt. The switch (as delivered) is perfectly fine for certain applications, but for my specific need I needed to modify it somewhat. I wanted a momentary push switch for use with the TDR-MC relay. The 8B78GR is typically a push on/ push off switch so if you want a momentary you MUST inform the seller when ordering it. You can use it as a push on/push off switch, but if you do that, you will have to remember to turn if off each time you use it or every time you start your vehicle the mirrors will heat up. I did not want this, and have no clue what effect that will have on the TDR-MC relay.

Sadly, the momentary switch needs to be modified to do what "we" want. (toggle the relay, and light the mirror LED while relay is enabled, and drive the dash light properly). You MUST have soldering skills to accomplish this! Also, (sad I feel compelled to say it), I take NO responsibility in what you do with YOUR switch! I cannot be held accountable for injuries or damages.

As part of my modification, I thought the LED's were "backwards" and decided to swap them around. For my application, I moved the RED LED to the top (I wanted the mirror emblem to be red when heating up. Made sense to me), and instead of a green LED, I replaced the green LED with a white one that matched my recently modified dash LED's so everything would tie in together.

You will need to "open" TWO runs on the pcb, ADD a jumper wire, SWAP LED's (optional), ADD a diode, (RadioShack 276-1102), and ADD a terminal to the wiring harness. THE TERMINAL I USED WAS A FEMALE TERMINAL FROM A 9 PIN D-SHELL CONNECTOR. This terminal fit perfectly in the hole and snapped in as if it was designed for it! Be sure to connect the wire to the terminal FIRST before inserting in the connector body! STUDY THIS INSTRUCTION FIRST! May be easier to swap LED's before starting anything else.




DIAGRAM OF SHIPPED SWITCH



MODIFIED SWITCH



The case of the switch comes apart very easily! Simply gently pry the sides off and slide the (top?) off of the body of the switch.



Next, cut the next two runs so that there is NO connection between the components.





ADD a jumper between these two points. This will tie in the middle connector post to the (original green) LED. The other arrow points to the connector body. The end of it opens up, (helps a little) so you can add a FEMALE terminal to the connector.




Next I drilled two small holes and added the diode. BE SURE TO ORIENT THE DIODE PROPERLY and solder it to the indicated places. (NOTE: diode does not look like the one in the picture, but similar. Not a glass package diode)



Modify the LED's if desired. On the above image I indicate the ANODE (+) side.


Put everything back together, making sure the switch moves fully and smoothly. Also, when reassembling it, make sure the PCB is under the tab and seated properly on the switch housing. As seen, space is limited and make sure the jumper wire does not interfere with the switch body cover when sliding it back on. TEST the switch with a multimeter and CHECK YOUR WORK before using it!.

I'll post more pictures of where I mounted my setup and how I wired it up.

TB

 

Thanks for the awesome write up. I know it would bug me to have the switch not lit up while actually heating the mirrors. As mentioned provided you know how to solder then this modification doesn't look too hard.

Just a note for anyone looking to do this... in order for it to have the desired effect you would need the main wiring to be done as shown in this thread http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...em-heated-mirror-option-off-road-package.html and the added terminal labeled as "new wire" would need to be hooked up to the negative end of the circuitry NOT connected to a body ground. Connecting to a body ground would result in the light being on all the time regardless of whether the mirrors are being heated or not.

No intentions of hijacking Tbryson's great post, just wanted to include that information for anyone looking to do this.

 

Ahh, you beat me to it! Stay tuned for where I placed my relay and wired it up.

TB

 

I will not reproduce the wiring diagram, it has been done for you in the above post by "bgreenly" and is exactly what I followed. However, the physical wiring will be described here.



This image shows the connector and how it "opens" up. Again, I used a female "D-shell" connector terminal and it worked great. I do have one correction, it did not "snap" in as previously described and would work it's way out after repeated seating of the connector on the switch. How I corrected this was to take a small amount of heat shrink and shove it into the hole the connector is in, from the wire side. This "sealed" up the hole and now the terminal is satisfactorily wedged in there. IF I have to remove it, I simply remove the heat shrink first, and it comes out. Closing the open part of the connector puts pressure on the heat shrink and it will not move.



I placed my TDR-MC relay behind the right passenger kick panel. LOT's of room and wiring it is a snap.

I used 20 gauge / 2 conductor 20 feet (roughly) cable for this project. In hindsight, I wish I had used 20 gauge / 3 conductor cable for the left to right portion as it would have been easier to run behind the dash and the wire colors wouldn't be duplicated. You only need 3 wires from the left side of the vehicle to the relay. The two conductor wire is perfect from the mirrors to the interior of the vehicle.

In my explanation below, when I say I ran one cable, that means one TWO conductor cable. If I state ONE wire, that means ONE wire. Also, it really helps if you label EACH wire as it can get confusing. (this is where a 3 conductor cable would shine!)

AS STATED BEFORE, STUDY THIS ENTIRELY BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!!

1. I ran one cable from the right mirror, through the rubber wiring "boot" and ended it at the relay with a little to spare.

2. I then ran TWO cables from the relay to the left side, behind the dash and out of the way of moving parts, (brakes,...) and ended with some cable to spare. *NOTE* Only 3 of the 4 wires here will be used. One red and both blacks.
(DO NOT connect all RED wires to +12)

3. I ran another cable from the left mirror and ended it near the switch on the left side with a bit to spare.

4. I then used a "mini Add-A-Circuit" to tie in the +12 of the switch (green/yellow) and TWO of the RED wires on the left side of the vehicle. (One red wire to left mirror and ONE red wire to relay). (If you use two / two conductor cables as I did, IGNORE THE OTHER RED WIRE GOING TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE) This (so far) will provide +12 to the switch, left mirror and to the relay. DO NOT PLUG THE ADD-A-CIRCUIT INTO THE FUSE BOX YET!!!

5. Next on the right side of the vehicle, take the red wire from the right mirror and the red wire from the left side and crimp on a push on connector (supplied with relay). This will provide +12 from the fuse box, to the relay AND the right mirror. Now our +12v circuit is complete.

6. Back to the switch, Take ONE of the black wires that was run behind dash, connect it to the red/yellow wire at the switch. Connect other end to the 1 or 2 of the relay . This will be our "Trigger" for the relay.

7. Back to the switch (again). Take the black wire from the LEFT mirror, the remaining black wire from the right side of the vehicle and the "new wire" added to the switch and tie them together. This will tie in our switch (mirror "ON" LED), left mirror and wire to relay.

8. On the right side, take the remaining black wire and the black wire from the RIGHT mirror and tie them together. Connect them to the "L" of the relay. Now the "L" is connected to the switch, relay and both mirrors.

9. Make a GROUND wire to go from the relay to chassis ground. (There is a connector JUST to the bottom right of the relay in my picture that has an excellent ground point. Use the bolt holding the connector to the chassis.)

10. For the dash lights, I tapped into an unused connector above the mirror adjust control. Black (at mirror heater switch) went to vehicles green/yellow wire, (dash variable or "negative") and Blue/Yellow went to solid green (dash +12). The vehicle wiring is very small (22-24 gauge?) and I used some "telephone" connectors I got at Lowes. (search Lowes.com for "IDEAL RJ11 Telephone Cable") These work great but you have to solder a smaller wire onto the wires from the mirror heater switch bundle first.

11. Now the circuit should be complete. Add a 7.5 amp fuse to the Add-A-Circuit. Find a good used or unused fuse position on the fuse box and plug it in. (I chose the fuse box under the steering wheel because they all seemed to be connected to the key switch. Power is not applied unless vehicle is on.)

I have to be honest and as of the time of this writing, I have not tested this out yet. (got eat up with the dumbass and burned up my original relay ). Once my new relay arrives I will test it out thoroughly.

If anyone sees any mistakes, or has questions, let me know.

TB

 

UPDATE.

I received my replacement relay and installed it. Everything works just like factory install! I did go into panic mode when I first tested it because it came on and almost immediately shut off. I realized I didn't have the "off delay" adjusted properly.

I adjusted both pots FULLY anti-clockwise. Then I adjusted the "on delay" for about 1/2 turn. The "off delay" is adjusted fully clockwise. This (theoretically) gives me two minutes of on time which is fine for where I live (Florida). (Yes, it gets cold enough to frost the mirrors)

If you want a longer "off delay", switch the right dip switch UP and for each turn of the pot = (roughly) 1/2 minute. (20 turn pot, fully clockwise should give 10 minutes).

Terry

 

TBRYSON,

where did you mount your switch? on the side of the steering wheel or under the A/C controls?

 

He has an 05 so I'm pretty sure his only option would have been to the left of the steering wheel. If I'm not mistaken there were no switch options under the AC controls until around 08 or 09.

 

anyone in Northern VA that has done this and wants to make a $100, please PM me and we can work the details.

 

If nobody is available to help you in your area I am working on putting together a heated mirrors kit that I'll have available in the market section come late summer / fall. Will include everything needed; mirrors, switch and a custom wiring harness so that even with zero electrical knowledge this will be a easy install. I've built a few kits for friends and they worked out great for them.

Otherwise if you decide to give this a try yourself there are a lot of people who can help with any questions you have, myself included.

 

take my money now! sign me up bro.

 

As long as it's the OEM switch (or one that fits an OEM blank and looks like it could be stock like the one above) I'd be interested!

 

this!

 

Maybe you'd do well with two switch options:

-For those of us with Base/SR5/Sports or older off roads with available blanks: The OEM Highlander switch w/ an orange bulb that will fit to the left of the steering wheel
-For the guys with newer Off Roads: a switch that fits the blanks under the HVAC controls.