Installing Overhead Garage Door/Gate Opener Button w/ a FOB Retrofit

I did this with mine a good while back and it's been one of my most used mods.

I used an Air-On-Board momentary garage door switch. My garage door opener is 12V already, so I hardwired it and no more battery!

I also reassembled the case around the opener, because there is ample room on the left side of the steering wheel to stash it behind the dash, so nothing hits the circuit board.

I've been looking at the Dongar for a dash cam as well, but I have my Uniden R3 mounted on my rearview mirror and running a MirrorTap. I think I have just enough room to squeeze in a Garmin Mini though.

 

Nice! Do you have any pics of the Uniden R3 installed?

 

It's a little hard to see, but it's using a Radar Mount's mirror mount kit and a MirrorTap for ignition power. I run one in my Tacoma and one my in my daily driver Fusion using the exact same setup. I commute ~100 miles a day, passing a nearby KSP outpost, so they are a necessity for me and my hour drive to and from work!

 

Looks clean!

You might be able to use the adaptor @caribe makaira mentioned like this one (wrap it with cloth tape) to add the Dongar USB dongle for the dashcam.

 

Im planning to do this too. My remote is also 12v natively. I already have the remote wired to the switch and was just going to use the battery as they seem to last a long time. How did you go about hard wiring it?

 

The MirrorTap is super easy. It's not actually a plug, but more like two prongs/probes (like the kind you use with a voltmeter, just much smaller). So I can insert them in the back of the OEM plug pins or the Dongar one. Just more worried about it being cluttered and still getting the dashcam hidden from view and not blocking the radar detector!

$47 MirrorTap MTX-1010, RJ-1110" Long Overall Length, Patented, Radar Detector Power Cord with 2 Amp in-Line Fuse, Military Grade Taps, Made in USA

https://www.amazon.com/MirrorTap-MTX-1010-RJ-11-Detector-Military/dp/B01I1XF4XU?th=1

I used an Add-A-Fuse circuit in the under dash fuse panel. I used a fuse that was hot all the time, for two reasons: I wanted to be able to open my door and hit the garage door opener without having to start the truck, and just on the off chance the opener would lose memory after a few years with no battery installed it'll see enough residual voltage that I'll never have a problem!

Zero issues of battery drain over the last few months and works like a charm every single day. I'm very happy overall. I can't stand to have one hanging off the sun visor in my face. I'm already close enough to the roof as it is and I keep my sunglasses on the passenger visor since I have MTS/Crawl Control overhead.

This is just a temp solution as I'll be adding an aux fuse panel under the hood soon to clean up some wiring. Heated seats, Anytime Front and Rear Camera, dual function light bar, garage door opener, ect, have made it a little cluttered at the moment.

 

cool. Thank you. I wasn’t sure about always on vs acc only but it’s nice to know both are options.

 

No problem!

I hadn't seen anything like it on the forums when I did mine, but there seem to be a few of us with 12v openers who have installed them mod.

 

Thanks for the link. I actually have an old Escort 8500 X50 that I might try with

$46 PerformancePackage Mirror Mount Bracket + Mirror Wire Cord - Escort 9500iX Redline

this combo package for road trips

 

@kasberry Thanks again for the tip! Here's my install.

 

Looks great!

I've been super happy with my setup. Been using it for years and has never let me down!

 

Subd. Will be doing this in the near future.

 

This is awesome!

I'm a complete novice when it comes to electrical stuff, but if you bought a universal garage door opener and set it up the same way, could you then reprogram it if necessary while it's still installed inside the truck?

We're renting right now, and while I'd love to do this mod, I don't want to really have to redo it if the install is only going to work for this specific garage and can't be reprogrammed later without disassembling.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

The overhead console just needs to be pulled straight down to remove. It would depend if the remote was glue in place or held by velcro. Also a rolling code remote is different than a dip switch type.

 

Might as well have a pack of these in the garage as well. No matter how careful I try to be, I bust a clip almost every time I take that panel down (including when I added the same button).

$12 Rexka 20pcs Upper Quarter Trim Lower Overhead Console Clip Red Nylon 90467-09240 for Toyota Lexus Tacoma Camry C-HR Prius

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R1QTSQ1?ie=UTF8

 

I ended up purchasing (and have extra) of

KCRTEK 465Pcs Plastic Rivets,Bumper Clips with 18 Most Popular Sizes for GM,Toyota,Honda,Nissan,Mazda and 5pcs Fastener Remover

these and these.

 

As @caribe makaira said, it's super easy to access the overhead panel. I'd say it depends on the universal remote size. Did you have a picture of the opener you were considering? You might end up putting it in the driver's panel like @kasberry did.

 

When I did mine I popped the circuit board out of the body/case, soldered the necessary wires and wrapped the thing in electrical tape. It is just sitting up in the gap between the liner and roof.

 

Appreciate the responses, everyone!

My initial thought was to use this remote since it seems to be the most versatile. Doesn't hurt that I have one lying around the house, so I figured it's not a big loss if I fuck it up.

I'm comfortable with pulling the overhead panel down, I've done that a few times for mods and such, but I was more so asking about the ability to reprogram the remote after it's been stripped down to just the chip with wires soldered into it. Maybe a good workaround to that would be to find a remote that is reprogrammed by holding down the same button that's used to open the door? Thinking out loud here.

Again, thanks for weighing in!

 

My remote was one where you hold the buttons to reprogram with the opener and the soldered clickers should still be there when you tear it down.