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[Abiton]

Evening all.

Who can help me on the subject of the old-style Infra-red remote keyfobs? Like this'un:



Trouble is, the one that we got when we bought the car is dying, and I can't seem to fix it.  Gets through batteries at least 100 times faster than it should, though it works perfectly well while the batteries have some charge in them.

I've changed a couple of capacitors on the board, like-for-like, and done a couple of things to ensure that the button(s) aren't getting pressed accidentally whilst in the g/f's bag, or sticking in the pressed position; but it still only lasts a week on a new pair of batteries.

Of course Vx want silly money for a new replacement, more than I'm willing to spend. 

They don't come up ever so often on ebay but there's one there now that's almost the same (but with integrated key, that is unlikely to fit!):  http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUXHALL-OMEGA-ALARM-REMOTE-CONTROL-2-BUTTON-KEY-FOB_W0QQitemZ390096388524QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item5ad38e81ac
Am I going to be able to get my car's receiver to cooperate with it, assuming it is actually better than the one we have?
If so I can maybe transplant key/immobiliser chip, or just remove the key bit and use as a stand-alone fob as per the current one.

Is it just a matter of 're-syncing' it by pointing it at the receiver with ignition key in the appropriate position?

Thanks for any suggestions, 

Pete

[jonnycool]

There's a member of OOF who specialises in key fobs, Martin Imber. If you PM him he may be able to give you some info or at least point you in the right direction. HTH 

[rustym95]

i have the same fob but mine last about a year on battery's, and had not trouble with unlocking etc. could it be your receiver. could be clog'd up and only a strong signal can only get through. wold clean it to be on safe side.

[dbug]

i have the same fob but mine last about a year on battery's, and had not trouble with unlocking etc. could it be your receiver. could be clog'd up and only a strong signal can only get through. wold clean it to be on safe side.

Its an IR receiver mate!!  How does it get clogged up and how do you clean it??

[Abiton]

I think 'clog'd up' might be 'rustyspeak' for dirty/dusty. 

I know it's not that though, the thing is clean.

I've been informed by a reliable source that Tech 1 would be required to get another IR remote to work with our car, so the ebay solution is out of the window, unless anyone on here knows anyone with some rocking-horse poo a Tech 1 machine. 

Edit: Just had another idea...
On the little PCB inside the thing, one of the chips is a ROM, which possibly might take the necessary code with it, if transpanted into an ebay equivalent unit.  :-/
I work with tiddly 'tronics, so this wouldn't present too much of a problem.

Think I'll take a gamble on this strategy.

[dbug]

Good luck mate 

[Darkus Lordus]

Hmm I'm in a similar situation. Got the 1995 Elite two years ago. Had the black dome but I didn't get any fobs with the car when I bought it.

I've just bought two new fobs (as above) from Vx using my trade card. (2x keys)+(2x remotes) albeit no chips in keys   & now in a situation where I'm now trying to get the alarm ecu to accept the remotes.

I was at the ABS AGM last night with someone who had a Tech1 & I had a little fiddle as well but we couldn't find the right option to get the fobs programmed in.

My next option is to trawl through the guides on here & see if there is any help. I have had other people with Tech1s who have offered to help though. I just hope they know how to do this!

[Marks DTM Calib]

Got a spare fob here you can have for nowt.

Cant remember the last time I programmed one up though!

[Abiton]

Got a spare fob here you can have for nowt.

Cant remember the last time I programmed one up though!

If that kind thought was aimed in my direction, thank you.  I've bought the ebay one, but I'm not uber-confident that it will be any better than the one I'm starting with so it would be nice to have a 'plan B'.

Darkus Lordus: what price did you get the fobs for, and did Vx not offer to code them to the car (or the car to them, whichever way it works) for you?  I would have thought (being very naive) that since they are useless without, it would be included in the purchase price. 

Anyone know of a reason why my ROM-chip-swap idea won't work?

[Marks DTM Calib]

Your welcome to it if you want it.

I have a suspicion that the main IR LED drive transistors may be going leaky an causing the battery drain.

[Darkus Lordus]

Got a spare fob here you can have for nowt.

Cant remember the last time I programmed one up though!

If that kind thought was aimed in my direction, thank you.  I've bought the ebay one, but I'm not uber-confident that it will be any better than the one I'm starting with so it would be nice to have a 'plan B'.

Darkus Lordus: what price did you get the fobs for, and did Vx not offer to code them to the car (or the car to them, whichever way it works) for you?  I would have thought (being very naive) that since they are useless without, it would be included in the purchase price. 

Anyone know of a reason why my ROM-chip-swap idea won't work?

PM sent.

[Humpy]

I bought a brand new/old stock IR keyfob off Evilbay but then came up against the same problem you did, that you need Tech 1 to program it. If anybody's got a Tech 1 in the SE and you could have a go at programming it I'd be grateful£££££!

Humpy

[rustym95]

Hmm I'm in a similar situation. Got the 1995 Elite two years ago. Had the black dome but I didn't get any fobs with the car when I bought it.

I've just bought two new fobs (as above) from Vx using my trade card. (2x keys)+(2x remotes) albeit no chips in keys   & now in a situation where I'm now trying to get the alarm ecu to accept the remotes.

I was at the ABS AGM last night with someone who had a Tech1 & I had a little fiddle as well but we couldn't find the right option to get the fobs programmed in.

My next option is to trawl through the guides on here & see if there is any help. I have had other people with Tech1s who have offered to help though. I just hope they know how to do this!

on my tec its the immobiliser under special settings then alarm same again special settings, but you need the car pass code.

[Abiton]

Good news 

Ebay key/remote arrived yesterday.  Took it to bits and was encouraged to find that the part numbers on the inner casing were the same as ours. Also had a date sticker 3 years newer than our car. The guts of the thing are a direct fit into our non-key fob, and the lil PCB inside is the same, right down to the EEPROM chip that I hoped to swap from our duff one.

Put it 'on the bench' at work and found that the quiescent current was much lower, and constant, unlike the old one. 

Transplanting the ROM chip was a smidge harder than envisaged, as it was glued down as well as soldered; but it didn't hold me up for too long once I realised. 

Brought it home to try, and no luck from outside the car, but...once inside (by key) with ignition on, and a quick flash at the receiver, and the courtesy light flashed at me a few times.   

Jumped out to try locking the car, [size=18]and it only bloody went and worked! [/size]

I'm quite disproportionately chuffed. 
Just a shame I'd bought the Ebay one before Mark's kind offer came in.

[Darkus Lordus]

Git. 

No really I'm happy for you. Congratulations on getting it going. If it was me, I'd probably be running around with my Tshirt over my head!

My remotes are in my boot, in the jiffy bag they arrived in & doing nowt... for the time being.