Hi everyone, I'd like to introduce a project I've been tinkering with for the past few weeks. First, a little back story. I love my ST, its loads of fun and I have found that it is really easy to enjoy it on a daily basis due to the punchy midrange and the unique suspension tuning. To unlock the most fun, the electronic stability control needs to be in 'Sport' or 'ESC Off'. This of coarse is accomplished via the 'ESC OFF' button on the dash that we are all familiar with. Living in California, we have good weather almost year round, so I turn on sport mode basically every time I get in the car. Sometimes, though, I'll find myself in a position to have a little fun while entering a freeway on ramp just to have the fun killed by ESC kicking in because I forgot to hit the little button... Lame ... so I started devising an inexpensive, easy way to disable ESC automatically when starting the vehicle.
Enter the EzESC mod!
By inserting an Arduino board inline between the ESC button and the factory wiring, I'm able to activate ESC automatically when the vehicle starts, and enable full ESC off using a single press of the ESC OFF button. Right now the project is proof of concept. I've successfully tested the ESC button connected to an input on the Arduino, and am currently using the built in LED to act as the output which would otherwise be connected to the car controlling the ESC button.
Here is the demo video:
https://youtu.be/DUtlantIb4k
Otherwise, here is how things are wired
Factory configuration:
ABS Module <------ ESC OFF
Mod:
ABS Module <------ Arduino <------ ESC OFF
One of my goals for the project is plug and play compatibility using factory wiring. I started by sourcing the OEM connector for the ESC button which can be found here:
www.onlinecomponents.com/te-connectivity-amp-brand-14569853.html?p=44138877
I could not, however, source the mating connector. I don't believe one was ever manufactured, since the male coupler in this case is the button itself. After going through my parts bin I found that the connector uses the same pin spacing and size as a standard motherboard header pin. Since those parts are cheap and available it makes things a whole lot easier!
The ideal location for the Arduino is in the space above the cubby behind the dash, there is enough room to place a small circuit board. Instead of using the $25 Uno, I found a $10 mini board from sparkfun that will fit the bill:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11113
Now I just need to pull the console apart a little more to find a power source. Looking at factory wiring diagrams, I have a few options. Possible 12v from the cigarette lighter, or 5v from the USB connector. Since the mini board can be powered by either, the availability of connectors and ease of install will determine which source I use.
I've got a few orders coming for various parts so I'll try and update in the next few weeks as parts arrive and I do more testing. In the meantime, let me know if you have any thoughts or questions.