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"Those stalks look awful!"
"Those stalks look awful!"
We've never been enormous fans of the Mazda stalk arrangement, they look a bit dated and with no plans to add wipers or washers, one of the stalks is pretty much redundant. Also, the cowl is a bit massive and isn't the best fit against the dashboard
We deliberated long and hard about what buttons we wanted on the wheel to try and keep it neat. We also opted to have the sidelights just be permanently on with the ignition - it can't hurt to be seen!
We decided to go with a carbon fibre backplate to match the dash!
What do the buttons do?
LEFT (top to bottom - all latching buttons): left indicator, full beam, dipped beam
RIGHT (top to bottom): right indicator (latching), headlight flash (momentary), spare - wipers in the future perhaps..?
Matt modeled the backplate in Fusion 360 and we 3D printed a couple of prototypes to check it out before we machined a sheet of carbon fibre.
Fortunately, we have access to a CNC router to cut the backplate out!
Nicely done. It was done just using a 2mm bit designed for fibreglass circuit boards. Really crisp edge and not a surface chip in sight!
So... The things you will need for this project:
A multimeter
Wire strippers
Soldering equipment
Liquid electrical tape
6x 3D printed switch covers
1x 3mm thick CNC machined carbon fibre backplate
6x LED switches (latching or momentary to suit use)
1x DC electronics 12 core coiled cable (20 core if you want more buttons)
New connector to attach to the GBS column and instruments loom - AMP 18 way Multilock 070 (174935-1) and pins
Weipu WY20 twist lock panel power socket and plug
12x different coloured/numbered wires (12 inches long) + spare
A whole lot of patience and some serious soldering skills! Oh... and someone to help hold things if you want to make life a little easier
£75 later...
Step 1. Remove the sheath from the cores to the desired length
Step 2. Decide which wires need to go where
Step 3. Make a note of what goes from where to where
Step 4. Roughly lay out your bird's nest (zip ties help)
Step 5. Apply heat shrink to hide the chaos
Step 6. Start soldering up your terminals
Step 7. Breathe, take 5 mins, regroup
Step 8. Finish what you started
Step 9. Check nothing shorts out using the trusty multimeter
Step 10. Apply liquid electrical tape (yes, you read that right) to cover all the ends
Step 11. Put on the covers to hide the mess you just made (out of sight, out of mind)
Step 12. Solder all the wires into the connector (a 2 person job even with the right clamps)
Step 13. Note down what's connected to each pin
Step 14. Crimp a pin onto each of the wires (you may need a loop if you want side lights on all the time)
Step 15. Insert the pins into the correct places into the connector
Step 16. Say a quick prayer so you don't need to redo any soldering or set fire to anything!
Step 17. Connect everything up
Step 18. (optional). Another quick prayer, cross your fingers and your toes (2 person job?)
Step 19. Turn the key and see if everything works!
It did!!!
oooohhh.... aaaahhhh.....
I think we did rather well there!
Savings - £300 over the mainstream offerings... and ours has lights!
So what's it like to live with...?
Actually, its pretty intuitive and easy to use. In hindsight the buttons could have been a little bigger but overall we are very pleased with it and the lights help significantly when using it at night.
The next stage in the project is was to 3D print a new cowl for the steering column.
We want to keep the key barrel and steering lock, so the project is going to be a little more complicated than just cutting a bit of domestic downpipe and chucking it in.
It's going to be modelled from the ground up and is going to be a big headache - but totally worth it!
Out comes the digital angle gauge and the ruler!
The 3D model from the front
From the back. The little cylindrical lug meets up with a threaded hole in the bottom of the column to secure it.
Prototype, printed on the FDM printer in PLA - not bad... the key hole isn't quite at the correct angle though...
The real thing, straight out of the resin printer. Pretty good! Not the best finish but nothing a bit of high build primer and topcoat won't fix
The Finished article - turned out alright!
To tidy up the side view of white column connectors and other such things, Kathryn took an offcut of carpet, wedged it into the back of the cowl and cable tied it to the steering column. Sounds pikey but it actually looks really good and blends in with the rest of the interior really nicely. I bet you didn't even notice it in the photo until it was pointed out!
In case you are wondering... the notches in the side of the cylindrical bit are so you can get a puller in to get the boss off. Once you've tightened the boss down to the column it takes a lot of effort to remove it again - even without the cowl on, so its practically impossible with it - ask me how I know...
Now we just need some good weather so we can get out on the road and enjoy!
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