Add physical climate controls to Lightning with big screen???

[Firn]

OK, getting back to how to actually do this ... CAN bus via Arduino or Raspberry-Pi seems like the way to go and is feasible for me. But I saw mention somewhere that Ford is now encrypting CAN bus messages? Is there a way to crack that?

Posted somewhere here was that the Ford TRON system is only on critical modules (safety, etc). I think hvac would be ok.

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[bmwhitetx]

Posted somewhere here was that the Ford TRON system is only on critical modules (safety, etc). I think hvac would be ok.

Will add that I think it also only affects the ICE at this point - and started this year or last. Our 22-24's should not have any encryption.

I bought a canbus sniffer but haven't gotten around to learning how to use it. Plus the MS1 bus is not easily accessible - at least that I have found. These networks are behind the Gateway module so can't be accessed from the OBD port like the old days.

 

[RocketGhost]

This has never made any sense to me. There is no reason for 2 Max defroster buttons on the console. One physical on the lower left, and one on the lower right of the screen. Just make the screen a Max AC. Easy fix that would make a lot of people happy.

I think it's a federal requirement to have a physical defrost button for safety purposes, but I'm not 100% sure. My guess is that they put it on the screen because people may be hunting for it not realizing off hand that it isn't on the screen.

My only wish is that they would separate the seat cooling and heating into separate buttons. There's plenty of room to move controls around. It's also odd that when you push the seat button heat always turns on, they should at least make it so that the seat button doesn't turn anything on and just pops up the menu.

That's my only wish, but I'm one who set my hvac to 72 auto the day I bought the truck and the only times I've touched the climate controls since were to turn on defrost maybe 5 times.

 

[Frode Vike]

@Ford Motor Company
Can the on-screen MAX defrost button be replaced by an air recirc button, since there already is an physical MAX defrost button under the screen? It's quite cumbersome to go thru the climate menu to find the recirc. Future software update parhaps?

 

[El Duderino]

The Ford rotary shifter plugs right in and works in place of the normal Lightning shifter. I would venture to guess that the Pro and XLT Lightning HVAC dials and buttons would work on a Flash, Lariat, Platinum if you could connect all the wires on the physical button module with wires on the truck. I haven't had one apart enough to see if the harness plugs are the same. Would be a lot easier if it was...

 

[woahmy]

I have the means, kind of the knowledge (pretty new to lightnings, about 1 mo), and not really the time to dig into this, but damn am I motivated to unlock physical controls.

Anyone have any information about the center dash wiring harness for the 12" screen models vs the 15" screen models? If we are lucky then everything routes to a central MCU that handles all the button pushes for both trim types. If we are unlucky, the small screen models have a unique MCU that handles all those buttons, and the higher trims just bypass it.

If not I'm going to start digging into the MS CAN, but I am worried that while being able to control the HVAC will be possible, those changes will not reflect on the screen (i.e. heat is on but it will show it as being off)

 

[bmwhitetx]

Anyone have any information about the center dash wiring harness for the 12" screen models vs the 15" screen models? If we are lucky then everything routes to a central MCU that handles all the button pushes for both trim types. If we are unlucky, the small screen models have a unique MCU that handles all those buttons, and the higher trims just bypass it.

All the commands are over the CANBUS networks. Here's a snippet from the workshop manual:

When the customer inputs an A/C request into the information and center display screen or by voice command, the APIM sends the request to the GWM over the HS-CAN3 . The request message is then sent from the GWM over the MS-CAN to the HVAC module. Vehicles with a 12.3 inch center display screen, the A/C request can also be inputted through the HVAC module auto control head the request is sent to the GWM over the MS-CAN MS-CAN. The GWM relays the request to the SOBDMC over the FD-CAN (Flexible Data Rate Controller Area Network), and the request message is sent to the ACCM electric compressor over the HS-CAN1 .

There is also the heated (and cooled) seats. Similar arrangement in that CANBUS messages are sent from the APIM or HVAC module to Drivers Seat Module (DSM) via MS-CAN. DSM than turns on heat and cool for driver and passenger as requested.

but I am worried that while being able to control the HVAC will be possible, those changes will not reflect on the screen

The HVAC module broadcasts messages on the climate control button status to the APIM for it's use. So if you tell the HVAC module to do something, it should reflect that back out to the APIM.

 

[bmwhitetx]

Over on the ICE forum (where all screens are 12" and HVAC has hard buttons), some are excited to actually turn on a row of soft buttons at the bottom of their screen. FOMO.

Waiting for some Pro and XLT Lightning owners to try this! @Firn @21st Century Truck

 

[21st Century Truck]

Over on the ICE forum (where all screens are 12" and HVAC has hard buttons), some are excited to actually turn on a row of soft buttons at the bottom of their screen. FOMO.

Waiting for some Pro and XLT Lightning owners to try this! @Firn @21st Century Truck

Bruce, FYI I actually prefer the rows of hard physical buttons. It's one of the several reasons I chose my XLT 312A vice a higher trim Lightning.

On my previous Ford Fusion Energi some years ago, the infotainment screen failed and all of a sudden I was out of options to adjust heating, air conditioning and also charging times for my home TOU charging scheme.

Additionally, I can now just reach and adjust the hard physical buttons for the HVAC and the radio without looking and really, without thinking. That would be harder if not impossible when faced with layers of screens. This is one of the two reasons I was not really a fan of my old Mach E's 15-inch screen.

 

[Firn]

Over on the ICE forum (where all screens are 12" and HVAC has hard buttons), some are excited to actually turn on a row of soft buttons at the bottom of their screen. FOMO.

Waiting for some Pro and XLT Lightning owners to try this! @Firn @21st Century Truck

I'll give it a try to see if it works, but I sure won't be keeping them! LoL

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