^{the other on each wire. (The leads on my ohmmeter} have sharp ends, so I just poked a tiny hole into the ^{HACKING YOUR CAR’S} wire to test the voltage.) NERVOUS SYSTEM

The voltages were both around 0V. I then followed the wires out through the door into the body of the car. One wire, a purple and green one, continued into the passenger footwell area. Using alligator clips and the sharp terminal probe, I connected that purple and green wire through the 2Kohm resistor to ground. Lo and behold, the pleasant “unlock” sound reverberated throughout the minivan.

Since the switches to unlock the doors are merely applying a resistance temporarily, I felt comfortable using a simple reed relay connected to parallel port pins.

Now, if I lock myself out of my car, I can call a friend or relative who can log into my car, and ask them to “unlock” my car.

Further exploration: the12volt.com, crutchfield.com, ontrak. net.

Inventor Damien Stolarz has spent over half his life making different kinds of computers talk to each other. His book, Car PC Hacks, was recently published by O’Reilly Media, Inc.

12V Relay

Door Lock Motor

12V Relay (Motor Activation)

12V Relay (Window Direction)

To rear windows