56 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHOn Board Computer (OBC) Hack and custom buttons
Leading reported evidence
Install custom switch in the dash
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I did eventually enable the On-board computer on my 1999 996, and installed a custom switch in the dash to control it.
Leading evidence: 'Install custom switch in the dash' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Install custom switch in the dash' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I used the footwell for lidar jammers and the targa for my garage door opener when I had a 996.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
I know many people use the footwell light switch to control the OBC.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
Next button is to scroll thru the OBC menus and reset it (I used the PSE button screen with a different base - the sunroof switch)
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
The location is not quite as convenient as higher on the dash, but I think you might be surprised how little you change the mode once you have it set to the display you like most.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
56 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T165820Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
Somehow, I had never heard of the On Board Computer (OBC) hack. I didn't know that my '99 had the computer built in. Furthermore, I didn't know that my Durametric could turn it on. I just needed Version 6 of the Durametric software.
In case anyone is in the dark (like I was), ALL 996's from '99-2001 came with the OBC built into the dash, but it was an option to have it enabled, and to have the 4th stalk to control it. I believe it became a standard feature in later models.
I enabled the OBC yesterday with my Durametric. Took about 5 minutes, mostly to boot up my computer. Dealers can also enable this feature.
Rather than add the 4th stalk (which costs about $325) I'm just going to add a dash button to cycle through and select the various optons.
I have two questions for anyone who has done this:
1.
If you are not installing the 4th stalk, do you need to remove the steering wheel to remove the instrument panel and get at the connector there? The DIY is unclear on this.
2.
I know many people use the footwell light switch to control the OBC. Has anyone removed the graphics from a standard switch (such as the Targa switch) and replaced them with custom graphics?
Footwell light switch:
Targa Switch:
Custom Switch????
I'm planning to follow the DIYs at Renntech
HERE
and
HERE
and at
Pelican
. There have also been some
threads on Rennlist
, but somehow I missed them.
There is also a
PDF version of a DIY
, in case anyone wants more info.
I don't know about the OBDII stuff but I do know about those switches. They are all momentary contact switches. So, they might work great for cycling through a list or selecting an item but you will need a relay to turn anything off or on.
I used the footwell for lidar jammers and the targa for my garage door opener when I had a 996.
Frisbee, are you talking about accessing OBD codes via the dash or HVAC or enabling stuff like Avg MPG/DTE etc ?
I have a 2003 and would love to access OBD info on the fly
Nope, not OBD. OBC=on board computer. In the '99 OBC you can access outside temperature, speed gong alarm, average MPG, average speed, and range remaining on fuel.
OBD is on-board diagnostics, for emissions and maintenance.
Subscribed! Very interested in this. ( Going to do spoiler switch relocate and garage door switch soon. Added this one to a future project.
Keep us updated with progress and photos.
Thanks
Guys, just to clarify for some, this is only for '99-00 owners where OBC feature didn't come out of the box like '01+ models did.
If you have a '01+, you already have that functionality.
However, I still find it interesting that this was hidden on the '99-'00.
My kind of mod! Though I already have the computer on my '04, so no direct need...
I don't know about creative, but I wanted some extra buttons for hidden garage door openers and didn't like the graphics or the cost of using repurposed Porsche OEM dash buttons.
I put some simple black pushbutton switches on the lower batwing between the heated seat switches. Easy to access & drill, and a replacement OEM batwing is only about $10 if I ever want to go back to stock... You could even use a small momentary double throw toggle instead of a pushbutton to mimic the operation of the stalk. The location is not quite as convenient as higher on the dash, but I think you might be surprised how little you change the mode once you have it set to the display you like most.
Yes, momentary switches are all you need to interact with the on-board-computer. You need 2 or 4 contacts, depending on which functions you want to access.
The 4 functions are up, down, set, and reset. Up and down are redundant, since you can just continue up until you circle to your choice. Set is only needed for the speed gong, which I wont use
. So, I can get away with one two-contact momentary switch.
Now, who has done something creative with a button so that it looks like it would control the OBC?
Does anyone know if the Seat Heater switches are momentary? I'm too lazy to take mine out and check.
Been meaning to wire up my garage door opener to a factory switch but once again too lazy and down on the priority list.
If it is 2 way, even better as I can assign one of the sides to an x10 controller to control the driveway lights or one of the other lights in my backyard. Thanks.
I did this mod several years ago. Used a footwell light switch for toggling through the function and resetting the counters. I also modified the switch so that the light on it goes on when the rear spoiler raises.
I have had a four stalk switch sitting in storage for several years, maybe this summer I will get around to installing it.
Doug, I give you
procrastinator of the decade
award for this post. I've read ALL the threads on the OBC hack to try and understand it, and I noticed a theme...
In
2011
:
In
2009
:
AND in
2006
!
Enjoy your award!
P.S. Do you want to sell me your parts?
I think I read that the seat heater switch is a different type.
Here's one description I found:
Link
I used the Targa switch, which kind of looks like a garage.
Hey Doug,
I'm hoping to add my On-board-computer control button(s) this weekend. Your post above intrigues me. How did you wire the footwell switch so that the LED indicator light goes on when the rear spoiler raises? Is there a 12VDC signal or closed contact signal somewhere that indicates the spoiler is up?
Is there a DIY somewhere? Thanks.
frisbee,
While you are in there......wouldn't you want to add the "spoiler is going up or down indicator mod?"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPOILER-CONT...-/261201348981
I will be doing the OBC, garage door opener and the spoiler mods all at once.....have all the parts, but trying to find the time......
regards
Funny you should mention that. I ordered a custom blank button for my OBC hack from Stefan, the ebay seller of the "spoiler indicator" mod. I'm not sure if I need/want the spoiler indicator. I was hoping to find a DIY to the spoiler indicator hack, but the old links to it are all broken. Anyone know where to find information on doing the wiring yourself? (versus buying the electronics). I like the fun of the DIY.
Haven't received my new switch yet, but expect it soon. I'll post back once it's done in a few weeks.
Nice.....BTW, when I purchased the spoiler indicator....I received 2 of them.....I have the instructions on where to hook up for the indicator (spoiler going up/down).......I expect to do all mods at once, when I find time to do it....I do not wanna have to remove the dash twice....for extra space I even bought the "bat wing" in case I need more buttons.....LOL
OBC came standard on 2nd generation 996s (2002 on). I did the OBC with stalk on my car back in 2002. It's about a 3-hour job and involves taking apart the top of the instrument panel and steering wheel. Not for the faint of heart.
1999 and 2000 models had a standalone option for the OBC for around $300. In 2001, they made OBC available only as part of a $2000 package. I didn't order my car with that package, so I retrofitted the OBC with the stalk. On 2nd generation models, starting in 2002, the instrument panel was slightly reconfigured and they all came with the OBC and stalk.
If you have a 1999-2001 model and all you want is outside temp reading, you can just have it activated using the OBDII tool.
Just a follow up to this thread. I did eventually enable the On-board computer on my 1999 996, and installed a custom switch in the dash to control it. I bought a blank switch from "Stefanhydraulic", an ebay vendor. It's not a standard part, but Stefan made it for me on request.
I added the "up arrow" as a simple icon using masking tape and white spray paint. Now it works great!
Here is my dash with the OBC display enabled:
After much procrastinating (had parts for months), I completed mine.
All the button positions are pretty much full....originally I had the 3 blanks on the left and the original batwing was flat (no button positions)...
From top to bottom:
Spoiler indicator light (flashes when going up or down, up is a steady red, down is off)
Next button is to lower or raise the spoiler manually
Next button is to scroll thru the OBC menus and reset it (I used the PSE button screen with a different base - the sunroof switch)
Lowest button (lower console) is the garage opener
Reviving a bit of an old thread here....
I'm about to do the OBC hack using a switch rather than a stalk. I would like the switch to light up at night. To do this, I think I need a line that goes Negative (is grounded) when the night lights come on. Does anyone know where I can grab such a line?
TIA
If you use switch Type A, then the LED circuit is separate from the switch circuit, meaning that you can power the LEDs normally.
Edit: I guess I already answered this once...sorry. What happened with the Type A?
For anyone that is interested. Here is a pic of the wiring harness I built. It uses a defroster switch and two small relays. The idea is to change the modes of the OBC and to have the diode on the switch light up when the spoiler is depoyed ('cause I want to know!). It also illuminates (on all the time). The yellow wires are labelled with the pin numbers they connect to in the cluster. Wish me luck on the install! I tested out the harness with a meter and a power source and it all seems to work as expected.
I make a custom harness with the correct pins for the factory instrument connector.Hand crimped and soldered and wrapped to look like OEM factory. I have two versions , one for a stalk if you go that route and the other to use a simple switch (window or any other switch)
$45 shipped for the stalk version , $30 for the Dash Switch version. The stalk version has the correct OEM plug for the stalk...when you are done it will look factory to a Porsche dealer
Thanks
Dwight
[email removed]
I put mine in 2 years ago but never got around to wiring it
. Something else seems to come up that needs more attention. I was planning on doing this in the spring but had 3 months of convertible top hassles.
I make these by hand in my shop, one dealer actually bought one and then order 4 more to install in cars. He asked me where I got the Porsche wiring harnesses....I try to make them as close to OEM as possible
Dwight
Anyone who orders one from you will see your work speaks for itself. It looks every bit of factory, thx again. I should say I am more than capable of making one myself, however I lack the time to head to various dealers to assemble the parts, it was a no brainer to order from you, and I'm glad I did.
There are limited features that can be turned on (that the car has) and also that Durametric can code.
According to this DLR cannot be activated by OBC it needs a relay:
https://www.renntech.org/forums/topi...ts-on-us-spec/
Think I mentioned this to you in a previous thread.
