HOW TO: Make the VSP (noisemaker) button default to off

[Msportronics]

I'd like to get an opinion on what you all feel I should charge for my one hour of labor. Typically I charge 120 an hour, but I would like to give you guys a good deal. Let me know what you would all feel a fair price is for this. I'm not making money off parts, I'll show receipts. Just trying to be of help to anyone in need, but I'm also a busy man so I'd like this project to feel it was worth my time in R&D. My neighbor came to me as he is constantly coming home or leaving at late hours and was worried about waking the neighbors with his Leaf, which is how this project came about. I won't be offended by your answers, but keep in mind what the dealer charges an hour and give me an honest opinion here.

Cheers!

[jdstoddard]

I'm interested in purchasing as well! Do you have a video of the installation? Easy to do?

[therx7kid]

I'd like to get an opinion on what you all feel I should charge for my one hour of labor. Typically I charge 120 an hour, but I would like to give you guys a good deal. Let me know what you would all feel a fair price is for this. I'm not making money off parts, I'll show receipts. Just trying to be of help to anyone in need, but I'm also a busy man so I'd like this project to feel it was worth my time in R&D. My neighbor came to me as he is constantly coming home or leaving at late hours and was worried about waking the neighbors with his Leaf, which is how this project came about. I won't be offended by your answers, but keep in mind what the dealer charges an hour and give me an honest opinion here.

Cheers!

I personally would pay $125 shipped since you mentioned you wouldn't mind giving us a good deal. I don't want you to feel as thought you're getting taken advantaged of though. I try to put myself in your shoes and I know that I would feel comfortable with that price, if I was making these.

[Msportronics]

I ordered enough supplies for 25 kits. Some of the order came in today, the rest will be here tomorrow. There are only 17 switches in the US currently and I have ordered all 17. My parts guy is pulling some strings to get us all of them. Once we receive them, he will keep me posted on how long it will take Nissan to restock the US supply. I guess Nissan doesn't like when dealerships corner the market, so we had to break up the orders. Got the price down to 10.50 a switch and they are covering the freight to my place. We should have most if not all of the 17 switches within 5 business days. I'll update more as we progress.

Cheers

[Msportronics]

My guy at the dealership has 16 switches ready for us, with 6 more on the way. Nissan has already been trickling in new switches to the US (eight more currently in the US), so it seems as though these will not be the last of them. I have a total of 25 switches coming in and enough connectors and terminals for 25 kits currently. The switches should all be shipping on Friday, so we can finally move forward with this little project. If you would like to reserve a kit, just paypal me the cost of materials and we can do the rest when it is time to ship. PM me for more details.

[gshepherd]

While I love that EVs should be silent, as compared to idling ICEVs, as a pedestrian, I have experienced the unexpected silent hybrid backing out in a parking lot. That made me realize I'd rather keep the VSP on by default, but have the option to disable it when backing into my garage late at night.

I am a bit disappointed with the LEAF's backup bell, at least it is not an obnoxious bleeping like on delivery trucks (or worse, the cabin beeper that the Prius had, which was distracting and a hazard, in my opinion). The forward VSP sound is subtle enough to seem like it might be some gearing noise and the traction motor inverter. I only positively identified it as synthesized when I noticed the VSP sound continued for a half second even with the car stopped, then faded out. Creeping with the brake still pressed prevented the sound until a certain speed was attained.

[dimabas131]

Thank you very much for the [HOW TO: Make the VSP (noisemaker) button default to off] http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3296!
It worked very fine for me an my Leaf 2014!

Only the colors of the VSP Pins have changed:
1 (black wire) - my leaf: black : ok
5: (green wire) - my leaf: light green.
11: (darker gray wire with red stripes or possibly gray with no stripes) - my leaf: light grey - ignition 12 V
13: (blue wire) - my leaf: light grey - steady 12 V

And if you burn your fuse during pimping (so did I then chhange the 10 A fuse (3rd in the middle, named [Meter1]) in the fuse box left beside your steering wheel.

[Wineaux]

Just an FYI:

My cousin and his wife are both blind. They cannot hear EV's while they are moving. That's a big enough deal in and of itself, but disabling the backup beeping on your Leaf could have very dire consequences for both a blind person walking behind your vehicle, you the driver for having disabled the warning beep. Yep, it's a tiny bit annoying, but it allows blind people especially, but really anyone else walking behind a totally silent vehicle with no exhaust fumes to signify that it's running, that it's getting ready to back up.

For those of you doing this, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

[jjeff]

^^^ as much as many of us don't like the backup beeper, I really doubt many have actually disabled it I've basically gotten use to it and the only time it annoys me now is when I'm stopped in reverse(with foot on break) and am waiting for someone to get in the car, of course a simple solution would be to just put it in park.
I agree, disabling it could result in a lawsuit if someone got hurt or worse, which is why they probably did away with the simple off switch.

[gshepherd]

While it is possible to permanently disable VSP, I don't think anyone here is advocating that.

My hybrid doesn't have a sound effect generator, and there have been times I've had to toot the horn at sighted people ambling down the middle of a parking aisle, oblivious to the car creeping behind them. Something like a VSP would have been great to have instead of the blare of the horn. I also got into the habit of tapping the horn before backing out of a spot. Driving slowly through a residential neighborhood, it is always possible for a child (or even a smartphone-obsessed adult these days) to pop out into the street from in-between parked cars.

The 2011 US-spec LEAF came with a temporary override button to silence the VSP, say for not disturbing the neighbors when arriving home late at night. The switch was removed for 2012+ US market cars, likely in anticipation of US Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010. The compliance deadline had since been delayed from 2014 to 2018.

Good background info here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_ ... ing_sounds

VSP as it is now is an imperfect solution. It is sometimes too loud (late night) or not loud enough (busy parking lot). The backup bell is intermittent and hard to identify where or what it is coming from. The forward motion whoosh does not play during backing maneuvers. It would make more sense to have a backup sound emit from under the rear bumper. Some are unhappy that VSP doesn't have an "idling" sound. An improved VSP could continuously monitor the ambient environmental sounds and sculpt the frequencies and amplitudes as appropriate, sort of like auto-brightness on your phone.

The addition of driver-assistance technologies such as cameras and distance sensors, automatic braking, etc, should prove to be a valuable complement to things like VSP. Rear-view and all-around cameras are incredibly helpful already.

I'm patiently awaiting the day when all cars are much quieter. As a pedestrian, you almost need hearing protection at five- and seven-lane intersections with all the idling engines, let alone the exhaust fumes and heat.