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Touch-Sensitive SKS and Gloves

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Tideland Prius, Oct 10, 2009.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Hmm.... another by-product of our unusually cold spell is that I have to wear winter clothing and part of that is the pair of gloves.

    For those that aren't familiar, the Gen III has touch-sensitive locking that replaces the black rubber buttons of the Gen II Prius' SKS. There are two sets of sensors, one on the top of the handle and one below the handle.

    You may lock the door using any combinations of the two sensors - top only, bottom only or "squeezing" both sensors. Normally, I just use the top sensor (although it seems that the bottom is more sensitive). Now that I'm wearing driving gloves (not the full winter ones), I'm not able to lock with just one sensor. I have to use two fingers and touch both the top and bottom sensor to lock the car.


    If i'm already having problems with the thinner driving gloves, does that mean it won't work with full winter gloves? Are we forced to reach down and press the lock button on the fob or use the rear hatch's lock?? (assuming you don't want to take off the gloves cause it's too bloody cold.
     
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  2. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    Have you considered moving to a place with a hospitable climate? :madgrin:


    I recall at least one or two people reporting issues with opening the Gen 2 SKS while wearing gloves.
     
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Of course! It's called moving home and I would if I could.
     
  4. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Have you considered actually -trying- the heavy gloves now? ;)
     
  5. TechCF

    TechCF New Member

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    I'm using thin knitted mittens without any trouble. Will try my thicker gloves later this week.

    I don't expect the handles to work when has to be dug out of snow and the door handles are frozen stuck with temperatures of -25 °C...
     
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Nope. I intend to keep it in the closet til it's -10 or lower. The driving gloves will suffice for now.
     
  7. jon_lin

    jon_lin New Member

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    I didn't even know a bottom "lock" sensor existed until I had problems locking the doors! I've already had instances where I needed to reach deep into my coat pocket to press the Unlock button on the remote.

    I just recently bought a pair of North Face TNF Apex gloves with good grip (great for cold-weather photography!), and have had no issues yet with the SKS sensors.
     
  8. syncmaster

    syncmaster Member

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    My wife is having a problem with her driving gloves, I am thinking about bringing the car to the dealer and make them replace it about 10 times then maybe toyota will realize their stupid mistake in their door lock design.
     
  9. JasonPro

    JasonPro Junior Member

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    Mine worked alright with driving gloves. I just had to press down slightly harder on the top sensor than I normally do with just my finger. Considering that sometimes rain or moisture from a car wash can trigger the sks lock, perhaps some of the snow around or dampness on your heavy winter gloves (assuming that there will be) will be enough to trigger it.
     
  10. IraS

    IraS Member

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    Out of curiosity I put on one of my my ski gloves and tried this. I was able to lock the car only by pressing both the top and bottom sensors. Unlocking the door was hit or miss. Sometimes it unlocked, sometimes it didn't. It seemed to work most reliably when I pressed the sensor closest to the inside front of the door handle.

    I suspect that with persistance you will be able to lock and unlock the doors without removing your gloves.
     
  11. maledyris

    maledyris New Member

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    I was looking for a similar solution, but not for the sks (that hadn't occurred to me yet). What I was trying to find were gloves that would work with my iPhone. Since both are capacitive, gloves made for one should work for the other right? Apparently there are several solutions for the iPhone.

    Here's a webpage with a list of some:

    iPhone-Friendly Winter Gloves Welcome Deep Freeze - BlackBook

    if I end up with a pair I'll mention it.
     
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    mm... good point maledyris.


    IraS, I haven't tried it with the full winter gloves yet.
     
  13. anniea

    anniea New Member

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    Thank you PriusChat! It got cold here and, with gloves, I found that touching the top sensor wouldn't lock the door. I was going to write about the problem, but was guided to this thread. I had no idea that there was a second sensor on the bottom! I decided to post this to make sure that others who might be having the same experience (brrrr it's cold) would know about the sensor on the bottom.
     
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  14. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    and thank you for using the search function!!! =)
     
  15. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    And thank you for saying that twice, almost negates the need to quote the post.


    ... almost
     
  16. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Thanks for thanking and keep squeezing those sensors.
     
  17. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Don't know why ... but after plinkin' in the desert last week-end, the other SKS came to mind ... and I couldn't imagine a touch-sensitive version of the SKS. Yugoslav yes ... russian yes ... but touch sensitive?

    [​IMG]


    ;)

    .
     
  18. mgb4tim

    mgb4tim Noob

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    Something like this helps... half glove, half mitten
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  19. liskipper

    liskipper Member

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    I need to remove my glove (heavy ski type) in order to lock my Gen III. I believe that is an inductive rather than pressure mechanism. Unlocking has not been a problem. Locking and unlocking the hatch, which uses a pressure switch, is also not a problem with gloves.
     
  20. regentofthesun

    regentofthesun New Member

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    Mine worked with medium leather/nylon gloves today. I dind't think it would but tried it and was surprised.