Hello, I am mainly using my prius v as a camper. at night I like running the fans to circulate fresh air in, problem is that the prius turns itself off if its not in ready mode. When its in ready mode I am constantly woken up by the engine as it tries to keep itself warm. I have added enough AGM capacity to run the fan on all night so it shouldn't need to be charging itself. My question is: -Is there a way to program the prius as not to shut off when in On position (not ready) after an hour, so that i can keep fans running. -Program the ready position as not to want to keep engine warm (to only run engine when battery is below a certain capacity) -Program the charge mode so that it runs the engine when it is at custom limits, so turns on at below 20% and off at above 80%, that way it runs longer but less times, as to not interrupt my sleep as frequently. My last thought is to just manually power the car fan with a custom switch that i just hot wire to my agm battery bank. Thanks! Alex
Unfortunately, other than keeping it in Ready, all are no. The blower is variable speed and has no straightforward way to hot wire it. I agree the frequent engine starts and short charging cycles are annoying. Also it is bad for the engine by excessively thermal cycling. It might be possible to emulate the speed control from the ac amp computer to the blower module but that would require some research to identify the required pulse train followed by wiring a switch to isolate the input. The switch would then feed an external pulse generator into the blower module.
Long-time member hobbit did exactly that for the Gen 2 blower controller: Prius camping Shouldn't be hard to do the same thing, mutatis mutandis, for the v.
I would not copy the hack exactly since the gen3 has a different circuit. For example the 12v is not switched through a relay on gen3s. The author of the hack also mentions his illustrated circuit was revised. While he describes the changes and a tech or hobbyist could extrapolate, he does not share the modified schematics. Regardless the concept is there. Today one could buy an adjustable pulse generator module from ebay for $5 and possibly run it direct or use with an add-on output stage. Using an oscilloscope to accurately verify the required range of pulse widths and voltages would be my path unless the repair manual shows the data. The superb solution was briefly mentioned, eg the factory gen3 solar blower fan circulation option. If it were possible to retrofit this rare option, at minimum the electronic control and firmware portions, emulating the solar power would be the only requirement for operation without Ready.
If I recall correctly, the fan motor used with that option was brushless, while the normal one is brushed.
... a decision they probably made to have it last longer, with all the extra run hours the solar system puts on it. So if you'll be doing a lot of camping with it, upgrading the motor might be a thing to consider. Both motors have the same electrical connector and pinout. You might get away with just cobbling in the Solar Ventilation Relay (or something equivalent), with a homebrew pulse generator wired to 3B pin 59 (where the pulse output from the Solar Ventilation ECU would go), rather than adding the whole extra ECU. The solar vent ECU has a PVSW output that would connect to the A/C amplifier to tell it whether the solar vent switch is in or out, but I'm not sure you'd even need that. The A/C amplifier uses the signal to switch the outlets to the face vents after you leave the car, but for camping purposes you'll probably just set the outlets how you want and expect them to stay there. There's also an SSLR communication line between those two ECUs, but you can probably do without that too. Techstream is able to tell you some things from the solar ECU, like the panel voltage, and that link is probably how that happens, but you might not care. I'm looking in the Gen 3 liftback books, so some details could be slightly different for the v. That's the kind of stuff I was thinking of when I added mutatis mutandis.
After further review, it appears the 2012 v did not have a solar roof or remote ac option. Instead they offered a larger panoramic glass roof. The v's ac capacity was also upgraded for the vehicle's larger volume. So the only reasonable approach might remain the direct blower hack. From the 2012 Hatchback brochure (with nothing comparable in the v's literature)
The 2012 v blower, 87103-02210, is the same part number as the brush-commutated one used in the Gen 3 liftback. So the brushless one, 87103-47041, should also be substitutable for it, if a person were interested. It lists for about $20 more than the one with brushes. Interestingly, I see that the brushless one was also standard in the PiP, even without a solar vent option. Probably the only point in switching to the brushless one would be to extend its longevity, so maybe that's not much of a win, compared to just waiting to see if the one you've got ever wears out on you. The brushless one might also be a bit quieter, maybe. The two versions are powered and controlled the same way.
I can just wire in my own PWM circuit to control it, I've built several using IoT chips so shouldn't be too hard to do it. But yes I am concerned about back feeding power into other circuits and causing issues.
I am currently doing this, but its such a clumsy setup and bulky, when every inch matters it would be much better to use something built in.
A simple switch and the pulse generator properly configured for pulse duration and voltage. The hard part for a hobbyist will be accessing the wire that needs the switch. There is always possibility of miswires damaging the ac amplifier control. Proper technique, connectors and factory signal verification would be the prudent approach. You might buy an ebay blower and practice on the bench.
