electronic combination start sequence

[Bobby Joe]

So my buddy is building a car and is interested in setting up, let's say, 3 toggles and a start button. In order to activate the start button though, one must flip the toggles in the correct order. Once this is done, you can push the start button and off you go!!!

...now I know there are some electrical gurus in here...so how the neck would you go about doing something like this?

 

[SONICJK]

are you talking like 2 up one down?
Or flip a three times, then b, then c twice?

The first one should be easy enough, the second you'd need a microcontroller I'd think.

 

[Midwestgl500]

I would find a way to use the door lock from a ford explorer so you would actually have to use a code on a key pad.

 

[fresh_c]

You could have a series of relays that "unlock" based on the combination of switches. I'd offer more but we had our company Thanksgiving dinner and now I've got the itis.

 

[Bobby Joe]

I was thinking along the lines of a combo lock. Say you have the 3 switches. 3-up, 2-down, 1-down, go light turns on and the push th start button. Or any combo. 3-1-2,2-3-1,etc. The Ford key pad is a slick idea, we may be able to get that to work with an Arduino. Part of the toggle switch idea is getting that Top Gun feeling each time you go for a drive.

 

[Tim]

Put an old NES controller on it and use a Konami code.

 

[Bobby Joe]

Hahahaha. That would be funny

 

[StinkBug]

You could also make it functional and have each one turn something on. 1-fuel pump, 2-ignition, 3-gauges, 4-starter, etc. Pretty much how most race cars work.

 

[fallenallstar]

A few minutes on google brought me to this thing:
http://www.asianwolf.com/car-alarm-smartkpl.html

Site and item looks sketchy, but interesting.... Even shows it on bike.

 

[Bobby Joe]

You could also make it functional and have each one turn something on. 1-fuel pump, 2-ignition, 3-gauges, 4-starter, etc. Pretty much how most race cars work.

I was thinking something along this line anyways. But if you just have to flip all the switches, then there would be no security. Maybe they can be 2-way switches and if you flip it the wrong way...it doesn't work. But that kind if comes off as lame. Who know what it will end up like...

 

[Bobby Joe]

Fallenallstar, that is basically the same thing as the Ford option. The more I think of it, the more hokey the idea sounds. Thanks for the research tho!!