Lightning dead man switch

[Texas Dan]

I have driven about 100k miles using lane centering/Blue Cruise. I have always been annoyed having to keep my hands on the steering wheel using lane centering but on my last trip to Colorado there was a huge change, I found the Lightning dead man switch! No, I didn’t find a hidden switch but I did figure how to use the Hands On Wheel (HOW) notification to work like a dead man switch.

So we know that the yellow HOW notification comes on 12 seconds after you let go of the wheel and the red HOW warning comes 2 seconds later. I decided let go of the wheel, count down and grab of the wheel before the HOW notification came on. You know, one thousand one, thousand two….

That got monotonous real quick. I wonder if there was a way I could set up a timer to tell me when to grab the wheel. Then I realized the Lightning already has a timer that activates the HOW notification.

So started giving the wheel a quick grab when the HOW notification came on. I thought the Lightning system may get mad at for continuously set off the HOW notification but it never did. Basically I drive over 90% hands free with Lane Centering, 12 seconds hands free with a one second grab.

What’s amazing is how well Lane Centering drives the car all by itself. Lane Centering doesn’t need any help driving the car, it just wants to know that the driver is still there and alive. I drove on some pretty twisty road going to Colorado and back and, as long as Lane Centering could lock on to the highway lines, it would would ride the lines like it was on rails.

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[Ricks Lightning]

If you share this, and Ford realizes there's a workaround, they might send an over the air update to zap it. Of course if they update us to BC 1.4 we might just be tempted to actually pay the money for the real deal.

Yes, your workaround is basically what our present BC is like now. I was lucky to get 30 seconds of continuous hands free driving with my 90 day trial on my Flash.

Rick

 

[GDQ]

I have driven about 100k miles using lane centering/Blue Cruise. I have always been annoyed having to keep my hands on the steering wheel using lane centering but on my last trip to Colorado there was a huge change, I found the Lightning dead man switch! No, I didn’t find a hidden switch but I did figure how to use the Hands On Wheel (HOW) notification to work like a dead man switch.

So we know that the yellow HOW notification comes on 12 seconds after you let go of the wheel and the red HOW warning comes 2 seconds later. I decided let go of the wheel, count down and grab of the wheel before the HOW notification came on. You know, one thousand one, thousand two….

That got monotonous real quick. I wonder if there was a way I could set up a timer to tell me when to grab the wheel. Then I realized the Lightning already has a timer that activates the HOW notification.

So started giving the wheel a quick grab when the HOW notification came on. I thought the Lightning system may get mad at for continuously set off the HOW notification but it never did. Basically I drive over 90% hands free with Lane Centering, 12 seconds hands free with a one second grab.

What’s amazing is how well Lane Centering drives the car all by itself. Lane Centering doesn’t need any help driving the car, it just wants to know that the driver is still there and alive. I drove on some pretty twisty road going to Colorado and back and, as long as Lane Centering could lock on to the highway lines, it would would ride the lines like it was on rails.

Where/how do you touch or grab the steering wheel, and how quickly does it respond? I find that I have to grab it with a death grip and still it's a few annoying seconds of beeping before the HOW alert turns off.

 

[Bestword57]

Thanks, yes this is what I do, and I set the center display to "This Trip" and watching the timer I bump the wheel a little every time the seconds round to zero though I find it can go up to 14 seconds without the warning. I do keep my hand close at hand on the wheel to correct of course. Very relaxing until it finds a left turn lane or disappearing fog line it doesn't like which requires intervention.

 

[Texas Dan]

Where/how do you touch or grab the steering wheel, and how quickly does it respond? I find that I have to grab it with a death grip and still it's a few annoying seconds of beeping before the HOW alert turns off.

I agree that “grab” is probably not the right word to use. I have my hands close wheel and reach and turn the wheel with just enough force to deactivate the HOW warning when it comes on. The action takes less than a second.

 

[bmwhitetx]

Where/how do you touch or grab the steering wheel, and how quickly does it respond? I find that I have to grab it with a death grip and still it's a few annoying seconds of beeping before the HOW alert turns off.

I don't think touching the wheel or grabbing it is what is needed. It's you moving the wheel slightly that it senses. Not a touch sensor but a movement sensor.

 

[Texas Dan]

If you share this, and Ford realizes there's a workaround, they might send an over the air update to zap it. Of course if they update us to BC 1.4 we might just be tempted to actually pay the money for the real deal.

Yes, your workaround is basically what our present BC is like now. I was lucky to get 30 seconds of continuous hands free driving with my 90 day trial on my Flash.

Rick

I have the exact opposite opinion. I feel that Ford always intended Lane Centering to be mostly hands free but felt the instructions would be too complicated for many people to easily understand. I think the Ford guys now would be like, “Oh, they finally get it”.

 

[21st Century Truck]

I don't think touching the wheel or grabbing it is what is needed. It's you moving the wheel slightly that it senses. Not a touch sensor but a movement sensor.

A "shaky-shaker"? I sense an opportunity here for the always-inventive aftermarket...

 

[GDQ]

I agree that “grab” is probably not the right word to use. I have my hands close wheel and reach and turn the wheel with just enough force to deactivate the HOW warning when it comes on. The action takes less than a second.

Thank you! Knowing this is going to make hands free driving so much better!

 

[mrau]

The steering wheel senses the light torque,... not the touch.

 

[Texas Dan]

I used the process on some city streets today. Again I was amazed at what a difference it made. My Lightning was really driving itself down city streets.

Just remember if you try this you need good lines on the roads.

 

[Ricks Lightning]

I have the exact opposite opinion. I feel that Ford always intended Lane Centering to be mostly hands free but felt the instructions would be too complicated for many people to easily understand. I think the Ford guys now would be like, “Oh, they finally get it”.

Then if that's the case, how would they ever sell BC 1.1 -1.4?
My wife's 23 Honda has lane centering too with adaptive cruise control. Most higer end vehicles have it now.
But true hands free would be a charge.

Rick

 

[carys98]

If I need my hands I put a knee on the wheel and move it back and forth slightly. Normally I just keep a hand on the wheel and I’ve developed a slight twitch that keeps it happy.

 

[biers]

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