Remote charging of key fob

[MikeA]

I have a Transit based motorhome (van type).
I use the vehicle only very intermittently in the summer/spring and never from Oct to March.
Unsurprisingly the key fob battery is always discharged after the vehicle has not been used for a month or so.
My spare key fob battery is of course always flat.
This is extremely inconvenient as my van has to be parked on my drive way with the driver's door close to a wall. Getting the key into the driver's door lock is a real trial of contortions.
I like the transit van but the Ford design department has goofed with this battery charging arrangement and they have made the situation intolerable by deleting the other key locks.
Is there a solution to this problem? I have asked my local dealer but he said that the key can only be charged in the vehicle's ignition when the engine is running.
I would have thought that if the key fob is inductively charged and suitable charger could be used.
Can anybody shed any light on this and offer a solution.
Thanks!

[coconut]

You may be able to program a Fiesta (not the newest shape, the one before) or a facelift/mk2 connect remote key as they are also a W1 PATS type of key

[ake]

I take it they still have normal batteries you can change yourself when they go flat It would have to be programmed at a dealers though I take it

[Vee4]

This aspect of the Mk7 worries me too. Like MikeA, I park my van tight against a wall to the right at home, and usually outside my workshop. Hopefully, I won't be leaving the van that long, which would mean I have no work! However, it will apply to the spare. I will have to swap the main key and the spare every week or so. In this thread, bugadifino describes taking the key apart to inspect the battery:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=41699&start=0&hilit=mk7+key+fob

If that's possible, it may also be possible to charge the battery (with an appropriate charger depending on the exact type of battery), or temporarily fit a primary cell to gain access to the van. Can anyone check the battery in the fob and post the details: diameter, thickness, type number, etc?

Of course, Ford thinks it's a feature, not a headache, and I quote, "Self-charging waterproof key fob. Provided as standard, the key will not let you down, just when you need it most!" (Ref: Ford Panel Vans Brochure, November 2008).

[joe99]

Does anybody know how long fob battery should retain its charge when not in use?
I have two remote fobs so I just swap them over whenever I think of it, probably every couple of weeks or so and have not yet had any trouble.

If the charging process takes place by induction as suggested, would it be possible to build a device which replicates the field generated by whatever the device is in the vehicle near the ignition key hole?

Given suitable laboratory equipment, it may be possible to measure the frequency and strength of the field. I am assuming it is simply an AC field at some fairly high frequency

Closing thought: If you had a fob with a flat battery, could you simply stick it on the key ring of another vehicle and drive (the other vehicle) around for a day or so? In other words, does the key actually have to be in the ignition or is it enough just to be in close proximity?

joe99

[Vee4]

All good questions, joe99. I don't have the new van yet, but I'll be sure to find out - unless someone has already done it. Not something I ever had to worry about with the Mk5. They call it progress, I call it unnecessary.

[MinorMatt]

Joe...

I wondered about that... would it be possible to get the appropriate part of a mk7, wire 12v to it and put the key near it?

[Vee4]

Here is a contribution from nighthawk. It was some time ago - we haven't heard from nighthawk for a while.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17029&p=157778&hilit=key#p157778

[MikeA]

Thank you for your responses!
The key fob is sealed (waterproof!) and opening it will definitely invalidate the warranty.
It will contain a battery or possibly a capacitor. Once the warranty has expired I can get access to this and I should then be able to charge it using a conventional charger. In the mean time I have to use the inductive charger in the vehicle unless I can find out the inductive charger charateristics.
My local dealer was absolutely no use. They believe the key can only be charged in the vehicle it belongs to and the engine should be running.
Frankly I am very dubious about this claim but the Ford web sites in the UK/manuals give absolutely no further information.
If anybody can shed any further light on this issue I would be grateful.
Everybody who purchases a Mk7 should be warned never to park it for long periods with the driver's door close to a wall, or permit any other vehicle to park close to it!
I repeat again that if Ford believe they have done us a favour with this "technical innovation" they need to go back to fundamentals.
MikeA

[joe99]

Hi Mike

It would be an interesting exercise to take a small coil and use an oscilloscope to go looking for any response in the vicinity of the steering column.
Another possibility would be to try puting the discharged keyfob in close proximity to a loudspeaker of a CD system. Maybe just playing random music would contain suffficient energy at the required frequency, or it may be necessary to create a CD with a particular continuous tone.
At the moment, both my fobs are working fine (as well as being still under warranty) so I am not feeling inclined to mess about with them.
However if any forum members do try any experiments, I hope they will post the results here for us all to see.

joe99

[Nuckin Futs]

I am Going to try charging my mk7 key with a flat on my phone charger

http://www.howtogeek.com/162483/no-more ... -it-today/

I will post result.

[Mastertech]

Buy an inductive charger. Google it. Hint electric tooth brush aswell.

[wazzer987]

Buy an inductive charger. Google it. Hint electric tooth brush aswell.

I was just thinking about tooth brush chargers when I was reading the other posts !

[limitedblack]

Just fit an aftermarket alarm with central locking, then use the alarm fob to open it. Job done plus peace of mind too.

[apples26]

I was gonna reply as above that's the best option £250 spent we if you realised how easy a mk7 is to steal