Swapping Seat Cushions/Disabling "Babysmart" feature?
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Joined: May 2003
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From: Irvine, CA
1999 SL 600 Sport Model
Swapping Seat Cushions/Disabling "Babysmart" feature?
I'd like to swap my bottom seat cushions from side to side in my 99SL600. By switching them, I can get extra life out the leather and padding since the driver's seat gets the most wear and it is now four years old. The swap is quick and easy, the cushion assemblies are identical and only require the removal of two bolts that are located under the front lip of the seats. I recommend doing this.
The snag is that newer models have a Siemens supplied "Babysmart" sensor located deep within the cushion of the passenger seat. Its purpose is to sense whether a special compatible baby seat is installed and then to disable the airbag on that side of the car. If I simply swap cushions and disconnect the wiring, the SRS light goes on and the passenger seat doesn't have airbag protection. The switch is much more than a simple pressure switch. It has three wires and electronic circuitry.
I'd rather not peel the leather cover off both cushions to move the switch to the other one because I fear I may damage the switch or the leather during the process. The switch looks expensive and fragile--too expensive to just buy another one for the other cushion.
An inelegant solution would be to go ahead with the cushion swap and run an extension cable (3 wires) under the carpet to the driver's side so the sensor will detect my weight in the seat and the system will function normally.
But what I would really like to know is if there is a way to simply disconnect the switch and build a jumper with resistors or whatever (I'm competent in this area) so the system will always think the seat is occupied by an adult. To do this, I need to know the electrical parameters of the sensor when it is in the compressed status. I.E., what does it look like electronically? I called Siemens and they can't advise me on disabling a safety system. No surprise there--they cannot tell me how to disable their safety device.
My question: Does anyone know the electrical specs of the sensor or have any further information on it?
BTW- Never will a baby seat occupy my car. Period.
Picture of sensor attached. (sorry this is so wordy).
The snag is that newer models have a Siemens supplied "Babysmart" sensor located deep within the cushion of the passenger seat. Its purpose is to sense whether a special compatible baby seat is installed and then to disable the airbag on that side of the car. If I simply swap cushions and disconnect the wiring, the SRS light goes on and the passenger seat doesn't have airbag protection. The switch is much more than a simple pressure switch. It has three wires and electronic circuitry.
I'd rather not peel the leather cover off both cushions to move the switch to the other one because I fear I may damage the switch or the leather during the process. The switch looks expensive and fragile--too expensive to just buy another one for the other cushion.
An inelegant solution would be to go ahead with the cushion swap and run an extension cable (3 wires) under the carpet to the driver's side so the sensor will detect my weight in the seat and the system will function normally.
But what I would really like to know is if there is a way to simply disconnect the switch and build a jumper with resistors or whatever (I'm competent in this area) so the system will always think the seat is occupied by an adult. To do this, I need to know the electrical parameters of the sensor when it is in the compressed status. I.E., what does it look like electronically? I called Siemens and they can't advise me on disabling a safety system. No surprise there--they cannot tell me how to disable their safety device.
My question: Does anyone know the electrical specs of the sensor or have any further information on it?
BTW- Never will a baby seat occupy my car. Period.
Picture of sensor attached. (sorry this is so wordy).
