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[Walt2]

Well, its been a few decades in the making, but I finally bought a new vehicle that has Homelink.    

I was successful in programming the left and right Homelink buttons to operate my left and right garage door openers.

But now I want to also program the center Homelink button to operate an X10 unit.

I have the Homelink Vehicle Interface.

I use an extension cord to have the Home Vehicle Interface right in the vehicle with me.  I set the Home Vehicle Interface to unit code 1, slide the switch to "install", and press the center button in my vehicle.   Nothing.

OK, I see that unit codes 1, 2, and 3 might be reserved for the garage door status units.   So, I change the Homelink Vehicle Interface to unit code 4 and try again.   Nothing.

Each time, the Homelink in my vehicle appears to be in Learn or Receive mode.   That it wants to be programmed for a third garage door remote.   The yellow LED just slowly blinks.  Even after I hold it for 20 to 30 seconds.
 
I know that X10 instructions in general are notorious in omitting some critical step, assuming the user knows what to do.

How do I get the Homelink in my vehicle to be in, I assume, transmit mode, such that it transmits the signal that the Homelink Vehicle Interface wants to see and itself install/learn??
 
Anyone  with any personal experience they could share?

[Brian H]

There are programming instructions on this web page. If you don't have them yet.
http://www.homelink.com/program

I believe the lighting kit area is where the information is.

[Walt2]

Thanks for the reference, but it seems that's the same instructions I already have.   Specifically...

Programming

1.Move the RUN-INSTALL slide switch to the INSTALL position.
2.Turn the red HOUSE rotary dial to position "A" and the black UNIT rotary dial to number "1."
3.Plug the Vehicle Interface into an outlet, preferably in the garage.
4.Press and hold the Universal Transceiver button chosen to activate home lighting, releasing when an audible tone is heard from the Vehicle Interface. (If no tone is heard, the vehicle and the Vehicle Interface may need to be closer to each other during this procedure.)
5.After the tone is heard, move the RUN-INSTALL slide switch to the RUN position.

However, I never get the tone (beep) in step 4.  

Like I said, it appears to me that the remaining button on the Homelink in my new vehicle is in Learn/Receive mode (it is slowly blinking the same way the other buttons did when they were just about to Learn the signals from my opener remotes), and therefore there is nothing being transmitted for the Vehicle Interface to "see" while its in Install mode.

I guess I am looking for the trick to get the Homelink in my new vehicle to switch from initial Learn mode to some kind of Transmit mode; transmitting some default Homelink signal that the Vehicle Interface is expecting.

[Tuicemen]

What remote are you using to program the Homelink?
Doing a search here revealed many using the Icon remote to set it up.

[Walt2]

What remote are you using to program the Homelink?

For control of lights, the Homelink in my vehicle is the transmitter.  In this case, that makes it the remote.

The Homelink Vehicle Interface is the receiver.   It receives the signal from the transmitter, and outputs a standard X10 power line signal.

The Homelink Vehicle Interface appears to be some kind-of a custom variation of X10's own RF Transceiver.

[Tuicemen]

Maybe try programing with a x10 remote.
Knightrider may be able to help as he is one that I know set his up with an Icon.

[dhouston]

The Homelink Vehicle Interface appears to be some kind-of a custom variation of X10's own RF Transceiver.

No. The Homelink unit needs to be trained by programming it with a signal sent by a regular 310MHz X10 RF remote like the HR12A. The Homelink unit measures the frequency and duration of the pulses, saves the data to memory, and then sends the pulses at the required frequency when you want to control X10 lights and appliances. See what you need to program X10 here...

• http://www.homelink.com/about/lighting

Most garage door openers use a different RF frequency from X10 and the Homelink unit is sophisticated enough to deal with different frequencies.

[Brian H]

I have not seen the interface lately.
I believe it has a learn switch. Like the X10 OEM Black and Decker Master HUB had.

[Walt2]

The Homelink Vehicle Interface appears to be some kind-of a custom variation of X10's own RF Transceiver.

No. The Homelink unit needs to be trained by programming it with a signal sent by a regular 310MHz X10 RF remote like the HR12A. The Homelink unit measures the frequency and duration of the pulses, saves the data to memory, and then sends the pulses at the required frequency when you want to control X10 lights and appliances. See what you need to program X10 here...

• http://www.homelink.com/about/lighting

Possibly, this is the point that is confusing me.  

Those instructions you list (and I ready quoted them in a post by me above), say absolutely nothing about needing to use any X10 RF remote,  be it an HR12A or any other, in order to have my vehicle control an X10 unit.  Maybe that is the missing part of their instructions that I seek?

[Tuicemen]

This link shows you need a x10 remote http://www.homelink.com/about/lighting

[Walt2]

This link shows you need a x10 remote http://www.homelink.com/about/lighting

Not for me.  

I select "Programming a lighting kit" on that webpage, where the lighting kit is the Homelink Vehicle Interface (plus an X10 mini controller and an X10 lamp module), and then select my vehicle.

Again, the instructions it shows are (and there is nothing about needing an X10 RF transmitter):

Vehicle Interface

The HomeLink communicates with the Vehicle Interface (module with antenna) to activate home lighting.

Programming

1.Move the RUN-INSTALL slide switch to the INSTALL position.
2.Turn the red HOUSE rotary dial to position "A" and the black UNIT rotary dial to number "1."
3.Plug the Vehicle Interface into an outlet, preferably in the garage.
4.Press and hold the Universal Transceiver button chosen to activate home lighting, releasing when an audible tone is heard from the Vehicle Interface. (If no tone is heard, the vehicle and the Vehicle Interface may need to be closer to each other during this procedure.)
5.After the tone is heard, move the RUN-INSTALL slide switch to the RUN position.
The Vehicle Interface is now programmed and can be moved from one outlet to another without losing any programming as long as it remains in the RUN position.

Let me add, if I programmed the Homelink Universal Transceiver built into my car to "learn" an X10 RF command (using an X10 Remote), then it would later send that RF command to my regular X10 Transceiver, and not go thru the Homelink Vehicle Interface.  True?   That would make the Homelink Vehicle Interface useless.  If this is the solution, then OK, but such is not what the instruction say.

[Knightrider]

I can no longer remember how I programmed mine exactly, but it involved taking my icon remote out and having the car learn the rf. Think I had to use the Canadian directions supplied with the car, as the US directions were misleading in some way. I use a rr501 to transceive the rf to plc.