Factory brake controller

[kthaxton]

We need to establish a Ron1 and Ron2.

 

[Wiredawg]

so I'm the youthful one so I guess I'm Ron 2.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Big Enos and Little Enos?

 

[Wiredawg]

Enos or Anus?

 

[gsbrockman]

Enos or Anus?

I know who qualifies as the anus........

 

[Cummins12V98]

I know who qualifies as the anus........

 

[SnoKing]

OK children, my mother is prettier than your mother.

 

[Wiredawg]

woof!

 

[gsbrockman]

We need to establish a Ron1 and Ron2.

Perhaps like Thing 1 and Thing 2?

In any event.......I was coming back from MN today near Lyndon Station, WI on I-90 and took my mandatory :30 break at a rest area. There were a few pockets of congestion, due to construction, and low and behold......in the traffic.....was Cummins12V98’s wet dream maker.....

 

[kthaxton]

OK children, my mother is prettier than your mother.

Wow! I never had that argument when I was a kid....it was usually about who's Dad was toughest. Where'd you grow up?

Yikes!

 

[Wiredawg]

Wow! I never had that argument when I was a kid....it was usually about who's Dad was toughest. Where'd you grow up?

Yikes!

Now don't be judgmental, there are parts of the country where moms, sisters and cousins are fair game. Live and let live!

Cheers, Ron

 

[Wiredawg]

Back to the business at hand, I received my Tekonsha Trailer Monitor today.

I have two 7 pin trailer connectors on my truck, so I can actually read data with trailer connected. I dont believe I can read current in parallel. but I think I can read voltage. Been forever since Air Force electronics training, so some of you bigtime techs feel free to chime in to help good ole Ron out here.

We have quite an opportunity here to create more data to help the TDR community out with ITBCM issues and understanding.

I readily a await your sage advice

Cheers, Ron

 

[Dan_69GTX]

If this is like the other units I've repaired, it will contain brake magnets inside it. So, keep any credit cards, cassette, reel-to-reel, and 8-track tapes away from it.

Also if you have a pacemaker or defibrillator installed in your body make sure it is compatible with this device. (no joke).

If this is how it is made, I wouldn't connect it AND your trailer using the two plugs on the truck because you now essentially have 2 trailers connected to your truck.

 

[Dan_69GTX]

These are super handy for testing tow vehicles!

 

[Wiredawg]

If this is like the other units I've repaired, it will contain brake magnets inside it. So, keep any credit cards, cassette, reel-to-reel, and 8-track tapes away from it.

Also if you have a pacemaker or defibrillator installed in your body make sure it is compatible with this device. (no joke).

If this is how it is made, I wouldn't connect it AND your trailer using the two plugs on the truck because you now essentially have 2 trailers connected to your truck.

Dan, thanks, see sharing info is paying off already. No electronics in my body, but also good to know.

All, Just for everyone's information, I have a 12 volt power supply that I created a trailer connector to test for trailer light and brake testing, I cary my trusty VOM in my door as I use it a lot on the road. I'm going to refine it and carry with me so I can test truck and trailers on the road. Every now and then I run across a fellow RVer who needs help and always happy to oblige. Most of the help I provide in campgrounds is help with the audio/video. Campgrounds are great fun places to meet folks. I digress.

So, I don't have either my 5500 (backup camera gridlines) or my RV (collapsing front Lippert Leveling Jacks), both are in the shop, and I guess metaphorically, so am I. You impressed with a redneck Texan using big words? I am.

More suggestions and opinions welcomed. If any of you have already made a data chart, that would be gratefully accepted. If not, I have nothing but time for the next 8 weeks, so I'll add to my list of things to do.

Cheers, Ron

 

[GCroyle]

Ron,

Sorry to see I guess that's you with the cast, be careful.

Easy enough to see if it using magnets or a big high wattage low resistance resistor. If used and it acts magnetic, magnets but I also bet that because it has 3 axle setting, that's 6 magnets that thing would weigh a small ton. I've sorta found a wire wound resistor that can simulate the magnet load if I wanted to build a dummy load to plug into my tester.

That's where I made mine different, heck had no clue these existed. Mine plugs into TV and then trailer plugs into my box and I'm seeing "rig" voltage and amperage values. Next week I have a chance to try mine on "volunteers" and plan to capture data to help build handbook of recorded data.

If you're bored and wanna get back into Ohms law I think between their video and knowing that EACH magnet is about 3.5 Ohms wired in parallel you can start to calculate the total resistance of the trailer brake circuit and get the old Ohm's law wheel going and created predicted values.

And for those that didn't spend time in class like Ron no, it's not 4 X 3.5 ohms = 14 ohms you'll have to calculate for resistance in parallel.

And agreed, between getting truck controller produces XX and trailer values are XX controller settings are XX and PWM is XX this can be a seriously interesting I've gotta know kinda topic.


That is a cool looking tool and looking forward to next data installment and get better soon Ron

Gary

 

[Wiredawg]

Ron,

Sorry to see I guess that's you with the cast, be careful.

Easy enough to see if it using magnets or a big high wattage low resistance resistor. If used and it acts magnetic, magnets but I also bet that because it has 3 axle setting, that's 6 magnets that thing would weigh a small ton. I've sorta found a wire wound resistor that can simulate the magnet load if I wanted to build a dummy load to plug into my tester.

That's where I made mine different, heck had no clue these existed. Mine plugs into TV and then trailer plugs into my box and I'm seeing "rig" voltage and amperage values. Next week I have a chance to try mine on "volunteers" and plan to capture data to help build handbook of recorded data.

If you're bored and wanna get back into Ohms law I think between their video and knowing that EACH magnet is about 3.5 Ohms wired in parallel you can start to calculate the total resistance of the trailer brake circuit and get the old Ohm's law wheel going and created predicted values.

And for those that didn't spend time in class like Ron no, it's not 4 X 3.5 ohms = 14 ohms you'll have to calculate for resistance in parallel.

And agreed, between getting truck controller produces XX and trailer values are XX controller settings are XX and PWM is XX this can be a seriously interesting I've gotta know kinda topic.


That is a cool looking tool and looking forward to next data installment and get better soon Ron

Gary

Thanks Brother! Destroyed my prosthetic ankle, they couldn't repair or replace it, so now I have a fused ankle. Still grateful to not lose my foot. Now I'm seeing where we can build sheet with truck data, trailer data, build the formulas, calculate what values should be seen against what is actually seen.

Very interesting the way the government operates, had 6 months electronics telephony training in 1976 with o-scopes, multi-meters, and show up at first base, and telephone shop has no test equipment. You hear voltage in your butt-set (hope there's no censors on the forum) and simple two D-size battery tone and continuity buzzer. Oh, well, I'm happy to post my efforts and let y'all keep me straight. No pride or shame here on that count.

Thanks, Ron

 

[Wiredawg]

With all this skin in the game who don't have problems with our ITBCMs working to help y'all with problems with yours, I respectfully ask you to do the following:
1. get yourselves some spray contact cleaner small swabs, plastic non conductive pick and dielectric grease
2. open all the connectors you can find related to the trailer connector and clean the conductors on both ends with the contact cleaner swabs and pick. note any discolored (white, red, gray) that isn't shiney. Make it shiney.
3. Apply dielectric grease into female connector and squarely and securely fasten connectors.
4. look for any crimped, pinched, or crushed wiring.

I know we've mentioned this, but haven't seen any feedback that it's been done. We're here to help, so would be nice if you let us help you.

Thanks, hope to see some positive feedback on this.

Cheers, Ron

 

[jhenderson]

And when I do all that and you come up with the answer I gave everybody 4 years ago, then what? What makes you think that road speed has nothing to do with the conclusions I came to so long ago? You really think you’re that smart, or I’m that stupid?

 

[Wiredawg]

I don't think anything about you, I'm trying to cover what possibly hasn't been covered or what might cross out another possibility. I know that oxidation can do weird things. Please dont take offense. Do it or don't. You can't hurt anything trying. If you're convinced its software, I can't say you're wrong. Worst case, we get all the folks on the TDR and maybe organize a group complaint. I dont know. If that's the case, please ignore my comments as they are for the ones who may find them helpful.

Thanks for all your input; it's been invaluable in trying to try to figure this out and hope you still participate in trying to figure it out.

Cheers, Ron