Electric Brake Controller Input

[RoverDude]

Can anyone confirm what voltages reading (range)should be feeding into the brake controller.

My assumption is/ was that it should be between 0v-13.8v ish (nominal system battery voltage) depending on the position of the brake pedal.
When I measure between ground and pin12 (violet/white) with a meter it reads 0v or13.8v. (on/ off)
nothing in between.

I pulled up the reported value on forscan, and the vehicle does see the brake pedal varied position, the voltage output though does not change.

I am not sure how proportional breaking is accomplished without it.
anyone have any insights?

Sponsored

 

[Brian_B]

What are you getting on Pin 14? BPP I think is Brake Pedal Pushed, which is an all-or-nothing output for the brake light. Not sure we are seeing all the wires in the diagram you have posted - 7 pin connector to the trailer obviously has more than 2 wires going to it, it's missing the ones from the standard 4-pin.

 

[RoverDude]

What I'm talking about and referencing is the electronic brake controller (Redarc Tow pro) which would connect @ connector 2608.
My question is specifically about the expected input voltage. ( Pin 12)
The output voltage, pin 14 goes directly to the 7-pin connector.
That can vary based on what I have the setting set to.
The issue I'm having, not being able to put the brake controller into automatic, looks like it's not getting a varied signal.

Automatic mode, should be equal to the brake pressure applied, which can be fine-tuned.
Currently it looks like the input is on/off, which to me makes proportional breaking impossible.
That's why I'm asking what should the voltage range, what should the input be?

 

[Brian_B]

What I'm talking about and referencing is the electronic brake controller (Redarc Tow pro) which would connect @ connector 2608.
My question is specifically about the expected input voltage. ( Pin 12)
The output voltage, pin 14 goes directly to the 7-pin connector.
That can vary based on what I have the setting set to.
The issue I'm having, not being able to put the brake controller into automatic, looks like it's not getting a varied signal.

Automatic mode, should be equal to the brake pressure applied, which can be fine-tuned.
Currently it looks like the input is on/off, which to me makes proportional breaking impossible.
That's why I'm asking what should the voltage range, what should the input be?

That... is a good question.

Might not be a proportional signal - just "brake pushed, send voltage according to trailer brake sensitivity", and it would tend to be a bit grabby if you just feathered the pedal as opposed to mashing it.

 

[dcaero]

No matter how many times I try to switch to and utilize proportional control, it only does on/off. I have the OEM brake controller and it simply doesn't seem to be capable of proportional control.

I've been thinking about replacing it with the Redarc aftermarket one, just to see if proportional can actually work. But it sounds like that's the one you have, and it won't do proportional either.

I realize the Ford one is Redarc, but just hoping there is some difference.

 

[MsPickles]

I have the Redarc aftermarket controller. I have pulled my trailer with it already, and automatic mode applies trailer brake pressure based on the g-force sensor in the unit itself. Harder I stop, the harder it puts on the trailer brakes. I haven't measured the actual voltage the redarc actually sends to the trailer brakes under different stopping loads, haven't had a need to at this point as mine seems to be working ok. Seems to work well, as I can feel the trailer stopping along with the vehicle, in soft or harder stops, it's not skidding or pushing me. In the instructions, it states that the controller has to be mounted to a firm part of the vehicle so it can correctly apply the trailer brake pressure according of the g-force sensor in the unit. So it seems the redarc unit is the item that should be varying the voltage to the trailer brakes.
I haven't tried manual mode yet, where you change the setting of brake pressure applied to the trailer by turning up the knob, 1 - 10. They recommend this mode for when off-road, gravel, where you'd want the trailer to be under your control, where a g-force calculation might not apply enough trailer brake pressure.

 

[dcaero]

I have the Redarc aftermarket controller. I have pulled my trailer with it already, and automatic mode applies trailer brake pressure based on the g-force sensor in the unit itself. Harder I stop, the harder it puts on the trailer brakes. I haven't measured the actual voltage the redarc actually sends to the trailer brakes under different stopping loads, haven't had a need to at this point as mine seems to be working ok. Seems to work well, as I can feel the trailer stopping along with the vehicle, in soft or harder stops, it's not skidding or pushing me. In the instructions, it states that the controller has to be mounted to a firm part of the vehicle so it can correctly apply the trailer brake pressure according of the g-force sensor in the unit. So it seems the redarc unit is the item that should be varying the voltage to the trailer brakes.
I haven't tried manual mode yet, where you change the setting of brake pressure applied to the trailer by turning up the knob, 1 - 10. They recommend this mode for when off-road, gravel, where you'd want the trailer to be under your control, where a g-force calculation might not apply enough trailer brake pressure.

Thanks for the clarification that the Redarc aftermarket controller indeed does proportional.

 

[RoverDude]

I was able to get it to change modes today.
I did remove power from the unit (unplugged it). And then restore power after about 2 minutes
After that I was able to recalibrate it.

I was able to verify that with a 7-pin trailer tester I made over the weekend.

It utilizes 10 w loads for each of the outputs.
(Leds by themselves will not properly replicate what is expected by the brake controller, or the tow module)

So it looks like it all works.

Sponsored