[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by hemi 4 3

Rocky mtn Ray
Thanks for the concise controller information. I just ordered the prodigy and am glad that I did. My last experience was in the late 70's when I had an old gmc 2 ton and installed a hydraulic unit that was t'd in to brake master cyl. and was basically an adjustable rheostat and it worked great.

My new magnum wagon with abs and other electronics would probably not like to be t'd into.
thanks again for taking the time to write such an informational article.

Hemi 4 3

2000 2720

Welcome. Yes I too remember those old rheostat type controllers....had a little hydraulic slave cylinder to a slider along a rheostat. Way back in the '50s my dad installed one on the family car (a '53 Ford). The problem, as Bill notes, is ABS is not compatible with them, they required a substantial volume of fluid to activate, and you're quite likely to cause a malfunction code in one or more of your vehicle's ECUs (electronic control units...aka computers). So they're no longer being sold.

However, there actually is a modern day equivalent to the old style hydraulic actuated controller...it's the Brakesmart system...instead of a hydraulic slave cylinder/rheostat it uses a solid state pressure transducer. Almost zero fluid movement since it's pressure based so it does work well with all modern braking systems (including those with ABS and panic brake boost). The problem is it's exceedingly costly (about $350 plus shipping) and the small company that makes it is frequently out of stock and not taking any new orders. I have a hunch that if anything breaks, you might have to wait a substantial amount of time for repairs as well.

You made a good decision to buy the Prodigy.