The P3 appears to have one capability that the P2 and earlier Prodigy models don't have To me, it is an extremely important one. It appears that the P3 can display the current flowing through the brakes, whereas earlier models can display only the voltage being applied. These are functionally equivalent as long as both brakes are connected and operating. However, if one of the brakes becomes disconnected, or the magnet burns out (leaving only one of the two brakes in operating condition), then the applied voltage won't change, but the current will be cut in half. A readout of current (amps) will tell you this. A voltage readout (volts) will not.
If BOTH brakes go out, the controller will warn you. But if only one brake goes out, the controller cannot detect this. This leaves you in a potentially catastrophic situation, since braking power will be cut in half, and the power that remains is on only one side of the trailer, which will tend to throw you into an unexpected turn.
I'm a little sensitive to this issue, since I lost one brake while descending a very steep, twisty mountain road in eastern Arizona several years ago. My controller at the time had a current readout (amps), and since it showed a max brake current of only 3 amps (as opposed to the normal 6 amps), I knew of the problem immediately, and was able to descend in a slow, controlled manner. If the readout had been volts, the outcome might have been different. The same result could happen if you tried to brake on a road that is straight and level, but slick (rain).
I now have an earlier (two years ago) model of the Prodigy, and it works well, but this particular failing drives me crazy. I may give up and trade it in on a P3.
Bill
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