Prodigy Trailer Brake Wiring?

Well, I finally got to wiring up my brake controller, and due to the dash or lack there of on the liberty, I have put it on top of the dash to the left of the gauges, easy reach to the panic handle if I need to pull it, and to the boost button.

1) The wiring instructions say to wire it directly to the battery terminals. If I do this the unit will always have power, The manual mentions a power save mode if the vehicle has not moved for 15 minutes. Question is, will this drain my battery, as the Jeep is rarely driven unless I am going camping or wheeling? Could I install a switch to turn the power to the controller on when I am towing the trailer, and off when not, or not even bother as it doesn't matter?

2) with my mounting location on top of the dash, should I make a heat/sun shield to cover the unit from direct sunlight? When parked, I put a sunshade in the window that covers it, but will the sunlight/heat hurt the controller? I ask because I have only ever seen these controlers mounted under the dash. That was not an option for me with this vehicle, as the controller would have been out of reach and would have been beyond the 70 degree mounting threshold.

Thanks for any help/advice.

[Bill]

USAF Cop -

I don't have a Prodigy, so take this advice with a grain of salt. Others with better answers may chime in.

First, the Prodigy website isn't very helpful, is it? It works properly only in Internet Explorer (which annoys me), and it makes no mention of how much current is drawn in Power Save mode. Are you able to measure it? In other words, do you have a meter of some kind (DVM)? All vehicles have parasitic loads on the battery when the ignition is off, and the load imposed by the Prodigy may be small compared to these others. If so, you could ignore it. But you don't know unless you measure.

Second, you could always call Tekonsha tech support and ask them. The web site says 1-888-785-5832.

Third, there is nothing wrong with a switch, as you proposed, unless you forget to turn it on. But with the thing mounted more or less at eye level, that seems unlikely. So this should be a good solution.

The truly elegant solution is to use a relay to switch power to the Prodigy. But this requires that you find a place where you can connect to Ignition power (that is, power that is on only when the ignition key is in the RUN position). And much to my surprise recently, it isn't always easy to find. And it is probably overkill for this application.

Hope this helps.

Bill

I have the Prodigy controler and when not in use I just unplug it and store it in the house,No elec. drain,No heat ,No theft,No problems.When I hook up the TM I plug it in and go.Just mount with 2"Velcro works great.

I have the Prodigy and if there is any drain it is miniscule. My truck sometimes is not started for a month at a time and I've never had the slightest indication that the battery was weak.

Thanks guys, I was going to mount it in place of my ash tray with the pocket removeable mount, but that proved to be an awkward location to say the least, looked and fit great, but not user freindly. I used the metal bracket, so it would be hard to remove when not in use due to the Apillar blocking one of the screws. I can measure the draw, so I will do that. As for ignition power, my wiring/installation instructions say specifically not to do this, I do not know why, otherwise, the Liberty has 3 empty ignition power sources open in the fuse box, I have 2 of them used for my off road lights.


Again thanks for the inputs, and you are right, other than the phone number, the website is kinda useless, and I sat on hold on the phone number for 20 minutes Friday, and was then disconnected... Oh well, I will simply use my meter, or take Bfexel's testimonial, as I usually try to at least start the Jeep once month in the winter, more in summer.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by USAFCOP

As for ignition power, my wiring/installation instructions say specifically not to do this, I do not know why, otherwise, the Liberty has 3 empty ignition power sources open in the fuse box, I have 2 of them used for my off road lights.

USAFCOP -

I don't see that on the Prodigy web site, but nonetheless I would take their instructions to heart.

By the way, I suspect that the reason for this general restriction is that a Prodigy can control the brakes on as many as 8 wheels. Since each brake draws 3 amps or more, the total current could approach 25-30 amps. That is way too much to draw safely from the Ignition Power point. The TM's two brakes take 6 amps, and you might (or might not) be comfortable with that.

However, I wouldn't do that, either. My suggestion was to use a relay to take brake power directly from the battery to the Prodigy, and use the Ignition Power point simply to operate the relay. This approach takes maybe a tenth of an amp from the power point, and would ensure that the Prodigy is completely switched off when the ignition is off.

Sorry I wasn't more clear about that.

Bill

I'll jump in and give my two cents worth. I had my Prodigy installed the same time my trailer hitch was installed,first part of May 2006. Mine has never been turned off ! No problems with it draining my battery in my 2002 Dodge Caravan. See light on from time to time but never felt it was a problem.

Midwest Dave
Snow and Ice Capital of the midwest.

The prodigy stays on for 15 minutes after power is turned off and it doesn't sense any movement. Then it shuts completely off until you turn the key. I'm pretty sure the instructions detail this somewhere in there. I would recommend having it wired in precisely as instructed by you or a professional. Mine is hardwired into the battery through a relay and a circuit breaker I believe.

Thanks again. I may look into the relay if I end up with a problem. So far, as suggested, I will Wire it exactly as instructed with the curcuit breaker direct to the battery. I have an Optima Red Top, so it souldn't be a problem.

We had a Jeep Liberty with the Prodigy installed. We had our Jeep dealer do the wiring and the install. The were able to install it below on the lower panel and it was never in the way of operating or getting in/out of the Libby. We now have a Commander. I do know that the dealer installed the controller through a relay as macdasher stated. For Commander, they installed direct to the battery. Our Liberty was a 2005.