Upgraded and found a glitch on P-3

[lewster]

My Prodigy has a glitch in it, and I just upgraded it to a new Tekonsha P-3 controller. It is 'supposed' to be the next generation of controllers from Prodigy. I will be connectiong it later this week, and will be on the road sometime around the 18th of June.

I'll post a report about it's operation. It says that it has on-board diagnostics, more visible information on the screen and the ability to be used on either electric or hydraulic brake systems.

We'll see................

[Streamin 65]

Hey Lew
I recently replace a very old (POS) Draw Tite brake controller with the P3. The difference is night and day. I've never used any of the "better" controllers until now, but must say I'm extremely happy with the P3. From what I've read, it's inner workings are similiar to the Prodigy. However, it has the added benefit of a small screen that can dispaly error messages, brake voltage, set voltage, etc. It's pretty easy to operate and adjust on the fly. The backlit screen can be changed to multiple colors if you'd like and it can even display messages in french or spanish. I wasn't concerned with the latter bells and whistles, but it's nice to set the voltage and see error messages if need be. I also like the boost feature, and the #2 setting seems to feel right. It does have an electric or electric over hydraulic setting. Just returmed from a 200 mi. trip and think it was a great investment. It worked very well with the truck brakes. I also got a $20 rebate with it which brought the price down to $115 or so. It feels like a well made unit and so far, I'd recommed it. --dave

[Wayne&Sam]

Even the regular old Prodigy gives some level of error message feed back. On my first trip with the Safari I looked at it and saw that the brakes were intermittently not connected. I pulled over and determined it was a poor connetion between the male and female sides of the plug. I pried out the prongs a bit and we were on our way. I'm glad that's how I found out about the problem rather than by having to do a panic stop with no brakes.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

Even the regular old Prodigy gives some level of error message feed back. On my first trip with the Safari I looked at it and saw that the brakes were intermittently not connected. I pulled over and determined it was a poor connetion between the male and female sides of the plug. I pried out the prongs a bit and we were on our way. I'm glad that's how I found out about the problem rather than by having to do a panic stop with no brakes.

That's exactly what mine is (was) doing. I ran continuity checks on EVERY WIRE PATHWAY from the battery thru the controller, down the van to the 7-way, thru the 7-way to the trailer, to the ground bus, to the brakes, thru the brakes and back again. NO PROBLEMS!!

Every time you step on the brakes, they would work and then the NC message would come on for 15 seconds, and then return to normal.

After spending about 45 minutes with Prodigy tech support over 3 calls, we determined that the unit was bad and should be replaced. I'll be installing the P-3 over the weekend and will report back.

[silverback]

Lew,
What is the P-3? A new upgraded super special quantum nano Prodigy? And I have never unplugged our Prodigy. Did replace a bad one two years ago under warranty.
Thanks,
Ken

[lewster]

Originally Posted by silverback

Lew,
What is the P-3? A new upgraded super special quantum nano Prodigy?
Thanks,
Ken

Ken,

The P-3 is the next generation of brake controller from Tekonsha, makers of the Prodigy. They said that they incorporated a lot of user suggestions in the design of the P-3, and it has more useable diagnostics and on-screen info than the Prodigy does. Plus, they say that it is compatible with electric drum brakes AND electrically actuated hydraulic disc brakes.

More to come after the installation!

[lewster]

Got the P-3 installed yesterday. Much to my surprise , it is exactly the same wiring as a Prodigy and even uses the same wiring pigtail and plug (DUH!). The entire install took.......4 minutes.....and that was because the cradle that holds the P-3 would not fit in the old Prodigy space and I had to do a little 'surgery'!

You can choose the screen color (like a cell phone) and the diagnostics are much better than the Prodigy......things like amperage, if the connection to the trailer is good, shorted, open or if you have a grounding problem. Three boost settings are available which start the power to the brakes at a pre-determined level, rather than zero. I used the B-1 on the Prodigy and it worked very well. We'll see if the new one is any different.I haven't towed with it yet, but I surely will on Wed. when the cross-country trip starts.

More on the performance later...............

[jwe63]

I'm getting my new 07 Tundra set up for towing. I returned the "Hoppy" unit to the store when I read your glowing reports on the tekonsha. It seems i should load a P3 into my vehicle? Appreciate the advice. I'm still looking for a 25 foot airstream to tow.

Jim

[lewster]

OK,

Ater towing from Naples, FL to Albuquerque, NM in 2.5 days, the P-3 performed flawlessly! Nice diagnostics, big, easy to read numbers, and lots of cool color choices for the screen background .

I'm fairly certain that you can get a direct harness to wire it in to any major truck brand...even Toyota. I would spend the bucks once and get the best the first time. Plus, they have a lifetime warranty!!!!

[SilverCottage]

Originally Posted by lewster

OK,

Ater towing from Naples, FL to Albuquerque, NM in 2.5 days, the P-3 performed flawlessly!

Lew, it doesn't sound like you were using the brakes much to cover that distance in such a short time

[lewster]

Nope!

Just enough to stop for diesel, p-breaks and nappies .

The brakes WILL be getting quite a work-out after the Denver stop once I hit Wyoming and Oregon with the long 6-7% grades and downhills.............

[davidz71]

I installed my new P3 and it had the same wiring scheme as my Hayes-Lemmerz Energize III. I haven't towed with it yet but I have found one thing that concerned me. It was 98 degrees outside and after awhile the A/C inside my Chevy 2500hd did not seem to be putting out its normal cold air. The screen on the P3 looked like someone scribbled over it with a black magic marker. I've heard that when the underhood temps get rather hot on the 2500hd that the A/C struggles. Factory warranty fix was to install some type of fan with thermostat that blows onto the condensor which helps lower temps in that area and allows the A/C to operate up to its potential. I've had LCD stopwatches wash out like this on a hot day while running a pistol range. I went through two of them before finding one which worked without problems.

I'm hoping to take the trailer out this weekend to set up the controller and check operation of the DynaBeads installed last week. The AM Solar 65 watt panel also arrived today so I plan on installing it this weekend.

[Boondocker]

Lew, with a bit more time since the install, how do you rate this controler? By the way, who sells these?

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Lew, with a bit more time since the install, how do you rate this controler? By the way, who sells these?

Rodney,

I still like it! Probably the best I have used, but other's opinions may vary.

You can probably get them at Camping World (although I have a great disdain for those places). If you can't find one, let me know and I'll get you a private referral.

[fred bartlet]

Lew, I had the same Prodgy NC problem last year after I changed brakes to Hyd/disc's on my 2001 31'and then l installed the P-3. And vola, not a single problem in a whole year of towing with the new P-3. The Prodgy was great with the ol-electrics but they didn't cut it with the ActiBrake controller,even tho they said they would. It's not fun to try to stop when your getting a NC indication. I used the manual override and then the would take hold. The P-3 is a great product and works everytime. Now it's dream to use.

HaHa and disc brakes forever.

I found the best deal at PPL for the P-3