Any one mod the SMI Air Force One indicator?
Hey All! I finally bit the bullet to upgrade my Blue Ox Patriot braking system to the Air Force One. As I am looking at the install, the only thing I wish was different is the braking indicator la...
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I bought an Air Force One unit several years ago and it came with the red dash light. As stated there is an extra wire in the seven pin connector. I ran one wire the length of the coach and used a ground on the dash to complete the circuit. I mounted the light in the dash so it could be easily seen without looking around for it. It's a good test at a stop light to make sure all the connectors are still connected.....step hard on the brake and the light comes on.
Fast forward to three days ago. The old style Air Force One tapped into the air brake can, which the DOT and in my case Freightliner says is a no no. Now that we have a new coach, I ordered the newer version of the Air Force One which comes with it's own brake valve and ping tank that mounts to the coach. They really improved the system and eliminated wires and hoses by incorporating everything into two control units. The new one comes with a small red LED strip that is designed to mount on the back side of the towed mirror and can be seen in the camera. I'll just reuse the light on the dash.
Here's another issue some may experience. A lot of the new cars have dead brake lights when the ignition is turned off. On my other vehicles, if you step on the brakes with the vehicle off, no keys in the ignition, the brakes lights would still illuminate. On my Chevrolet Silverado, I have the dead brake lights. To overcome this, I mounted a small roller arm switch to the brake pedal that opens when the pedal moves and sends a signal to the light on the dash.
I'm mounting the towed components today. Their new system eliminates four wires and the need to have a secondary cable between the coach and towed.
Fast forward to three days ago. The old style Air Force One tapped into the air brake can, which the DOT and in my case Freightliner says is a no no. Now that we have a new coach, I ordered the newer version of the Air Force One which comes with it's own brake valve and ping tank that mounts to the coach. They really improved the system and eliminated wires and hoses by incorporating everything into two control units. The new one comes with a small red LED strip that is designed to mount on the back side of the towed mirror and can be seen in the camera. I'll just reuse the light on the dash.
Here's another issue some may experience. A lot of the new cars have dead brake lights when the ignition is turned off. On my other vehicles, if you step on the brakes with the vehicle off, no keys in the ignition, the brakes lights would still illuminate. On my Chevrolet Silverado, I have the dead brake lights. To overcome this, I mounted a small roller arm switch to the brake pedal that opens when the pedal moves and sends a signal to the light on the dash.
I'm mounting the towed components today. Their new system eliminates four wires and the need to have a secondary cable between the coach and towed.
