Ram integrated brake control

brulaz wrote:

otrfun wrote:

...
If a brake controller is not capable of producing 12vdc (as read by any standard VM) and/or 3a (at each brake, as read by any decent clamp-on ammeter), then it is not performing up to the generally accepted industry standard.

Me Again, curious, can you explain why the voltage and current readings on my 2016 Ram IBC increase at the same proportional rate until reaching the following maximum values? V = I x R.

2016 Ram IBC:
~8 vdc, 66 percent of 12 vdc.
~2 amps, 66 percent of 3 amps.

Here are the maximum voltage/current readings I observed after disconnecting the Ram IBC and installing a Tekonsha P3 on the same 2016 Ram truck (connected to the same trailer):
~12 vdc, 100 percent of 12vdc.
~3 amps, 100 percent of 3 amps.

Thanks!

When you took those measurements, was the truck moving at highway speeds? I'm pretty sure the RAM and others reduce the controller output at low speeds. But the P3 does not.

Have read on another forum that it was at low speeds, around town, that people were having the problems with the RAM controller. I got the impression that RAM was being too aggressive in cutting down the output at low speeds.

That's a good question.

I keep hearing that the Ram IBC reduces output at low speeds, or only produces a full 12v above, say, 30-35 MPH. Could be true; however, I'm not going to bet my safety on internet hearsay.

At the time I was making these voltage/current readings I was getting ready for a cross-country trip and didn't have a suitable location nearby (or the time) to safely simulate a full panic stop. However, I did push the Ram IBC manual slider to the maximum braking position (full left) at 45 MPH and read the same 8v. Honestly, that was enough testing for me. If I can't get maximum braking voltage from a brake controller manually, then there's no way I'm gonna trust that it's somehow going to magically do it when I have to stop my truck and trailer in an emergency. In any case, there may be situations where I may need a full 12v even with the manual slider. That in itself is a no-go in my world.

For my situation, the Tekonsha P3 has been a dramatic jump in functionality over the Ram IBC. The fact that it produces a full 12v and 3a to each brake under ALL conditions, manually, while stopped, slow speeds, fast speeds, automatically, without any delay or excuses is a very big deal. I also like the boost mode (B1, B2, and B3), which allows the driver to fine-tune braking response at slow speeds. In addition, you can easily monitor battery voltage, braking voltage and braking current, realtime, under all conditions. It's comforting to visually see the P3 producing everything from 0-12 volts (and 0-12 amps of current for the 4 brakes on my trailer) quickly, seamlessly while I brake. These are critical data items, just like the gas, temp, oil, water, and tranny, gauges on your truck.

In any case, for those of us that need a full 12v of braking voltage, I'm hoping Ram comes up with a firmware fix. If/when they do, it would only take me 10 minutes to remove my Tekonsha P3 and reactivate my Ram IBC.