How Much Voltage Should Be Applied To Brakes on Trailer w/ Electric Brake Controller
Updated 11/02/2011 | Published 10/30/2011
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Question:
How much voltage is aplied to the brakes on the trailer? is it a constance 12 volts or does it fluxuate depending on the position of the control on the pod if so what should it be from smallest to largest? thxs
asked by: Donny F
Expert Reply:
Your brake controller should be getting 12 volts of power going into the brake controller. The wire that feeds power to the brake controller is the Black wire. You can test this wire by using a multimeter part # PT89ZR.
The amount of power coming out of the brake controller depends on the adjustment of the gain on the controller. To test the voltage at the highest gain setting, you will want to sever the Blue wire a few inches from the back of the controller. Then, you will want to test the voltage coming out of brake controller at maximum gain setting. You should get around the same voltage as the Black wire, slightly less.
The amount of voltage at the trailer connector will also vary depending on the gain setting of the controller. You can test to make sure you are getting signal at the trailer connector by using a circuit tester to test the Blue wire.
If you are getting voltage and signal at the rear of the controller and the trailer connector, the next step would be to test the trailer brake magnets (see FAQ).
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