Has anyone mounted an electronic brake controller in their Ridgeline? If so, which one did you buy and where did you mount it?
Bob
Bob
Brake controller
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mcneon
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Nothing happened to them. They are still in wide use, especially on boat trailers, due to their simplicity. But the electric trailer brakes have many advantages, and are often worth the extra complexity particularly when towing near the weight limit/tow rating of the vehicle.
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Mounted mine in the cubby hole under stereo, using Velcro,no drilling and no knee knocking.
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I'm trying to learn whether this Hayman Reese Compact IQ TBC is available in North America. I like that it can be installed in a "blank" or spare switch panel, of which the Ridgeline has several:
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ISO Truck, you are a bad influence..... I really liked the idea of the CompactIQ from Hayman Reese after I read your post, and contacted the company in Australia to ask a couple of questions and see if they had a distributor in the US. No such luck on the distributor, but it looks like Hayman Reese and Tekonsha are owned by the same company and they do share technology.
Long story short, I found a dealer on eBay that does ship to the US and I ordered one. It should be here mid May and I'll post pictures after I get it installed. I have an RTL-T and think I will put the dial and LED in the two blank switch panels to the left of the steering wheel down by the bed light switch.
Is it worth the added expense/hassle versus just getting a more traditional brake controller locally? Of course not but I've spent more money on sillier things. :wink:
Here is the link to where I found it on eBay HAYMAN REESE REMOTE HEAD COMPACT ELECTRIC BRAKE CONTROLLER 12V CARAVAN TRAILER | eBay
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Sweet! Thanks for running this down and finding a way to purchase it. I poked around a bit but it never occurred to me to check ebay.
I'm curious about the shipping/customs charges, and will be very interested to hear how the installation goes. Sorry to make you the guinea pig, but I plan to order one if your are happy with how this works out. Please keep us posted on the outcome. Thanks!!!
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A quick update on the CompactIQ I ordered. I'm currently on a business trip, but the wife called and said the brake controller arrived today. No issues with Customs or additional duty collected. Cost to my door including price, shipping, and exchange between AUD to USD was $143
There was one issue in that the shipper dropped a number from my street name on the shipping label and it went to 2nd St and not 22nd St. The guy that lived there was great and Googled my name and figured out the correct address and hand delivered it.
I'll be back home this weekend and see about installing it. I'll try to remember to take pictures along the way.
Edit: Oops, just realized this is a G1 thread, and I'll be installing it in a G2.
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There was one issue in that the shipper dropped a number from my street name on the shipping label and it went to 2nd St and not 22nd St. The guy that lived there was great and Googled my name and figured out the correct address and hand delivered it.
I'll be back home this weekend and see about installing it. I'll try to remember to take pictures along the way.
Edit: Oops, just realized this is a G1 thread, and I'll be installing it in a G2.
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Thanks for the update on shipping/price, and glad it arrived as expected (nice guy at 2nd St!)
I don't think it matters much at all whether this is being installed in a G1 or G2. So please do share any photos and/or tips from the installation process. Once I get the thumbs up from you, I'll be ordering mine.
Does your G2 have any "blank" cut-outs that aren't being used? I have two on my G1, one in the bank on the center dash (between the seat warmers and 12V outlets) and one at the lower left corner of the dash. Haven't decided which would be better...
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Thanks Carsmak. I saw there was a G2 "where did you mount your brake controller" thread and figured I'd continue there and link to it, but continuing here is even easier.
On the G2 RTL-T there are two switch blanks to the lower left of the steering wheel. That is where I'm planning on putting the controls. I did pop out one of the blanks last week and they have clips at the top and bottom and a lot of support structure on the back side. I was hoping to be able to put both the LED and knob on one panel, but given all the plastic on the back, I may end up with the LED centered on one and the knob on the other.
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On the G2 RTL-T there are two switch blanks to the lower left of the steering wheel. That is where I'm planning on putting the controls. I did pop out one of the blanks last week and they have clips at the top and bottom and a lot of support structure on the back side. I was hoping to be able to put both the LED and knob on one panel, but given all the plastic on the back, I may end up with the LED centered on one and the knob on the other.
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I like the lower left too, because a) there is a blank switch there, and b) it is in very close proximity to the plug for the trailer brake wiring harness/adapter (so no worries about routing the wires.)
But the other option in the center location does have the advantage of being accessible to a co-pilot (for monitoring/adjusting).
On the other hand, we know that the TBC should work well (ergonomically) in the lower left location, leaving the center blank available for something else that might not work well in the lower left spot.
Decisions decisions.
Here are some photos of my blanks. (Note: On my 2014 the cruise controls are entirely on the steering wheel, so the lower left blank is next to the fogs and VSA.) I popped out the lower left blank but not the center blank -- some photos of that too.
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Back-up camera over-ride. Now that is something I had been wondering about and am frankly surprised isn't standard equipment on any vehicle with a camera.
Is there an actual kit, or did you just re-do that "blank" in photoshop?
The only vehicle I know of that lets you turn on the backup camera while underway is the Ram (check it out: https://youtu.be/r_bgKybvELI?t=1m25s). Like you, I wish all trucks with backup cameras had this feature, but there are probably legal concerns (i.e. distracted driving) with giving us such a capability.
Custom switch gear like that are sold by a few manufacturers, such as CH4X4 Industries (http://www.ch4x4.com/product/ch4x4-rocker-switch-backup-camera-symbol/). How one would splice into the wiring on the RL to make it work​ is beyond me. However, I think I saw a thread on the ROC about it a long time ago.
I think I found the thread that walks through how to install a backup camera override switch, written by @Skaught: http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/...ms/9-1g-mobile-electronics/23635-my-nav-screen-video-selector-drive-switch.html
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I got back home and had a chance to take a look at the CompactIQ.
The unit is about 2-1/2" x 2-5/8" x 1-1/4" in size, and is potted from the backside where the wires enter. The knob wires are about 24" long, and the LED wires are about 26" long.
![Image]()
The wiring interface is the same as the Tekonsha TBCs, so all you should need is the Tekonsha 3070-P harness for Honda to make it plug-n-play with the Ridgeline.
![Image]()
There are a couple of mounting options provided with the unit, either use the bracket, or the double sided foam tape.
![Image]()
It is also a 360 degree unit, so there is a lot of flexibility to what angle you mount it as long as it is aligned with the direction of travel.
![Image]()
That was all the good news, the only slight disappoint is that the labels for the controls are a little wider than the switch blanks and will need to be trimmed a little which will cut into the markings for the boost settings, so it won't be 100% aesthetically perfect.
![Image]()
The seller I purchased my controller from also threw in a 30A circuit breaker which we shouldn't need for our Ridgelines.
I'm now figuring out the best place to mount it and should have it installed by next weekend (time allowing). I'll take pictures and post an update after it is installed. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them.
RCNet
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The unit is about 2-1/2" x 2-5/8" x 1-1/4" in size, and is potted from the backside where the wires enter. The knob wires are about 24" long, and the LED wires are about 26" long.
The wiring interface is the same as the Tekonsha TBCs, so all you should need is the Tekonsha 3070-P harness for Honda to make it plug-n-play with the Ridgeline.
There are a couple of mounting options provided with the unit, either use the bracket, or the double sided foam tape.
It is also a 360 degree unit, so there is a lot of flexibility to what angle you mount it as long as it is aligned with the direction of travel.
That was all the good news, the only slight disappoint is that the labels for the controls are a little wider than the switch blanks and will need to be trimmed a little which will cut into the markings for the boost settings, so it won't be 100% aesthetically perfect.
The seller I purchased my controller from also threw in a 30A circuit breaker which we shouldn't need for our Ridgelines.
I'm now figuring out the best place to mount it and should have it installed by next weekend (time allowing). I'll take pictures and post an update after it is installed. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them.
RCNet
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@RCNet, Thanks! That is all very helpful -- much appreciated. It really looks like a well integrated design.
I had been wondering about the decal size. Bummer that it's a little too large for a standard Honda blank. I am going to check the dimension of my blank between the heated seat controls -- it's a little bit larger.
Another idea: There are some shops that make custom, high-quality decals. Maybe we could find one to replicate the decal but in a scaled down size that fits the Honda blank?
I had been wondering about the decal size. Bummer that it's a little too large for a standard Honda blank. I am going to check the dimension of my blank between the heated seat controls -- it's a little bit larger.
Another idea: There are some shops that make custom, high-quality decals. Maybe we could find one to replicate the decal but in a scaled down size that fits the Honda blank?
What if you cut off the manufacturer's name at the top of the decal; would that give you enough room to install it on Honda's left-side blank?
How wide is the decal @RCNet?
UPDATE: I found the answer to my question for RCNet. The sticker is 26mm (1.02") wide:
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