Gerbing Dual controller help - It's dead

[jmcarruth]

You guys who use coaxial plugs on heated gear: how tight are those connections. The SAE connectors are very tight. Not much of a problem on the Battery Tender alone.

Coaxial plugs on AC adapters aren't particularly tight and can easily be pulled out. Is this the case with heated gear? Is it likely that it can be accidentally unplugged? Obviously I'm unfamiliar with modern heated stuff. My only experience was with the old Eclipse heated vest (which I still have but may not fit ) and it uses an SAE plug.

I use SAE, but most of my stuff is 15+ years old and adaptors are required for my newish Gerbing jacket liner. My old Warm&Safe liner has SAE. W&S used to give you the option, but not I don't think so now. Both brands use coax as far as I know.

I have my old school single, SAE Heat Troller in an old, cut down cell phone case that allows me to clip it to the tank bags on the ST, KLR and Ducati and the fairing on my Harley. There is one wire going to the heated liner. Simple, neat and easy. You will for get about plugging in and being plugged in eventually, so the coax connectors may be better anyway as break away strength is less with less potential for damage. None of my riding buddies have ever complained about their coax connectors accidently coming apart..

 

[ST Gui]

I bet that Eclipse vest shrunk, right?

Yeah that's what I get for not letting it get some sunlight! I'd have to wear it like an old West cowboy vest.

I have not had accidental unplugging problems. However, the loose nut behind my handlebars HAS forgotten to unplug before dismounting. In every case, the plug came undone with no damage (well no visible damage).

You will for get about plugging in and being plugged in eventually, so the coax connectors may be better anyway as break away strength is less with less potential for damage. None of my riding buddies have ever complained about their coax connectors accidently coming apart..

I figure the the coax connectors would separate easily during an absent-minded dismount. But it's good to know they stay together when there supposed to.

Maybe it's worth a look to see shrinkage has damaged the Eclipse's wiring before I spend big money on other heated gear.

 

[nerSTeve]

[FONT=&quot]Thank you for all those that tried to help. Seems it was just bad soldering. Removed the solder to the control knobs to get the board out, desoldered the leads and resoldered everything back together. Working like a champ again. Thanks Smash for the $5 sale a little over a year ago![/FONT]

 

[ST-venture]

It is not uncommon to have cold or cracked solder joints on electronics. I remember having to re-solder PC board connectors on my old Yamaha Venture suspension control circuits to fix error messages.

 

[Blrfl]

Just to pile onto the other replies...

I'm wondering how much of an advantage that truly is, particularly if you have to rely on batteries to operate the controller instead of just using 12v power from the bike.

My policy is that if the bike is running, the accessories must be, too. In this case, I looked at how everything would work out in practice and decided to make an exception.

The type of processors they'd put in the remote unit are designed to draw almost no current when they're asleep, which is all but a tiny fraction of the time. When you first turn it on or move one of the knobs to change the temperature, it wakes up long enough to turn on the radio, squirt a few bytes to the receiver, wait for confirmation, blink the LED a few times and go back to sleep. Unless you're constantly fiddling with it, a set of batteries is going to last a very long time. Everything else is powered by the bike. If you're going on a trip, either throw in a set of fresh batteries or, if you really want long life, lithium batteries will run a few extra dollars. Even if they run down, they're available at any gas station and take a minute to change, or you can tuck a spare set away someplace since they don't occupy a lot of space.

Other pros:

Compared to the built-in type, I can have the knobs within easy reach of my left hand without alterations to the bike. Mine's stuck onto the bottom of my satellite radio with Velcro. They can also be relocated easily if I don't like the ergonomics.

Anything heat-related can be removed during the warm season, meaning a bit less weight, less exposure to the rigors of being out on a bike and possibly a longer life.

Less wiring hanging around you and your gear. The lines for my jacket and gloves get split out inside the jacket, leaving a single wire that exits my left pocket and runs about 18 inches to a Powerlet by the shock adjuster knob.

The entire setup can be moved to other bikes.

Fewer potential points of failure.

If you use the permanently-wired type, your power sockets can just supply 12V and aren't dedicated to the heated gear by virtue of being wired to the controller. That means you can use the same one to connect your tire pump and battery tender (if unswitched).


Cons:

The receiving end adds a lump in your jacket that's a bit bigger than a Fig Newton. (Warm 'n' Safe builds a small pocket into its jackets for it that keeps it out of the way and in place.)

If you're riding in extremely cold weather (below 0?F) for long periods, the batteries may not perform as well. This is probably not a huge factor since it's a low-current application and can be mitigated by using lithium cells. If you have the constitution to be riding in weather that cold even with heated gear, please write c/o Blrfl's Cycle Center for a free set of lithium batteries for your Heat-Troller and my undying respect. :bow1:

Wireless is more expensive. This is somewhat offset by the fact that if one of the units in the pair fails, you only have to replace that part and not the whole thing.


--Mark