# Brake Controler



## countrygirl (Apr 9, 2006)

We currently have in my truck a brake controller called Accutrac Accupower.

Does anyone know is this is sufficient for our rig?


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

There are dozens of different brake controls and most of them are at best, 2nd best to the the Prodigy.

Will the one you have work under ideal conditions and after tweaking it it just right, sure but change the conditions and you have no chance.

Get a Prodigy and set it up as directed and you may forget you have it as you should not have to adjust it again. For the price it is the BEST electronic brake control you can get.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Have to agree with Andy. The Prodigy is as good as it gets.
How your current unit work, I don't know.
But the Prodigy! YEAH BABY!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

what they said!!


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## countrygirl (Apr 9, 2006)

We are going to Camping World this weekend...I have made a wish list on there site and I have it printed out...the Prodigy is at the top of the list. BTW...ya don't wanna see my list...it is long.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Might find a better deal online....never really had much luck with deals at Camping World.


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## akdream (Mar 21, 2006)

I have been looking at replacing the controller in our TV with a Prodigy, looks like e-bay has alot at good prices, if you trust e-bay.


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

There are quite a few online stores that are selling it for around $100 also.

You may also save sales tax doing it that way......

STeve


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

RVWholesalers.com used to sell them for $99, with free shipping I think. Don't know if that deal is still valid, but it is worth checking out.

Tim


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## h2p (Apr 28, 2006)

countrygirl said:


> We are going to Camping World this weekend...I have made a wish list on there site and I have it printed out...the Prodigy is at the top of the list.Â BTW...ya don't wanna see my list...it is long.
> [snapback]116489[/snapback]​


I think the prodigy is on sale this week at Camping World for $119.00 if you are a member. Online I purchased mine for $99 + $7 S/H so it's in the same ball park at least. Plus Camping World is setup quite nicely to test out your new brake controller, TV, and trailer if you end up having any wiring issues.

You might even consider buying the 3000lb tongue jack for $159.00 if you don't already have one


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

How does the Prodigy work? Is it a direct connect to the brake pedal or is it inertial or a combination of both?

Reverie


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Reverie,

Prodigy is Electronic and as others have pointed out no need to reset it unless you unplug it. It is also available with no fuss connector for the Tundra.

For the others looking at buying one you can get them for less than $115 with a connector on the internet. I believe I got mine at PPL(something or other).


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Reverie - I literally cut the connections from the one that was installed on my truck and soldered in a Prodigy. Piece of cake.

Regarding Camping World and Prodigy...I found a smokin' deal on the internet for Prodigy, printed out a receipt as if I was going to order it from the web and took that to Camping World. They honored the internet price. For me, that was a savings of just about $50!

So, I would suggest doing all your "shopping" on the internet, print out receipts and take them with you to Camping World and they will honor those prices. I'm not a member of Camping World either!







Happy shopping!


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

Reverie said:


> How does the Prodigy work? Is it a direct connect to the brake pedal or is it inertial or a combination of both?
> 
> Reverie
> [snapback]116638[/snapback]​


Rev,

It is a combination of both. Here is the spec sheet on the Prodigy.

Prodigy Spec Sheet

Happy Outbacking,

Tim


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Rev

RU's answer is probably more appropriate then mine. I believe it goes something like this. Initial Brake signal is provided electronically via the foot pedal. Then if you use Boost that is where the inertia comes in as there is no other electrical feedback loop to provide when to activate the Boost. At least I didn't find one looking at the controller not to mention of course where is the sensor on the trailer.

Inertia controller might be termed "Suicide Controller". If you relied on Inertia only then you would have to hit the brakes then the controller would have to sense the change in inertia and apply the brakes to the trailer. Never really looked into them hard but I hope there was never such a thing a a purely inertia controller for obvious reasons.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

NJMikeC said:


> Rev
> 
> RU's answer is probably more appropriate then mine. I believe it goes something like this. Initial Brake signal is provided electronically via the foot pedal. Then if you use Boost that is where the inertia comes in as there is no other electrical feedback loop to provide when to activate the Boost. At least I didn't find one looking at the controller not to mention of course where is the sensor on the trailer.
> 
> ...


Well it all depends on how you figure time. The Prodigy controller can be set to a pure inertia controller if you operate it with no boost.

The control uses an accelerometer which is constantly sensing every minuet rate of change in the TV/TT combination. As soon as you pick your foot up off the gas the combo begins to decelerate and the Prodigy senses this and will anticipate the application of the brakes by having an amount of applied voltage ready to go once it gets the brake signal feed back from the brake pedal. If you have a boost setting the amount of initial applied voltage will be higher but even without boost there is an elevated initial application. The control feed back is internal and it is based on the applied G force on the accelerometer during braking. High G forces will result and higher braking response.

The Prodigy reacts in milliseconds to changes in the inertia of the TV/TT combo so in this case I am glad it is available.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

OK, you guys are giving me a headache!







All I know is that when I connected it up, it works!


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Andy,

Excellent explanation!

Thanks


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## countrygirl (Apr 9, 2006)

This stuff is over my head...is the boost thing part of the Prodigy?


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

countrygirl said:


> This stuff is over my head...is the boost thing part of the Prodigy?
> [snapback]116969[/snapback]​


Yes....

It has 3 settings.
No boost.

Boost 1- for trailers about the same weight as tow vehicle.

Boost 2- for trailers over the weight of the TV.

(If I rememember correctly!!!)









Steve


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## countrygirl (Apr 9, 2006)

Thanks for the info...btw...Campingworld has not opened up near me yet...so we did not go. That means I need to get busy and order some essentials!


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## rallsfam (Feb 26, 2006)

Hi guys!

A couple of things:
1) I absolutely love my Prodigy Brake Controller. I had never used one before I bought my 28RSDS. I installed it and set it up exactly how the book said and it worked AWESOME!!! I was very nervous hauling that big TT for the first time, but when I knew that the brake controller was working...most of my fear/nervousness went away. The prodigy has a little slide lever on it that allows you to apply TT brakes without riding the TV brakes. A very nice feature. Setup is a breeze! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE PRODIGY!!!

2) Yes...Camping World is a little pricey, but they have lots of great stuff. However, I ended up getting my Prodigy from an Ebay Store. I got the Prodigy and the OEM Harness for my Dodge RAM for about $108 including shipping. It arrived brand new in the box. As with any online auction site, you must be careful who you buy from. I would recommend only buying from people who have NO Negative Feedback.

IMHO...you can't go wrong with the Prodigy. Where you get it is up to you...Ebay worked well for me.

Good Luck and enjoy camping!!!


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Glad to hear that you are very happy with the Prodigy Brake controller









Don


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## rsg99 (May 23, 2006)

All,

I just ordered a Prodigy from an E-Bay store also based up on the feedback here. Like a previous post stated, with a good feedback score, EBay is the way to go !


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## Reggie44 (Aug 12, 2005)

We just bought a prodigy as well. We paid a little more $110. I could have paid less but it was for a new in box 2.4 version. The latest version is 2.6. Make sure you are getting the latest version. No sense starting behind. JR


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## countrygirl (Apr 9, 2006)

Reggie44 said:


> We just bought a prodigy as well. We paid a little more $110. I could have paid less but it was for a new in box 2.4 version. The latest version is 2.6. Make sure you are getting the latest version. No sense starting behind. JR
> [snapback]119877[/snapback]​


Thanks for the info Reggie...I did not know there are different versions.


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