How Does the Boost Levels of the Prodigy P3 Brake Controller Work

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Question:

I have a Tekonsha P3 brake controller and would like to know more than the manual says about its operation. How does the boost work? On boost 1 when stationary when the P3 is initiated the output is 16 for 0.8sec, then it s back to 8 for 2sec finally increasing to 27 after 5.8sec. There is no mention in the manual about ping back to half after 0.8sec. What is going on? The manual covers the 27 while stationary. I also would like to know if the inertia sensor operates instantly on deceleration and adds to the boost value.

asked by: E D

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Expert Reply:

Tekonsha's P3 brake controller offers a boost feature that gives you more initial braking power for those times when you're towing heavy loads. You can switch boost levels so that the power output to your trailer brakes automatically starts out at either 13 percent or 25 percent of the predetermined power setting.

So, if you boost the initial power so that your trailer brakes activate with 25 percent of the overall intensity at the start, the brakes will reach maximum braking faster. This is particularly beneficial if you are towing a heavy load because the intensity required to stop that load may be far greater than that needed to halt your vehicle. Therefore, sending out more initial power to the trailer brakes - and causing them to reach maximum braking faster - allows you to better control the trailer so that it doesn't push your tow vehicle before coming to a complete stop.

If your trailer weighs less than your tow vehicle, no boost is needed. But if you wish to set the boost so that your trailer leads the braking of your towing setup, you can select level B1. The attached table gives an indication of when you might use the different boost levels and the power increases that they offer.

Since this controller is a proportional controller it relies heavily on the amount of braking that it senses from the tow vehicle for operation. If you are stationary and apply the brakes it will spike up the boost level, but if it doesn't sense that the tow vehicle is braking it will back the brakes off as that is how it designed.

expert reply by: Jameson C

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Answer 1

If your Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller, part #90195, displays the error message OUTPUT SHORTED NO BRAKES, the potential causes are a short in the brake output circuit somewhere between the brake controller and the trailer brake assemblies, or a shorted…

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Answer 2

The Tekonsha Prodigy P3 #90195 has the ability to show a few different voltages when your vehicle is parked. The first option is your tow vehicle battery voltage which should be at least 12V if not more. The second is output power from the stoplight…

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Answer 3

The issue is the red wire of yoru brake controller. It's only supposed to see voltage when the brakes are applied which then tells the P3 #90195 to start looking for deceleration and apply proportional braking power. If there is a short on this…

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Answer 4

The braking force you feel when slowing your trailer with your Prodigy P3 #90195 is determined by three individual settings: the power level set on the controller, the degree of boost set on the controller and also on the actual adjustment of the…

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Answer 5

It does sound like your Tekonsha Prodigy P3 #90195 has given you some diagnostic information that reveals you may have bad brake magnets. The magnets are bad if you have one braking axle based on the 9 amps recorded, but if you have two or three…

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Answer 6

I think you are going in the right direction. I would definitely replace the 14 gauge wire going to the trailer brake magnets with 10 gauge wire or larger. Usually larger than 10 gauge is hard to get into the trailer connector though. I would also…

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Answer 7

I believe you almost solved the problem when you swapped the wiring, but in reality you needed to use 10 gauge wire like part #10-1-1 (sold by the foot). You are experiencing a voltage drop due to the long distance of wire that's not thick…

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Answer 8

The easiest way to install your Tekonsha Prodigy P3 #90195 is to use the Tekonsha Plug-In Wiring Adapter #3024-P. This adapter will not require and cutting or splicing into your 2016 Ram 3500's factory wiring. If you need to hardwire install the…

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Answer 9

The Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller part #90195 will draw 1 amp of current per volt sent to the trailer brakes on a tandem axle trailer and 1/2 amp of current per volt sent to the trailer brakes on a single axle trailer. Therefore, the…

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Answer 10

On each individual electric brake magnet the amperage draw would be 3.0 to 3.2 max amps at 12 to 13 volts on 7-inch brake magnets and 3.2 to 4.0 max amps at 12 to 13 volts on 10 and 12-inch brake magnets. The max amperage draw for the brake magnets…

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Answer 11

If you are testing with the trailer connected to the vehicle (the first part of the FAQ, linked for reference) then the max amps at 12-13 volts for 4 brakes TOTAL should be 15-16.3 amps on 10 inch assemblies. This first section explains the process…

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Answer 12

If the trailer uses electric brakes and the truck has a brake controller then you can use the brake controller to make sure the brakes are functioning properly. There are also ways to test the magnets using a multimeter such as #PT89ZR. I have…

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How Does the Boost Levels of the Prodigy P3 Brake Controller Work

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