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12-28-2011, 01:53 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Washington, Utah
Posts: 228
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Can You Help Me ID This?
I have an item inside my battery compartment that I have no idea what purpose it serves.  I can't tell what it is connected to and have never seen anything like it before. It has what appears to be a rheostat dial on the side with the word "GAIN" on it and a compression type slide switch of some sort on the front. Any help any Alpine (or other brand) owner can provide in identifying this item would be greatly appreciated.  Here's a photo of the item:
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Roger & Diana
2016 Prime Time Crusader 297RSK
Washington, UT
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12-28-2011, 02:32 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 7,400
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YUP--looks like a brake controller for pulling a trailer with electric brakes....dont have any idea what it is doing in the battery compartment--noramally, its in the driver cabin where you can adjust sensitivity and gain, or manually activate trailer brakes if necessary.
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Old Scout
2015 IH45 Foretravel
2003 Alpine 40' MDTS [Sold]
New Braunfels, Texas
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12-28-2011, 02:42 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Washington, Utah
Posts: 228
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Thanks Old Scout for confirming my suspicions. I should have just asked you in the first place! That is what I thought it looks like but can't for the life of me figure out what on earth it is doing in the battery compartment. That would be a strange hangout - even for an ostracized DW!!!
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Roger & Diana
2016 Prime Time Crusader 297RSK
Washington, UT
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12-28-2011, 02:55 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 436
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Most definitely a brake controller. No idea why it's there. but it looks like its wired to work. Go figure!!
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Gary & Janet
'12 American Eagle
'06 Jeep Wrangler
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12-28-2011, 02:55 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Des Moines,Iowa
Posts: 241
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That is a trailer brake controller. Typically it would be mounted under the dash within reach of the driver.
Seems weird it would be in the battery compartment.
Jeff
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Jeff
2001 Alpine 36MDDS
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12-28-2011, 02:59 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Durango CO
Posts: 582
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That does look like what it is, and installing it there sure would simplify running the wires as you wouldn't have to run them through the firewall and all the way down the length of the chassis.
If you always tow the same trailer loaded to the same weight you could just set it and forget it. Gotta admit for a second I considered installing my Prodigy 3 there after reading this, I'll probably go ahead and put it on the dash however.
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The above post is just my experience/opinion which is worth exactly what you paid for it.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
'05 Lance 845/'06 F-250 or '99 Alpine 36SDS Usually towing an '01 Wrangler locked on 35"s or moderate '98 Cherokee on 33"s (rear locker only)
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12-28-2011, 04:03 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 1,100
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Most Alpines that I know of are pre-wired for the brake controller. The wire just takes a little looking to find.
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Dale Gerstel
AMG GTS
Las Vegas, NV
Had: 2007 Limited SE 40fdts
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12-28-2011, 04:50 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Durango CO
Posts: 582
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Not the early ones. Don't know when they started but I can guarantee it wasn't '99.
__________________
The above post is just my experience/opinion which is worth exactly what you paid for it.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
'05 Lance 845/'06 F-250 or '99 Alpine 36SDS Usually towing an '01 Wrangler locked on 35"s or moderate '98 Cherokee on 33"s (rear locker only)
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12-28-2011, 05:21 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Spokane
Posts: 52
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Reminds me of teaching our daughter how to drive and explaining the dimming of the headlights with the lever on the steering column. Told her in my day the switch was on the floor. She could not figure out how we could reach down, dim the lights and drive safely.
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12-29-2011, 12:36 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Auburn, CA, Havasu, AZ & Mulege, BCS
Posts: 5,385
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JRod- working the floor switches safely on the motorhome is pretty easy; I've added a few switches below for things I wanted. I frequently make adjustments or just duck under the dash to check stuff out for folks posting questions on iRV2 while on the road (I check every so often on my smarty phone to see if something new posted).
I just set the cruise a bit slower than regular traffic, then reach for the switch.
__________________
Baja-tested '08 2-slide 36'
Alpine: The Ultimate DIY'er Project
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12-29-2011, 03:26 PM
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#11
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Spokane
Posts: 52
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a ha, now it makes sense why you are in the lead and we follow. May we never travel in opposite direction on the same road.
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12-29-2011, 03:47 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: St-Colomban
Posts: 416
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Refuse1
That is a trailer brake controller. Typically it would be mounted under the dash within reach of the driver.
Seems weird it would be in the battery compartment.
Jeff
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Maybe the driver WAS driving from the battery compartment 
__________________
Michel & Nicole
2009 Monaco Dynasty Yorkshire 45
(ISM 500HP, Scangauge D, Eeze tire TPMS, Working Truecenter) 20' trailer and a race car 
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