TPMS Signal Booster the Lazy/Easy Way

[steelmooch]

Hello, all...and thanks for your time and consideration. 

Our first full season coming up in our TT, and we're about to set out on an ambitious (for us) trip with a TPMS that will not have been trial & errored they way it probably should have been prior to departure...but such is life sometimes. 

The 12V signal booster for the TPMS is only 23.7 milliAmps, or .0237 Amps.  Therefore, over even a long "towing" day, only a fraction of an amp-hour of battery charge would be consumed, if I'm thinking about this correctly. 

Instead of us splicing into 12V lines, would it be OK to connect this signal booster onto the battery terminals?  Like "in" or "on" the battery box, with the signal booster in electrical contact essentially the same way that jumper cables go on? 

Thanks! 

 

[xrated]

That would certainly work, as long as hitting some bumps didn't jar it loose.  Most likely it has some very small alligator clips and it might be hard to clip them on the battery terminals.  I hardwired mine (TireMinder Rhino booster) and those are some very small wires to deal with......read....P.I.T.A..  One option you might consider if you are going to use the alligator clips is to get a couple of pieces of number 16 or 18 ga.wire, crimp on a ring connector on each one (ring connector with a large enough hole to fit on the battery terminal), then strip the other end of the wires just enough to attach the alligator clip to it.  Be sure and observe the correct polarity.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Sure, though if hardwired I would suggest having a power off switch inline so you can shut it off when the rig is not in regular use. The TT battery gets a modest charge from the tow vehicle anyway, so towing time is not a factor.

If you use alligator clips to hook it on, then its simple to disconnect too. Most auto parts stores or departments (e.g. Walmart) have a medium size alligator clip that would fir on a battery terminal easily enough. For very small wires in a large clip, try stripping a longer section of the wire and folding the copper several times to make a thicker section. Or insert a small piece of a large wire along side to fatten it up. Otherwise it is hard to get it to grip the wire.

 

[steelmooch]

Thank you! 

 

[Back2PA]

I just installed a switch on my booster. Looked and looked for and inline 12v switch and couldn't find one I liked. Found a compact rotary 110v inline lamp switch at Home Depot - $2. Easy to hookup.

 

[xrated]

I actually mounted my booster in a waterproof plastic hobby box with a waterproof switch mounted to it.  The box is mounted on the trailer A arm of the frame.  The box has a clear cover and the booster has a green LED in it that lights up when powered on....so I don't forget to turn it off when not in use.

 

[steelmooch]

Awesome suggestions...thank you all! 

 

[NY_Dutch]

If your tow vehicle has a charge line that's ignition switch controlled, perhaps you could install the booster at the rear of the vehicle and power it from the charge line. Then it would only draw power while the tow vehicle was actually running.

 

[Kevin Means]

Another vote for being able to switch the power to the booster on and off. The installation instructions for our Minder TM-66 booster recommend that it be hard-wired to an always-hot 12 volt source, because the unit, "only draws .25 amps per hour." If you're always plugged into shore-power, that's inconsequential, but .25 amps per hour, 24 hours a day is 6 amps.

If someone's got a single 85 AH battery, like in a small trailer, and they adhere to the 50% concept, then they've only got 43 amps to work with. That means that little TPMS booster is consuming 14% of their battery power while boondocking, or about 7% if they've got two house-batteries. It adds up.

Kev

 

[xrated]

Are you sure of the ,25?  That sounds high.  Maybe .025....that would be 25 milli-amps.

 

[Back2PA]

.25 amps per hour, 24 hours a day is 6 amps.

I'm a little surprised it's that much. Makes me glad I installed a switch- now I can run the microwave another 15-30 seconds per day 

 

[tvman44]

I mounted mine near the battery compartment with a toggle switch.

 

[Kevin Means]

Are you sure of the ,25?  That sounds high.  Maybe .025....that would be 25 milli-amps.

I was surprised too. Perhaps not coincidentally, Minder just released a "new and improved" booster. I don't know what its specs are, but its power consumption may be what's "new and improved."

Kev

 

[xrated]

I was surprised too. Perhaps not coincidentally, Minder just released a "new and improved" booster. I don't know what its specs are, but its power consumption may be what's "new and improved."

Kev

I bought the TireMinder Smart TPMS system several months ago and that system comes with the Rhino booster.  That booster is rated at 75 mA while transmitting and 14 mA on standby.  Is the Rhino the new one you are talking about?  Even though it's a very small current draw, I still choose to switch power to it as there really isn't any good reason to leave it on while not in use. 

 

[Kevin Means]

I think it's a good idea to make it switchable, and "Rhino" may be the name of the new one. How do you like it?

Kev

 

[xrated]

Absolutely zero issues so far.  The booster is install on the front part of the trailer (on the A frame) and the receiver is in the back window of the truck.  I walked into the house with my phone ( where it displays all the info on the TireMinder app) and I still had a signal.  The truck was parked probably @50' from the house.

 

[Kevin Means]

Well then... I guess it's time to get one. I like that app feature. Thanks for your opinion.

Kev

 

[xrated]

Well then... I guess it's time to get one. I like that app feature. Thanks for your opinion.

Kev

You're welcome.  I went that direction because I didn't want the dash "covered" with monitors, phone, GPS, and whatever else.  I also have the Level Mate Pro, which is an app based system, so the phone is multi-purpose for me.