TPMS Tireminder Signal booster location ?

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

I installed the tire minder system today on my 19. I installed the Signal booster . I put in in the front storage box next to the battery.I thought this was a good location so i could hook right to the battery. After thinking about it tonight there is a problem wit my install as it bypassing the shunt for my victron 712b battery monitor .Problem I have is there now wires outside the trailer that I can tap into that run threw the shunt unless there something in the front junction box. This is got me thinking of moving it inside. Tireminder recommends mounting on the undercarriage so pick up the transmitters signal that is bouncing off the road . This brings up a few questions.

1. If i leave it where it is how will affect my battery monitor ?.It draws 75MA

2. Those using this system where have you mounted the signal booster?


I tried testing it today without the booster and it seemed to work. Then I was surprised to find out even when I drove off from the trailer it still gives you a reading even 1000' away . I know its not reaching that far. It must take a long time before you are warned it lost a signal . This makes it hard to test the range of the Booster.

[oldwave]

I put mine next to the patch box under the frame and wired it so when I had the running lights on it would be active as I would tow with the parking,lights on at least. That way it didn’t drain the trailer batteries when inactive

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Originally Posted by oldwave

I put mine next to the patch box under the frame and wired it so when I had the running lights on it would be active as I would tow with the parking,lights on at least. That way it didn’t drain the trailer batteries when inactive

That would work great. However they say it needs power 24/7 except for storage . also in my instruction once the booster is powered it will start boosting with in 20 min. I going to call them Monday and see if there is any problem installing it this way. This is why i was trying to test it yesterday to see if it still had a single while first powering the unit. Problem is even when there no single it still reads pressure and temp. I confirmed this by driving the truck 700 feet away. I going to try this test again today for longer than the 5 mins previously. I think within in 20 mins it may say you lost signal. This one thing i don't like about this system already. In my test yesterday you could take all 4 batteries out of the transmitters and 5 min latter it still was reading good pressure and temp. however if you removed a transmitter it would set the alarm right away. maybe they can fill me in on monday of how this thing works when there is no signal.

[Vermilye]

Mine is in the front overhead cabinet above the bed (21C). No problems with picking up the transmitters.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY

That would work great. However they say it needs power 24/7 except for storage . also in my instruction once the booster is powered it will start boosting with in 20 min. I going to call them Monday and see if there is any problem installing it this way. This is why i was trying to test it yesterday to see if it still had a single while first powering the unit. Problem is even when there no single it still reads pressure and temp. I confirmed this by driving the truck 700 feet away. I going to try this test again today for longer than the 5 mins previously. I think within in 20 mins it may say you lost signal. This one thing i don't like about this system already. In my test yesterday you could take all 4 batteries out of the transmitters and 5 min latter it still was reading good pressure and temp. however if you removed a transmitter it would set the alarm right away. maybe they can fill me in on monday of how this thing works when there is no signal.

Hmm I'm not sure why it would need to be on all the time when not needed. What has happened to me if I forgot to turn on the running lights the communication would eventually drop off after 10 or 15 minutes but would establish after power was restored to the booster. When I didn't need the service I would just shut off the receiver as well. Be interested in their response as I'll be installing it again in my upcoming Bigfoot this fall. Thanks.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Originally Posted by oldwave

Hmm I'm not sure why it would need to be on all the time when not needed. What has happened to me if I forgot to turn on the running lights the communication would eventually drop off after 10 or 15 minutes but would establish after power was restored to the booster. When I didn't need the service I would just shut off the receiver as well. Be interested in their response as I'll be installing it again in my upcoming Bigfoot this fall. Thanks.

Your saying as soon as you restored power to booster you would then get a reading. I f thats the case seems the booster does start working as soon as powered . I would prefer wiring the way you have it.

How do you know that its not communicating? I took one tire off today put it in the back of the truck with me and went for a 20 minute ride leaving the trailer home. I was expecting it to tell me it was not communicating on 3 of the wheels .instead it just says everything is fine reading both temp and PSI. Maybe i have a defective unit. I let you know there response.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY

Your saying as soon as you restored power to you would then get a reading. I f thats the case seems the booster does start working as soon as powered . I would prefer wiring the way you have it.

How do you know that its not communicating? I took one tire off today put it in the back of the truck with me and went for a 20 minute ride leaving the trailer home. I was expecting it to tell me it was not communicating on 3 of the wheels .instead it just says everything is fine reading both temp and PSI. Maybe i have a defective unit. I let you know there response.

I think the transmitters do a good job of communicating with the receiver even with out the booster. I would typically lose communication while at speed on the highway when the booster wasn't on. All in all it was a pretty reliable system.

Hmm that's weird that it didn't register the lost communication of the other three wheels. Definitely worth a. service call.

[Centex]

If I recall correctly, Jon has indicated in a past post that he has the Eez brand TPMS(?) while NEWYORKHILLBILLY seems to have the Tireminder brand TPMS(?)

Just mentioning because the particular characteristics and behavior of TPMS' may well vary between brands even though they have basic technology in common.

Before getting too deep into the weeds it might be useful for folks to be clear about brands/models of TPMS they are discussing(?)

Just for your consideration, Have Fun!

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Originally Posted by oldwave

I think the transmitters do a good job of communicating with the receiver even with out the booster. I would typically lose communication while at speed on the highway when the booster wasn't on. All in all it was a pretty reliable system.

Hmm that's weird that it didn't register the lost communication of the other three wheels. Definitely worth a. service call.

well after reading all the questions on tire minder website i came up with this

Circumstance: Power unit (motor coach, truck, etc) is separated from the TOWED unit.

Monitor Reaction: Continues to read missing unit??


Explanation:

* The TireMinder TPMS will only notify you of the missing tires after 3 hours of separation. At that point the monitor will show “NO…5” which actually should be “NO…S” for “No Signal”.


* At the same time a battery icon will flash with “Sensor” underneath. Don’t mistake this as a weak battery in the transmitter.
* As long as you are aware you left the vehicle behind, you may simply ignore the warnings (it will only beep once an hour). If you are not aware of the missing vehicle, we suggest you turn around and go find it!!!


* When the two systems are re-united, the monitor will pick up the missing tires automatically. This last part usually happens within the first 20 to 30 minutes (sometimes it takes longer). If you need them to re-connect sooner, simply loosen and tighten the transmitters on the previously missing wheels


After reading this I did another test . I removed a battery from a transmitter for 30 mins. It did not show any lost commutation. I then replaced battery and removed transmitter from valve stem.It did pick up the loss tire pressure instantly. so it appears that it is programmed to tell you about loss communication after 3 hours. I just don't understand this. how can I tell if the booster makes a difference if there no way of knowing if the receiver is getting its 6 second update. I guess the good news is it will register a pressure loss as long as its getting signal. I will post a update after my service call

Originally Posted by Centex

If I recall correctly, Jon has indicated in a past post that he has the Eez brand TPMS(?) while NEWYORKHILLBILLY seems to have the Tireminder brand TPMS(?)

Just mentioning because the particular characteristics and behavior of TPMS' may well vary between brands even though they have basic technology in common.

Before getting too deep into the weeds it might be useful for folks to be clear about brands/models of TPMS they are discussing(?)

Just for your consideration, Have Fun!

ggod point. my system is a tireminder model TPMS-TRL-4

[oldwave]

interesting, when I would be going down the highway at speed and the booster would be off after 20 minutes or so the TPM monitor would beep and indicate loss of the units one by one. Turning on the running lights and they would come back on line soon after. Im sure there is a poll time built into the receiver . Still I feel it was reliable with the way I hooked it up. The parasitic draw of having it powered all the time wouldn't be much, but still a parasitic draw. My solution worked for me and the patch bay in the sealed box under the tongue was an ideal tap point and mounting solution and as the power came from the tow vehicle tow lights power it wasn't connected to the trailer battery at all.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY

.... my system is a tireminder model TPMS-TRL-4

Yeah, both your experience and the FAQ cited for your model are very different from that for my Eez Tire 618; same tech but different behavior details.

Lots of good reviews on the Tireminder, I'm sure you'll figure out how to use it to your best benefit.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Centex

If I recall correctly, Jon has indicated in a past post that he has the Eez brand TPMS(?) while NEWYORKHILLBILLY seems to have the Tireminder brand TPMS(?)

Just mentioning because the particular characteristics and behavior of TPMS' may well vary between brands even though they have basic technology in common.

Before getting too deep into the weeds it might be useful for folks to be clear about brands/models of TPMS they are discussing(?)

Just for your consideration, Have Fun!

This Jon (Vermilye) had a Blueskysea Wireless Solar Powered TPMS Car Real-time Tire Pressure Monitoring System with 4 External Sensors LCD Display that I got rid of almost immediately - difficult to program.

I replaced it with a TireMinder Solar Powered Trailer TPMS, 4 Tire Kit. That is the one I referred to in the previous post.

[oldwave]

The tireminder solar powered tpms for trailers is what I have been speaking about also

[Civilguy]

We have an older TireMinder TM-77 as described in this post:

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post404919

We unplug our repeater and power down the display unit on our arrival at camp.

The TireMinder FAQ page you quoted notes:

OUR Recommended Alternative is to put the unit in the full “Auto-search Mode”

I can't tell you exactly what that means as the display interface on our older unit is different, but you might want to investigate their suggestion to see if that helps.

[Bea]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

This Jon (Vermilye) had a Blueskysea Wireless Solar Powered TPMS Car Real-time Tire Pressure Monitoring System with 4 External Sensors LCD Display that I got rid of almost immediately - difficult to program.

I replaced it with a TireMinder Solar Powered Trailer TPMS, 4 Tire Kit. That is the one I referred to in the previous post.

We have the same TireMinder system that Jon Vermilye uses (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It has worked well for us.

We have a 2019 Escape 21C towed by a Ford Expedition. Initially, we did not use the booster, and the TPMS worked most of the time. However, it would occasionally lose the signal from a tire or two, so we decided to hook up the booster.

When we ordered our Escape, we had a 12v and a 120v outlet installed under the bed, near the front door of the trailer. To hook up the booster, I lifted up the bed and mounted the booster on the inside wall of the storage compartment. To get power, I spliced into the wires of the 12v outlet. To avoid having the booster drain the battery unnecessarily, I also connected up a switch to turn the booster off and on (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1).

With this switch, it glows bright red when the booster is powered. The red light is very noticeable, and is easily seen when entering the trailer. When the switch is off, there is no light from the switch and no power to the booster.

I drilled a hole for the switch, placing it in the middle of the two outlets (see pictures). This made for a clean looking install, and the booster hardware is hidden on the other side of the panel.

- Bea

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Update

I talked to tireminder this morning. There is no problem installing like olddave has. The booster will start working very shortly after its powered on. As far as no single notification. If the vehicle is moving it should let you know withing a hour. However if the tow rig is parked it will not warn you as the sleep mood will shut it off after 20 min of not moving. when you turn it back on the clock will restart . so the short of it is if your moving it will report no single with in a hour could be lees but should not take more. as far as booster location they really like it under the undercarriage close to the front of trailer for best results. I explained it was a fiberglass trailer and a signal would go threw. They didn't have much info and said i could try it.


I think i might try it inside first as Jon and Bea have done.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY

Update

I talked to tireminder this morning. There is no problem installing like olddave has. The booster will start working very shortly after its powered on. as far as no single notification. If the vehicle is moving it should let you know withing a hour. However the tow rig is parked it will not warn you as the sleep mood will shut it off after 20 min of not moving. when you turn it back on the clock will restart . so the short of it is if you moving it will report no single with in a hour could be lees but should not take more. as far as booster location they really like it under the undercarriage close to the front of trailer for best results. I explained it was a fiberglass trailer and a signal would go threw. They didn't have much info and said i could try it.

Thanks , it is good to know it has auto shutoff, so parasitic draw may not be an issue

[Vermilye]

While I didn't put a multimeter on it, the current draw from the booster is small enough that it does not show on my Victron 712 battery monitor. The only time mine is off is when I open the battery disconnect switch.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

While I didn't put a multimeter on it, the current draw from the booster is small enough that it does not show on my Victron 712 battery monitor. The only time mine is off is when I open the battery disconnect switch.

Thats good! I put a 12 plug on mine and going to set it on the front shelve for a test. If it works well there i just mount it in one of the upper cabinets. they say the amp draw is 75MA transmitting and 14MA inactive.

I considered mounting in storage box and hooking right to the battery . this would before my shunt and i was unsure how that would affect the battery charging. I not sure over time if that draw would affect the solar charging system. It works with the 712 batter monitor to know the state of charge of the battery. Any place i put it inside would be on running there the shunt. But if yours not showing any draw maybe it would not make a difference.

[Civilguy]

Our experience running the booster was that it worked fine inside both the Escape and the Casita trailers.

Running without the booster was problematic; that would sometimes work fine and other times not.

I guess the booster is probably designed for a wet environment, but as it's been working great tossed on the forward bed in a 21C, we're going to keep going with it located inside the trailer.

We currently unplug it and put it in the cabinet above the foot of the bed when we arrive.

A disadvantage might be that we need to make sure it's plugged in before we start towing. On the other hand, we also have to power up the display inside the tow vehicle, so we usually remember both.

So, maybe I'll hard-wire the booster inside the trailer one day, maybe not.