Re: [A/S] Brake Controlers

["Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer" <geraldj@xxxxxxxx>]

The time element is built into the brake controller. The brake light
switch only enables it. Ford trucks for some time have mounted the brake
light switch on the pedal linkage instead of being hydraulically driven
so one can touch the brake pedal and turn on the brake lights (and thus
the trailer brakes) without the truck brakes. Though with the pendulum
style controller there won't be any trailer brakes, just brake lights.
With the none-pendulum "electronic" control there will be increasing
brake current, the longer the brakes lights are held on. The brake
controllers are also set to turn on the brake lights if they are
manually actuated.

Aggressive brakes when cold or just starting out on a trip may be an
indication of rusty drums that need to be polished by use.

Maybe I need to invent a brake controller that works on the tow
vehicle's brake pedal pressure. That won't be easy because with power
brakes the pedal pressure is not great. Maybe there could be a hydraulic
pressure sensor to the braking computer that would not upset the balance
of the dual braking systems. The oldest hydraulic controllers had a
cylinder of considerable volume and so upset the balance of flows
between the two systems. I did find one controller maybe ten years ago
that claimed to use so little volume that it didn't upset the dual
systems, but I sold it to my dad and he put it on a Ranger that he no
longer has. I don't think he tapped the hydraulics, just ran it
manually. I don't think he took it off when he sold the truck, but I'll
check next week.

Or maybe we have to set on one rate of stopping and use that rate,
probably on the rapid side of gentle, for all stops and let the tow
vehicle slide in panic stops... E.g. modify the driving to fit the
controller. I don't like that. I don't like the idea of having to reset
the controller for each braking situation. Braking situations are not
that predictable.

Gerald J.