Tire Pressure Monitor Booster Where?

LPD218 · 09-20-2018, 01:59 PM

I purchased a TT500 system with the booster and have a question on the booster as to where to wire into the 12 volt system in the rear of the motorhome. I have a 12 volt plug in the rear tv cabinet that would easily work.

Anyone have a better location in their Winnie. Should I worry about battery drain?

Thanks!

akeagle · 09-21-2018, 01:51 AM

I mounted mine in about the middle of my Minnie Winnie and tapped the power feed for the nearby propane detector.

Lv2Roam2 · 09-21-2018, 02:00 PM

I put ours in the rear battery compartment with alligator clips/clamps directly to the batteries ... draw is minimal and can be disconnected at any time. Also boosted the signal from the toad monitors.

Bob T · 09-21-2018, 04:57 PM

I wired mine to a cigarette lighter adaptor and plug it into the 12 V outlet in the back.
Well travelling I just plug it in and laid on the bed.
Works great

LPD218 · 09-21-2018, 05:45 PM

Thanks for you folks’ input.

mwgettler · 10-03-2018, 04:55 PM

I mounted mine in the rear closet to the hot side of the switch for the closet light. I don’t think it uses enough electricity to drain the batteries.

2014 Ellipse QD, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Bob T · 10-03-2018, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwgettler

I mounted mine in the rear closet to the hot side of the switch for the closet light. I don’t think it uses enough electricity to drain the batteries.

2014 Ellipse QD, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Just a thought, why would’nt you put a switch inline so you could turn it off?
I’m thinking at the very least,it would last longer.
Just my 2 cents worth

akeagle · 10-03-2018, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob T

Just a thought, why would’nt you put a switch inline so you could turn it off?
I’m thinking at the very least,it would last longer.
Just my 2 cents worth

I just did that myself in no small part because mine has a rather bright red L.E.D. that is quite distracting even in the daytime.

mwgettler · 10-04-2018, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akeagle

I just did that myself in no small part because mine has a rather bright red L.E.D. that is quite distracting even in the daytime.

That’s the right way to do it, I was just lazy. Maybe I’ll go back and put a switch on it. The red led doesn’t bother me because it is in the closet.

LPD218 · 10-04-2018, 12:55 PM

OP here,

I took the suggestion to plug it into the rear 12 volt car plug near the alarm clock and used Velcro to mount it in the upper middle cabinet. When not in use, I store the equipment in an old Garmin bag. I don’t like having things plugged in all the time. It is just a quirk of mine.

Switchflicke · 10-13-2018, 03:58 PM

I put mine on the floor under a kitchen drawer and got the power from the outdoor entertainment unit. I ran a line to the area behind the door that covers the electrical panel for the switch. It's right by the main entrance.

Stan

Wyatt · 03-07-2020, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LPD218

I purchased a TT500 system with the booster and have a question on the booster as to where to wire into the 12 volt system in the rear of the motorhome. I have a 12 volt plug in the rear tv cabinet that would easily work.

Anyone have a better location in their Winnie. Should I worry about battery drain?

Thanks!

I mounted ours between the front and rear wheels underneath the coach below a storage compartment (it’s a water proof transmitter) near the battery and wired it through the storage compartment into the battery bay to be connected to a hot lead only when the key is on. This gives the best signal between the front and rear TPMS sensors back to my Bluetooth and saves me from having any issue with a parasitic discharge.

Truckman · 03-10-2020, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lv2Roam2

I put ours in the rear battery compartment with alligator clips/clamps directly to the batteries ... draw is minimal and can be disconnected at any time. Also boosted the signal from the toad monitors.

I do mine the same way. Very east install.

Morich · 03-11-2020, 08:28 AM

A big point seems to be missing in this discussion. The reason for a booster or repeater?
Different RV and different wheel location is the important thing for my decision, combined with the physical layout of things which alter the ease of placement.
If we have a toad and want the TPMS to monitor those tires we may find a different location farther to the rear gets better overall service, but if we don't have any problems, we don't need the repeater!
I found that we did not need the repeater, except for one tire. For some reason that likely involved the location of large metal like frig, stove, etc. the signal from the inside right dual was not fully dependable. I want the receiver and readout near me at the front so that I can see the temp and pressure easily, but I also found that simply adding the included antenna was enough of a boost to get good operation without needing the repeater. The short stubby builtin was giving me less gain but the larger did get it goo, so I do not use the repeater.
I suggest giving things a try first and then if it doesn't always jump up and read ALL the tires, I would look for a spot midway from the tire giving the problem and the monitor at the front. A repeater is much like the pickoff man in baseball. You want it to be in good shape to get the throw but also close enough to get it's output to the monitor and that location may be different, depending on what is in the way to interfere with the signal. Generally metal is a killer to RF signals, so look for farther away from them first as a general thing. And radio signals can be a bit spooky, so the first thought may not be the best.
On how to power, full time or only when driving, may depend on how quickly your unit picks up all the tires after being shut down. I do not want to wait for mine to repower and reset after small stops like for gas or lunch. One of my routines is to look at the tire temp and pressure on all wheels before hitting the road again and it would be a nuisance to set and wait for the delay. With all the drain on my coach batteries, the small monitor is no big thing and we do unplug it when fully set in a campsite but it is just part of the routine of breaking camp to restart the TPMS as well as the brake monitor for the toad.
Different strokes for different setups!

Goodspike · 03-11-2020, 08:46 AM

Mine came with a repeater but I don't need to use it. But if I did I would think a location higher up would be better, and probably further forward, although that is probably secondary. I would make it switchable/unplug-able assuming it wasn't connected to something only powered when running.

Morich · 03-11-2020, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodspike

Mine came with a repeater but I don't need to use it. But if I did I would think a location higher up would be better, and probably further forward, although that is probably secondary. I would make it switchable/unplug-able assuming it wasn't connected to something only powered when running.

This is where we each need to look at how our RV is laid out. For normal radio to work best high is often better as there will be fewer hills, etc. to block the signal but when we are speaking of a tire sensor down low, keeping the repeater down low, mayu be more inline with both the sender and receiver. But that will depend on the RV as having one located so that it has to send through some big metal item like the frig may make it a total bust. That's where things get difficult if we do have trouble as it may be able to send the signal thirty feet through the open coach but not through two feet of canned goods in the pantry.
Metal like putting it in a basement storage may kill it totally while putting it under the wooden dinette storage may be fine. With good signal testing equipment, we could look around a see the difference but most of us don't come equipted with that stuff!

Wyatt · 03-11-2020, 01:24 PM

Good post Morich. I agree with all of your sentiments.
Apparently, different TPMS systems offer varying options. My TireMinder only came with one antennae, but it does have a battery back up system for the main unit (not the repeater), that means when I stop for gas or something and turn off the key and power to the unit and repeater, it still functions.
I’ve found that the repeater is not necessary all of the time, but I have had false alerts when it was not connected.

JDHarrin · 08-10-2020, 01:10 PM

Just bought and received the TST 507 system with 10 sensors (6 flow through for the RV; 4 caps for the toad). The manual for this system states not using the repeater voids the warranty (not sure why that would be). I'm planning to install the repeater toward the back of the RV so it can also pick up the toad sensors. Reading the posts above (thank you for all the input by the way), I think I'll hook it up with permanent power with a switch to easily power it down when necessary...

JD