Tesla stopped supplying 12V power to the aux pin of the 7 way - Fixed!!!

[ShawnA]

Hi @gglockner Greg,

I was crawling around on the floor the other night underneath the '22 X.
They have new connectors going to the 7 position trailer connector...
All 7 places are wired in to the connection...
I will have a peek sometime because the 12 Volt (Now 15.5 Volt) is still
dead in the 7 pin...

No rest for the wicked,

Shawn

 

[davezforce]

That was my experience with a Curt Echo Mobile. As best as I can tell, Tekonsha is the gold standard, and several of us have good experience with their wired brake controllers in the Model X. For me, the Primus iQ is all I need.

Had the same problem with the Echo, did the 12v mod and its works great.

 

[bpjod]

I got a 2023 Model X in December. A couple of days ago I decided to test it's ability to tow our RV and see how the range would be affected with our particular trailer. Well I couldn't get the Prodigy RF brake controller to work. Turns out the problem is that this particular brake controller needs a live 12V feed. As I see it I'm now faced with two choices and I'd like this community's input on which way I should go.

First would be to do the 12v mod (presuming I can on the 2023 model) and continue with my Prodigy RF brake controller. The advantages are (1) cheaper, (2) I like the controller not having to be permanently mounted to the cockpit of the vehicle, and (3) have a 12V feed for any other applications where this might be useful.

Cons are (1) possibly prematurely wearing out the 12V battery of the X, (2) possibly increased hit to the Model X's range when towing, (3) voiding Tesla's warranty, and (4) while I'm slightly above average in tinkering with things, I'm not keen on doing it with such an expensive vehicle with potentially catastrophic consequences if I screw things up. Not sure about whether or not possibilities 1 to 3 are valid concerns, would appreciate feedback on these.

Alternatively I could ditch the Prodigy RF brake controller and install a Prodigy P2/P3 controller. Pros/cons are the opposite of above. Although activating the 12V supply on the X is cheaper, the cost of a P2/P3 is probably the least of my concerns.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[DCGOO]

I got a 2023 Model X in December. A couple of days ago I decided to test it's ability to tow our RV and see how the range would be affected with our particular trailer. Well I couldn't get the Prodigy RF brake controller to work. Turns out the problem is that this particular brake controller needs a live 12V feed. As I see it I'm now faced with two choices and I'd like this community's input on which way I should go.

First would be to do the 12v mod (presuming I can on the 2023 model) and continue with my Prodigy RF brake controller. The advantages are (1) cheaper, (2) I like the controller not having to be permanently mounted to the cockpit of the vehicle, and (3) have a 12V feed for any other applications where this might be useful.

Cons are (1) possibly prematurely wearing out the 12V battery of the X, (2) possibly increased hit to the Model X's range when towing, (3) voiding Tesla's warranty, and (4) while I'm slightly above average in tinkering with things, I'm not keen on doing it with such an expensive vehicle with potentially catastrophic consequences if I screw things up. Not sure about whether or not possibilities 1 to 3 are valid concerns, would appreciate feedback on these.

Alternatively I could ditch the Prodigy RF brake controller and install a Prodigy P2/P3 controller. Pros/cons are the opposite of above. Although activating the 12V supply on the X is cheaper, the cost of a P2/P3 is probably the least of my concerns.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

There is a connector under the dash, specifically designated to be used for Brake Controller power. It has low voltage always present, car on or not. The only thing you need to check on, is whether or not your controller will run from the 16 Volts now provided. Tesla used to provide a pigtail to connect, but stopped providing that with the refresh. It should be available from the Service Center.

 

[bpjod]

There is a connector under the dash, specifically designated to be used for Brake Controller power. It has low voltage always present, car on or not. The only thing you need to check on, is whether or not your controller will run from the 16 Volts now provided. Tesla used to provide a pigtail to connect, but stopped providing that with the refresh. It should be available from the Service Center.

This is what I planned to tap into if I ditch the RF unit and switch to the P2/P3 as my solution. Good to know that I might be able to get the connector from Tesla Service, I was wondering which wiring to specify but hadn't gone too far into researching that as I wasn't sure whether I'd be getting a new, wired brake controller or trying to make my RF unit work.

 

[gglockner]

Personally, I think the only good solution is a hardwired brake controller as suggested by @DCGOO. The Tekonsha Primus iQ, P2 or P3 should work fine.

 

[bpjod]

I see I forgot to update this thread. I got a P2 controller and it works flawlessly.

 

[DelPhonic1]

I see I forgot to update this thread. I got a P2 controller and it works flawlessly.

I missed this thread before getting the Curt wireless brake controller-- which works fine for higher speed braking but is, let's say crotchety and jerky below 5mph. I have a Tekonsha p3 I purchased but have not yet installed. Did we get a confirmation that we received 16volt refresh X power thru the Tekonsha controller to the trailer?

 

[gglockner]

Good to see you and your gorgeous trailer, @DelPhonic1. To the best of my knowledge, the refresh Model X did not add power to the 7-pin socket. That should not affect your Tekonsha controller or the trailer brakes, so long as your trailer can power its brakes from the house batteries. That's the case with Bowlus, and I suspect your Airstream is similar.

 

[bpjod]

I missed this thread before getting the Curt wireless brake controller-- which works fine for higher speed braking but is, let's say crotchety and jerky below 5mph. I have a Tekonsha p3 I purchased but have not yet installed. Did we get a confirmation that we received 16volt refresh X power thru the Tekonsha controller to the trailer?

The P3 should work just fine as my P2 does since the brake controller doesn't draw power from that line. However, the X still doesn't supply power on that line so if you need that power for your trailer for some reason (power your refrigerator while travelling? charge your RV's batteries while travelling?) then you'll not be happy.

 

[gglockner]

The P3 should work just fine as my P2 does since the brake controller doesn't draw power from that line. However, the X still doesn't supply power on that line so if you need that power for your trailer for some reason (power your refrigerator while travelling? charge your RV's batteries while travelling?) then you'll not be happy.

Trailer house batteries should power the refrigerator.

 

[bpjod]

Trailer house batteries should power the refrigerator.

True, but also the fridge quickly depletes those batteries. Have killed mine off multiple times with long days towing and no recharging of the RV’s batteries from the tow vehicle, even with solar on the RV’s roof. I simplified by stating that the tow vehicle power supply is powering the fridge but technically the tow vehicle is recharging the batteries that are powering the fridge.

 

[DelPhonic1]

Have any of you boondockers tried Car generator? CarGenerator

 

[gglockner]

Have any of you boondockers tried Car generator? CarGenerator

I believe this device would violate the Tesla New Vehicle Limited Warranty: under exclusions on page 9, it says "Using the vehicle as a stationary power source". Use a device like this at your own risk.

Personally, I recently purchased a Portable Power Station to extend boondocking with our Bowlus. I plan to use it later this year.

 

[DelPhonic1]

I believe this device would violate the Tesla New Vehicle Limited Warranty: under exclusions on page 9, it says "Using the vehicle as a stationary power source". Use a device like this at your own risk.

Personally, I recently purchased a Portable Power Station to extend boondocking with our Bowlus. I plan to use it later this year.

It's a what if. Get a Honda generator and listen to it wail and hack away at the pristine quiet, or add more rooftop or portable solar plus a lot more than my 300w of lithium, or get an expensive power generator like a Jackery or an Ecoflow. I need to spend more time in the trailer to sort out if I want to just head to shore power on A/C days, (if I was orderly enough to snag an early reservation) or spend extra to be able to do more boondocking. Maybe waiting on my CT order is the easiest ;-). Then I could just plug into the 240 in the back. It sure would be nice to have that option in Model X.

 

[gglockner]

It's a what if. Get a Honda generator and listen to it wail and hack away at the pristine quiet

One of the many problems with a gas generator is that state and national parks typically limit the hours when you can use a gas generator. A portable power station is expensive, but the gap is getting smaller thanks to competition. I found an amazing year-end Anker deal from Costco. Or if you're handy, there are a number of tutorials on YouTube to build your own portable power station.

Bonus: the portable power station doubles as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) at home when I'm not traveling.

 

[idoco]

Have any of you boondockers tried Car generator? CarGenerator

Here's how I use our MX as a power source for our trailer when off grid. Essentially 7-pin connector --> 12V DC to DC converter --> solar input plug on trailer.

 

[gglockner]

Here's how I use our MX as a power source for our trailer when off grid. Essentially 7-pin connector --> 12V DC to DC converter --> solar input plug on trailer.

Greetings fellow Bowlus owner! This thread explains that Tesla stopped supplying power on the 7-pin connector. Do you have an older Model X or how did you deal with that?

 

[idoco]

Greetings fellow Bowlus owner! This thread explains that Tesla stopped supplying power on the 7-pin connector. Do you have an older Model X or how did you deal with that?

I have a 2016. So it predates the rewiring of the 7-pin.

Slightly OT...but if I really wanted a more robust solution, especially if I had one of the disconnected configurations, I would just run a pair of larger gauge wires directly from the DC/DC converter to a convenient access location (maybe a DC "outlet" in the frunk).