Power Distribution Module

[Madlap]

Two years ago, installed this
Rowe Electronics PDM60 on my S10. Hooked the GPS and the heated vest on it. No problem whatsoever since and I still have the 12V socket available for my phone.
I mounted it in the space reserved for the tool kit at the front of the bike. It's held in place with the tool kit rubber strap. So easily accessible and won't move.
And the best part is that Yamaha has an extra connector just waiting for it. Learn everything in this great video from Craig Ripley.

Living Off The Slab

Our country is filled with amazing people and spectacular locations. And for me, there is no better way to seek them out than from the saddle of a motorcycle...

www.youtube.com

Also

 

[ra2ras]

What do you think of INNOV Power Hub 3 https://www.innovv.com/innovv-powerhub3 ?

Cheaper than PDM60, has 10sec delay and no complexities of USB programming, etc. Do you see any downsides? Will be doing my 1st electrical mods, so want to start off right rather than connect directly to the battery.

 

[RCinNC]

Did I misread the spec sheet on the Power Hub 3, or is 3 amps the maximum current for each circuit?

 

[Bill_C]

If it is only 3 amps per circuit then it's about pointless for anything other than powering the same things the 12v socket already can.

I personally feel that the PDM is easy to program and well worth the money.

Edit: I just read the specs and each line comes with a 3 amp fuse, but they are all rated to 5 amps. Still, wouldn't work for me but if you can make it work, go for it I guess.

It's only like $70 bucks vs. $200, but only you can decide if the cost savings vs. capabilities trade-off is worth it. I'm a big believer in the "cry once" principle.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

 

[Cycledude]

Thunder Box (TB) - HealTech Electronics Ltd.

The Thunder Box simplifies and safeguards the process of connecting aftermarket electronic accessories to your motorcycle, such as heated grips, GPS, etc...

www.healtech-electronics.com

 

[bimota]

Thunder Box (TB) - HealTech Electronics Ltd.

The Thunder Box simplifies and safeguards the process of connecting aftermarket electronic accessories to your motorcycle, such as heated grips, GPS, etc...

www.healtech-electronics.com

i fitted one of these about 6 months ago wow so easy and superb 6 accessorries attached.

Need advice about a electric wiring to HEALTECH THUNDERBOX TB-U02 please

Hi guys, right moving my accessorries off the battery terminal to many on there to a healtech thunderbox tb-u02, question i have is i have 2 accessories that have the negative wire black connected to neg terminal of battery, then the red wire is connected to a switched wire in the main harness...

yamahasupertenere.com

rob

 

[lund]

I installed the PDM60 a couple years back and real happy with it, works great and easy to program even for a non tech guy like me.
One of the biggest feature I like about it is the 10min delay you can setup on one circuit before it shuts down. I have my GPS on it and this allows me to scroll or study my route with the bike engine shut off and not annoyingly idling on the side of a road.
I have a set of LED driving lights, Piaa LED fog lights and GPS setup on it and still have 3 more circuit I can tap into.

 

[RCinNC]

Regarding the question posed by ra2ras, if you went with the Innovv 2, you would want to be cognizant of the power demands of any accessories that you planned on connecting to it, if even 5 amps is the maximum load for the circuit. I have a tire inflator that draws about 10 amps (even higher when it first kicks on). The OEM 12 volt outlet on our bike is a 3 amp circuit, and I've read more than a few accounts on here have by guys who have blown that fuse when they plugged an air compressor into that outlet. I think a set of Oxford heated grips are somewhere around 4-5 amps. I've never had heated gear, but some quick googling showed that some of it can draw in excess of 10 amps. A Stebel air horn needs a 15 amp circuit.

A power distribution box with the limitations of the Innovv 2 wouldn't work for me personally, but it probably would work for a lot of riders.

 

[WJBertrand]

Another option that I’m using is the Neutrino Black Box. Similar to the PDM60 but is programmable via Bluetooth from a phone app. It also has automations that can be set up to control lighting, heated gear etc. I’m using it to automatically vary the heat of my Gerbings jacket based on ambient temperature. Works great and no need for a separate controller.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Bill_C]

I’m using it to automatically vary the heat of my Gerbings jacket based on ambient temperature. Works great and no need for a separate controller.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Dang, that's fancy! I don't have heated gear, but if I needed it then I would definitely go that route.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

 

[ra2ras]

Did I misread the spec sheet on the Power Hub 3, or is 3 amps the maximum current for each circuit?

Good observation. It is 15A max i.e. 3A x 5 circuits. Max any one circuit can take is 5A. So one can do 3 circuits of 5A x 3 = 15A.
Yes 5A is a severe limitation for sure. Thanks, everyone for your insights.

I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[Fennellg]

I like the PDM60 and the the Neutrino Black Box.

But I think the Eastern Beaver PC8 is hard to beat. For about a $100 you get switched and un switched circuits. True plug and play install. The only thing about it that requires any effort is figuring out how to mount it. You will have that problem regardless the unit you pick. Mine was installed in 30 minutes.

Simple works, lights and heated gear on switched circuit so not to kill the battery. GPS on all the time. Not a big draw if I want to keep the route up while eating or gassing up I just put my helmet over my gps. Less drama don’t have to restart the gps and try to get it tracking my route.

In fact the hardest thing about the PC8 is getting one. You are dealing with a Japanese Company in Japan. They don’t speak English. They send it by US Mail. Unless you sign for the delivery it gets sent back.

 

[ra2ras]

So far this is the list I have to choose from for Costs vs. Benefits. In ascending order of $$s:

1. Street FX PDM ~$20 (manual switch)
2. INNOVV Power Hub 2 or 3 (auto 10 sec delay, Max 15A)
3. Eastern Beaver PC8
4. ThunderBox TB-U02
5. Rowe PDM60
6. Rowe AmpLink PDM
7. Neutrino Black Box - Element+
8. Neutrino Black Box - Aurora+

Did I miss any? Maybe I should post a poll...

 

[RCinNC]

I like the PDM60 and the the Neutrino Black Box.

But I think the Eastern Beaver PC8 is hard to beat. For about a $100 you get switched and un switched circuits. True plug and play install. The only thing about it that requires any effort is figuring out how to mount it. You will have that problem regardless the unit you pick. Mine was installed in 30 minutes.

Simple works, lights and heated gear on switched circuit so not to kill the battery. GPS on all the time. Not a big draw if I want to keep the route up while eating or gassing up I just put my helmet over my gps. Less drama don’t have to restart the gps and try to get it tracking my route.

In fact the hardest thing about the PC8 is getting one. You are dealing with a Japanese Company in Japan. They don’t speak English. They send it by US Mail. Unless you sign for the delivery it gets sent back.

I'm a big fan of it too; mine's been on two different bikes over 10 years and over 100,000 miles, with no issues (though realistically, how many issues can there really be with a fuse block?). I like the simple tech of the replaceable ATM fuses. But wow, the versatility of the blocks like the Black Box Neutrino is amazing. Sadly, what's also amazing is the price; $350 for a fuse block is more than I'm willing to part with.

Unless things have changed in the time since I bought my PC-8, Eastern Beaver is owned and operated by a Canadian; he just happens to live in Japan. I've never had to call them, but I did have some email conversations with them regarding some installation questions, and the conversations were in English. His website does say that he doesn't do any business by phone, just email. I think he's pretty much a one man band.

 

[Fennellg]

Don’t know about the ins and Outs of the company’s origins just a first hand account of my trying to obtain One. I Was after the three wire aux light plug in. The indispensable feature that makes it plug and play. I totally agree with RNINC ‘s coast benefit Analysis. It is spot on. I would make one other point. If you are burning fuses then you are tearing things apart anyway. I can obtain fuses anywhere. Having a laptop, in suitable light and dryness and charged is not a given. These things always seem to pop up in the rain. It did for my BMW friends fuse fuel pump problems. Long story short fuel pump was getting long in the tooth. That and the rain blew the fuse. We ended up putting in a slightly stronger fuse. Problem solved till he got home and changed the fuel pump.

Side note. Eastern Beaver sells the aux plug for our bikes with the three wires. (Switched, Un switched, and ground). It costs 10 Buck. You can make any system plug and play.

 

[Cycledude]

My ThunderBox with usb charger cost $119.98 delivered a couple years ago and no fuses to mess with. If I was needing a new one I would most likely buy the same one again. The other brands also seem very nice.

I'm a big fan of it too; mine's been on two different bikes over 10 years and over 100,000 miles, with no issues (though realistically, how many issues can there really be with a fuse block?). I like the simple tech of the replaceable ATM fuses. But wow, the versatility of the blocks like the Black Box Neutrino is amazing. Sadly, what's also amazing is the price; $350 for a fuse block is more than I'm willing to part with.

Unless things have changed in the time since I bought my PC-8, Eastern Beaver is owned and operated by a Canadian; he just happens to live in Japan. I've never had to call them, but I did have some email conversations with them regarding some installation questions, and the conversations were in English. His website does say that he doesn't do any business by phone, just email. I think he's pretty much a one man band.

 

[RCinNC]

I'm sure when the next bike comes along (whatever and whenever that'll be), I'll be looking at some of these options for power management. I'm not one of those "only simple and ancient tech for me" kind of guys, and I really love the concept of a programmable power distribution block. I haven't looked at the ThunderBox, but if it's a quality unit (and reliable) and it comes in at around $120, that starts putting it into the price range of the PC-8 and worth consideration.

 

[ra2ras]

My ThunderBox with usb charger cost $119.98 delivered a couple years ago and no fuses to mess with. If I was needing a new one I would most likely buy the same one again. The other brands also seem very nice.

Looked ThunderBox up and saw the features etc. Seems like a quality product and well thought out. TB-U02 has moved to #1 on my list now

 

[Fennellg]

It’s nice. You have to pick all circuits on or all off with the ignition off. Not as flexible as a PC8. You can have both. From what I have Seen. It does solve the problem of needing a switched hot line. You just hook to the battery and it will kill the power once you turn the bike off. Not wild about those little connectors not neat just loose flopping around.

 

[bimota]

Looked ThunderBox up and saw the features etc. Seems like a quality product and well thought out. TB-U02 has moved to #1 on my list now

its superb,
i,m no electrician lol can,t believe how easy it was to install and add the accessories, bear in mind all my accessorries were already fitted but still easy

rob