Jump to content

Using PDM for RV/Motorhome


mike2016

Recommended Posts

Besides my tuning car hobby, I'm building a RV/Motorhome based on a Sprinter on my spare time. 

I've been looking for a suitable remote mount switch panel for lighting control, water pump on/off, outside awning light, roof lights...etc.  There's a few on the market such as "SwitchPro" but it's not programmable, and many don't have capability to add additional keypad.  and those systems are mostly "fixed", the same button can only do the same task. and there's no input / trigger capability. 

I think the PDM is a perfect product for this.   

since it's CAN based, I can have a keypad in the cockpit, one in the galley, another in the sleeping area. and I can have the keypads control different loads depending on the location.  for the cockpit keypad, i just need to control roof lights and outside lights..etc.  

My questions 

Can the PDM somehow be programmed to "DIM" LED lights? 

I understand it can be used standalone. Can I use the keypads without an ECU? 

I wish there are more button available for purchase... maybe add a custom button option ?   

Perhaps making PDM beyond a "motorsport" only product ?    SwitchPros stole the show at SEMA this year for ... well .. "switches". 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/26/2022 at 9:49 PM, mike2016 said:

I understand it can be used standalone. Can I use the keypads without an ECU? 

Yes.

 

On 11/26/2022 at 9:49 PM, mike2016 said:

I wish there are more button available for purchase... maybe add a custom button option ?   

Blink make quite a range, we only stock a small range of what we thought would be most commonly requested.  Check out the 3 catalogs below.  Otherwise they have blanks that you can have laser engraved to whatever you want, or some companies use the clear one with a label on top. 

https://media.blinkmarine.com/icons-list-automotive

https://media.blinkmarine.com/icons-list-motorsport

https://media.blinkmarine.com/icons-list-marine

 

On 11/26/2022 at 9:49 PM, mike2016 said:

Can the PDM somehow be programmed to "DIM" LED lights? 

This is a subject I dont know much about.  I assume it would come down to what type of signal or control the LED driver wanted.  Quite possibly any that use a variable voltage signal could be controlled with just PWM, possibly with a simple low pass filter (resistor + capacitor) inline.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely, also for any non motorsport application, the Link PDM's are a great choice. Usual lamps can be PWM controlled for different illumination level. Just go above 60hz, and you won't see it is flashing. For LED's you need to check the specs, not all can be dimmed. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most, if not all, automotive LEDs are PWM dimmed. There are plenty of cheap LED dimmer switches on Amazon for less than $20 or even less. 

It'd be nice to have everything integrated into the PDM switch panel, so that i don't need to wire another odd looking dimmer switch for the lights. 

I'm going to buy the PDM Link for my project, i think it's the best option out there now. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...