SSV Works Alpha 12 digital smart switch

[mrblaine]

That's my one beef with the SwitchPro. My LJ will be a backcountry rig for me, which means travelling back roads with very little traffic, but plenty of wildlife crossing them. Before I decided to go with the SwitchPro, I had set up my conventional switch bank so that there was one master switch for all the forward-facing lights (bumper, A-pillar, and light bar.) In other words, if I wanted two of the three on, I'd turn the master switch on, and then the two individual switches on. In most states, the lights aren't legal to run. With the master switch, I can quickly shut them off and back on when coming up on opposing traffic in those very rare cases.

The same cannot be done with the SwitchPro. They have a master switch option, but it's all on and all off (can't do two of the three). Oh, I can set up individual master switches for each combination, but that requires three switches (and remembering which one to press, which could take longer than the interaction with the other vehicle). Plus, I only have one spare switch right now. I called and requested they consider this for a future update, and it was not well-received. I could also wire a master switch separately, with a relay for each output from the SwitchPro brain box, but that kind of defeats the purpose of an all-in-one, solid state output controller. It sounds like I might be able to do what I want to with this SSV product. However, I like simplicity. While the LCD display thing sounds nice, I'd rather not rely on the LCDs continuing to work years down the road in order to use my switches.

Can you use this feature to do what you need? Hook up the pink to the OEM low beam wire and then use the brights on or off function to switch your bumper, A-pillar, and light bar off when you toggle from high beam to low beam to not blind oncoming traffic? Or reverse it. When the high beams are on, it triggers 3 switch outputs in the SP. Or am I missing that it won't turn them off? (didn't read that far yet)

 

[Mike_H]

While the LCD display thing sounds nice, I'd rather not rely on the LCDs continuing to work years down the road in order to use my switches.

Also, just to add, Touchscreen LCD technology is pretty mature at this point. I've been in manufacturing environments for my entire working career (going on 25 years now) and touchscreens have been a "thing" that entire time (and before). Also in that amount of time, I've only replaced about 4 touchscreens out of the hundreds I've interacted with...and these are screens that get touched 100's of times a day over the course of years. Inevitably, the capacitive sensor goes out on one "button" and a lot of times, you can "move" the button on a TV screen style to regain functionality. So, on the SSV version, you may have to reconfigure your button if one were to go out...not ideal when you're in the desert, but also doesn't render the whole control useless.

I'm not saying your concern is unwarranted, but I wouldn't let that sway my decision either, if the functionality is better for you, or there isn't another way to make it work.

 

[sab]

I do believe that the new version of the switchpro that @psrivats linked about (the 12 button version) has the master on/off capability as well.

I have the 12 button version (it's not new anymore - that's old copy on the web site).

Its also very possible that I'm not understanding their ad copy properly, and it works as you've described.

It works as I've described. Here's the blurb from the manual:

So, if I set a switch up to be a master for three light switches, my options are:

1. Master ON - pressing it will turn all three on, and I have to turn them off individually. This defeats the purpose of having a single switch to quickly turn them off so as not to blind the oncoming vehicle.
2. Master ON and OFF - pressing it once will turn all three on, and pressing it again will turn all three off. If I'm driving with two of the three on, and I want to quickly turn them off, pressing the master once will turn the third on, and then I have to press it a second time to turn them all off. That means I really blind oncoming traffic in the interim between the first and second button presses. That's probably quicker than individually turning the two off, but I could foresee accidentally pressing the master one too many times on a rough road, and by then, the oncoming driver is pissed off...

 

[sab]

Can you use this feature to do what you need? Hook up the pink to the OEM low beam wire and then use the brights on or off function to switch your bumper, A-pillar, and light bar off when you toggle from high beam to low beam to not blind oncoming traffic? Or reverse it. When the high beams are on, it triggers 3 switch outputs in the SP. Or am I missing that it won't turn them off? (didn't read that far yet)

View attachment 583013

As I read it, the trigger input option has the same restriction - all on and all off, rather than any two of my choosing. Really, the problem only occurs because I have more than two sets of forward-facing lights. I haven't figured a way to do it with their current scheme. Granted, the scenario I'm describing is very unique and I really don't know how often I'll use it. It's the only downside I've found with replacing my switches/relays with the SwitchPro. I'm mainly venting that it seems a simple programming update, and they were not very interested in adding that functionality when I discussed it with them.

 

[mrblaine]

That's probably quicker than individually turning the two off, but I could foresee accidentally pressing the master one too many times on a rough road, and by then, the oncoming driver is pissed off...

A couple of things, you are starting to remind me of my partner in rock crawling competitions. We were building a new rear axle for the comp/trail rig and trying to decide on a width. Normal numbers would have been just fine but he was stuck on some bizarre dimension like 61 and 3/16" WMS to WMS. We kept hammering on him to get his reason and logic behind the odd number. Finally, he came clean and said- "alright, ya'll know that little hook rock on the last obstacle on Outer Limits? If my rear axle was 5/16" narrower, I could sneak by that little rock without it hooking in the rim and making me reset".
I walked over to the work bench, grabbed a 3 lb shop hammer and told him to put it in the rig and I'd use it to knock a quarter inch off of the little hook rock for him so he could stop being silly.

Second thing is I've driven many miles at night on dirt roads with every manner of high power illumination on oncoming vehicles. It is not expected that they dim for everyone they meet. We just deal with it, I don't turn my light bar off and neither do they.

 

[sab]

SwitchPro has a double tap feature for each button. My light buttons will double tap to strobe.

I didn't know this. I guess I can really piss off oncoming traffic if all the forward-facing lights are suddenly strobing at them. Although, I guess the joke would be on me if the driver was epileptic!

 

[sab]

A couple of things, you are starting to remind me of my partner in rock crawling competitions. We were building a new rear axle for the comp/trail rig and trying to decide on a width. Normal numbers would have been just fine but he was stuck on some bizarre dimension like 61 and 3/16" WMS to WMS. We kept hammering on him to get his reason and logic behind the odd number. Finally, he came clean and said- "alright, ya'll know that little hook rock on the last obstacle on Outer Limits? If my rear axle was 5/16" narrower, I could sneak by that little rock without it hooking in the rim and making me reset".
I walked over to the work bench, grabbed a 3 lb shop hammer and told him to put it in the rig and I'd use it to knock a quarter inch off of the little hook rock for him so he could stop being silly.

I might like your partner even more than you, Mr. Blaine! His logic seems sound to me.

Second thing is I've driven many miles at night on dirt roads with every manner of high power illumination on oncoming vehicles. It is not expected that they dim for everyone they meet. We just deal with it, I don't turn my light bar off and neither do they.

With my luck, the one time I do that, the oncoming driver is Johnny Law...

 

[Mike_H]

With my luck, the one time I do that, the oncoming driver is Johnny Law...

Just strobe him then!

 

[jjvw]

...

With my luck, the one time I do that, the oncoming driver is Johnny Law...

The one time I used full strobe was this summer during a heavy evening rain storm that took out the traffic lights on my way home. Traffic rules went out the window and it was near chaos getting through intersections. So, when it was my turn to cross through the blinking red lights, I would turn on my strobes, scare everyone, and go.

 

[psrivats]

A smaller version got released with 6 programmable outputs. No LCD buttons but they are split into 2 rocker switches x3 for installation convenience.

https://ssvworks.com/products/6-output-3-rocker-electronic-accessory-smart-switcher-universal