As we become more and more reliant on our mobile devices, we are always on the hunt for a new applications that can make our lives easier.
One of the biggest hassles with off-roading is tire deflation. We are all aware of the added strain to our knees and back when it’s time to deflate at the trailhead or inflate after the trail.
But what if we told you there is a better way? It’s called ARB Pressure Control and it puts tire inflation and deflation control at the tip of your fingers.
Simply fire up your ARB Air Compressor, connect the air hose, open the app, input your desired pressure, and walk away. The app will automatically inflate or deflate your tires giving you the freedom to work on other tasks such as disconnecting or reconnecting your sway bar or even just catching up with your trail buds. The app will notify you when the desired pressure has been reached so you can move on to the next tire or pack up your gear.
Adding the ARB Pressure Control is a simple task for those with an ARB Air Compressor.
KIT CONTENTS
To connect an ARB hose for tire inflation the following hardware is also required:
For the ARB Twin Compressor either the ARB Manifold or an additional hose to connect directly to the PRV is required. For this install, we will be using an additional hose.
INSTALLATION
1. Begin by disconnecting the battery. This should always be done when working with your vehicle’s electrical system.
If using the ARB Manifold skip to step 9.
2. Locate the PRV, its mounting bracket, and your sourced hardware.
3. Disassemble the PRV solenoid by unscrewing the plastic nut caps and o-ring. Slide the solenoids off.
4. Slide the PRV mounting bracket onto the PRV as shown.
5. Find a solid yet accessible mounting location for the assembly.
6. Mark the holes.
7. Center punch and drill the holes to match your M8 hardware.
8. Secure the bracket.
9. Begin assembling the PRV with the Pressure Sensors and additional fittings.
Be mindful of the inlets and outlets.
Inlets – Connect to the compressor
Outlets – Connect to the pressure sensor, hose coupling, air tank, etc.
10. If you’re using the ARB Manifold, One of the PRV input ports (inward-pointing arrows) comes with a 1/8 BSP fitting pre-installed with sealant, screw it into one of the 1/8 BSP ports on your compressor manifold, or alternate compressed air supply. If desired the pre-installed nipple can be relocated to the other input port on the opposite side of the PRV.
Note: Always use thread sealant or PTFE tape to seal all tapered threaded joints. O-ring sealed parallel threaded joints do not require sealant or tape.
Manifold users skip to step 15.
11. Install the pressure sensor and hose fittings into a regulated output port (outward pointing arrows) of the PRV. Any of the PRV regulated output ports may be used, select the regulated output port that best suits your installation configuration.
12. Assemble the solenoids onto the PRV. Begin by sliding the solenoid onto the PRV rod.
13. Fit the o-ring.
14. Hand-tighten the threaded cap.
15. If this is a new compressor install, attach the ¼” to JIC fitting to the compressor. This fitting is included in the ARB Remote Hose Coupling Kit. Be sure to use pipe thread sealant.
16. For our configuration, we are using a JIC elbow. A pair of them is included with the ARB Remote Hose Coupling.
17. Attach the ARB hose to the fitting. This hose will run from the compressor to the PRV.
18. Route the hose neatly and attach the other end to the PRV.
19. Find a mounting location for the ARB Remote Hose Coupling.
20. Attach it using the provided self-tapping screws.
21. Remove the mounting nut from the hose coupling. Install it onto one of the mounting holes on the bracket.
22. For our application, we will be using a JIC elbow on the PRV outlet JIC fitting.
23. Attach the hose to the fitting.
24. Neatly route the hose and attach the other end to the remote hose coupling.
25. Locate a mounting location for the PCM.
26. Secure it using your own sourced self-tapping screws or mounting tape.
27. Route the wiring harness to the desired PCM mounting location and plug in the connector until it clicks. Secure the wiring with cable ties, making sure not to leave the wires under tension.
28. Attach the two connectors of the wiring harness to the two solenoid coils of the PRV. Retain the connectors using the supplied screws.
29. Attach the sensor connector of the wiring harness to the pressure sensor by inserting it until it clicks in.
Note: the connector with the purple wire should be matched only with the deflate valve coil (shown on the right directly opposite to the exhaust fitting).
30. Connect the ring terminal (black wire) to the body ground.
31. Route the red power wire to the ARB Compressor Switch.
32. The PCM red wire is intended to be connected to the ARB compressor switch so that the PCM is powered only when the compressor switch is turned on.
To do this, remove the compressor harness red wire terminal from the rear of the compressor switch, and connect the PCM piggyback quick-connect terminal in its place.
Then re-connect the compressor harness red wire terminal to the PCM piggyback terminal.
Alternatively, it can be connected to the pressure switch terminal with the red wire.
Protect this 12V wire with a split conduit and secure it with cable ties.
Note: the red wire provides 12V power to the PCM. Connect it to a 12V DC circuit that is powered on when the compressor is switched on. The circuit must also be off when the vehicle key is in the off position, hence not a permanent battery connection, or else the module will continue to draw power from the vehicle battery when the vehicle is turned off.
The ARB Pressure Control App can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Search for “Pressure Control”.
To connect to the PCM it must be powered on. So, if wired as described earlier, turn on your vehicle ignition and switch on the compressor.
Follow these steps to connect the app to the PCM for the first time.
After opening the app, the first step is to connect to your PCM. Tap the settings icon. Tap “Connect to Pressure Control”
When the app is disconnected from the PCM most features are unavailable and are greyed out.
The app will search for your PCM. When found tap “CONNECT TO PRESSURE CONTROL”.
When more than one PCM is found, if you know the name of your PCM then select it before tapping “CONNECT TO PRESSURE CONTROL”. Otherwise, make sure your PCM is the only one with about 20m that is turned on, then try again.
When connected the app appearance will change, allowing interaction with all the features.
The settings screen features are:
The main app features are:
Operation without smartphone App
When a smartphone isn’t available to operate the PCM (ex. Your smartphone has flat batteries) there are still a couple of ways the PCM can be used.
The first method is by configuring the ‘Power On Mode’ setting. This determines which mode the PCM starts in when it is powered on. This is set to Pressure Off by default, but if you select Pressure Control then the PCM will start in that mode and begin adjusting the pressure to the last target pressure. If you select Pressure Max then the PCM will start in that mode allowing air to flow through the PRV for uncontrolled inflation or using an air blow gun accessory.
The second method is using a special sequence with the compressor switch to change the PCM to Pressure Max. If you turn the compressor switch on, then quickly turn it off and on again 3 times (within 3 seconds), then the PCM will change the mode to Pressure Max.
