Waterproof Rostra keypad

[gsun]

I got a new Rostra keypad from Amazon. It says it's waterproof. I'm not going to silicone it and see. 25 bucks.

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

I got a new Rostra keypad from Amazon. It says it's waterproof. I'm not going to silicone it and see. 25 bucks.

pour some Corona beer on it.. and see if it sucks it up,    :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: per your first pic.. silicone it ...

 

[Bud]

Hit it with the garden hose and report back.  I forgot to cover mine on blue one time when I washed it and it had issues til it dried out.

 

[gsun]

I'm thinking hitting it with a hose may be a bit harsh. Rain is one thing and a hose is another. Besides, that means I would be washing the bike. Don't think that has been done in a loooong time....

 

[KC 61]

Soooo, you said Rostra keypad but the box and unit indicates Audiovox. I'm confused.

 

[gsun]

Same thing I guess. It's exactly like the OEM. Audiovox probably makes them for Rostra.

 

[Bud]

I'm thinking hitting it with a hose may be a bit harsh. Rain is one thing and a hose is another. Besides, that means I would be washing the bike. Don't think that has been done in a loooong time....

You don't have to hit it hard.  Some of the fancy nozzles can simulate something like a watering can might do.  Maybe I should have said watering can instead.  Regardless of the method, I'd probably prefer finding out at home instead of out on the road.

 

[KC 61]

It is an Audiovox Control unit the Rostra control unit looks completely different but these will work with the Rostra cruise unit from what I have read.

 

[gsun]

Well it looks exactly like my Rostra keypad that came with my Rostra unit that I bought from Murph. It's still on the bike. Pic here.

 

[KC 61]

I think that is the Control Unit Murph  originally sold with the Rostra but is currently shipping the Rostra control pad. The switch you ordered off of Amazon can you tell if it really seems to be waterproof/water resistant? I have the Rostra Control pad with the engaged light and really don't like the control pad, the buttons are very hard to push.

Thanks

 

[KC 61]

I ordered the IP65 one off Amazon today. We will see how good it is. The Rostra control pad with the engaged light is nice but the buttons are really hard to press. Hopefully the Audiovox is easier to push even though I will lose the engaged Light

 

[gsun]

I think that is the Control Unit Murph  originally sold with the Rostra but is currently shipping the Rostra control pad. The switch you ordered off of Amazon can you tell if it really seems to be waterproof/water resistant? I have the Rostra Control pad with the engaged light and really don't like the control pad, the buttons are very hard to push.

Thanks

Honestly it looks the same as the original one. Having my doubts as to it being waterproof. However, I have ridden in the rain with the original one and had no issues.

 

[The Pope]

I made my own waterproof switch set for my Rostra....
Use two Marine Grade Waterproof Switches (1 On-Off & 1 Momentary On(Set)-Off(springs back to this)-On(Accel/Resume)).
I mounted these into a piece of Lexan and mounted it between the handlebars.
Has been working great for more than 5 years now and I can get to them with either hand.  :great:

 

[KC 61]

I made my own waterproof switch set for my Rostra....
Use two Marine Grade Waterproof Switches (1 On-Off & 1 Momentary On(Set)-Off(springs back to this)-On(Accel/Resume)).
I mounted these into a piece of Lexan and mounted it between the handlebars.
Has been working great for more than 5 years now and I can get to them with either hand.  :great:

Would like to know more about your set up. Pics, wiring to Rostra Servo etc. Also what type of switches to buy.

Thanks

 

[mtnrider]

+1    :great:

 

[The Pope]

I'll try to take some photos, but it's basically....

-One On/Off Marine Grade Waterproof Toggle Switch for the power.
-One On/Off/On Marine Grade Waterproof Toggle Switch that returns to center (Off position) when released. Push one direction for Set, Push the other direction for Resume/Accelerate.

 

[KC 61]

Replaced the Rostra Control Pad with the Audiovox one off Amazon. Works fine and the buttons are a whole lot easier to press. You do lose the engaged light but you also  do away with that relay too.  So now just the relay for the brake light. All works fine. I will say this and conformed by others. If you dont hold the throttle very steady when engaging the unit will surge.

 

[SteveJ]

I installed a switch similar to this on Rostra install on my 650 Versys in combination with a separate off/on water proof toggle switch(shuts down/turns on the Rostra).

It has worked a treat though the waterproof covering has deteriorated from UV exposure.

Installed late in 2016.

https://amazon.com/VENOM-Universal-Handlebar-Thumbswitch-Winches/dp/B076FCPV36/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=ATV+Mini+Rocker+Winch+Switch&qid=1585412273&s=automotive&sr=1-10

 

[gsun]

Why would xyou want to turn it on and off with a seperate switch? It has an on/off button already.

 

[SteveJ]

Why would xyou want to turn it on and off with a seperate switch? It has an on/off button already.

Sometimes the Audiovox switch gear would get water in it and the switch would go wonky. In my case on my C-10 would sometimes engage the cruise on it's own. This even happened after I did an apparently bad job of loading up the Audiovox switch with silicone to, in theory, make shorting out not happen. I actually tried waterproofing that switch twice but still had issues in frog strangling rain.

On the new install I wanted a completely separate way to shut down the cruise unit and not use the Audiovox unit. I have the toggle switch in my dash along with a control for the grip heaters and a switch for aux lights. This install has been drama free for almost 60k miles and three + years, although the weather proof ATV switch cover is almost shot.

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

Why would xyou want to turn it on and off with a seperate switch? It has an on/off button already.

as G mentioned, as an "Emergency shut off"... if the A/V switch fails, you need an aux.. I also agree.. and I've installed a few.. and added a simple "SPST" off switch inline for power, with easy access.. safety first...

 

[gsun]

Makes sense. Wouldn't want the cruise to not turn off when you need it to.

 

[KC 61]

So would this secondary switch just open or close the brown wire to the Rostra? That would be the 12v feed to the Rostra Control Unit, the servo.

 

[SteveJ]

So would this secondary switch just open or close the brown wire to the Rostra? That would be the 12v feed to the Rostra Control Unit, the servo.

I don't remember the wire color but the switch is installed to cut the power to the Rostra main unit. I wanted it to completely shut it down.

 

[The Pope]

So would this secondary switch just open or close the brown wire to the Rostra? That would be the 12v feed to the Rostra Control Unit, the servo.

So would this secondary switch just open or close the brown wire to the Rostra? That would be the 12v feed to the Rostra Control Unit, the servo.

I don't remember the wire color but the switch is installed to cut the power to the Rostra main unit. I wanted it to completely shut it down.

See Post #15 ........  :

 

[mtnrider]

I'll try to take some photos, but it's basically....

-One On/Off Marine Grade Waterproof Toggle Switch for the power.
-One On/Off/On Marine Grade Waterproof Toggle Switch that returns to center (Off position) when released. Push one direction for Set, Push the other direction for Resume/Accelerate.

Hey Pope, is the power switch momentary like the Rostra switches?  Thanks.  :great:

 

[The Pope]

The Power Switch is Not Momentary. It's a SPST, in other words, it's either Open(Off) or Closed(On).

 

[mtnrider]

Thanks, Pope. Not arguing but really curious, with Rostra just a momentary on switch, why did you go with non-momentary? Obviously it's working. Any concern with the constant voltage from the switch? Just trying to get edumicated....  TIA  :beerchug:

 

[The Pope]

Thanks, Pope. Not arguing but really curious, with Rostra just a momentary on switch, why did you go with non-momentary? Obviously it's working. Any concern with the constant voltage from the switch? Just trying to get edumicated....  TIA  :beerchug:

The Momentary Switch inside a Rostra unit just activated a Circuit that controls the power.

I haven't seen any issues with my setup and I've been running it this way for more than 5 years.

Just to clarify it a little more, I'm using "Switched" +12V from the bike, so when the bike's turned off (key switch between the handlebars) there's no power going to the Rostra no matter the Toggle Switches position.

The Toggle Switch isn't "required", as you "could" just wire the Rostra directly to the bike's "Switched +12V", but for safety reasons, the Toggle Switch is IMHO a very good "Safety" backup, just in case there's a problem with the Rostra and you need to kill the +12V going to it.

 

[ghostrider990]

Once upon a time I asked Murph about buying one of these clear covers for mine.....

I think I might have asked MORE than once.  :-[

gr

 

[mtnrider]

Well, been working from home for four weeks and going a bit stir crazy, so I started working on a homemade switch system for the Rostra. Yep, I have a perfectly fine, working Rostra switch but not really fond of the layout especially with how it has to be positioned on the bike. And, remember that stir crazy thing....    )

I cut the Rostra switch from the harness leaving enough wire on the switch to solder it back together if need be. I got some miniature momentary SPDT toggle switches from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VHCB1Q4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Made a temporary mount out of some thick Kydex that was laying around. It's fast & easy to work with, cheap and stout enough for a temp mount. I'll go to aluminum for the final mount.

I used two of the switches, one for the set/resume function and one for power. Well, there's something in the Rostra switch that latches the power on as the momentary switch didn't work. If I held it in the on position the Rostra worked as it should. So, now to get a latching switch.

Pope, do you know which wires power the LEDs on the Rostra switch? I have a couple I can add to my setup if I know that.

I'm having some difficulty figuring out an enclosure for the back of the mount. I've added pictures of the temp setup. I would appreciate some fairly easy to do ideas.  TIA

 

[The Pope]

As for which wires power the LEDs on the Rostra switch, I'm not 100% sure as I don't utilize the LED, but I'd suspect that Brown could be used to for Power Is On and Yellow "could" be used for Cruse Is Active/Engaged. Again, these are just a guess basted on the wiring diagram that I have.

 

[mtnrider]

Well, it's done & worked great on one test ride. One LED is on the switched side of the power switch and the engage LED is connected to the pink wire as I already had the engage light relay setup for the Rostra switch. The cover is Kydex molded over a 1x with corners filled with JB Weld and than sanded. Only real issue is some paint chipped and the touchup looks like crap. May disassemble when it gets warm & fix that.

Thanks the help, POPE.

Leo

 

[The Pope]

Looks Great and I was glad that I could help.  :beerchug:

 

[ghostrider990]

Nice work.  I'm not sure how you managed to keep that mount bracket from shifting from side to side with only one mount hole, but I'm not judging. 

For the record I have the included switch, and I sealed it with Silicone when I originally mounted it over 4 years ago.....knock on wood: no issues thus far.  And unfortunately, no waterproof silicone cover either.

I don't LIKE this switch, but of all the projects I've tackled on this bike, I don't choose to tackle this one.
It works well enough, but could be better.

gr