I’m in the process of updating the electronics and equipment on my BMW R1200 GS Adventure. In that process, I’ve been looking for a neat tidy solution that will allow me to run various devices. The solution I chose was a solid-state electronic solution from Rowe Electronics called a PDM60. In a later post I’ll get into just how MUCH I’m adding but it is a lot. In the past I’ve build relay based switch blocks that allowed me to put anywhere from 4 to 8 circuits off a separate power system. That is important when you are dealing with the CANBUS or other similarly odd electronics farkle from an OEM.
- I had some very specific goals that the PDM60 answered.
- I wanted something flexible.
- I wanted something that meant I only had a ground and power wire going to the stock battery.
- I wanted to be able to reach it at least as easy as a stock fuse block.
- I wanted something that would seamlessly integrate with the bike.
- I needed at least six circuits.
The PDM60 achieved these requirements quite neatly and added a fewextras that I wasn’t thinking about.
- The PDM 60 is waterproof
- The PDM 60 is shock resistant (fully potted)
- The PDM 60 is programmable (which became important).
- The PDM 60 does not touch the CANBUS in all but one place.
I read some reviews online and talked to a couple of people who had worked with these in the past. I wanted to make sure that I would not be dealing with anything that would cause me issues. Since I will be adding many electronics I like to make sure that, the stuff I do is as close to perfect as possible. I do not want to be a 100 miles in the middle of nowhere looking at a smoking ruin. So, very methodically every single electronic device got a custom loom with soldered connections at both ends. The entire suite of electronics if it causes the bike issues is disconnected with two wires.
The PDM60 has a series of lights on it that show the status of any circuit that is energized. With my bike I put this under the tool tray. This makes for a very clean installation with space I don’t use very much anyways. I did got with locking connections versus soldering so that I could arrange things a bit. I have a Molex connector to replace these with later on should I think the needs are great. If I want to adjust the power outputs
The version I got from Aerostich had some funky programming for some perceived use. I contacted Rowe electronics to see if it could be reprogrammed and they said if I wrote about it they’d reprogram it for me. Ta dah !!! I did not promise that I would write nice stuff about it either. Funny thing is I am a fan. I think that the PDM60 is actually a good piece of gear. I used the quick connects at the last stage so that I can reprogram it in the future and make it do whatever I need. The programming I sought was to balance the power requirements across as many circuits as possible and to insure that I did not have life critical systems on my main heat and fun stuff circuits. I like to keep those kinds of things separate.
You do not have to solder every connection, wrap the looms in tape, use the bikes regular wiring harness as the path for all your wiring, and do all of this in such a way that the entire install looks like stock. The PDM60 is such a nice little gizmo you likely will do all of that. I really like how I can grow the device or change and adapt it as I see fit. That kind of flexibility is nice. So it is easy to install, and the future versions are supposed to be user programmable.