Switch Pros/ARB Lockers ?s

Greetings, I’m in the process of regearing and adding lockers on my 2015 DCLB, and had a few questions/observations. I recently installed a switch pro 9100 on a power tray, and my plan was to install my ARB compressor and locker solenoids onto the SP unit. I mounted my remote next to the cup holder, so it could be at my fingertips and I wouldn’t have to take my eyes off the road to find it.

After installing and just kinda looking at things I had some concerns…

If I’m going down highway at 70mph and the front locker accidentally gets pressed, that would be bad. If I’m not mistaken how the ARB compressor and solenoids wire up, if I press a locker solenoid the air compressor automatically kicks on. Is this true?

From what I’ve seen switch pros does not have a feature where I have to depress the switch for a few seconds for activation….it’s just push on/off. Also considering the other issue of if something were to happen to the SP unit (failure) I’d have no air and lockers…

This is making me reconsider wiring the compressor and locker solenoids info OEM type switches in the dash…it seems like it would be much more difficult to accidentally engage them that way.

Does anyone have any input or have any experience with this? Any help is greatly appreciated. For reference I’ve installed or will be installing:

Power trays

$659 SP9100 Switch Pros SP-9100 8-Switch Panel Power System With Concealed Mounting Hardware

SP9100
ARB Dual compressor
Arb manifold
Arb F/R lockers
Expedetion Essentials bedside compressor mount
Expedition essentials wiring harness w/solenoids

 

I plan to have my compressor and air locker controlled via my switch pro.

The way the stock ARB setup works is that BOTH the compressor and locker switch must be on to energize the air locker solenoid. If you switch on the locker without the compressor switch also on, nothing will happen.

When you use the switch pro you could reproduce this in a few ways using hardware. My approach was different. I installed a dump valve on my compressor which allows me to release pressure from the air system. I did this for a couple reasons but one was to eliminate the chance of an accidental button press or some other failure from locking my front diff at speed in 2wd. Once the pressure is released it again requires two switches to be activated, the compressor and the front locker, for the front diff to get locked.

Edit for clarification: The stock setup does not let the solenoid that controls the air locker energize unless both switches are on. You can reproduce this by running your outputs through a couple relays so that the locker control solenoid only turns on when both outputs (compressor and front locker) are switched on.

My setup allows the front air locker solenoid to be energized at any time. However, it won't allow the front locker to actually lock because there is no pressure source after releasing air via the dump valve. In order to re-energize the pressure source, the compressor must also be turned on. This safety mechanism requires that the air pressure be dumped in order to require 2 switch presses to get the front locker locked.

 

Did you use the switch pro / ARB pigtail from switch pro to accomplish this?