INNOVV Power Hub 1 – Review

Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid INNOVV Power Hub 1The INNOVV Power Hub 1 is a 40A rated relay unit with five outputs each fused at 5A out of the box. The battery wiring is 12 AWG so good to 41A and the output wiring is 16 AWG and good to 22A each, however INNOVV specify 15A max per line to a total of 40A. Lastly there is a yellow sensing wire that needs to be connected to a switched 12V source. All cables are of a decent length, especially the yellow wire which is 1.45m long. At key-on this line will trigger a 10 second delay timer in the unit, after which it turns on. At key-off, there is another 10 second delay before it powers down.

 Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid Power Hub 1 mounting bracketIn the box is the Power Hub, a couple of brass crimp/solder tags  to connect positive/negative to the battery and a bag of ‘posi-lock’ connectors and a ‘posi-tap’ connector to join the sensing wire to a switched line on the bike.

Installation was easy if a little thought-provoking due to the very limited space on the Capo. In the end I decided to put it above/behind the battery and made a 1.5mm aluminium plate to mount it onto and that worked out just fine. I used the ‘Posi-Locks’ to attach the circuits with a sleeve of adhesive shrink-wrap over the top to add a little weather resistance to the connection. I hooked the yellow sense wire into the injection relay, so the Power Hub Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid INNOVV Power Hub 1would detect key on/off, this was a soldered joint so I didn’t use the ‘Posi-Tap’ connector.

Next up I swapped out fuses where necessary for higher or lower values to best suit the attached accessory ….. then key-on! The blue LED flashes and 10 seconds later the relay activates and all the attached circuits power-up including the INNOVV K1 camera system. Thank goodness I hadn’t got any wires crossed! 😀  Key-off and the same happens in reverse – blue LED flashes for 10 seconds then the relay drops out.

Five months later …..

Sometimes its old age, wear and tear, faulty parts or manufacturing, but in the end technology fails. Of course we’d much prefer the former rather than the latter option, because that is when we have to invoke a warranty claim or get it repaired by the manufacturer. And that my friends can be unbelievably frustrating and seriously tarnish how you feel about the company in general.

Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid INNOVV Power Hub 1 installed above batterySo when the INNOVV Power Hub 1 developed a fault shortly after fitting it, I was intrigued to see how INNOVV would react. A quick email, no fuss, no argument, just another unit in the post straight away – good customer service, that’s what I like! Now the eagle-eyed among you will know that a few months ago I fitted the ‘Beasthonda’ fuse box to the Capo …… that was because of the Power Hub 1 issue. So when the new one arrived I wasn’t about to undo/redo all the work again, so this time the Power hub was installed behind the windshield for a few months testing, then removed and installed in my old Range Rover engine bay.

To be fair the Power Hub didn’t stop working or fail to do its job, it just forgot how to count to 10! In the end it was switching on/off almost immediately or definitely within 10 seconds. To date the replacement has worked faultlessly enduring sub-zero winter temperatures and the heat of a V8 engine bay, throw in a good dose of rain and snow and I think it’s fair to say it is an all-weather unit!

Conclusion

 It is a well packaged device that does the job required – no fuss. The wiring is good quality and ample for the rated current although I personally wouldn’t push it beyond 20A total just to allow a safety factor and extend the working life of the relay.

In operation I measured a current draw (at 13.8V) of 190ma ON and 6ma OFF. Now 6ma may not be much but it is worth bearing in mind if your bike sits off a battery tender for long periods of time.

So – final thoughts …..  firstly, it would be nice if a mount was provided. Secondly, looking at a nest of new red wires and fuse holders and thinking back to the nest of black wires and fuse holders I had before, I realised thacable-markerst one fundamental flaw remained. In a day, a week or next month, I’m not going to remember which red wire feeds which circuit. To this end I think INNOVV could make a couple of simple changes which would help immensely. First, add a numbered/coloured sleeve marker on each line, either side of the fuse holder to identify each circuit 1,2,3,4,5. Second, pop a sticker in the box, so that the owner can write down the details of what’s connected to each of the numbered cables and stick it somewhere near to the Power Hub. That way you can look up the appropriate circuit/cable number on the sticker, then rummage around for the matching numbered fuse holder – easy!

INNOVV Power Hub 1

Beasthonda (Andy) Fuse Block

Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid Beasthonda (Andy) fuse blockUnfortunately, due to circumstances I won’t elaborate on just yet, I found myself with a bunch of cut accessory cables sorely in need of a home! So step forward front-and-centre the fuse block made by Beasthonda (Andy) from the AF1 forum.

Truth is I’d had this pre-production block sat on my workbench for about three years! Andy kindly sent it to me without the PCB being potted in place so I could have a look at the circuit board. I never got around to potting it and so it sat all forlorn in the corner. Time then to dust it off and put it to good use.

 

I decided to mount it to the underside of the pillion seat decking – Aprilia call it the luggage rack – so I made up a bracket that bolts in  place with two stainless M5 screws and M5 clips. Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid Beasthonda fuse block wiring diagramThe fuse block is attached to the bracket by good old double-sided 3M adhesive pad. Wiring-up was straight forward and as I knew the overall current load it was going to feed, I used 14AWG and a 20A fuse to the input. The outputs are 2A (GPS), 7.5A (Optimate), 15A (fog lights) and another 2A (Autocom). The output wires connect to a Wago 236 terminal strip – no screws or crimps, just a strong spring to hold the cables in place. And they do hold them believe me! Each connection is rated at 16A and accept cables from 28-12AWG.

Wago 236 terminal connectorAnd that’s it …… one neat block and no more external fuses. 

In this location the battery strap retaining screw is obscured, however I only have to disconnect the ground, then the live, remove two screws and lift the fuse block out and drape it over the side of the subframe. Now the battery/screw are more accessible than they’ve been for years! I really wish I’d done this ages ago and I can only apologise to Andy for not putting his fuse block to good use before now. I owe you one matey!!

You can contact him via PM on the AF1 forum or at ‘a’ underscore ‘allott’ at hotmail dot com. Price is £25 UK £30 USA/EU and £35 Oz/Asia inc. P&P

Now if Mr Beast ever decides to do a Mk2 version (R U listening Andy? 😀 ) then I’d love to see a relay in the box and maybe another output …… then we could have some outputs powered continuously (like now) and some that are powered via the relay connected to the lighting circuit or a handlebar switch for example. That way I could bring the INNOVV K1 and cruise control power lines to the fuse block as well. Ahhhh …… what dreams may come true eh! 😀

Current cool tool

Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 Rally-Raid - Maplin N48CY current testerA quick post about a snazzy and useful little tool for the tool box and at £9.99 its not going to break the bank either. The Maplin N48CY current meter will measure up to 20 amps (double most multimeters) and has contacts that simulate a fuse …… simply unplug the fuse from the circuit to be tested, plug the tester in, switch on and activate the circuit – voila, a nice crisp display of the current that flows through the fuse & circuit. I’ve recently run through the Capo fuse block and you can see the table of recorded values here.