The "DumbBar" Is an Ironically Smart Replacement for a Faulty Jeep JK Rubicon SmartBar Controller
When — not if — your SmartBar fails, Dan Smith says, pop a DumbBar in its place to gain additional features.
Maker Dan Smith, of Dan Makes Stuff in Happy Valley, Oregon, has built a gadget which aims to replace failed Jeep JK Rubicon electronic sway bar disconnect systems, without flashing an error light forever more: the DumbBar.
"If you have a [Jeep] JK Rubicon, your factory SmartBar (electronic sway bar disconnect) will eventually die in one of several ways," Smith confidently predicts. "Replacing it with something like the Evo No Limits On Demand unit is the obvious choice. However, controlling it requires installing a separate switch, programming the Jeep to not expect the SmartBar be installed, and losing the ability to use the factory Sway Bar button and indicator light."
The DumbBar, by contrast, has no such problems. Designed to hook into the car's CAN bus, like the original SmartBar, the DumbBar has full bidirectional communication and avoids the error condition which would come from other replacements — meaning no blinking "SWAY BAR" error light on the dash.
"Further, unlike the factory sway bar which will only activate in 4WD and under 18MPH, the DumbBar will let you control the sway bar at any time, even in 2WD and at any speed," Smith adds of his gadget's capabilities. "It remembers the state you've selected across start/stop/start cycles and restores it until you decide to disconnect it."
Smith claims installation of the DumbBar is "mostly straightforward," though admits it's not exactly plug-and-play: typical installation requires the removal of the factory connector on the SmartBar harness for easy access to the CANH and CANL wires plus 12V and ground.
An optional kit offers the ability to add a factory-compatible connector to the DumbBar, but Dan warns that "you will need to provide extension wires, solder them to the board, and then assemble the housing with CA glue and RTV to provide a weather-resistant seal."
The DumbBar is now available on the Dan Makes Stuff Tindie store at $50, or $85 with connector kit; an ABS enclosure is also available for an additional $10. The device is known to work with the Jeep JK Rubicon, but may also work with the other models like the JL and JT — "but it has not been tested" with these, Smith advises.
