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The most sophisticated & cost effective pneumatic
paddle shift system currently available...
Benefits
1. Faster, more precise gear shifts without use of the clutch - upshifts typically 50ms or less.
2. Ability to change gear mid corner with reduced risk of de-stabilising the car.
3. Virtually constant power delivery to the driven wheels meaning increased straight line performance.
4. Both hands can be kept on the steering wheel at all times.
5. Allows driver to concentrate on other aspects of car control, leading to reduced lap/stage times.
6. Potential to reduce gearbox dog wear due to faster shifts and reduced incidence of mis-shifts.
7. Reduced clutch wear - you're not using it except for standing starts!
8. On turbocharged cars, boost is not lost during gear shifts, leading to significantly increased performance.
Features in detail
1. Uses pneumatic actuation, as favoured by almost all professional race engineers. Unlike electric solenoid
systems, pneumatics offers the degree of mechanical compliance which is absolutely essential if you are
to avoid gearbox damage. Pneumatic operation offers an economical, versatile & reliable power source
and allows the use of very compact gearbox actuators. One of the greatest benefits of using pneumatics is
the ability to adjust the shift force to the requirements of the gearbox. Click here to compare the features of
air, solenoid and hydraulic actuators. As you can clearly see, large & heavy 12v solenoids have no place in
any serious paddle shift system.
2. Virtually seamless full-throttle up-shifts and clutchless down-shifts using our unique throttle blipper system.
During in-car testing we have achieved consistently rapid up-shifts in as little as 35ms and down-shifts in
the order of 100ms. Ignore the claims from other suppliers regarding shift times - if it's not closed-loop, it's
not the quickest! Our shift time claims are derived from real installations and come from our detailed on-
board datalogging within our GCU.
3. Extremely sophisticated GCU, featuring fully closed-loop control of the gear shift based on selector barrel
position. The majority of aftermarket paddleshift systems are 'open-loop' - essentially pull the paddle,
bang the lever and hope for the best! Using open-loop techniques is extremely dubious in such a dynamic
application as gear shifting. For a better explanation of why the Geartronics closed-loop system is
essential, click here.
4. Our GCU takes inputs from the following: gear position sensor, engine tachometer, throttle position sensor,
clutch position sensor, pneumatic pressure sensor and paddle switches. All analogue inputs feature 10 bit
resolution for greater accuracy.
5. Includes mis-shift safety strategies and a configurable retry option on up-shifts. Ask our competitors what
their systems do in the event of a mis-shift, if they tell you it never happens or they try to evade the
question then be vey sceptical!
6. Includes safety strategies to prevent the driver from performing potentially dangerous shifts, e.g.
attempting a down-shift which would result in the engine exceeding its safe rpm limit. All features
are included as standard and can be disabled in software if so desired.
7. Engine cut either by direct connection to ignition coils (or injectors) or digital interface to engine
management controller. No relays are required for the engine cut function and all switching is achieved by
solid-state electronics within the GCU.
8. Full on-board data logging of the following: gear shift count (up & down into each gear), mis-shift and retry
count for each gear, fastest & slowest shift time into each gear, maximum engine speed in each gear,
pneumatic pressure, compressor duty cycle & engine/gearbox runtime counter. All logged data can be
exported in the form of an Excel spreadsheet.
9. Includes gear position indicator and integral 4 stage shift lights, individually configurable upto 16000 rpm.
10. Full system includes: 12v automotive compressor, purpose designed accumulator (NOT an adapted fire
extinguisher bottle!), actuator & valve assemblies as required, conventional twin paddle assembly or our
unique 'rocker' paddle assembly allowing single-handed use, Fully closed-loop GCU complete with our
proprietary PC setup software, pneumatic throttle blipper assembly, wiring harness, all sensors &
fittings, comprehensive installation & setup instructions.
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Click the images below to view a full-sized version.
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http://www.paddle-shift.co.uk
Site constructed & maintained by Neil Wallace (Geartronics Ltd.)
All content is protected by copyright, Geartronics Ltd. 2008
Page last updated 22nd January 2008.
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Email:
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The system is available with various paddle options. Here we see our unique
'rocker' paddle assembly. Designed to be mounted between the wheel and quick release boss, this system involves no drilling of your steering wheel and offers the ability to shift up and down with just one hand. |
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We can also offer more conventional individual paddles for mounting directly to
the wheel. These neat and ultra lightweight assemblies are fitted with carbon fibre flippers and have an extremely positive tactile feel. |
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Here we can see the actuator installation on the Zeus development car. The
prototype system originally used a separate valve block & actuator, but this car now uses an integrated actuator assembly as shown. However, integrated valves are not necessarily the best option for some applications. High levels of vibration experienced by direct mounted valves can cause them to leak and fail prematurely in some installations. The speed advantage of direct mounted valves has proven to be negligible during testing, even with the prototype pneumatics we had been able to achieve shift times in the order of 40ms. |
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We don't mind showing you what's inside our control box. On the contrary, we
are justifiably proud of our creation. Our GCU is specifically made for paddleshift operation and is designed and assembled in-house. We don't use an industrial logic controller and hide it in a fancy box! For the electronically minded, the board uses multi-layer surface mount technology and is based around a RISC microcontroller running at a clock frequency of either 20MHz or 40MHz. The analogue inputs feature 10 bit resolution and are sampled 10,000 times per second. This allows us to track the gearbox barrel position to an accuracy of 1/3 of a degree! |
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Here is a screenshot of the configuration software. All parameters are user
definable and setup is achieved by use of our proprietary setup software. It might initially appear complicated, but the reality is that gear shifting is a very complicated business. The GCU features a detailed datalogging system that allows the race engineer to fine tune the system. The GCU also has the ability to perform auto up-shifting and down-shift 'pre-select'. |
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Actuator selection depends upon specific installation - the 'one size fits all'
approach does not allow for optimised reliability & performance. Here we see an actuator assembly with integral valves that would typically be used inside the vehicle with a direct connection to the existing gear lever. Some other installations dictate that a separate actuator & valve assembly is used to isolate the valves from the extreme heat & vibration that is often experienced in a race car installations. |
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Our unique in-line throttle blipper assembly enables smooth clutchless down
shifts. The mechanism features full mechanical adjustment and damped throttle return - essential for vehicle stability on down shifts. Other throttle blipper options are available for specific applications where it's either not possible, or not appropriate to fit a 'universal' blipper. |
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Here is an actuator that would typically be used on a transaxle installation in a rear
engine race car. The bracket you see in the photograph is for installation on a Hewland FTR/JFR transaxle. This actuator requires the use of a remote valve assembly as seen in the following photograph. |
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Introducing...
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To see a short video of the system in operation, click the image on the left.
For slower internet connections use 'right click' and 'Save Target As...'
This was actually the first run of the prototype system in our Sierra test car!
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Basic systems available from less than £2000 +VAT.
Professional system using bespoke actuators,
Goodridge hoses & aerospace specification wiring harness, available for less than £4000 +VAT. |
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Another video clip, this time of the Zeus race car. Click the image to play
the video or right click & 'Save Target As...' to download it to your computer (approx 3Mb.) |
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The system uses a purpose designed air accumulator so that the
compressor only needs to operate intermittently. The accumulator pressure is controlled by the GCU via an extremely accurate pressure transducer. The precision pressure regulator maintains the shift pressure at the desired level so that each shift is executed with the same force, regardless of accumulator pressure. The volume of the accumulator allows up to 15 shifts between compressor operations. |
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This is a clip of a Gould GR55 hillclimb/sprint car testing the paddleshift system.
This car is fitted with a 700bhp Cosworth HB Formula1 engine and 6 speed Xtrac gearbox. Instead of the usual compressor/accumulator air source, this car uses a 1.1 litre rechargeable compressed air bottle that is good for several hundred shifts before a re-charge is necessary. The paddleshift installation is fully featured including TPS, RPM & clutch monitoring as well as a bespoke throttle blipper for smooth downshifts. |
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The Zeus race car test bed again, this time testing an updated version of the
ECU control software. The banging you hear on upshifts is due to an ignition only cut with a turbocharged engine. Normally aspirated engines don't usually display the same characteristics. For the next test session we will experiment with both an ignition and fuel cut to prevent the exhaust explosions! |
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or call 0114 2374102
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or call 0114 2374102
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The Geartronics remote valve assembly uses direct operating valves for
faster response times. The airflow that they can provide is adequate for most installations and allows upto 5 down-shifts in around 1 second. The Goodridge hoses seen in the photograph are used on our professional level systems. More price concious installations have the option of using push-fit pneumatic hose. |
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Throttle blipping for clutchless down-shifting is often one of the more
challenging aspects of an installation. Every car is different and we need to cater for all eventualities. In the ideal world we would use a small cylinder like this to operate the engine throttles directly. |