Geartronics - latest news

June 2007

Another rally success to report for Geartronics sponsored driver, John Harland.

Well done to John, and his navigator Eddie Myatt, for finishing 2nd overall on the 3 day
"Rally Of The Midlands". After day 2, the pair were leading the event by 6 seconds, but
heavy rain on the final day didn't suit the Darrian GTR and they dropped a place in the
atrocious conditions. However, they still won their class by more than two and a half
minutes!

John was using our Flatshift Pro system in conjunction with his Hewland NMT transaxle
and reported that the gear shifts were so smooth it was like driving an electric milk float!
The speed and slickness of the shifts undoubtedly contributed to John's blistering pace
on day 2 of the event and also helped keep him on the road on the rain soaked final
day.

Now that the car has finished the event unscathed, the team are preparing to fit out new
paddle-shift system.

Click on the thumbnails below to see John's car in action.

Photographs reproduced by kind permission of Rally Action Photography.

August 2007

After months of hard work, the paddleshift system is finally ready for sale! We have a
limited number of systems available and judging by the interest so far, we doubt if the
initial production run will last very long.

When we set about designing the system we initially intended to offer a kit of parts that
could be universally fitted to virtually any sequential gearbox. What we have learned
over the last few months is that every installation is different and more often than not,
requires a different set of parts and sometimes even a different software package. Be
very wary of buying a boxed kit from other suppliers - results are often disappointing
and you run a very real risk of severely damaging your gearbox. We have now decided
that the best approach is to work with each customer to tailor the system to their
individual requirements. A 'one size fits all' approach is simply not good enough.
Having said that, we do hope in future to offer kits for specific gearboxes, including all
the necessary brackets to ensure a problem free installation. It's our philosophy that
there's no point in fitting anything to your race car unless it makes it quicker.
Customers that are switched on enough to share this approach and are happy to work
with us to achieve the best solution are usually happy to pay that bit extra for a product
that actually performs as advertised. Occasionally we might evaluate a potential
installation and come to the conclusion that it's never going to work. If that's the case,
then you don't pay for something that doesn't perform as it's claimed and we both go
away and learn from the experience. We don't want to sell you a kit of parts that
doesn't work properly and cause a lot of grief for both of us.

So, if that little explanation hasn't dampened your enthusiasm, here's a bit about what's
been happening...

The original prototype system is now in full-time use in a MG ZR rallycar fitted with a
Quaife gearbox. We had to write some new software for this particular application and
what we've learned has now been applied to the production release. Thanks to Martin
Head and Dave (at Ti Motorsport) for being the 'perfect customers'! The pneumatic
shift operation now features an 'active return' to ensure that the gearbox shift
mechanism resets after each shift. A common failing with more basic shifters is an
unacceptable number of mis-shifts caused by the lever not returning to centre after
every shift. We now also have a more sophisticated downshift inhibit to prevent engine
over-revs. Individual gear ratios are programmed into the ECU and whenever the
driver requests a down shift, the ECU calculates if shifting to a lower gear will cause
the engine to exceed its safe maximum speed, in which event, the shift is declined.

The next development, expected to be tested in about 4-6 weeks time, is
'programmed' shifting. This will mean that your sequential gearbox behaves more like
an automatic. A switch on the dashboard will be used to select 'auto' mode. When
enabled, the system will automatically shift up the gears at a pre-defined engine speed
when the throttle is wide open (or open beyond a specified value). If a throttle blipper
is fitted, down shifts can also be performed semi-automatically. In other words,
multiple operations of the down paddle will be stored in the ECU and a down shift
performed automatically when the engine speed falls to a pre-defined value. This will
only be allowed to operate on a closed throttle and opening the throttle will cancel the
operation.

All features are fully configurable by means of the 'control panel' software supplied
with the system. We believe that our ECU features one of the most sophisticated
control strategies yet seen on an aftermarket shifter. We genuinely do have a gearbox
and engine protection strategy that actually works! This is achieved by monitoring
engine speed, throttle position, clutch position and gearbox barrel position. If you see
a system advertised as having protection strategies and closed-loop control and the
ECU doesn't monitor the above parameters then be very sceptical about the
advertised claims - unfortunately, in motorsport, not everything does as it says on the
tin!

October 2007

This month we can bring you the news that we have secured a stand at the NEC
Autosports Exhibition in January. Come and see us on stand E1145 in the engineering
section on Thursday/Friday 10th/11th January 2008. We will displaying a working
paddleshift system for you to come and have a play with, as well as our ever popular
range of gear indicator units, gearbox sensors & wiring looms. Also, we will hopefully
have the latest Saenz sequential gearbox on display, fresh from the USA.

We've also added 2 more video clips to our gallery - both from test sessions with the
new paddleshift system. Firstly the Zeus race car test bed that we were using to
evaluate the latest control software, and secondly a customer installation on a Gould
GR55 hillclimb car. The latter is fitted with a 700hp Cosworth HB Formula1 engine and
Xtrac gearbox - a truly awesome car! Incidentally, one of our competitors attempted to
fit their solenoid shifter to this car - the result was an abject failure, the car never left the
workshop! The Geartronics system was then fitted and worked impressively first time
out of the box. Judge for yourself...

Right click on the images below and select 'Save Target As' to download the video
clips to your computer.

STOP PRESS!

Geartronics sponsored driver John Harland wins outright! The Darrian GTR of John
Harland/Rob Soper took a well deserved win on the recent "Keith Wood Memorial Rally"
held at the Three Sisters Raceway near Wigan. John commented that the gearbox
control electronics was indispensible on such a tight and twisty circuit where the car is
rarely in the same gear for more than a couple of seconds. Well done John & Rob!

In other news, we have recently noticed that one of our competitors has published
information to suggest that a solenoid shift system is superior to a pneumatic system of
the type manufactured by Geartronics. Well lets examine some FACTS and not simply
uninformed opinion regarding pneumatics and solenoids....

1. The weight of an electric solenoid alone which can provide adequate force to operate
a sequential gearbox is comparable to a complete pneumatic system!

2. A low voltage (12v) solenoid that can provide an adequate force for a sequential shift
operation will be in the order of 3-5 times the diameter, 2-3 times the length and 10-15
times heavier than an equivalent pneumatic actuator. Have you got room in your race car
for such a crude and cumbersome device?

3. Low voltage solenoids require extremely high operating currents requiring appropriate
heavy gauge wiring. Solenoids create massive electromagnetic interference that can
cause malfunctions in other electronic systems on the car, such as the engine
management system.

4. Pneumatic valves operate at very low currents. The various sensors in the Geartronics
system operate at less than 1mA, the ECU draws a maximum intermittent current of
200mA. Almost all the Geartronics wiring harness can be constructed using 24 gauge
aircraft spec wire.

5. The power requirement of the Geartronics compressor is approximately one quarter
of one HP, clearly an insignificant drain on the engine power output, especially as the
compressor is only operated intermittently. The compressor only requires 18 gauge
wire, which is about the same as the headlamp circuit. Our system does not require
heavy duty cables to power extremely high current solenoids!

6. Electric solenoids are unforgiving and offer absolutely no mechanical compliance.
The speed and force of operation of a solenoid is uncontrollable, and the force provided
varies over its operational stroke. Because of this lack of compliance, the use of a
solenoid can significantly increase the chances of gearbox wear or damage.

7. Pneumatic actuators are mechanically compliant, they provide a controllable force
which is uniform over the full operational stroke. The compliant nature of compressed air
eliminates shock loadings in the selector mechanism and significantly reduces the risk
of gearbox damage.

8. The Geartronics air compressor is an extremely reliable automotive unit that has a
duty cycle rating well in excess of the requirements for paddleshift operation.
Compressed air systems are extremely reliable, which is why they are installed the world
over in 24 hours a day operating environments. To suggest that compressed air
systems are unreliable is simply untrue and shows a basic lack of understanding of
pneumatics.

9. A compressor driven pneumatic system will never run out of air! Even when using a
compressed air bottle, there is enough capacity in a 1 litre tank for up to 3000 gear shifts
before the bottle requires re-charging. However, alternators can fail and batteries can go
flat, leaving the solenoid system stranded.

10. Pneumatic paddleshift systems are favoured by all leading Le Mans 24 hour
competitors and by almost all professional race teams for the reasons given above. We
only know of one race series that specifies a solenoid shifter, and this is a high voltage
unit which is considerably smaller, more efficient and more controllable than any 12v
solenoid.

December 2007

The Autosport International show at the Birmingham NEC is just around the corner and
we're busy putting the finishing touches to our exhibition. Come and see us on stand
E1145 in the engineering section on Thursday & Friday 10th/11th January. We plan to
have a working paddleshift system fitted to a Hewland FTR transaxle for you to have a
play with!

Also on display on our stand will be the latest sequential gearbox offering to come from
Saenz Performance of Argentina. The TT3 is an in-line 6 speed box featuring drop
gears and 56 standard ratio sets. It's ideally suited to high output front engine RWD
cars such as 'group 4' Escorts and the like. Come and have a chat to Mike Moloney, the
European importer.

Tim Mason of TMME will also be in attendance, displaying his high quality wiring
harnesses. As well as building top quality wiring looms, TMME are also dealers for
Motec, AIM dataloggers, Pectel and of course the Geartronics paddleshift system.

Since the last update, we've been busy designing our own bespoke pneumatic
actuators for diect mounting to race car gearboxes. These new units are fully
rebuildable and feature high temperature seals to withstand the extreme temperatures
found on a typical single-seater race car. However, we can still offer 'off the shelf' type
actuators for applications that are not quite so demanding and where budgets may be
tight. All the latest hardware will be on display on our stand.

In other parts of the show, we hope to have a couple of systems installed on the Chiron
race cars. These cars are fitted with the Sadev SL75 transaxle, which is currently the
most common transmission fitted to cars running in the highly popular VdeV series,
both in the UK and mainland Europe. The Sadev gearbox is slightly unusual in that the
neutral position lies mid-way between 1st & reverse, but with only half a 'click' either
way. There is also hardly any detent in the neutral posiiton. This means that other
paddleshift systems struggle to reliably find neutral. Not so with the Geartronics system
- we use some very clever 'closed-loop' software and ingenious valve operation to
overcome the problem. This results in the system being able to find neutral every time -
simply hold the interlock button and pull a downshift from 1st gear and you're there.
There's no need to select reverse first, then come back to neutral as advocated by
another well-known paddleshift supplier!

January 2008

First of all, a very BIG thank you to all the people who kindly took the time to come and
visit us at the recent Autosports exhibition! It was an extremely hectic 2 days and for
most of the time the stand was inundated with visitors. At times the visitors were 4
deep and blocking up the isle! I appreciate that not everyone who wanted to come and
speak to us got the chance, and for that I can only apologise. Naturally, after such a
successful event, we expect to be extremely busy in the coming weeks, so please
bear with us and we will try to answer your queries as soon as possible.

I would also like to thank Mike Moloney of Saenz Transmissions Europe and Tim
Mason of TMME Electronics for their excellent support and display products during the
event.

On the stand we had 2 working paddleshift systems - The first was a full specification
system fitted to a Hewland transaxle. It featured bespoke actuator & throttle blipper
cylinders along with Goodridge hoses and a MIL spec. wiring harness. The price of
this system is approximately �4000. The other system we had on display was fitted to
a Saenz TT3 in-line gearbox. This was a more budget concious system consisting of
some off-the-shelf components and a more basic specification wiring harness and
push-fit pneumatic fittings. The price of this system is �2000-2500 depending upon
exact specification. Both systems feature exactly the same electronics & software and
have the same functionality. For a more detailed description of the paddleshift system
visit www.paddle-shift.co.uk