Introducing Geartronics Paddleshift
Geartronics - digital gear position indicators, flatshift and paddleshift systems for sequential gearboxes from Hewland, Quaife, Ricardo, Gemini, X-trac, Drenth, Holinger Sadev. powershift power shift flatshift flat shift full throttle gear change paddle assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake

Please keep scrolling for full information & photos.

BENEFITS

  1. Proven reliability - multiple 24-hour race winning system.
  2. Faster & more precise than manual shifting - clutchless up & down shifts typically 50-60mS or less, depending upon gearbox type & engine inertia etc. Please follow this link for the truth about shift times.
  3. Significantly reduced gearbox dog wear compared to manual shift.
  4. Virtually constant power delivery to the driven wheels, reducing the risk of vehicle instability during shifts.
  5. Uses pneumatic (compressed air) actuation, as favoured by most professional race teams. Click here to examine the desirable features of air actuators.
  6. Both hands can be kept on the steering wheel at all times, allowing you to concentrate on other aspects of car control, leading to reduced lap/stage times.
  7. Allows you to shift up and down when you want, not when the conditions dictate.
  8. Eliminates downshift induced over-revs, and includes other sophisticated engine & gearbox protection strategies.
  9. Capable of up to 5 down-shifts in less than 1 second, leading to shorter braking distances.
  10. Optional automatic up-shift and 'stacked' down-shift pre-select modes. Note: the auto modes can be disabled in firmware for FIA or ACO events.
  11. Full track support available if required.

FEATURES IN DETAIL

  • Virtually seamless full-throttle up-shifts and smooth clutchless auto-blipped down-shifts featuring a sophisticated 'anti-push' strategy. Capable of clutchless part-throttle or even full-throttle downshifts.
  • Highly sophisticated GCU, featuring fully closed-loop control of the gear shift, engine torque reduction and throttle blip. Please note: This is NOT a timer based system, and all shift events are dynamically controlled, based on barrel position feedback. For a better explanation of why a closed-loop system is so desirable, click here.
  • 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. The professional 'GCU3' version includes 2 x 1-Mbit CANbus interfaces for connection to the latest generation of engine management systems, adding additional protection strategies by monitoring vehicle speed, wheel slip and gearbox temperature.
  • 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.
  • Intelligent closed-loop engine torque reduction either by digital interface to engine management system (preferred), or by direct connection to ignition coils.
  • Full on-board data logging of the following: gear shift count (up & down into each gear), fastest & slowest up & down shift times into each gear, barrel overshoot or 'kick-back' count & measurement, barrel sensor error count, pneumatic pressure, compressor duty cycle & engine/gearbox runtime counter, declined downshift counter. All logged data can be exported in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. Our professional GCU has up to 8Mb of on-board FLASH memory for real-time logging.
  • System includes: 12v high-efficiency compressor, purpose designed air reservoir, gearbox actuator, throttle blipper & valve assemblies as required, conventional twin paddle assembly or single 'rally' paddle, replacement gear position sensor (hall-effect) & fully programmable closed-loop GCU complete with our proprietary PC setup software, & comprehensive installation/setup instructions.

Please note: We DO NOT supply individual paddleshift hardware components for use with 3rd party control systems. The Geartronics system is only available as a complete kit including our own GCU (or our MoTeC M1 partner package). If you insist on using your engine ECU to control the gearbox then you will also need to source the hardware from your ECU manufacturer as well.

Systems available from approximately £3250 + VAT. Does not include wiring harness, pneumatic hoses or mounting brackets, which can be supplied at extra cost. We will not supply a 'generic' loom and expect you to make it fit your specific vehicle.

Spare parts prices can be found here. (For existing users only).

High-end professional system available from £4250 + VAT - Includes second generation CANbus based GCU and Raychem/Deutsch wiring harness (also includes site vist for commissioning)

Contact us for more details
Components in detail

Click pictures for high-resolution version.

geartronics twin paddles featuring carbon fibre flippers and tactile operation. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake These are our conventional 'Formula' paddles for mounting between the wheel and quick-release boss using our bespoke carbon-fibre brackets. These neat and ultra lightweight assemblies are fitted with carbon fibre flippers and have an extremely positive tactile feel. These paddles can be supplied with a hand-made 'Raychem' coiled cable at extra cost.

Weight: 165g. (without cable)

Please note: We do not supply these paddles for use with competitors systems.
geartronics twin paddles featuring carbon fibre flippers and tactile operation. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake Saloon cars generally require larger paddles, and this 'GT' paddle assembly is for a 330mm steering wheel, including a carbon fibre bracket to mount to a standard 6 bolt hub. Other brackets can be made to customer specification. These paddles feature the same switch assembly as our 'formula' paddles, offering an extremely tactile 'clicky' feel through the use of high-powered neodymium magnet technology.
Single rally paddle. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake Shift paddles for rally cars require a different approach. Designed to be mounted to the steering column, the 'rally' paddle remains in the same position, regardless of steering wheel position. The two-way actuation is pulled for upshifts & pushed for downshifts. No more comprimising with twin paddles and hitting the wrong one when entering or exiting corners!

Please note that we do not supply this unit as a separate item, and it is only available as part of a complete system.

paddleshift ECU GCU gearbox control unit. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake Our GCU is specifically made for paddleshift operation and is designed and assembled in-house. Geartronics don't use electronics from 3rd party suppliers and brand it as our own. Hand assembled Prototypes undergo extensive bench & field testing before being put into production.
The GCU is constructed using state-of-the-art multi-layer surface-mount technology. The PCB is also conformal coated to ensure the highest levels of relaibility in harsh enviroments.
paddleshift ECU GCU gearbox control unit. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake Customers requiring a high-end solution now have the option of choosing our latest CANbus based 'professional' GCU.

This latest development takes high-performance gearshifting to the next level. Designed to integrate with the latest engine management, power switching and data acquisition systems, the unit can send and receive up to 80 channels of CANbus data at speeds of up to 1000Hz.
paddleshift paddle shift semi auto powershift inline blipper sequential gearbox pneumatic actuator. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake The calibration software has an array of user definable parameters to ensure that the correct shift strategy is achieved for every installation. Note that this is not a timer based system, and unlike some other systems, you do not need to adjust numerous timer parameters for engine cut, actuator & blip durations! All events in the shift sequence are dynamically controlled in real-time to ensure fast, reliable and consistent shifts under all conditions. The GCU also features a detailed datalogging system that allows the race engineer to fine tune the system.
paddleshift paddle shift semi auto system25 autosport wiring harness. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake The quality of the wiring harness is extremely important in a serious racecar application. That's why all Geartronics harnesses are manufactured to very high standards using Raychem spec-55 wire, DR25 sleeving and Deutsch Autosport (AS) connectors (where budgets permit). For customers who are concious of the cost of a full Autosport spec loom, we can also provide looms using Sureseal or Deutsch 'DTM' connectors. We NEVER use cheap braided sleeving or 'bullet' & 'spade' connectors in the construction of any of our looms!
paddleshift gearbox pneumatic actuator. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake This is our standard gearbox actuator. Weighing just 300g, it's considerably smaller and lighter than an equivalent electric solenoid and presents no packaging issues around the gearbox. Furthermore, being pneumatic, it maintains a consistent performance across the full operating temperature range. It provides a shift force of up to 750N at a maximum operating temperature of 230C.
paddleshift gearbox valve assembly. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake The Geartronics remote valve assembly uses direct operating 'poppet' valves for reduced susceptibility to dirt ingress. The valve performance allows 5 down-shifts in less than 1 second (depending upon engine response). Valve electrical connections are fully sealed and use Raychem Spec55 wire and DR25 sleeving for ultimate reliability. Weight: 480g.
Paddleshift throttle blipper. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake 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. It provides a force of up to 180N from a weight of just 75g.
paddleshift cable throttle blipper. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake An alternative to the 'push-type' blipper is this cable operating unit. It's designed to mount directly onto most throttle bodies and operates with a standard 7mm OD cable. The blip magnitude is easily adjustable by means of the 'K' nut on the rear of the unit. Pull force up to 220N.
paddleshift air accumulator. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake The Geartronics system uses a purpose designed air reservoir so that the compressor only needs to operate intermittently (typically 20-25% duty cycle). The reservoir pressure is controlled by the GCU, based on feedback from the high-quality pressure sensor. The advantage that our reservoir has over other air systems is that the output regulator maintains the shift pressure for consistent shift performance, even during a rapid downshift sequence. The unit is also fully rebuildable, unlike tanks of welded construction. The volume of the reservoir typically allows 8-10 shifts between compressor operations.
paddleshift compressor. Assisted gear shift proshift, electronic gearshift, shiftec, megaline, equipmake For circuit race & rally cars, a small on-board compressor is used to provide the power to make the shifts. This high specification unit is stripped, inspected and modified to provide very high levels of reliability. Operating at typically 20-25% duty cycle, the compressor current is approximately 13 amps, and therefore does not place any high transient demands on the vehicle electrical system. For hillclimb and sprint applications the compressor is replaced with a lightweight high-pressure (300bar) air bottle that can provide enough air for more than 500 shifts.
To see the Paddleshift system in action, please Click here to go to the VIDEOS PAGE

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