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Hi all, have tried searching fro this on forum but other flatshift thread I found was more general.

I have a DTAfast S60 running a Honda K20 engine with a Quaife 5 speed sequential box. Using a geartronics position sensor I had been using closed loop flatshift in DTASwin but I have to make the tolerance band very small to cleanly start the shift which can lead to false cuts. I want to use a switch to start the change and gear position to finish the change.

Can anyone recommend a suitable gearstick switch which would allow this?

The alternative is a loadcell but apart from being expensive it provides a 0.5v to 4.5v output. Is there a way to use this signal with the S60 ECU to start cut?

If you have a sequential, it is perfectly normal for a load cell to sit at around 2.5v idle, and then go high or low with the fore/aft movement.

This allows easy identification of an up or downshift as required so the ecu can do cuts or blips etc ( with supporting mods of course )

A load cell that sits at a low voltage and only goes high, would have limited use. Likewise a simple switch would have limited use.

If there is an actuating rod to install an inline load cell, this is by far the best option. A gearstick based load cell is another option...but they tend to be even more expensive than the inline versions.

Or you can get a basic microswitch type affair for the stick, SQS sell some different types, but that's less than ideal.

If you do not want to mess with the load cell the simple is to go for a solution like the microswitch but if you want something more reliable you can look at inductive sensors most french gearbox manufacturer like SADEV or 3MO which have been using switches for years are now using them
I know 3MO or using these OMRON E2A-S08KS02-WP-C1 or C2 depending on if you want normally open or normally close but any type of NPN inductive sensor will do the trick.
sorry as it is in french but it is just for the example.
[pdfview]http://www.3mo.com/images/Documents/Not ... rmance.pdf[/pdfview]

it will detect a piece of metal running in front of it but be careful to the sensing distances as they are different if you are using steel or aluminium.

We don't currently support load cells, so a micro switch is your best option.
You can either start the cut on the switch, or use it to tell the ECU to start looking at the pot voltage when the switch is closed.

Thanks for replies.

Yep that's what I thought in terms of using load cells. Will see if I can get a microswitch to work as don't really want to buy full geratronics system.

Anyone have experience of these microswitch type gearknobs?

http://www.sqsracing.com/produkt/319:41 ... power-knob

Should work fine. You'll only need the basic version.

I have one, it's fairly decent.

I tried using it for flat shift with an H pattern...but even on its stiffest setting, still not ideal.

It may wok a bit better with only fore/aft movements, but a load cell would really be a better option.

I had to learn not to keep any pressure on the stick after a shift, otherwise it could cut again, although that should be less of an issue with a sequential setup. But it's an ok quality piece, M12 thread.

Or using a hall sensor to detect stick motion as was suggested above. Really all will be trial and error though.

Before you go to all that trouble try turning the 'gear filter depth' up to 10 if it isn't already.

A load cell could be used inputted into one of the spare ANA inputs and use the corresponding output to decode the signal and loop that 0% or 100% PWM AUX out back into the shift switch input. I did something similar on my P8.

If you want the SQS, I could probably sell mine.

basic version with simply a n/o set of contacts, that close when the switch is active. Switch does same action for both fore/aft movement.

I may be interested in that.