I wanted to post this great resource that we found for all things related to Ford EFI. Ford Fuel Injection was created by Ryan McCormick and has tons of good information on how the Ford EFI system works and how to wire into it. Check it out here.
For all of the guys integrating ISIS into these motors, this is a great resource to help you wire the ISIS POWERCELL outputs to the switched ignition circuits.
We have several diagrams to help you connect your ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System to a variety of engine management systems. You can check them out here in our Reference Library section of our website.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
ISIS One-Button Start and the Honda S2000 Switch...
Okay... this is a follow up to my last post on ISIS starting and security. Like I said in the last post, a lot of customers want a one-button function to start their project car that works like their daily driver. This function is completely integrated in the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Now, a lot of guys have asked specifically how to wire the Honda S2000 switch into the ISIS MASTERCELL. This is a popular switch because it is attractive, can fit into practically any dash design, it is cheap and it is easy to buy. Some of you may remember the Factory Five Roadster chassis that we had at SEMA in 2008 and the NSRA Nationals in Louisville last year. We wired this switch into this car.
We spent some time on-line over the past few days reading how guys have been trying to integrate this switch into existing cars, with some difficulty. As a result, we created a new application note showing you how to wire this switch into the inputs on the ISIS MASTERCELL to start the car.
Wiring this switch into a car demonstrates one of the big features of the MASTERCELL inputs. When you turn on an input, you are just sending a signal to the MASTERCELL to do its job. Less than 1 milliamp actually flows through he switch. That means that you can connect switches like the S2000 start button directly to the MASTETRCELL inputs with no need for relays. All of the wiring examples that we found on-line require relays to integrate this switch into a traditional harness.
In the case of the Cobra chassis that we had at SEMA, the owner wanted a military set of switches on the dash. He is a former Army helicopter pilot who flew Blackhawks in Desert Storm. He had wanted a toggle switch with a safety cover on it for the ignition. This switch was connected to the ignition input going to the MASTERCELL. Turning on this switch provided power to his MSD 6AL. The S2000 switch was connected to the starter input to the MASTERCELL. To start the car, he flips on the ignition toggle then presses the engine start button. To shut down the motor, he turns off the toggle switch. Pretty simple.
Likewise, you can use this switch with the ISIS One-Button Start personality just like I described in the last blog post.
You can find this application note and many more in our reference library at www.isispower.com. Click here to check it out.
Jay
Now, a lot of guys have asked specifically how to wire the Honda S2000 switch into the ISIS MASTERCELL. This is a popular switch because it is attractive, can fit into practically any dash design, it is cheap and it is easy to buy. Some of you may remember the Factory Five Roadster chassis that we had at SEMA in 2008 and the NSRA Nationals in Louisville last year. We wired this switch into this car.
We spent some time on-line over the past few days reading how guys have been trying to integrate this switch into existing cars, with some difficulty. As a result, we created a new application note showing you how to wire this switch into the inputs on the ISIS MASTERCELL to start the car.
Wiring this switch into a car demonstrates one of the big features of the MASTERCELL inputs. When you turn on an input, you are just sending a signal to the MASTERCELL to do its job. Less than 1 milliamp actually flows through he switch. That means that you can connect switches like the S2000 start button directly to the MASTETRCELL inputs with no need for relays. All of the wiring examples that we found on-line require relays to integrate this switch into a traditional harness.
In the case of the Cobra chassis that we had at SEMA, the owner wanted a military set of switches on the dash. He is a former Army helicopter pilot who flew Blackhawks in Desert Storm. He had wanted a toggle switch with a safety cover on it for the ignition. This switch was connected to the ignition input going to the MASTERCELL. Turning on this switch provided power to his MSD 6AL. The S2000 switch was connected to the starter input to the MASTERCELL. To start the car, he flips on the ignition toggle then presses the engine start button. To shut down the motor, he turns off the toggle switch. Pretty simple.
Likewise, you can use this switch with the ISIS One-Button Start personality just like I described in the last blog post.
You can find this application note and many more in our reference library at www.isispower.com. Click here to check it out.
Jay
Starting and Security with ISIS...
We spend a lot of time learning from customers about what functions they want in their cars. Everyone wants an electrical system that is easy to install and works flawlessly. That is a given. There are some guys who want simple cars: they need to be able to start the engine, turn on headlights and turns signals. That's about it.
At the same time, we find that most of the guys that come to us want more. They want their project car to have the same performance, comfort and features as their daily driver. Face it, we all have become spoiled by what our cars do for us today.
One of the most common requests that have been getting lately is to integrate push-button starting in cars. You have a few options for how you can use this switch in your car when you wire it to ISIS. Both of these are built right into ISIS and require no configuration.
The simplest is to use one switch to turn on the ignition input and a second momentary switch for the starter input. This link takes you the application note on our website that shows how to wire this.
Another option is to use our One-Button start personality. This is standard on all of our basic configurations for the 2 and 3-Cell Kit. It replicates the one-button start functions that you find in many new cars. To make this work, you wire the a button to the ISIS One-Button start input wire. That's it, only one wire. The ignition output on the POWERCELL wires to the ignition system for the engine and the starter output connects to the starter solenoid.
If you press and release the button, the ignition output turns on. Pressing and releasing it again turns the ignition off. In you press and hold the button, the ignition turns on, there is a half-second pause for the fuel pump to prime then the starter solenoid engages to crank the motor. It will crank as long as the button is pressed. Once it turns over, you take your finger off of the button. The starter solenoid drops out but the ignition is still getting power from the POWERCELL. To shut down the engine, you press and release the button again. This shuts off the power to the ignition output.
The best part of this is that with ISIS you don't need to buy any external module to get the one-button start function. It is all integrated as part of the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Now, I know your next question. You now have a car with a cool red button that you can use to start it but you have no key. How do I keep someone from stealing my car? That's where the ISIS inLINK wireless system comes in. inLINK is a very simple upgrade to our basic 2 and 3-Cell kits. It gets you wireless control over the car for things like door poppers, trunk releases and lighting. Most importantly, it gets you a powerful security system for the car. When you lock the car from the inLINK key fob, the MASTERCELL disables the inputs for the ignition, fuel pump and starter solenoid. If you try to turn on any of these inputs, you get a message on the inSIGHT LCD module on the MASTERCELL that tells you that these functions are disabled. The car cannot be started until the system is unlocked by the key fob. This function becomes completely integrated into ISIS. There are no separate modules to splice into your electrical system.
A lot of our customers use our One-Button start with no keys at all. They lock the system from the inLINK key fob and walk away from the car.
You can get more information on the ISIS One-Button Start function and inLINK at our products page by clicking here.
Jay
At the same time, we find that most of the guys that come to us want more. They want their project car to have the same performance, comfort and features as their daily driver. Face it, we all have become spoiled by what our cars do for us today.
One of the most common requests that have been getting lately is to integrate push-button starting in cars. You have a few options for how you can use this switch in your car when you wire it to ISIS. Both of these are built right into ISIS and require no configuration.
The simplest is to use one switch to turn on the ignition input and a second momentary switch for the starter input. This link takes you the application note on our website that shows how to wire this.
Another option is to use our One-Button start personality. This is standard on all of our basic configurations for the 2 and 3-Cell Kit. It replicates the one-button start functions that you find in many new cars. To make this work, you wire the a button to the ISIS One-Button start input wire. That's it, only one wire. The ignition output on the POWERCELL wires to the ignition system for the engine and the starter output connects to the starter solenoid.
If you press and release the button, the ignition output turns on. Pressing and releasing it again turns the ignition off. In you press and hold the button, the ignition turns on, there is a half-second pause for the fuel pump to prime then the starter solenoid engages to crank the motor. It will crank as long as the button is pressed. Once it turns over, you take your finger off of the button. The starter solenoid drops out but the ignition is still getting power from the POWERCELL. To shut down the engine, you press and release the button again. This shuts off the power to the ignition output.
The best part of this is that with ISIS you don't need to buy any external module to get the one-button start function. It is all integrated as part of the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Now, I know your next question. You now have a car with a cool red button that you can use to start it but you have no key. How do I keep someone from stealing my car? That's where the ISIS inLINK wireless system comes in. inLINK is a very simple upgrade to our basic 2 and 3-Cell kits. It gets you wireless control over the car for things like door poppers, trunk releases and lighting. Most importantly, it gets you a powerful security system for the car. When you lock the car from the inLINK key fob, the MASTERCELL disables the inputs for the ignition, fuel pump and starter solenoid. If you try to turn on any of these inputs, you get a message on the inSIGHT LCD module on the MASTERCELL that tells you that these functions are disabled. The car cannot be started until the system is unlocked by the key fob. This function becomes completely integrated into ISIS. There are no separate modules to splice into your electrical system.
A lot of our customers use our One-Button start with no keys at all. They lock the system from the inLINK key fob and walk away from the car.
You can get more information on the ISIS One-Button Start function and inLINK at our products page by clicking here.
Jay
Monday, June 21, 2010
Stockholm or Bust...
Here's another great ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System customer story.
We have been working with Ewan Bason ever since he ordered his ISIS system in 2009. When he is not operating underwater rovers for a marine exploration company, he is restoring his 1961 VW Split Screen Panel Van. He wired the van with our standard 3-Cell Kit.
He and a friend just completed a 2,000 mile road trip from England to Stockholm. They had a few hiccups including a failed alternator, a broken windshield and a carburetor fire but they made it home. Plus they raised some money for a good charity.
You can learn more about the van, their trip and their cause at their website by clicking here.
Jay
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The ISIS Power Brand...
Okay... I like these kinds of stories.
A lot of my job is brand building. For all intents and purposes, we are starting from the bottom. We're bringing new electrical technology into a market that hasn't seen innovation in wiring since the Model T. We spend a lot of time with magazines working on editorial coverage, tons of time updating the website and the blogs, going to shows, setting up sponsorship and handling TV coverage. Most importantly, we spend a lot of time talking to customers. Our goal is to make everyone aware of ISIS, and get the same recognition as other brands like MSD, K&N and Holley. When guys think about wiring their cars, we want ISIS Power to come to their minds.
A lot of you know Chris Loubier from I Squared Engineering. They originally brought multiplex technology to the enthusiast market about 5 years ago with their Million Mile Systems and their 1+1 System. They have been our partners for a long time now. For those who know Chris or have spoken to him over the phone, he is a scary smart guy and very passionate about his technology.
Chris had an extra welder in his shop that he wasn't using so he put out an add to sell it. A few nights ago, two guys came by to look at and buy it. While one guy was checking out the welder, the second casually asked Chris what he does in his shop.
In true Chris Loubier fashion, he started to explain that he develops electrical systems for vehicles, with micro-controllers that can scale easily using multiplex technology. While he was going through the technical details of what he did, the guy interrupted him and said "Oh, you mean something like ISIS?". He knew what Chris was talking about just by his technical description.
It turns out that this guy had been reading all about us in the magazines, saw us on Two Guys Garage, even talked to me at SEMA last year. He is just started working on a Camaro project and is going to use our ISIS 3-Cell Kit to wire the car.
As I said above, I really like stories like these. It shows me that our PR and branding efforts are working. Most importantly, we have found that our customers are our best sales people and advocate for us all of the time. We're proud of the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System and the service that we offer to our customers.
A lot of my job is brand building. For all intents and purposes, we are starting from the bottom. We're bringing new electrical technology into a market that hasn't seen innovation in wiring since the Model T. We spend a lot of time with magazines working on editorial coverage, tons of time updating the website and the blogs, going to shows, setting up sponsorship and handling TV coverage. Most importantly, we spend a lot of time talking to customers. Our goal is to make everyone aware of ISIS, and get the same recognition as other brands like MSD, K&N and Holley. When guys think about wiring their cars, we want ISIS Power to come to their minds.
A lot of you know Chris Loubier from I Squared Engineering. They originally brought multiplex technology to the enthusiast market about 5 years ago with their Million Mile Systems and their 1+1 System. They have been our partners for a long time now. For those who know Chris or have spoken to him over the phone, he is a scary smart guy and very passionate about his technology.
Chris had an extra welder in his shop that he wasn't using so he put out an add to sell it. A few nights ago, two guys came by to look at and buy it. While one guy was checking out the welder, the second casually asked Chris what he does in his shop.
In true Chris Loubier fashion, he started to explain that he develops electrical systems for vehicles, with micro-controllers that can scale easily using multiplex technology. While he was going through the technical details of what he did, the guy interrupted him and said "Oh, you mean something like ISIS?". He knew what Chris was talking about just by his technical description.
It turns out that this guy had been reading all about us in the magazines, saw us on Two Guys Garage, even talked to me at SEMA last year. He is just started working on a Camaro project and is going to use our ISIS 3-Cell Kit to wire the car.
As I said above, I really like stories like these. It shows me that our PR and branding efforts are working. Most importantly, we have found that our customers are our best sales people and advocate for us all of the time. We're proud of the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System and the service that we offer to our customers.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
How to Wire a Headlight Switch to the ISIS MASTERCELL...
Okay... here's another ISIS wiring example. It's hot off the press.
A lot of guys ask how to wire the headlight switch into the inputs on the ISIS MASTERCELL. It is pretty easy. Check out the application note here.
One of the biggest things that you will notice here is how small the wires are going to the switch. ISIS works differently from a traditional wiring harness. Instead of bringing power to the switch, the inputs need to be grounded. It takes less than 1 milliamp to turn on an input. This means that there is practically no current flowing through the switch, so the contacts will never wear. Additionally, you can use a very light gauge of wire to connect the switch to the MASTERCELL. All of our input wires are 22 AWG as compared to the 12 or 10 AWG wires that came on the OEM harness. This dramatically reduces the bulk of wire under the dash.
Keep watching for more tips and tricks to help you wire your car with the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Jay
A lot of guys ask how to wire the headlight switch into the inputs on the ISIS MASTERCELL. It is pretty easy. Check out the application note here.
One of the biggest things that you will notice here is how small the wires are going to the switch. ISIS works differently from a traditional wiring harness. Instead of bringing power to the switch, the inputs need to be grounded. It takes less than 1 milliamp to turn on an input. This means that there is practically no current flowing through the switch, so the contacts will never wear. Additionally, you can use a very light gauge of wire to connect the switch to the MASTERCELL. All of our input wires are 22 AWG as compared to the 12 or 10 AWG wires that came on the OEM harness. This dramatically reduces the bulk of wire under the dash.
Keep watching for more tips and tricks to help you wire your car with the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Jay
Monday, June 14, 2010
Connecting the ISIS MASTERCELL to GM Steering Columns...
Okay Guys,
Another popular question that we get is how do you integrate the inputs to the MASTECELL into a GM-style steering column. The connectors for this have not changed in decades and they are used in the OEM columns and the ones made by popular companies like IDIDIT and Flaming River.
Check out the following drawing. It gives you a color-coded map to wire the inputs to the ISIS MASTERCELL to the connector on the steering column. You can get this schematic from the ISIS Power website at this link.
Check out this guide and many others on our Installation page on www.isispower.com. Let us know if you have any additional suggestions for similar guides to help you wire your car with our ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Jay
Another popular question that we get is how do you integrate the inputs to the MASTECELL into a GM-style steering column. The connectors for this have not changed in decades and they are used in the OEM columns and the ones made by popular companies like IDIDIT and Flaming River.
Check out the following drawing. It gives you a color-coded map to wire the inputs to the ISIS MASTERCELL to the connector on the steering column. You can get this schematic from the ISIS Power website at this link.
Check out this guide and many others on our Installation page on www.isispower.com. Let us know if you have any additional suggestions for similar guides to help you wire your car with our ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Jay
Sunday, June 13, 2010
ISIS inMOTION and Camaro Headlight Covers, part 2
Hey Folks,
I wanted to post an updated video from John Parsons. He has been tinkering with the headlight covers on the Camaro that he is wiring for a customer. This car was wired with the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System and he is using our new ISIS inMOTION Motor Control Module to control the windows, door locks and the Detroit Speed and Engineering headlight covers.
The first video that we posted was running the motors for the covers off of a 14 volt battery from a cordless drill. The action was a little fast. John has now dialed in the motion using a resistor to limit the voltage to the motors.
You can see it here.
Jay
I wanted to post an updated video from John Parsons. He has been tinkering with the headlight covers on the Camaro that he is wiring for a customer. This car was wired with the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System and he is using our new ISIS inMOTION Motor Control Module to control the windows, door locks and the Detroit Speed and Engineering headlight covers.
The first video that we posted was running the motors for the covers off of a 14 volt battery from a cordless drill. The action was a little fast. John has now dialed in the motion using a resistor to limit the voltage to the motors.
You can see it here.
Jay
Saturday, June 12, 2010
High-Current Loads...
One of the more common questions that we get about the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System is what to do with high-current loads. When you wire a car, most of the loads or accessories draw 10 to 20 amps. This includes headlights, turn signals, ignition systems, starter solenoids, etc. Each of the outputs on a POWERCELL can carry up to 25-amps and the total capacity of a POWERCELL is 125-amps.
Occasionally, you do have have switched loads that exceed 25-amps. The most common example would be cooling fans but other examples could include electric power steering pumps, and very high-flow fuel pumps.
You can get the same ISIS benefits for these high-current loads as you do with ones under 25-ammps. Instead of driving the loads directly, you can use the output from the POWERCELL to power the coils of a relay. This allows the contacts of the relay to carry the full current of the load. You can size the relay to meet the demand.
Click here to download a simple schematic from the www.isispower.com website that shows you how you can use a relay with a POWERCELL output to increase the current carrying capability of the system.
You can check our reference library for additional tips and tricks to make wiring your car easier with the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Occasionally, you do have have switched loads that exceed 25-amps. The most common example would be cooling fans but other examples could include electric power steering pumps, and very high-flow fuel pumps.
You can get the same ISIS benefits for these high-current loads as you do with ones under 25-ammps. Instead of driving the loads directly, you can use the output from the POWERCELL to power the coils of a relay. This allows the contacts of the relay to carry the full current of the load. You can size the relay to meet the demand.
Click here to download a simple schematic from the www.isispower.com website that shows you how you can use a relay with a POWERCELL output to increase the current carrying capability of the system.
You can check our reference library for additional tips and tricks to make wiring your car easier with the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
inMOTION Controls Headlight Doors on Camaro RS...
Hello All,
We have been working with John Parsons of II Much Fabrication on a customer's Camaro RS. John is installing our ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System into Mark Deutsch's car.
As far as builds go, this one is more involved than most. Mark started with a 3-Cell Kit, added another POWERCELL and our new ISIS inMOTION Motor Controller Cell. He has a lot of functions going on in the car including power windows, locks, and headlamp covers. The original OEM covers were vacuum actuated and used a large, complicated mechanism to open and close the doors.
They replaced the OEM doors with a new electric system from Detroit Speed and Engineering. This is a very well engineered and built system that converts the door mechanism to electric actuation, taking out the old vacuum system. This link will take you to the DSE kit.
They give you a controller to drive the electric motors for the headlamp doors, but John used our new inMOTION Motor Controller Cell to drive them directly. You can get more information on our inMOTION Cell at this link.
inMOTION looks and feels like an ISIS POWERCELL. It plugs directly into an existing ISIS system but it brings a ton of new functions to the table. The POWERCELL has 10 outputs that can be turned on and off. It is designed to control things like lights, fans, starter solenoids and other accessories that need to be switched on and off.
There are lots of accessories in the car that need to be turned on and off, but also need to have their polarity reversed. Examples include motors for functions like windows, sun roofs and convertible tops and linear actuators. It can also drive things like solenoids for door locks. The ISIS inMOTION Motor Controller Cell gives you full reversing control over 5 accessories, up to 25-amps each. One powerful feature is that since it seamlessly integrates into an existing ISIS System, you can use any switches that you want to the MASTERCELL to control your windows, locks, actuators or any other thing that needs to forward & reverse.
Another powerful feature of inMOTION is that is has current sensing built into it. When you connect an accessory to it, you train the cell to learn its current profile. This allows it to actively shut down an output if the current flowing exceeds the value that it learned. This allows you to do things like express down on windows. When the window hits the bottom of its travel, the motor stalls, the current flow goes up dramatically and inMOTION shuts off the output when it senses this increase in current flow.
In addition to his windows, John Parson used inMOTION to control the doors for the headlamps. He trained the cell to learn the current profile and was able to eliminate any limit switches for the mechanism. The wires for the door mechanism connect directly to the inMOTION Cell and the inputs connect to the headlight switch. He was able to eliminate the need for the DSE controller.
Check out this video of it working.
Jay
We have been working with John Parsons of II Much Fabrication on a customer's Camaro RS. John is installing our ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System into Mark Deutsch's car.
As far as builds go, this one is more involved than most. Mark started with a 3-Cell Kit, added another POWERCELL and our new ISIS inMOTION Motor Controller Cell. He has a lot of functions going on in the car including power windows, locks, and headlamp covers. The original OEM covers were vacuum actuated and used a large, complicated mechanism to open and close the doors.
They replaced the OEM doors with a new electric system from Detroit Speed and Engineering. This is a very well engineered and built system that converts the door mechanism to electric actuation, taking out the old vacuum system. This link will take you to the DSE kit.
They give you a controller to drive the electric motors for the headlamp doors, but John used our new inMOTION Motor Controller Cell to drive them directly. You can get more information on our inMOTION Cell at this link.
inMOTION looks and feels like an ISIS POWERCELL. It plugs directly into an existing ISIS system but it brings a ton of new functions to the table. The POWERCELL has 10 outputs that can be turned on and off. It is designed to control things like lights, fans, starter solenoids and other accessories that need to be switched on and off.
There are lots of accessories in the car that need to be turned on and off, but also need to have their polarity reversed. Examples include motors for functions like windows, sun roofs and convertible tops and linear actuators. It can also drive things like solenoids for door locks. The ISIS inMOTION Motor Controller Cell gives you full reversing control over 5 accessories, up to 25-amps each. One powerful feature is that since it seamlessly integrates into an existing ISIS System, you can use any switches that you want to the MASTERCELL to control your windows, locks, actuators or any other thing that needs to forward & reverse.
Another powerful feature of inMOTION is that is has current sensing built into it. When you connect an accessory to it, you train the cell to learn its current profile. This allows it to actively shut down an output if the current flowing exceeds the value that it learned. This allows you to do things like express down on windows. When the window hits the bottom of its travel, the motor stalls, the current flow goes up dramatically and inMOTION shuts off the output when it senses this increase in current flow.
In addition to his windows, John Parson used inMOTION to control the doors for the headlamps. He trained the cell to learn the current profile and was able to eliminate any limit switches for the mechanism. The wires for the door mechanism connect directly to the inMOTION Cell and the inputs connect to the headlight switch. He was able to eliminate the need for the DSE controller.
Check out this video of it working.
Jay
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