A customer asked an important question yesterday that we need to document better in our literature.
Our ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System has a significant amount of processing power in it. That means that it can do much more for the electrical system in you can than a traditional wiring harness can, including some important safety systems.
One of those functions is our action blocking. When the system boots up, the MASTERCELL scans all of the inputs and checks to see if the switches attached to them are on or off. On certain circuits, the MASTERCELL will block the POWERCELL outputs from turning on if the switch is on when it powers up. Specifically, these are the cooling fan and the starter solenoid.
This is done to protect the guy wiring the car through the process. Let's say that you have two guys working on the car, one in the trunk and one working under the hood. If the guy in the trunk were to connect the battery and the input for the cooling fan was on, you would not want it to start spinning and possibly injure the guy working under the hood.
If this were to happen, you would get a message on the MASTERCELL inSIGHT module saying that there was an abnormal state and that action was blocked. The message would also indicate which input number was blocked.
To clear this out of the system, you would need to turn off the switch that was blocked and remove the power from the ISIS system. Wait a few seconds and re-connect it. When the system boots up again, it will scan the inputs and clear out the abnormal state.
In early versions of the system, we applied this action blocking to all of the inputs. There are scenarios where you may not want this function to happen, like with door switches, so we removed the action blocking from all inputs except the cooling fans and the starter solenoid. If you have an early system with this function, contact ISIS Power technical support at (847) 232-1991 and we can get this code updated for you.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Update on ISIS Power Install on F100...
Hey Guys,
We've been pretty busy with things in the office so I wanted to get out an update on what's happening on our ISIS install in our F100 Panel Truck.
We replaced the entire wiring harness in the truck about a month ago. ISIS is controling the headlights, high-beams, turn-signals, parking lights, wipers, ignition and the starter solenoid. We have been taking the truck with this set up around to local customers, with a great response.
There is a POWERCELL on the inside of the front, passenger fender wall, right under the hood. This is powering the ignition, starter, headlights, high-beams, horn and turn-signals. The longest piece of wire that we have coming off of that cell goes from the fender to the headlights. It is much cleaner than what was in there before. We left two outputs open on the front POWERCELL so that we can wire the electric cooling fan and the electric water pump when we are ready.
There is another POWERCELL in the rear of the truck, behind the big barn doors at floor level. The turn-signals, parking lights and brake lights are coming off of that POWERCELL. The only cables that run to it from the front of the truck are two 8-AWG cables carrying fused primary power from the battery and the CAN cable that is routed up through the interior to the MASTERCELL. We left outputs open for back-up lights, an electric fuel pump and audio. We'll be adding these over the next few months as we prepare to take this truck to the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The best part about adding these extra functions to the system, whether on the front or rear POWERCELL, is that everything is there to do it. We don't need to pull any more wire through the truck. We connect the open POWERCELL output to the function and connect a switch to the input on the MASTERCELL. That couldn't easier.
We mounted the MASTERCELL right on the console that holds the shifter. We wanted it accessable and easy for anyone to see. From there, the input wires lead to the switches on the dash. Most of these input wires are less than 3 feet long.
Right now, we're in the middle of installing power windows and door poppers. We're using the Electric-Life EL1000 SUPER STREET FLAT GLASS KIT and their 45-pound door solenoids and their new Door Jammers. This part of the install was very straight forward. We have tons of pictures and videos that we'll get up on the website and this blog. Both the windows and the door solenoids are wired into our inMOTION Cell mounted behind the console holding the shifter.
Over the next few weeks, we are going to be adding our inTOUCH MAX screen to the dash to eliminate all of the switches, including the ones wired to the windows and door poppers. Since we're doing that, we are going to be using inTOUCH Mobile and my iPhone to control the windows and door poppers. It is really easy to do. From my phone, I'll be able to pop the doors remotely and roll the windows up and down, including express down.
In parallel with all of this, we're starting to install all of our Heidts suspension hardware on the new chassis for the truck.
We have tons of pictures and video that need to be cleaned up and posted to show you our progress and how we did all it. Keep checking the blog to see more.
Jay
We've been pretty busy with things in the office so I wanted to get out an update on what's happening on our ISIS install in our F100 Panel Truck.
We replaced the entire wiring harness in the truck about a month ago. ISIS is controling the headlights, high-beams, turn-signals, parking lights, wipers, ignition and the starter solenoid. We have been taking the truck with this set up around to local customers, with a great response.
There is a POWERCELL on the inside of the front, passenger fender wall, right under the hood. This is powering the ignition, starter, headlights, high-beams, horn and turn-signals. The longest piece of wire that we have coming off of that cell goes from the fender to the headlights. It is much cleaner than what was in there before. We left two outputs open on the front POWERCELL so that we can wire the electric cooling fan and the electric water pump when we are ready.
There is another POWERCELL in the rear of the truck, behind the big barn doors at floor level. The turn-signals, parking lights and brake lights are coming off of that POWERCELL. The only cables that run to it from the front of the truck are two 8-AWG cables carrying fused primary power from the battery and the CAN cable that is routed up through the interior to the MASTERCELL. We left outputs open for back-up lights, an electric fuel pump and audio. We'll be adding these over the next few months as we prepare to take this truck to the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The best part about adding these extra functions to the system, whether on the front or rear POWERCELL, is that everything is there to do it. We don't need to pull any more wire through the truck. We connect the open POWERCELL output to the function and connect a switch to the input on the MASTERCELL. That couldn't easier.
We mounted the MASTERCELL right on the console that holds the shifter. We wanted it accessable and easy for anyone to see. From there, the input wires lead to the switches on the dash. Most of these input wires are less than 3 feet long.
Right now, we're in the middle of installing power windows and door poppers. We're using the Electric-Life EL1000 SUPER STREET FLAT GLASS KIT and their 45-pound door solenoids and their new Door Jammers. This part of the install was very straight forward. We have tons of pictures and videos that we'll get up on the website and this blog. Both the windows and the door solenoids are wired into our inMOTION Cell mounted behind the console holding the shifter.
Over the next few weeks, we are going to be adding our inTOUCH MAX screen to the dash to eliminate all of the switches, including the ones wired to the windows and door poppers. Since we're doing that, we are going to be using inTOUCH Mobile and my iPhone to control the windows and door poppers. It is really easy to do. From my phone, I'll be able to pop the doors remotely and roll the windows up and down, including express down.
In parallel with all of this, we're starting to install all of our Heidts suspension hardware on the new chassis for the truck.
We have tons of pictures and video that need to be cleaned up and posted to show you our progress and how we did all it. Keep checking the blog to see more.
Jay
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Check out Team Superlite from Mid-Ohio...
Fran Hall and his team from Race Car Replicas have been very busy with their Superlite race car. They spent the weekend at Mid-Ohio airing out the car and dialing it in.
If you haven't see this car before, it is awesome. They built it to show what you can do with their SLC kit. It can be built as a refined, luxury super-car. Or, it can be turned into the gentleman's race car that can easily compete with everything on the track. The Team Superlite is build largely from stock components and they left it in the bright-green gel coat. You can't miss it.
We shot this video from when they were testing the car at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet.
This car is wired with our ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System. This is a great application to show off the durability and the ruggedness of the system. Racing is full of heat, vibrations and mechanical shock. ISIS takes all of this in stride.
Check out the in-car video from their race over the weekend. This video gives you a great feel for the performance of the Superlite plus you get a great view of the ISIS cells that power the car.
You can learn more about the Superlite Coupe at http://www.superlitecars.com/.
If you haven't see this car before, it is awesome. They built it to show what you can do with their SLC kit. It can be built as a refined, luxury super-car. Or, it can be turned into the gentleman's race car that can easily compete with everything on the track. The Team Superlite is build largely from stock components and they left it in the bright-green gel coat. You can't miss it.
We shot this video from when they were testing the car at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet.
This car is wired with our ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System. This is a great application to show off the durability and the ruggedness of the system. Racing is full of heat, vibrations and mechanical shock. ISIS takes all of this in stride.
Check out the in-car video from their race over the weekend. This video gives you a great feel for the performance of the Superlite plus you get a great view of the ISIS cells that power the car.
You can learn more about the Superlite Coupe at http://www.superlitecars.com/.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Catch ISIS Power on Fox Sports Network, Again...
The Fox Sports Network is airing an interview with me, Jay Harris. This was shot at the 2011 Hot Rod & Restoration show in Indianapolis. The folks from the Lokar Car Show series interview me to learn more about the new products that we introduced at the show. This includes inTOUCH Mobile, inTOUCH MAX, inRESERVE and inMOTION.
Check out the interview to learn more about how ISIS can help you simplify the wiring in your car. Catch the airings at 11:00 AM on Sunday July 24th and 4:00 PM on Monday July 25th. All times are nationwide, however, please check your local listings as the time may change for your region. Network reserves right to change schedule without notice.
Check out the interview to learn more about how ISIS can help you simplify the wiring in your car. Catch the airings at 11:00 AM on Sunday July 24th and 4:00 PM on Monday July 25th. All times are nationwide, however, please check your local listings as the time may change for your region. Network reserves right to change schedule without notice.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
In the heart of Surf City...
Hey Guys,
I'm doing what I can do to catch up on some of my blogging. I've been on the road for the past few days meeting with customers on both sides of our business. Right now I'm sitting in Huntington Beach, the one of the coolest places for cars. Everywhere you go, there is some hot-rod, restoration or classic to look at. Considering how perfect the weather has been, how could you not be out in your car here.
I had a chance to head out to the Donut Derelicts car show this morning. What a great scene, more cars than you could possibly see in a few hours. It was good to catch up with a few ISIS customers and some of our partners on the media side.
Jay
I'm doing what I can do to catch up on some of my blogging. I've been on the road for the past few days meeting with customers on both sides of our business. Right now I'm sitting in Huntington Beach, the one of the coolest places for cars. Everywhere you go, there is some hot-rod, restoration or classic to look at. Considering how perfect the weather has been, how could you not be out in your car here.
I had a chance to head out to the Donut Derelicts car show this morning. What a great scene, more cars than you could possibly see in a few hours. It was good to catch up with a few ISIS customers and some of our partners on the media side.
Jay
Family Legacy of Designers...
My wife comes from a long line of car fanatics. Her dad is a tremendously talented fabricator. His '57 LS1-powered Corvette was one of our early ISIS installs. Her grandfather, Bob, is an especially talented car guy. One of his favorite quotes is "a guy could build something like that" and repeatedly over his life, he has done just that. Instead of buying it, he'd just make it with his 3 brothers. That includes some really unique boats and cars.
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One of their projects was recently highlighted on the Kustomrama blog. Dubbed the Kutzler Dream Car,
One of their projects was recently highlighted on the Kustomrama blog. Dubbed the Kutzler Dream Car,
it was a futuristic fiberglass car built by the Kutzler brothers of Waukegan, Illinois. The futuristic car was designed by my wife's grandfather, and built by him and his brothers Adolph, Raymond and Joseph Kutzler. They had their own ideas as to what the ideal car should be, so they decided to design and build one each. Their basic idea was to build a car for maximum service and economy. The project occupied about two years on a part time basis. The build was started in 1958, and the brothers actually started building four cars. They were all based on a Henry J chassis. A clay model was made from Bob's sketches, before a plaster model was made to fabricate a fiberglass mold. The bumperless design incorporated huge fins in the rear of the car, dual headlights, a tube grille and a large hood scoop. The doors had what the brothers called "gull wing windows", and they would swing up like bird wings. There was no trunk-lid on the car, but you could access the trunk from the rear seat. The engine in the car was a Super Hurricane 6 flathead. The interior was custom made, from the seat frames and the upholstery, to the handle that opened the window from the outside. Only one of the cars was completed. This car was painted white and it was fit with Cadillac hubcaps. The engine in this car was overhauled completely, and the car was also reworked mechanically. The frame had to be lowered, and wood paneling had to be installed as the base beneath the fiberglass. Once completed the Chicago Tribune wrote a story on the "Auto of the Future" in March 1964. The car was driven regularly until it was sold with the molds in 1968 for about $900. The brothers went on to build racing boats.
You can see the whole wiki article about the car here with a lot of pictures. If only he had ISIS when he built that!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Multiplexing- Back to Basics
Okay, in our introductory video for our ISIS Power install in our F100 panel truck, we told you that we were going to take you all the way back to multiplexing fundamentals. Here you go...
I've always liked this image. It is from a telecom example but it gets the point across.
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Multiplexing takes multiple inputs and converts them into a single stream of data. The inverse of this process takes this single stream of data and converts it back to multiple outputs.
In the picture above, our MASTERCELL would be doing the Mux functions and the POWERCELL would be doing the Demux functions. The single line between the two would represent our CAN cable. (CAN stands for Controller Area Network.)
Instead of having individual wires from each switch to its function, ISIS converts the switch inputs into a stream of data and sends this to the POWERCELLs. You place the POWERCELLs where you need in the car and they take the data and convert the data to outputs. For example, you press your brake pedal with your foot, the MASTERCELL sees this switch close and sends a packet of data to the rear POWERCELL. The rear POWERCELL gets the packet of data and turns on the brake lights in the back of the car. The same goes for all of the switched functions in your car.
Check out this video for a more detailed explanation on how ISIS uses multiplexing to help you wire your car.
I've always liked this image. It is from a telecom example but it gets the point across.
In the picture above, our MASTERCELL would be doing the Mux functions and the POWERCELL would be doing the Demux functions. The single line between the two would represent our CAN cable. (CAN stands for Controller Area Network.)
Instead of having individual wires from each switch to its function, ISIS converts the switch inputs into a stream of data and sends this to the POWERCELLs. You place the POWERCELLs where you need in the car and they take the data and convert the data to outputs. For example, you press your brake pedal with your foot, the MASTERCELL sees this switch close and sends a packet of data to the rear POWERCELL. The rear POWERCELL gets the packet of data and turns on the brake lights in the back of the car. The same goes for all of the switched functions in your car.
Check out this video for a more detailed explanation on how ISIS uses multiplexing to help you wire your car.
New Heidts Suspension for the ISIS F100 Panel Truck...
We're doing everything that we can to modernize our 1955 Ford F100 Panel Truck. Obviously, our primary focus is to rewire the electrical system with our complete compliment of ISIS Power products. At the same time, we want to be able to drive it and have some fun. Swapping the engine and transmission will get us part of the way there, but we need to get this off of its 1955 leaf-spring suspension if we want it to make big improvements.
We turned to the experts to get some help on our F100 truck suspension. Heidts Hot Rod & Muscle Car Parts have been the industry experts for more than 25 years. Their products are engineered for performance and designed for durability. They recently took it to a new level by partnering with Kenny Brown and his line of suspension products.
They started at the beginning, helping us specify the components that we needed for the front and rear ends of the truck. We picked their Classic Truck Superide II independent front suspension. This is specifically designed for the 1953 to 1956 Ford truck. Included with this is the Wilwood 12" brake kit for a little more stopping power. We also chose the drop-spindle option to let the truck ride a few inches lower. In the back, we chose their Classic Truck 4-Link Kit. This is specifically designed for the 1955 and 1956 Ford truck.
They have a great set of instructions that came with all of the hardware. It is also available on-line by clicking here. They also have a great technical support team to help through the installation process.
As we work through the details of our truck, we'll be shooting video on the suspension install. You can catch those videos along with our series that shows off wiring the truck. You can catch them on our blog or on our website by clicking here.
Here is the first video in the suspension installation series.
Stay tuned for more videos as we work on our F100 panel truck.
You can learn more about Heidts products as their website at http://www.heidts.com/. You can also call their sales group or their technical support team at (800) 841-8188.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Participate in COLLECTOR CAR APPRECIATION DAY with ISIS Power...
SEMA and ARMO have designated July 8th, 2011 as Collector Car Appreciation Day. This is an annual event to celebrate and raise awareness of the vital role automotive restoration and collection plays in American society. A large part of our economy thrives on restoration and collector car businesses.
Get our there with your car and enjoy the day and show your support for our thriving industry. Check out the SEMA SAN site that has many links to events going on around the country to celebrate this day.
Jay
Get our there with your car and enjoy the day and show your support for our thriving industry. Check out the SEMA SAN site that has many links to events going on around the country to celebrate this day.
Jay
Friday, July 1, 2011
New Banner Ad...
Okay Folks,
We're dipping our feet into the world of paid advertising. We have anguished over this for a while. The most challenging part of this to us is being the most effective with our ad dollars. We're doing everything that we can to expand the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System brand and help educate people that there are better ways to wire a car.
Anyway, you will start to see this banner ad on popular websites in the automotive space.
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We're dipping our feet into the world of paid advertising. We have anguished over this for a while. The most challenging part of this to us is being the most effective with our ad dollars. We're doing everything that we can to expand the ISIS Intelligent Multiplex System brand and help educate people that there are better ways to wire a car.
Anyway, you will start to see this banner ad on popular websites in the automotive space.
For example, you can now see this at the Hot Rod & Restoration website. Check them out here.
We'd appreciate feedback on it. Let us know if you see it around.
Jay
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