17 Aug
1998
17 Aug
'98
7:58 p.m.
On Mon, 17 Aug 1998, Don Maslin wrote:
On Mon, 17 Aug 1998, Tony Duell wrote:
:-)..
Hobbs
>Don't forget the most important thing, you
can REALLY control the spark
>curve :)
Yes and the transmission shift points in some cars.
What?!? Took me a couple of minutes to work out what you're even
talking about, there.
These (mostly non-electronic) analogue computers were quite popular in
larger cars (in the UK, anything with more than 2.5 litres - 150 cu. in.
- of engine) in the early 'seventies, but they were inefficient and
unreliable and I never use them if I can avoid it...
Actually, if correctly maintained, automatic transmissions can be very
reliable. I still don't like the idea of automatic control of _anything_
that can be manual, though...
Renault made an electromechanical automatic transmission. It used an
electromagnetic clutch and a conventional gearbox with a motor/solenoid
assembly to move the selector rails (3 speed + reverse). There was a
relay box to operate that with inputs from a push-button assembly near
the driver, a mechanical speed sensor (worked like the spinning-magnet +
Al disk speedometer, but with contacts on it), etc. The relay unit also
operated a flap on the inlet manifold to drop the engine speed when
appropriate. Don't forget the^Mechamatic, designed and built by
one of your countrymen
- whose name escapes me at the moment - which was an all mechanical
automatic transmission without fluid coupling or torque converter, IIRC.
- don
donm(a)cts.com
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Don Maslin - Keeper of the Dina-SIG CP/M System Disk Archives
Chairman, Dina-SIG of the San Diego Computer Society
Clinging tenaciously to the trailing edge of technology.
Sysop - Elephant's Graveyard (CP/M) Z-Node 9 - 619-454-8412
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
see old system support at http://www.psyber.com/~tcj
visit the "Unofficial" CP/M Web site at http://cdl.uta.edu/cpm
with Mirror at http://www.mathcs.emory.edu/~cfs/cpm
Alas the shop manual I have for it doesn't
give any internal details of
the relay box or the actuator assembly, so figuring out how it works
(without owning the car!) is impossible.
donm(a)cts.com
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Don Maslin - Keeper of the Dina-SIG CP/M System Disk Archives
Chairman, Dina-SIG of the San Diego Computer Society
Clinging tenaciously to the trailing edge of technology.
Sysop - Elephant's Graveyard (CP/M) Z-Node 9 - 619-454-8412
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
see old system support at http://www.psyber.com/~tcj
visit the "Unofficial" CP/M Web site at http://cdl.uta.edu/cpm
with Mirror at http://www.mathcs.emory.edu/~cfs/cpm
I refer of course to automatic gearboxes. If you want control over the
transmission shift points, get a manual gearbox with electric overdrive.
Every time!
What about Roverdrive, then. For those (everyone on this list!) who've
not come across this transmission-designed-by-a-committee, it consisted
of a torque convertor (like on an automatic), a conventional dry clutch,
a 2-speed+reverse synchromesh gearbox, and an electric overdriver. The
last could be automatically controlled, but the rest was entirely manual.
-tony