Variohm Euro Sensor | Autosport Edition

VariohmAutosports1008_Final:Variohm 6 Page

01/09/2010

10:20

Page 1

Ginetta G50 series race cars use Variohm’s specialist pressure sensors L eeds based Ginetta Cars is a major player in British motorsports, designing and building cars for the race track and road car enthusiasts as well as copromoting a number of single-make race competitions across the UK and abroad. To maintain the company’s consistently high performance standards, Ginetta choose Variohm EPT3100 pressure transducers to monitor oil, fuel and water pressure across all of its G50 series race cars.

The 300 bhp G50 ‘Cup’ race car which was voted Autosport Magazine’s ‘Car of the Year 2008’ is exclusively used for the single-make Michelin G50 Championship which starts again in April 2010. This competition is rated as one of the most affordable yet thrilling wheel-to-wheel autosports events held across major UK race circuits. With a modest upgrade this car is eligible for British, European and World GT4 racing and took the British GT4 title in 2008 against the likes of Aston Martin, Nissan and Maserati. A newly introduced G50Z version features a 400 bhp Ford Zytek engine and is aimed at top level GT sprint and 24 hour racing. The latest derivative, the G50HC (Hot Climate) is built for the vibrant Middle East race car market and is designed for track temperatures up to +60ºC – which really puts the car and Variohm’s pressure sensors through their paces.

Throughout the G50 series, engine control unit and data logging systems are used to ensure optimum performance and Variohm’s EPT3100 series pressure transducers are built for such challenging applications - where high performance and exceptional reliability need to be balanced with lightweight design, compact dimensions and competitive cost.

The EPT3100’s thin film measuring cell and high level

output circuit technology provides pressure output from 0.25 to 4000 bar in several range options with accuracy better than +/- 0.8% and stability more than +/-0.1%. Output options include 0 – 5 V, ratiometric and 4-20 mA with up to 32 V input.

For maximum durability, the EPT3100 boasts a 1000g

1st in Solutions TEMPERATURE VIBRATION

PRESSURE POSITION

WEIGHING COMPONENTS WEIGHING SYSTEMS

NON CONTACT POSITION MEASUREMENT FORCE & TORQUE SENSORS

MOTION CONTROL ZERO BACKLASH GEAR SYSTEMS SERVO MOTORS

ROTARY & LINEAR STAGES

www.variohmholdings.com LOAD

Laser Ride Height Measurement

When Ixthus Instrumentation was asked to look at a new design for the housing and mounting of Laser Ride Height Sensors, they went back to the drawing board to offer a novel solution.

shock rating and 25 g peak vibration rating at 20 to 2000 Hz. The IP66 rated sealed sensor is housed in a ruggedised and hermetically welded 304 stainless steel casing, weighing only 60 grams and measuring just 22 mm diameter x 54 mm long. A choice of miniature or standard DIN43650 connectors, or flying leads, makes installation and field replacement straightforward. To meet the demands of the gruelling conditions for all types of autosports - and the most challenging industrial applications - the EPT3100 has an over-range pressure rating of 2x and burst pressure capability to 5x, with a rated life of more than ten million pressure cycles.

The EPT3100 is a part of an extensive range of specialist sensors and transducers Variohm EuroSensor supplies across the autosports industry including Formula 1, A1GP, WTCC, GP2, Champ, Nascar, ALMS, Superbike, and many others. The complete range includes pressure and temperature sensor solutions for fuel, oil, coolant and brakes as well as force, torque and position measurement sensors for suspension travel, throttle and gearbox.

Laser and infrared technologies are also supplied for ride height position and tyre condition.

Full details for Ginetta Cars Ltd can be found at www.ginetta.com

For more information on Variohm EuroSensor’s complete product range, contact us: +44 (0) 1327 351004, email sales@variohm.com or visit www.variohm.com

Taking the existing well proven RF603 laser and electronics the design engineers came up with a tube design with a diameter of only 30mm. This makes sealing the aluminium construction very easy. The laser beam emits from the side of the tube with measurement ranges up to 500mm with an update speed of 0.125 msecs (8KHz).

Various outputs are available, both digital for setup programming and analogue 0.5 to 4.5 VDC for the autosport dataloggers with a power supply requirement of 12 VDC. The RF607 has many more Autosport features built in as standard! Why not ask?

Motion Control for Suspension Test Machine

Anthony Best Dynamics supplies advanced testing systems to motor industry for research and development and for production quality control. They design and manufacture specialised systems for kinematics and compliance testing, vehicle dynamics testing on the track and steering system testing.

The challenge put forward to Heason’s design team was to develop a compact, zero backlash, precision gear actuator which would allow ABD to offer higher rotation speeds whilst providing exceptionally smooth motion.

The new package not only achieved the higher rotation speed, but also surpassed the previous ‘zero backlash’ gear system in terms of smoothness, all in a more compact package.

The Autosports Edition

I’ll start my introduction with a riddle. Why are Variohm Newsletters like London Transport buses – because you wait for a long while then two of them come along together. Not quite true but it doesn’t seem that long ago that we re-introduced our Newsletter and here we are issuing a second.

This edition is focused on the motorsport industry which is an important and sizeable part of Variohm’s business. It’s also the sector where we have introduced a number of new products and we wanted to get this publication out in time to launch them at the Autumn/Winter series of exhibitions.

Our opening article leads off on the subject of pressure measurement and the customer and competition lists read rather like a who’s who of the competition world. Our EPT3100 range is now widely accepted as the trendsetter in racing circles but by the time you read this article it could be that we will have introduced its “little brother”. Little in terms of size but not little in terms of performance. We expect to have parts to show when you visit our stand.

The ELP and VLP ranges of linear position transducers are now being manufactured by our sister company Heason Technology. This change means that all operations are under our direct control and that we have improved clean

room and calibration facilities + the latest in CAD programs.

Our range of products has established themselves as the market leader. Not only do we offer a standard range of parts with electrical stroke lengths from 12.5mm to 300mm, we are also able to offer custom built solutions. So if you have any special requirements, we look forward to the challenge.

Another new product gaining acceptance is our noncontacting range of angular position sensors. These devices use Hall effect technology and offer extremely long life, and compliment our proven range of rotary potentiometers. You will also find details of our new laser ride height sensor which is suitable for use under the arduous conditions that the autosport industry seems to thrive upon.

We hope our latest newsletter is an interesting read, but more than that we hope that it will stimulate you to call us with your particular measurement or control problem. We’re pretty sure that we will be able to help in one way or another.

Roy Moffatt Managing Director

1st in Motorsports Sensors

Heason Technology is a leading independent supplier of Precision Motion Control Equipment specialising in 'Motion System Integration' and is a major player in many diverse markets. Heason has considerable experience in precision motion control.

And finally....... Congratulations to three Variohm employees, Ben Moffatt, Sue Torrance and Martin Paul, all completed the Edinburgh Marathon and between them they raised £12226.00 for the Royal London Society for the Blind.

Tel: +44(0)1327 351004 Fax: +44(0)1327 353564 Email: sales@variohm.com Web: www.variohm.com Variohm-EuroSensor Ltd

Williams’ Barns, Tiffield Road, Towcester, Northants. NN12 6HP

VariohmAutosports1008_Final:Variohm 6 Page

01/09/2010

10:20

Variohm’s specialist sensor performance is driven by autosports applications

As a part of its extensive range of specialist sensors and transducers, Variohm EuroSensor supplies motorsport rated versions into F1, A1GP, WTCC, GP2, Champ, The motorsports industry provides an excellent applications proving ground for linear and angular position displacement and fine measurement of force, torque, temperature and pressure, with demanding environmental and performance requirements that often exceed those found in industrial applications.

Consider a typical autosport application – pre, during and post race monitoring, using a linear conductive position transducer that continuously measures rear suspension travel over a 75 mm range to within 0.1 mm accuracy on a 172 kg racing bike capable of 160 mph with blistering acceleration. Let’s choose the transducer mounted on the bike’s rear shock absorber which starts off in ambient temperatures but due to sitting on the start line may then shoot up to 120 ºC+ because it sits within 25 mm of the rear exhaust pipe where gases reach 2200 ºC. Showered with water and chain oil spray and with up to 50 g shock loading as well as massively varying vibration induced from the undulations of the race track surface and the high revving 10,000 rpm engine, the conditions can be pretty arduous to say the least. Add the constant bombardment of stone and track debris plus the underlying certainty at some point of the bike being dropped, it all gets much worse. Then, there’s a pressure wash down at the end of the race to restore the bike to pristine condition for the podium PR shots!

These kinds of conditions are typical for race bikes and cars competing in all levels of competition. In fact, the example above is one that is dear to Ben Shaughnessy, Technical Director of Alto Performance Racing who’s Vyrus bike competes in the Thunderbike UK series. “As you can imagine, measuring ride height in real time whilst travelling along a straight at 160 mph and then decelerating hard over a couple of seconds into a sharp corner reveals quite a lot about the bike’s suspension and the travel sensor,” says Shaughnessy, “we finally had to replace a Variohm ELPM position sensor that had given us three years of perfect operation after an ‘unfortunate’

Page 4

The tyre temperature sensors are from Variohm’s ETIS line of non-contact infrared temperature sensors. Tyre temperature reveals how hard the tyres are working long before any damage occurs and used together with wheel speed, ride height, throttle position, brake temperature, and other factors gives the team a complete picture of the bike’s handling. The ETIS range has a shock rating of 1000 G in a lightweight aluminium housing weighing just 26 grams with options of 150 ºC, 200 ºC and 800 ºC temperature range.The bikes’ throttle and gearbox position readings are measured with Variohm’s Vertex 13E series non-contact 14-bit resolution angle sensors.

This compact 13 mm diameter programmable angle sensor is impervious to autosports levels of shock and vibration with its IP67 sealed Hall Effect and magnet design yielding an almost limitless life. The 13E has a temperature rating to 125 ºC with a short term capability to 150 ºC. occurrence which wrecked much of the bike. The Variohm kit is very robust even in a crash situation. This was one crash too far.”

In all, Variohm supplies the Alto Vyrus team with front and rear suspension travel sensors, front and rear brake and fuel pressure sensor, infrared tyre temperature sensors, and non-contact angular position sensors on the throttle and gearbox.

Alto Performance use a ruggedised autosports version of Variohm’s industrially rated ELP series slimline linear position transducers for suspension travel measurement.

The ELPM also finds applications in steering position feedback on race cars with travel ranges from 12.5 mm to 150 mm and independent linearity to +/- 0.5%. It features IP67 protection and a 150 ºC upper temperature rating (175 ºC short term). With serviceable life rated at more than 25 million operations, the highly reliable position sensor can also be supplied in a quick fitting version for fast removal or replacement. At just 33 grams for the 75 mm travel version, the ELPM has minimal influence on the bike’s road weight.

Variohm also supplies its SP series potentiometer based angle sensors into similar autosports applications which can provide advantages for extreme temperatures up to 175 ºC as well as improved temperature coefficiency.

The SP series features multiple layer tracks for added reliability and precious metal wipers arranged in a unique preloaded design that ensures reliable operation under autosports shock and vibration conditions.

Variohm Sensors successfully used in Motorsports Rotary Hall Effect

Some autosports customers prefer combined Hall Effect and potentiometer designs that Variohm are able to supply as custom built alternatives.

Variohm’s EPT1200 series pressure sensors are used on the Vyrus to provide absolute brake pressure readings in a lightweight yet durable 304 stainless steel housing rated to IP66. The hermitically welded, thin film measuring cell and high level output circuit technology provides pressure measurement up to 400 bar with a 2x over range pressure rating. With a shock specified to 1000G and vibration to 16 G peak (20 to 2000 Hz), the EPT1200 series ensures reliable operation with long trouble free life.

The Thunderbike UK series is open to all makes and types of race motorcycles with the entry criteria governed principally by strict control over the power to weight ratio.

This paves the way for a great deal of innovation in design and the Alto Vyrus, powered by a modern 1000cc Ducati engine, features a completely unique front swing arm suspension system with hub-centre steering. The design separates the steering and damping and braking systems to offer much improved handling over conventional forked bikes.

The Alto Vyrus team use a CANbus networked 100 channel engine control unit (ECU) with data logging and telemetry systems that make sense of performance critical measurements and allow the race technicians and the rider to weave their magic.

Currently, the team are in 2nd place after three meetings and are one of the favourites to win the 2009 Thunderbike national UK series.

Rotary Potentiometer

Various housing options sealed to IP69

Temperature up to 150° C (short-term 175°C)

Stroke lengths up to 300mm

Analogue and digital outputs

Multi-turn and hollow shaft and options

Temperature up to 150° C (short-term 175°C)

Programmable electrical angles up to 360° Temperature up to 125° C (shortterm 150°C)

Applications:- Throttle, Gearbox, Steering, Suspension.

Laser

Electrical angles up to 354°

Elastomer damped wipers system

Housing options starting from 13mm diameter Applications :- Throttle, Gearbox, Steering, Suspension

Pressure

Measurement range up to 1000mm

Pressure ranges up to 4000 Bar

Analogue and digital outputs

Fully sealed stainless steel construction

Frequency response 8KHz Miniature housing option Sealed to IP67

Applications:- Vehicle set up

Gyro Sensors

5 times burst pressure

Housing diameters starting from 12mm Applications: Fuel, Brake, Oil, Water, Exhaust, Waste gate

Vehicle Weighing

Multiple ranges up to 150°/Sec Excellent linearity

14KNz Resonance Full details of the Vyrus bike, the Thunderbike UK series and Alto Performance Racing is available at http://www.altoperformance.com/

Linear

Lightweight

Applications:- Cornering and Vehicle Set-up

Various capacities

Displays + summing electronics Robust design

Applications:- Vehicle weight

Standard 9.5mm and 15mm diameter housings Custom build options

Elastomer damped wipers system Applications:- Steering, Suspension, Pedal

Temperature

Infra-Red and Resistive technologies Temperature ranges up 2400°C Excellent interchangability and stability Built in signal conditioning

Applications:- Engine, Brake, Tyre, Oil, Exhaust

Challenge Variohm

For more information on Variohm EuroSensor’s complete product range, contact us: Tel:+44 (0) 1327 351004 email sales@variohm.com or visit www.variohm.com

VariohmAutosports1008_Final:Variohm 6 Page

01/09/2010

10:20

Variohm’s specialist sensor performance is driven by autosports applications

As a part of its extensive range of specialist sensors and transducers, Variohm EuroSensor supplies motorsport rated versions into F1, A1GP, WTCC, GP2, Champ, The motorsports industry provides an excellent applications proving ground for linear and angular position displacement and fine measurement of force, torque, temperature and pressure, with demanding environmental and performance requirements that often exceed those found in industrial applications.

Consider a typical autosport application – pre, during and post race monitoring, using a linear conductive position transducer that continuously measures rear suspension travel over a 75 mm range to within 0.1 mm accuracy on a 172 kg racing bike capable of 160 mph with blistering acceleration. Let’s choose the transducer mounted on the bike’s rear shock absorber which starts off in ambient temperatures but due to sitting on the start line may then shoot up to 120 ºC+ because it sits within 25 mm of the rear exhaust pipe where gases reach 2200 ºC. Showered with water and chain oil spray and with up to 50 g shock loading as well as massively varying vibration induced from the undulations of the race track surface and the high revving 10,000 rpm engine, the conditions can be pretty arduous to say the least. Add the constant bombardment of stone and track debris plus the underlying certainty at some point of the bike being dropped, it all gets much worse. Then, there’s a pressure wash down at the end of the race to restore the bike to pristine condition for the podium PR shots!

These kinds of conditions are typical for race bikes and cars competing in all levels of competition. In fact, the example above is one that is dear to Ben Shaughnessy, Technical Director of Alto Performance Racing who’s Vyrus bike competes in the Thunderbike UK series. “As you can imagine, measuring ride height in real time whilst travelling along a straight at 160 mph and then decelerating hard over a couple of seconds into a sharp corner reveals quite a lot about the bike’s suspension and the travel sensor,” says Shaughnessy, “we finally had to replace a Variohm ELPM position sensor that had given us three years of perfect operation after an ‘unfortunate’

Page 4

The tyre temperature sensors are from Variohm’s ETIS line of non-contact infrared temperature sensors. Tyre temperature reveals how hard the tyres are working long before any damage occurs and used together with wheel speed, ride height, throttle position, brake temperature, and other factors gives the team a complete picture of the bike’s handling. The ETIS range has a shock rating of 1000 G in a lightweight aluminium housing weighing just 26 grams with options of 150 ºC, 200 ºC and 800 ºC temperature range.The bikes’ throttle and gearbox position readings are measured with Variohm’s Vertex 13E series non-contact 14-bit resolution angle sensors.

This compact 13 mm diameter programmable angle sensor is impervious to autosports levels of shock and vibration with its IP67 sealed Hall Effect and magnet design yielding an almost limitless life. The 13E has a temperature rating to 125 ºC with a short term capability to 150 ºC. occurrence which wrecked much of the bike. The Variohm kit is very robust even in a crash situation. This was one crash too far.”

In all, Variohm supplies the Alto Vyrus team with front and rear suspension travel sensors, front and rear brake and fuel pressure sensor, infrared tyre temperature sensors, and non-contact angular position sensors on the throttle and gearbox.

Alto Performance use a ruggedised autosports version of Variohm’s industrially rated ELP series slimline linear position transducers for suspension travel measurement.

The ELPM also finds applications in steering position feedback on race cars with travel ranges from 12.5 mm to 150 mm and independent linearity to +/- 0.5%. It features IP67 protection and a 150 ºC upper temperature rating (175 ºC short term). With serviceable life rated at more than 25 million operations, the highly reliable position sensor can also be supplied in a quick fitting version for fast removal or replacement. At just 33 grams for the 75 mm travel version, the ELPM has minimal influence on the bike’s road weight.

Variohm also supplies its SP series potentiometer based angle sensors into similar autosports applications which can provide advantages for extreme temperatures up to 175 ºC as well as improved temperature coefficiency.

The SP series features multiple layer tracks for added reliability and precious metal wipers arranged in a unique preloaded design that ensures reliable operation under autosports shock and vibration conditions.

Variohm Sensors successfully used in Motorsports Rotary Hall Effect

Some autosports customers prefer combined Hall Effect and potentiometer designs that Variohm are able to supply as custom built alternatives.

Variohm’s EPT1200 series pressure sensors are used on the Vyrus to provide absolute brake pressure readings in a lightweight yet durable 304 stainless steel housing rated to IP66. The hermitically welded, thin film measuring cell and high level output circuit technology provides pressure measurement up to 400 bar with a 2x over range pressure rating. With a shock specified to 1000G and vibration to 16 G peak (20 to 2000 Hz), the EPT1200 series ensures reliable operation with long trouble free life.

The Thunderbike UK series is open to all makes and types of race motorcycles with the entry criteria governed principally by strict control over the power to weight ratio.

This paves the way for a great deal of innovation in design and the Alto Vyrus, powered by a modern 1000cc Ducati engine, features a completely unique front swing arm suspension system with hub-centre steering. The design separates the steering and damping and braking systems to offer much improved handling over conventional forked bikes.

The Alto Vyrus team use a CANbus networked 100 channel engine control unit (ECU) with data logging and telemetry systems that make sense of performance critical measurements and allow the race technicians and the rider to weave their magic.

Currently, the team are in 2nd place after three meetings and are one of the favourites to win the 2009 Thunderbike national UK series.

Rotary Potentiometer

Various housing options sealed to IP69

Temperature up to 150° C (short-term 175°C)

Stroke lengths up to 300mm

Analogue and digital outputs

Multi-turn and hollow shaft and options

Temperature up to 150° C (short-term 175°C)

Programmable electrical angles up to 360° Temperature up to 125° C (shortterm 150°C)

Applications:- Throttle, Gearbox, Steering, Suspension.

Laser

Electrical angles up to 354°

Elastomer damped wipers system

Housing options starting from 13mm diameter Applications :- Throttle, Gearbox, Steering, Suspension

Pressure

Measurement range up to 1000mm

Pressure ranges up to 4000 Bar

Analogue and digital outputs

Fully sealed stainless steel construction

Frequency response 8KHz Miniature housing option Sealed to IP67

Applications:- Vehicle set up

Gyro Sensors

5 times burst pressure

Housing diameters starting from 12mm Applications: Fuel, Brake, Oil, Water, Exhaust, Waste gate

Vehicle Weighing

Multiple ranges up to 150°/Sec Excellent linearity

14KNz Resonance Full details of the Vyrus bike, the Thunderbike UK series and Alto Performance Racing is available at http://www.altoperformance.com/

Linear

Lightweight

Applications:- Cornering and Vehicle Set-up

Various capacities

Displays + summing electronics Robust design

Applications:- Vehicle weight

Standard 9.5mm and 15mm diameter housings Custom build options

Elastomer damped wipers system Applications:- Steering, Suspension, Pedal

Temperature

Infra-Red and Resistive technologies Temperature ranges up 2400°C Excellent interchangability and stability Built in signal conditioning

Applications:- Engine, Brake, Tyre, Oil, Exhaust

Challenge Variohm

For more information on Variohm EuroSensor’s complete product range, contact us: Tel:+44 (0) 1327 351004 email sales@variohm.com or visit www.variohm.com

VariohmAutosports1008_Final:Variohm 6 Page

01/09/2010

10:20

Variohm’s specialist sensor performance is driven by autosports applications

As a part of its extensive range of specialist sensors and transducers, Variohm EuroSensor supplies motorsport rated versions into F1, A1GP, WTCC, GP2, Champ, The motorsports industry provides an excellent applications proving ground for linear and angular position displacement and fine measurement of force, torque, temperature and pressure, with demanding environmental and performance requirements that often exceed those found in industrial applications.

Consider a typical autosport application – pre, during and post race monitoring, using a linear conductive position transducer that continuously measures rear suspension travel over a 75 mm range to within 0.1 mm accuracy on a 172 kg racing bike capable of 160 mph with blistering acceleration. Let’s choose the transducer mounted on the bike’s rear shock absorber which starts off in ambient temperatures but due to sitting on the start line may then shoot up to 120 ºC+ because it sits within 25 mm of the rear exhaust pipe where gases reach 2200 ºC. Showered with water and chain oil spray and with up to 50 g shock loading as well as massively varying vibration induced from the undulations of the race track surface and the high revving 10,000 rpm engine, the conditions can be pretty arduous to say the least. Add the constant bombardment of stone and track debris plus the underlying certainty at some point of the bike being dropped, it all gets much worse. Then, there’s a pressure wash down at the end of the race to restore the bike to pristine condition for the podium PR shots!

These kinds of conditions are typical for race bikes and cars competing in all levels of competition. In fact, the example above is one that is dear to Ben Shaughnessy, Technical Director of Alto Performance Racing who’s Vyrus bike competes in the Thunderbike UK series. “As you can imagine, measuring ride height in real time whilst travelling along a straight at 160 mph and then decelerating hard over a couple of seconds into a sharp corner reveals quite a lot about the bike’s suspension and the travel sensor,” says Shaughnessy, “we finally had to replace a Variohm ELPM position sensor that had given us three years of perfect operation after an ‘unfortunate’

Page 4

The tyre temperature sensors are from Variohm’s ETIS line of non-contact infrared temperature sensors. Tyre temperature reveals how hard the tyres are working long before any damage occurs and used together with wheel speed, ride height, throttle position, brake temperature, and other factors gives the team a complete picture of the bike’s handling. The ETIS range has a shock rating of 1000 G in a lightweight aluminium housing weighing just 26 grams with options of 150 ºC, 200 ºC and 800 ºC temperature range.The bikes’ throttle and gearbox position readings are measured with Variohm’s Vertex 13E series non-contact 14-bit resolution angle sensors.

This compact 13 mm diameter programmable angle sensor is impervious to autosports levels of shock and vibration with its IP67 sealed Hall Effect and magnet design yielding an almost limitless life. The 13E has a temperature rating to 125 ºC with a short term capability to 150 ºC. occurrence which wrecked much of the bike. The Variohm kit is very robust even in a crash situation. This was one crash too far.”

In all, Variohm supplies the Alto Vyrus team with front and rear suspension travel sensors, front and rear brake and fuel pressure sensor, infrared tyre temperature sensors, and non-contact angular position sensors on the throttle and gearbox.

Alto Performance use a ruggedised autosports version of Variohm’s industrially rated ELP series slimline linear position transducers for suspension travel measurement.

The ELPM also finds applications in steering position feedback on race cars with travel ranges from 12.5 mm to 150 mm and independent linearity to +/- 0.5%. It features IP67 protection and a 150 ºC upper temperature rating (175 ºC short term). With serviceable life rated at more than 25 million operations, the highly reliable position sensor can also be supplied in a quick fitting version for fast removal or replacement. At just 33 grams for the 75 mm travel version, the ELPM has minimal influence on the bike’s road weight.

Variohm also supplies its SP series potentiometer based angle sensors into similar autosports applications which can provide advantages for extreme temperatures up to 175 ºC as well as improved temperature coefficiency.

The SP series features multiple layer tracks for added reliability and precious metal wipers arranged in a unique preloaded design that ensures reliable operation under autosports shock and vibration conditions.

Variohm Sensors successfully used in Motorsports Rotary Hall Effect

Some autosports customers prefer combined Hall Effect and potentiometer designs that Variohm are able to supply as custom built alternatives.

Variohm’s EPT1200 series pressure sensors are used on the Vyrus to provide absolute brake pressure readings in a lightweight yet durable 304 stainless steel housing rated to IP66. The hermitically welded, thin film measuring cell and high level output circuit technology provides pressure measurement up to 400 bar with a 2x over range pressure rating. With a shock specified to 1000G and vibration to 16 G peak (20 to 2000 Hz), the EPT1200 series ensures reliable operation with long trouble free life.

The Thunderbike UK series is open to all makes and types of race motorcycles with the entry criteria governed principally by strict control over the power to weight ratio.

This paves the way for a great deal of innovation in design and the Alto Vyrus, powered by a modern 1000cc Ducati engine, features a completely unique front swing arm suspension system with hub-centre steering. The design separates the steering and damping and braking systems to offer much improved handling over conventional forked bikes.

The Alto Vyrus team use a CANbus networked 100 channel engine control unit (ECU) with data logging and telemetry systems that make sense of performance critical measurements and allow the race technicians and the rider to weave their magic.

Currently, the team are in 2nd place after three meetings and are one of the favourites to win the 2009 Thunderbike national UK series.

Rotary Potentiometer

Various housing options sealed to IP69

Temperature up to 150° C (short-term 175°C)

Stroke lengths up to 300mm

Analogue and digital outputs

Multi-turn and hollow shaft and options

Temperature up to 150° C (short-term 175°C)

Programmable electrical angles up to 360° Temperature up to 125° C (shortterm 150°C)

Applications:- Throttle, Gearbox, Steering, Suspension.

Laser

Electrical angles up to 354°

Elastomer damped wipers system

Housing options starting from 13mm diameter Applications :- Throttle, Gearbox, Steering, Suspension

Pressure

Measurement range up to 1000mm

Pressure ranges up to 4000 Bar

Analogue and digital outputs

Fully sealed stainless steel construction

Frequency response 8KHz Miniature housing option Sealed to IP67

Applications:- Vehicle set up

Gyro Sensors

5 times burst pressure

Housing diameters starting from 12mm Applications: Fuel, Brake, Oil, Water, Exhaust, Waste gate

Vehicle Weighing

Multiple ranges up to 150°/Sec Excellent linearity

14KNz Resonance Full details of the Vyrus bike, the Thunderbike UK series and Alto Performance Racing is available at http://www.altoperformance.com/

Linear

Lightweight

Applications:- Cornering and Vehicle Set-up

Various capacities

Displays + summing electronics Robust design

Applications:- Vehicle weight

Standard 9.5mm and 15mm diameter housings Custom build options

Elastomer damped wipers system Applications:- Steering, Suspension, Pedal

Temperature

Infra-Red and Resistive technologies Temperature ranges up 2400°C Excellent interchangability and stability Built in signal conditioning

Applications:- Engine, Brake, Tyre, Oil, Exhaust

Challenge Variohm

For more information on Variohm EuroSensor’s complete product range, contact us: Tel:+44 (0) 1327 351004 email sales@variohm.com or visit www.variohm.com

VariohmAutosports1008_Final:Variohm 6 Page

01/09/2010

10:20

Page 1

Ginetta G50 series race cars use Variohm’s specialist pressure sensors L eeds based Ginetta Cars is a major player in British motorsports, designing and building cars for the race track and road car enthusiasts as well as copromoting a number of single-make race competitions across the UK and abroad. To maintain the company’s consistently high performance standards, Ginetta choose Variohm EPT3100 pressure transducers to monitor oil, fuel and water pressure across all of its G50 series race cars.

The 300 bhp G50 ‘Cup’ race car which was voted Autosport Magazine’s ‘Car of the Year 2008’ is exclusively used for the single-make Michelin G50 Championship which starts again in April 2010. This competition is rated as one of the most affordable yet thrilling wheel-to-wheel autosports events held across major UK race circuits. With a modest upgrade this car is eligible for British, European and World GT4 racing and took the British GT4 title in 2008 against the likes of Aston Martin, Nissan and Maserati. A newly introduced G50Z version features a 400 bhp Ford Zytek engine and is aimed at top level GT sprint and 24 hour racing. The latest derivative, the G50HC (Hot Climate) is built for the vibrant Middle East race car market and is designed for track temperatures up to +60ºC – which really puts the car and Variohm’s pressure sensors through their paces.

Throughout the G50 series, engine control unit and data logging systems are used to ensure optimum performance and Variohm’s EPT3100 series pressure transducers are built for such challenging applications - where high performance and exceptional reliability need to be balanced with lightweight design, compact dimensions and competitive cost.

The EPT3100’s thin film measuring cell and high level

output circuit technology provides pressure output from 0.25 to 4000 bar in several range options with accuracy better than +/- 0.8% and stability more than +/-0.1%. Output options include 0 – 5 V, ratiometric and 4-20 mA with up to 32 V input.

For maximum durability, the EPT3100 boasts a 1000g

1st in Solutions TEMPERATURE VIBRATION

PRESSURE POSITION

WEIGHING COMPONENTS WEIGHING SYSTEMS

NON CONTACT POSITION MEASUREMENT FORCE & TORQUE SENSORS

MOTION CONTROL ZERO BACKLASH GEAR SYSTEMS SERVO MOTORS

ROTARY & LINEAR STAGES

www.variohmholdings.com LOAD

Laser Ride Height Measurement

When Ixthus Instrumentation was asked to look at a new design for the housing and mounting of Laser Ride Height Sensors, they went back to the drawing board to offer a novel solution.

shock rating and 25 g peak vibration rating at 20 to 2000 Hz. The IP66 rated sealed sensor is housed in a ruggedised and hermetically welded 304 stainless steel casing, weighing only 60 grams and measuring just 22 mm diameter x 54 mm long. A choice of miniature or standard DIN43650 connectors, or flying leads, makes installation and field replacement straightforward. To meet the demands of the gruelling conditions for all types of autosports - and the most challenging industrial applications - the EPT3100 has an over-range pressure rating of 2x and burst pressure capability to 5x, with a rated life of more than ten million pressure cycles.

The EPT3100 is a part of an extensive range of specialist sensors and transducers Variohm EuroSensor supplies across the autosports industry including Formula 1, A1GP, WTCC, GP2, Champ, Nascar, ALMS, Superbike, and many others. The complete range includes pressure and temperature sensor solutions for fuel, oil, coolant and brakes as well as force, torque and position measurement sensors for suspension travel, throttle and gearbox.

Laser and infrared technologies are also supplied for ride height position and tyre condition.

Full details for Ginetta Cars Ltd can be found at www.ginetta.com

For more information on Variohm EuroSensor’s complete product range, contact us: +44 (0) 1327 351004, email sales@variohm.com or visit www.variohm.com

Taking the existing well proven RF603 laser and electronics the design engineers came up with a tube design with a diameter of only 30mm. This makes sealing the aluminium construction very easy. The laser beam emits from the side of the tube with measurement ranges up to 500mm with an update speed of 0.125 msecs (8KHz).

Various outputs are available, both digital for setup programming and analogue 0.5 to 4.5 VDC for the autosport dataloggers with a power supply requirement of 12 VDC. The RF607 has many more Autosport features built in as standard! Why not ask?

Motion Control for Suspension Test Machine

Anthony Best Dynamics supplies advanced testing systems to motor industry for research and development and for production quality control. They design and manufacture specialised systems for kinematics and compliance testing, vehicle dynamics testing on the track and steering system testing.

The challenge put forward to Heason’s design team was to develop a compact, zero backlash, precision gear actuator which would allow ABD to offer higher rotation speeds whilst providing exceptionally smooth motion.

The new package not only achieved the higher rotation speed, but also surpassed the previous ‘zero backlash’ gear system in terms of smoothness, all in a more compact package.

The Autosports Edition

I’ll start my introduction with a riddle. Why are Variohm Newsletters like London Transport buses – because you wait for a long while then two of them come along together. Not quite true but it doesn’t seem that long ago that we re-introduced our Newsletter and here we are issuing a second.

This edition is focused on the motorsport industry which is an important and sizeable part of Variohm’s business. It’s also the sector where we have introduced a number of new products and we wanted to get this publication out in time to launch them at the Autumn/Winter series of exhibitions.

Our opening article leads off on the subject of pressure measurement and the customer and competition lists read rather like a who’s who of the competition world. Our EPT3100 range is now widely accepted as the trendsetter in racing circles but by the time you read this article it could be that we will have introduced its “little brother”. Little in terms of size but not little in terms of performance. We expect to have parts to show when you visit our stand.

The ELP and VLP ranges of linear position transducers are now being manufactured by our sister company Heason Technology. This change means that all operations are under our direct control and that we have improved clean

room and calibration facilities + the latest in CAD programs.

Our range of products has established themselves as the market leader. Not only do we offer a standard range of parts with electrical stroke lengths from 12.5mm to 300mm, we are also able to offer custom built solutions. So if you have any special requirements, we look forward to the challenge.

Another new product gaining acceptance is our noncontacting range of angular position sensors. These devices use Hall effect technology and offer extremely long life, and compliment our proven range of rotary potentiometers. You will also find details of our new laser ride height sensor which is suitable for use under the arduous conditions that the autosport industry seems to thrive upon.

We hope our latest newsletter is an interesting read, but more than that we hope that it will stimulate you to call us with your particular measurement or control problem. We’re pretty sure that we will be able to help in one way or another.

Roy Moffatt Managing Director

1st in Motorsports Sensors

Heason Technology is a leading independent supplier of Precision Motion Control Equipment specialising in 'Motion System Integration' and is a major player in many diverse markets. Heason has considerable experience in precision motion control.

And finally....... Congratulations to three Variohm employees, Ben Moffatt, Sue Torrance and Martin Paul, all completed the Edinburgh Marathon and between them they raised £12226.00 for the Royal London Society for the Blind.

Tel: +44(0)1327 351004 Fax: +44(0)1327 353564 Email: sales@variohm.com Web: www.variohm.com Variohm-EuroSensor Ltd

Williams’ Barns, Tiffield Road, Towcester, Northants. NN12 6HP

VariohmAutosports1008_Final:Variohm 6 Page

01/09/2010

10:20

Page 1

Ginetta G50 series race cars use Variohm’s specialist pressure sensors L eeds based Ginetta Cars is a major player in British motorsports, designing and building cars for the race track and road car enthusiasts as well as copromoting a number of single-make race competitions across the UK and abroad. To maintain the company’s consistently high performance standards, Ginetta choose Variohm EPT3100 pressure transducers to monitor oil, fuel and water pressure across all of its G50 series race cars.

The 300 bhp G50 ‘Cup’ race car which was voted Autosport Magazine’s ‘Car of the Year 2008’ is exclusively used for the single-make Michelin G50 Championship which starts again in April 2010. This competition is rated as one of the most affordable yet thrilling wheel-to-wheel autosports events held across major UK race circuits. With a modest upgrade this car is eligible for British, European and World GT4 racing and took the British GT4 title in 2008 against the likes of Aston Martin, Nissan and Maserati. A newly introduced G50Z version features a 400 bhp Ford Zytek engine and is aimed at top level GT sprint and 24 hour racing. The latest derivative, the G50HC (Hot Climate) is built for the vibrant Middle East race car market and is designed for track temperatures up to +60ºC – which really puts the car and Variohm’s pressure sensors through their paces.

Throughout the G50 series, engine control unit and data logging systems are used to ensure optimum performance and Variohm’s EPT3100 series pressure transducers are built for such challenging applications - where high performance and exceptional reliability need to be balanced with lightweight design, compact dimensions and competitive cost.

The EPT3100’s thin film measuring cell and high level

output circuit technology provides pressure output from 0.25 to 4000 bar in several range options with accuracy better than +/- 0.8% and stability more than +/-0.1%. Output options include 0 – 5 V, ratiometric and 4-20 mA with up to 32 V input.

For maximum durability, the EPT3100 boasts a 1000g

1st in Solutions TEMPERATURE VIBRATION

PRESSURE POSITION

WEIGHING COMPONENTS WEIGHING SYSTEMS

NON CONTACT POSITION MEASUREMENT FORCE & TORQUE SENSORS

MOTION CONTROL ZERO BACKLASH GEAR SYSTEMS SERVO MOTORS

ROTARY & LINEAR STAGES

www.variohmholdings.com LOAD

Laser Ride Height Measurement

When Ixthus Instrumentation was asked to look at a new design for the housing and mounting of Laser Ride Height Sensors, they went back to the drawing board to offer a novel solution.

shock rating and 25 g peak vibration rating at 20 to 2000 Hz. The IP66 rated sealed sensor is housed in a ruggedised and hermetically welded 304 stainless steel casing, weighing only 60 grams and measuring just 22 mm diameter x 54 mm long. A choice of miniature or standard DIN43650 connectors, or flying leads, makes installation and field replacement straightforward. To meet the demands of the gruelling conditions for all types of autosports - and the most challenging industrial applications - the EPT3100 has an over-range pressure rating of 2x and burst pressure capability to 5x, with a rated life of more than ten million pressure cycles.

The EPT3100 is a part of an extensive range of specialist sensors and transducers Variohm EuroSensor supplies across the autosports industry including Formula 1, A1GP, WTCC, GP2, Champ, Nascar, ALMS, Superbike, and many others. The complete range includes pressure and temperature sensor solutions for fuel, oil, coolant and brakes as well as force, torque and position measurement sensors for suspension travel, throttle and gearbox.

Laser and infrared technologies are also supplied for ride height position and tyre condition.

Full details for Ginetta Cars Ltd can be found at www.ginetta.com

For more information on Variohm EuroSensor’s complete product range, contact us: +44 (0) 1327 351004, email sales@variohm.com or visit www.variohm.com

Taking the existing well proven RF603 laser and electronics the design engineers came up with a tube design with a diameter of only 30mm. This makes sealing the aluminium construction very easy. The laser beam emits from the side of the tube with measurement ranges up to 500mm with an update speed of 0.125 msecs (8KHz).

Various outputs are available, both digital for setup programming and analogue 0.5 to 4.5 VDC for the autosport dataloggers with a power supply requirement of 12 VDC. The RF607 has many more Autosport features built in as standard! Why not ask?

Motion Control for Suspension Test Machine

Anthony Best Dynamics supplies advanced testing systems to motor industry for research and development and for production quality control. They design and manufacture specialised systems for kinematics and compliance testing, vehicle dynamics testing on the track and steering system testing.

The challenge put forward to Heason’s design team was to develop a compact, zero backlash, precision gear actuator which would allow ABD to offer higher rotation speeds whilst providing exceptionally smooth motion.

The new package not only achieved the higher rotation speed, but also surpassed the previous ‘zero backlash’ gear system in terms of smoothness, all in a more compact package.

The Autosports Edition

I’ll start my introduction with a riddle. Why are Variohm Newsletters like London Transport buses – because you wait for a long while then two of them come along together. Not quite true but it doesn’t seem that long ago that we re-introduced our Newsletter and here we are issuing a second.

This edition is focused on the motorsport industry which is an important and sizeable part of Variohm’s business. It’s also the sector where we have introduced a number of new products and we wanted to get this publication out in time to launch them at the Autumn/Winter series of exhibitions.

Our opening article leads off on the subject of pressure measurement and the customer and competition lists read rather like a who’s who of the competition world. Our EPT3100 range is now widely accepted as the trendsetter in racing circles but by the time you read this article it could be that we will have introduced its “little brother”. Little in terms of size but not little in terms of performance. We expect to have parts to show when you visit our stand.

The ELP and VLP ranges of linear position transducers are now being manufactured by our sister company Heason Technology. This change means that all operations are under our direct control and that we have improved clean

room and calibration facilities + the latest in CAD programs.

Our range of products has established themselves as the market leader. Not only do we offer a standard range of parts with electrical stroke lengths from 12.5mm to 300mm, we are also able to offer custom built solutions. So if you have any special requirements, we look forward to the challenge.

Another new product gaining acceptance is our noncontacting range of angular position sensors. These devices use Hall effect technology and offer extremely long life, and compliment our proven range of rotary potentiometers. You will also find details of our new laser ride height sensor which is suitable for use under the arduous conditions that the autosport industry seems to thrive upon.

We hope our latest newsletter is an interesting read, but more than that we hope that it will stimulate you to call us with your particular measurement or control problem. We’re pretty sure that we will be able to help in one way or another.

Roy Moffatt Managing Director

1st in Motorsports Sensors

Heason Technology is a leading independent supplier of Precision Motion Control Equipment specialising in 'Motion System Integration' and is a major player in many diverse markets. Heason has considerable experience in precision motion control.

And finally....... Congratulations to three Variohm employees, Ben Moffatt, Sue Torrance and Martin Paul, all completed the Edinburgh Marathon and between them they raised £12226.00 for the Royal London Society for the Blind.

Tel: +44(0)1327 351004 Fax: +44(0)1327 353564 Email: sales@variohm.com Web: www.variohm.com Variohm-EuroSensor Ltd

Williams’ Barns, Tiffield Road, Towcester, Northants. NN12 6HP