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Automobiles

Video: Ford engineer builds haptic shift knob with 3D printer, Xbox controller

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By Michael Harley

Ford's haptic vibrating manual gearshift knob

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Vehicles with manual transmissions have been equipped with shift indicators (illuminated or audible) for decades. While some are used to improve performance, most are designed to encourage more fuel-efficient driving. Regardless of the original objective, nearly all drivers become desensitized or learn to ignore the illuminated lights and arrows after just a few short hours behind the wheel.

Enter Zachary Nelson, a recent MIT graduate and an engineer with Ford. Working at the automaker’s Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, Michigan, Nelson devised a haptic shift knob that vibrates when it’s time to select another gear. “I wanted to create something that expands the car’s capabilities and improves the experience for the driver,” said Nelson. “I decided to use OpenXC to provide a new kind of feedback for the driver through the shift knob.”

The process, greatly simplified, has the vehicle transmitting data wirelessly from its on-board diagnostics (OBD) port using a Bluetooth OpenXC adapter. The knob uses the innards of a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller for vibration. “I decided to have a little fun with it and installed an LED display on top that shows the gear position and colored lights that glow from inside at night similar to the ambient lighting in Mustang,” adds Nelson.

Overall, it’s a rather fascinating idea that you can check out in the video below. The software-driven haptic shift knob allows the driver to keep their eyes on the road, while the vibration can be set to alert one of many different parameters, including optimal fuel efficiency, quickest acceleration, maximum torque, redline shifting and so on, giving it many different uses.

Continue reading Ford engineer builds haptic shift knob with 3D printer, Xbox controller

Ford engineer builds haptic shift knob with 3D printer, Xbox controller originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

PACCAR MX-13 Engine Offers Fuel Economy Benefits

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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PACCAR MX-13 Engine Offers Fuel Economy Benefits

LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Coming off a record year of PACCAR MX engine sales in Kenworth trucks, Kenworth is anticipating even further proprietary engine adoption with the PACCAR MX-13.

Designed for linehaul and vocational heavy duty truck operators, the PACCAR MX-13 utilizes the latest common rail fuel-delivery technology, which enables injection pressures of up to 2,500 bar, significantly enhancing fuel efficiency and performance. The common rail system uses controls to regulate the fuel in a central manifold, only compressing the amount of fuel mixture needed. The PACCAR MX-13 is rated up to 500 hp and is the only 13-liter class engine rated up to 1,850 lb-ft of torque. It is available for Kenworth Class 8 models, including the T660, T680, T700, T800, T880 and W900. The PACCAR MX-13 is assembled at the PACCAR Engine Plant in Columbus, Miss. (Photo: Business Wire)

“We’ve taken an excellent engine platform and made it even better with the PACCAR MX-13,” said Preston Feight, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “The immediate impact is an improvement in fuel economy of up to 3.5 percent*. That’s a significant gain for customers which may amount to about a $2,500 annual fuel savings for the typical long-haul truck averaging 120,000 miles per year.

“We feel that Kenworth and the PACCAR MX-13 will be the truck make and engine of choice for those fleet and truck operators who want a fuel-efficient, reliable 12.9-liter engine in their Class 8 trucks,” said Feight.

Designed for linehaul and vocational heavy duty truck operators, the PACCAR MX-13 utilizes the latest common rail fuel-delivery technology, which enables injection pressures of up to 2,500 bar, significantly enhancing fuel efficiency and performance. The common rail system uses controls to regulate the fuel in a central manifold, only compressing the amount of fuel mixture needed. The result is finer fuel atomization for optimized combustion, enabling lower fuel consumption and emissions.

In addition to its fuel efficiency, the engine offers high reliability and durability, lightweight design, and low cost of ownership. The PACCAR MX-13 is rated up to 500 hp and is the only 13-liter class engine rated up to 1,850 lb-ft of torque. It is available for Kenworth Class 8 models, including the T660, T680, T700, T800, T880 and W900. The PACCAR MX-13 is assembled at the PACCAR Engine Plant in Columbus, Miss.

The PACCAR MX-13 meets the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation requiring that all model-year 2013 engines be equipped with On-Board Diagnostics (OBD). OBD improves engine reliability by …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance