airpod

[daren springett]

my airpod is finally on the way:) what wiring will i have to do to get a head start?

[darren@ridetech.com]

Constant 12, Ignition (Key Hot), and Ground. That's it!!

[daren springett]

can i use a distribution block coming off the battery for the constant, and a ground distribution block as well. also do you still need to wire to the back lights for dimming?

[britt@ridetech.com]

Ground:
you can use a ground distribution block, no problem

Power (+12VDC):
you can also use a power distribution block. Just remember, the compressor will pull 20A max, so make sure the distribution block can handle the extra load (it all depends on what you have running on the dist. block. Add all the current draws and make sure you are not over the limit.

Illumination:
you can wire the AirPod for auto dimming (hook to +12V when lights are on). However, most people do not use this feature. There is no downside if the auto dimming is not connected.

[daren springett]

Thanks for the info, but have a few more questions. I have a 4 gauge power wire coming off the battery to a 4 way 40 amp fused distribution block.Two 8 gauge come off that to run two amps, while the other two opened lines are available so I can use one for the airpod. Does this sound ok? I ran my old air management system the same way, however, I used all 4 lines off the same distribution block(2 for the amps and the other two for 2 viar 380's and had no problem) obviously this old system used 2 relays. The 4 gauge wire is also fused at the battery. For the ignition, I plugged a wire directly into an extra spade in the fuse panel and have an inline fuse on that lead as well. Also, does the 12 volt constant only pull power on the pod when the ignition is on or is that how the wireless remote works? One last thing, I only show the car so when stored I use a battery disconnect and put on a battery tender .Will this cause any problems or erase any settings? Alot of questions, but thanks for all the help.:D

[britt@ridetech.com]

Power:
your situation sounds like it'll work fine. The AirPod has internal fuses for power, iginition, and the compressor, so if anything were to happen it would blow those first.

Ignition:
sounds fine. like i said, the AirPod has a fuse on the ign. wire, but if it shorts between the AirPod and the source, it should blow the source fuse.

12V constant:
the AirPod constantly pulls 12V, but it's in miliamps when the system is off (running the antenna) so it won't drain the battery. The ignition wire (yellow) acts only as a "trigger" for the system. This is how it knows when to turn on and off.

Memory:
all data is stored in EPROM, burned into the chip, so you can set it on the shelf for 10 years and it'll still remember the settings.

[daren springett]

will it be ok then to quick disconnect battery and .reconnect without a surge or have to reprogram my presets. is the 12v constant mainly for the remote?

[Milehigh69]

Britt
Can you tell me when mine will ship?

[daren springett]

still need reply from Britt

[britt@ridetech.com]

you can unhook the battery with no problems.

Milehigh69: I've got the parts all here (minus the cover which will ship as soon as they arrive) and I have the assembly and testing procedure completed. We've built about 20 units, so depending on where you are in line your unit should ship out this week.

[britt@ridetech.com]

12V constant is there because the fets (solid state relays) which run the valves are on the same circuit as anything else driven by 12V on the board. The 12V gets divided into 6V and 3.3V to run the electronics on the board. When not in use, the only thing running is the "antenna check". When the remote is pressed, the ECU "wakes up" and does what it is asked until the sensors are satisfied. It then returns to a "sleep" mode.

[daren springett]

sweet! so presets will still be there when reconnected. Also, are all airpod models waiting covers or do you know if mine shipped with one three gallon tank?

[britt@ridetech.com]

I had only 4 covers (I've been in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show all last week, so I cannot say for sure until I get in on Monday). If you were one of the first 4, it should have gone with a cover. If not, I'll have more covers in this week, and they will ship as soon as the stickers are applied.

[daren springett]

thanks again. IN terms of ride height, do you suggest doing tape measure method, and then writing those numbers down (psi numbers). Then when hitting preset 2, should i be seeing those same #s, or should i be looking for equal fender clearance. The reason i ask is because you talk about this on a lot of posts, but still a little unclear. Basically, should the preset #s always come up the same even though ride height might be off 1/2 inch ,or do the preset #s change.

[britt@ridetech.com]

This depends on the system you ordered.

E2 (air pressure only):
When using only air pressure sensors the E2 system will return the vehicle to within +/-7psi of preset destination. (normally within 2 or 3 psi. 7psi is the maximum amount allowed by the software). This may equate to as much as 0.5-inches when measured at the fender as air pressure is not directly relational to suspension travel. (it's quite close, but external factors can affect the air pressure. such as suspension bind.)

LevelPro:
When using level sensors the system knows exactly where the suspension is (in space). It achieves the preset ride height by first coming close to the preset pressure value (within 12psi to avoid cross loading). It then hands the authority over to the level sensors to get the vehicle within 1/8-inch of preset ride height.

[daren springett]

it is e2 only system. When you say it will return within2-3 psi,7 max,do you mean these different #s are what i will see on the display? so if i show ,for eg. ,50rl, 50rr,80fl,80fr then set this at my ride height,air down, then hit preset2 ,or ride height on start, once the preset is reached the display should read 50 +-7rl,50+-7rr,80+-7fl, etc,etc. In other words i probably wont see on the display the #s i first preset, but #s +- my originals?

[britt@ridetech.com]

you are correct. However, the software is intelligent enough that you should see pressure settings very close to your preset values. so if your right rear is 50psi, it will (more than likely) return it to 47psi.

[daren springett]

Is there ever a situation that the #s return identical to the preset #s? Will the #s also vary for the 1 and 3 presets also? If so, i guess it would be wise to write all your preset # sequences down to make sure you are always coming within +-7 to know that everything is functioning correctly

[britt@ridetech.com]

the numbers can hit the preset values exactly. After all, that is the goal. But if I made the software hit the preset exact, it would take forever (actually about 5 minutes on average) for the system to stop trying to reach the preset value.

Here's a quick piece of advice: when running an air pressure only system, do not get "married" to the pressure numbers. The pressure in the air spring is influenced by too many external forces to be exact (temperature, suspension bind, if the vehicle is parked on an incline, load, etc.) The main objective of a pneumatic suspension control system is to return the vehicle to a pre-determined ride height (within a very miniscule fraction of the preset value).

The E2 will continue to attempt to achieve the preset ride height until is gets within +/-7psi, or times out (it has 26 seconds to achieve ride height. If it exceeds 26 seconds it will stop everything).

So you really don’t need to write down the numbers. All you have to do is trust that I’ve built a system reliable enough to return your vehicle to the preset heights.

Presets #1 and #3:
They will act exactly the same as preset #2.

[daren springett]

so if im at a show,lower the car, hit preset#2, i should be able to drive away without having to check for clearance. obviously, i have to add or allow a.5 inch give or take to my ride height if this is the compensation # to guarantee i dont rub on the drive home

[britt@ridetech.com]

worst case scenario: yes, you have to allow a 0.5-inch tolerance. However, it should be VERY close to ride height each and every time you press the preset #2 button. The software is quite intelligent and will return the vehicle to ride height.

I should note: each air spring has a specified ride height. No matter the actual height, if the air spring is at the recommended height, this is where you should drive it. If you stray from these parameters the spring rate will either be too low (the car will bottom out) or too high (the car will ride like it has a solid mounted suspension). I hear a lot of people complain that the ride quality is poor, when in actuallity they do not have the vehicle at the proper ride height.

[daren springett]

im using your airstruts ast1009 and ast1010 i dont or have not scene any ride height specs for these do you have them?

[britt@ridetech.com]

I think those are 6781 double convoluted air springs (I need to check when I'm back at the office as I cannot remember off the top of my head.). If so, they need a 5-5.5-inch bag height when at ride height.

[daren springett]

actually they are basically 7000 series shock waves with a rolling sleave airspring only 4 inch diameter so probably the 800lb oneF7076 (javascript:void(0);)rolling sleeve800#3.5"5" - 6"9"4" so the ride height looks like 5-6 inches .Is for just the bag, the whole assembly, or what?
How would i measure for this .Just the airspring portion or the whole strut?

[britt@ridetech.com]

measurement is taken at the bag only.

You can see the specs here:
http://ridetech.com/productinfo/dimensions.asp

[daren springett]

yeah, thats where i got the specs so should i measure the bag inflated from the crimp plate down to the bottom of the bag where it starts to roll and try to shoot for the installed height 5-6 inches? doesn't the rolling sleeve type get shorter as you inflate? not sure. also, what is the full deflate feature do compared to the regular deflate feature?

[britt@ridetech.com]

You are correct: measure from top of bag to bottom of bag. All air springs get longer the more air you put in them, and get shorter when air is released.

full inflate feature deflates the vehicle in one step. The normal deflate option releases air in bursts.

[daren springett]

Thanks, so when the specs say 5-6 inches for the installed height, is installed height=to ride height same terminology? DO you,art, arrive at this height dimension based on air pressure alone as this bag is used on various sized strut bodies. So basically I'm asking if this bag should be inflated to5-6 inches for all applications or are there specs that are vehicle specific?

[britt@ridetech.com]

The suggested ride height measurment for each air spring comes from the air spring manufacturer (Firestone, Continental, Goodyear, etc.) We design each kit specific to the vehicle. So we take a 7000 series air spring, for example, set the ride hieght we want the car to sit at, then make the air spring mounts (or Shockwave design, in this case) so the air spring is at the recommended height when the car is sitting at the ride height we want. The amount of air then depends on vehicle weight, suspension motion ratio, etc so it will change with each vehicle.
Make sense?

[daren springett]

Gotcha, so aim for the 5-6 inches, then make small air pressure adjustments based on my preferences, while trying to stay reasonably close to the air spring specs plus take into consideration dampening adjustments?

[darren@ridetech.com]

That car is using 7000 series Shockwaves on it front and rear. The easiest way to determine ride height on that car is to take measurements at the fender. That suspension should have at least 4-5" of travel. Driving height will be about 2-3" from fully deflated.

[daren springett]

where do you get the 2-3 inch numbers from? is this the difference from the collapsed height and ride height specs of the medium 7000skw. is shock travel =to stroke

[darren@ridetech.com]

Measure from the fender well to the ground. Take that measurement and add 2-3" to it. This will put you at about mid travel and insure that you do not bottom out when you hit a bump.

[daren springett]

Darren and Britt, thanks for all your help Feel I have been educated in all aspects of air ride tech, but.... a few more questions. You said to measure up 2-3 inches from deflate at the fenders to get ride height in order not to bottom out would there be a problem to ride a little higher than this to avoid rubbing other than sacrificing some ride quality? Also, just received my airpod and got the wireless remotes with it .Where do you plug the antenna harness into?

[darren@ridetech.com]

The remote plugs directly into the ECU, you will have to pull the cover off to access this. You could probably ride a little higher. Just make sure you are at least 1.5-2" from topped the suspension out. Driving it topped out could damage the shocks inside the Shockwave.

[daren springett]

I hope i can get one more clarification, once i program my presets and than disconnect the battery for storage, the presets will remain when i reconnect it, correct? Does thi also hold true for the wireless remote once I program it initially?

[darren@ridetech.com]

You will not loose any presets. I think that it will hold for like 10 years.