Tein has announced a new revision to their electronic damper controller (EDFC) called the EDFC Active. Available beginning in March 2013, this newest version has some significant improvements vs the previous generation.
More Aggressive Damping Force Control: To control damping force more actively according to driving conditions, 2 automatic adjustment modes are available; “G-actuated automatic adjustment mode” and “speed-sensitive automatic adjustment mode (optional GPS kit is required)”. Damping force adjustment levels can be set in 3 different types; 16-level, 32-level or 64-level.
Simplified Installation/Wiring: Motor driver units, located at front and back of the car, and controller unit are connected wirelessly, to reduce troublesome wiring works. Controller unit has all the sensing functions, with built-in optical sensor to detect brightness in its surroundings and connectivity with optional GPS kit to detect vehicle speed. The power supply cable is the only wiring required between the controller and the vehicle, making it possible and easier to install onto wider varieties of vehicle models. Well-considered size and design enable controller unit to be installed to most desirable position easily without any bulky wiring.
Better Visibility & User-Friendliness: Larger display is used for improved visibility and one-dial operation allows for easier handling.
Useful Added Features: EDFC ACTIVE offers lots of extra features including adjustable display color and G-force display. In addition, with optional GPS kit installed, vehicle speed, altitude, longitude, latitude, trip meter and/or clock can be displayed.
Extensibility: One controller unit can control up to 8 motors, with additional motor driver unit installed. This comes in handy for damper kit with separate compression/rebound adjustment.
Reasonable Price: Despite all the advanced features, EDFC ACTIVE is very reasonably priced.
●Manual Mode
There is only one simple dial to set front and rear damping force separately to desired levels. Up to 10 presets are available to store and quickly recall preferred settings, according to the changes in situation.
Examples
G-Actuated Automatic Adjustment Mode
This mode enables automatic adjustment according to the changes in G-force measured with built-in G-sensor. 2 separate modes available; “G-Arrange Mode” to adjust damping force when G-force reaches the preset value (max 10 memories) each time, and “G-Linear Mode” to adjust linearly according to the preset G-force values, automatically supplementing the values in between.
For example, on streets, damping force is set to softer level while driving at constant speed to absorb unevenness on road surface smoothly and set to harder level when accelerating/decelerating to suppress unnecessary vehicle movement for better handling and ride comfort.
On circuits, understeering/oversteering can be controlled by setting damping force to increase stability while braking and setting up front/rear damping force separately to correspond to degree of acceleration/deceleration.
Damping force is adjusted automatically according to G-force value, to xx-level higher or xx-level lower than the manually-set level.
Up to 10 adjustment points can be set, within 0.1 to 2.0G for both acceleration and deceleration in 0.05G increments.
Speed-Sensitive Automatic Adjustment Mode (optional GPS kit is required):
This mode enables automatic adjustment according to the changes in vehicle speed measured with GPS sensor. 2 separate modes available; “S-Arrange Mode” to adjust damping force when vehicle reaches the preset speed (max 10 memories) each time, and “S-Linear Mode” to adjust linearly at all speed according to the preset points, automatically supplementing the values in between.
For example, on streets, damping force is set to softer level while driving slower for softer ride without any bumpy feel and set to harder level when driving faster for better stability and handling.
On circuits, damping force can be controlled according to speed range to change handling performance, such as reducing understeer a bit at low speed corners and reducing oversteer a little at high speed corners.
G+Speed Integrated Control Mode (optional GPS kit is required)
This mode allows using Speed-Sensitive and G-Actuated Automatic Adjustment Modes simultaneously. By automatically and comprehensively adjusting damping force in response to changes in both vehicle speed and G-force, most desirable control is achieved at wide varieties of conditions and for various purposes for optimum performance.
Damping Force Adjustment Modes
Damping force adjustment levels can be set in 3 different types; 16-level, 32-level or 64-level. Most TEIN damping force adjustable dampers come with 16-level adjustment. Use of EDFC ACTIVE adds 32-level and 64-level adjustment capabilities within the same range for finer adjustments especially in automatic adjustment modes.
Wireless Control
EDFC ACTIVE features wireless control system for easy installation / wiring. Controller unit is connected wirelessly to motor driver units which control motors, eliminating the need for troublesome wiring such as putting cables through bulkheads and/or placing/anchoring cables inside the car.
With the latest wireless communication technology, 16.77 million ID patterns are available for motor units and hence there is no chance of confusion with other units. Motor driver units are built to provide tougher protection against dust and water, to make it possible to install outside the vehicle
Controller Unit
G-sensor, wireless transmitter and various functions are all fit into a compact controller unit, which has wide 22x60mm display for better visibility.
A wiring gutter on the back of the controller unit offers greater flexibility in positioning the controller unit and the cable.
Optional GPS kit can be connected to the controller unit via a one-touch coupler, without troublesome wiring to speed pulse signal.
Triaxial Acceleration Sensor
Controller has a built-in triaxial G-sensor, which offers the ability to install controller unit at any desired angle & direction.
Automatic Display Dimmer Function
Brightness of the display can be automatically adjusted according to the brightness of its surroundings detected by an optical sensor. This eliminates the need for connecting cables to vehicle’s illumination power supply. This function can be turned off.
One-Dial Operation
Simple one-dial operation is adopted with emphasis on convenient handling. This user-intuitive interface requires only a few basic operations to remember; turn the dial to select/adjust, push the dial to confirm and push 2 buttons above the dial to switch between the different functions.
Display Dimmer Function (level 0 to 3)
Display brightness baseline for automatic dimmer function can be set by the user between level 0 (off), 1 (dark) and 3 (bright).
Switchable Display View Angle (2 patterns)
Viewing angle of display can be adjusted in 2 different angles to offer better visibility even when the controller unit is installed at an angle.
Buzzer Volume Adjustment (level 0 to 3)
Volume of “button sound/buzzer” and “auto-adjustment buzzer” can be set separately between level 0 (mute), 1 (low) and 3 (high).
Lock Function
Operation of both buttons and dial can be locked to prevent operation mistakes.
Self-Diagnostic Function
The self-diagnostic function checks the status of driver unit and/or wireless communication. If it detects any errors in driver unit (disconnection / short circuit) and/or problem in wireless connection, the result will be shown on display.
Ability to Adjust Display Color
In addition to 4 default colors (white, green, amber & blue), fine-tunable custom colors are available
This new generation of EDFC is backwards compatible with all EDFC useable coilovers. So, if you bought the Flex 5 years ago for your Subaru but never got the EDFC, you can use this newest version! What’s more, if you do have an EDFC, so long as your unit has the revised stepper motors (introduced in 2010), you can just buy the control unit, and take advantage of all the new features!
Contact z1sales@z1auto.com to get on the waiting list
Kwame
Z1 Performance
Jonathan
Corner Balance 