Solid-State DME Relay- Beta Testers Wanted

[Ftech9]

I have been developing a new DME SSR (Solid State Relay) for the Porsche 944/968/924S/964/968/993, and now have prototypes ready for beta testing. Only four of these are in existence and I am looking for Porsche enthusiasts in the Phoenix area who drive one of these cars as their daily driver to test one. If you’re interested, please sent me a PM. Keep in mind, these are not production units, there are a few of changes that will be made on the final version. All of these changes are very minor, the most significant being the small green wire (look closely in the picture). Once production units are ready, I am going to need these prototypes back, but I will give you a shiny new one out of the first batch for helping me test.


Here is a picture on the new Solid-State DME relay next to a factory DME relay:



Some Information about the new Solid-State DME Really

I think everyone is aware the OE relay suffers from various issues that cause no-starts and other erratic and shall we say “interesting” behavior. Lots of guys, including me, keep a spare relay in their glove box just in case. And I suppose I could have just bought a new OE relay form Porsche or one of the OEM or aftermarket options. But I am basically a 944 junkie with an engineering degree, so enviably I was going do a full redesign and make it better. The main issue with the OE relay, in my view, is cracked solder joints. The reason this happens is because the mechanical relays are made of metal which is heavy. Combine that with several amps of heat, constant engine vibration and one to three decades of driving… Yep, cracked solder joints. Even if the joints are re-soldered they will eventually crack again at some point in the future. But that’s assuming the relay armature and contact points don’t wear out first. In comparison, this new Solid-State DME relay is less than half the weight, which will preserve the solder joints indefinitely. Plus, it has no mechanical parts or contacts and therefore cannot “wear out”. And because I have way too much time on my hands, I went ahead and put in a timing circuit in it that primes the fuel pump for two to three seconds when the key it turned on. This is a standard feature on most modern cars because it helps bring the fuel pressure up before the DME/ECU starts firing injectors. It's a handy feature if you have opened you fuel system and want to bleed out the air without cranking the engine. And a nice no-start troubleshooting aid because you can faintly hear the fuel pump cycle on KOEO.


I welcome everyones input, so please don’t hold back with the question and/or comments.

[944tothefloor]

That's pretty cool!

[fiily]

Great work.

In your spare time, can you develop a nice DME like rogue's?

[jollyted]

Nice work!

I'd like to test one out for you. I live in Scottsdale and also in Southern California. I drive often between the two locations, so I can give it a real long test experience for you in my '86 n/a.

I hate dealing with the mechanical DME relay. I've had even new ones go out on me in the long hot drive from Scottsdale to SoCal. I'm looking forward to your alternative!

[campbelljj]

Great work! Any idea f how much testing you want to give it. Or when do you think these will be ready for sale and at what price point?

[Cocacolakidd]

Let us know when they are for retail sale - thanks.

[ltfisher]

I live in the Phoenix area and would be willing to beta test. Unfortunately my car is not daily driven though.

The fuel pump feature has me very interested. Also the fan relay sounds good. Hope this becomes available.

[PA_944]

Unfortunately I'm in PA but my '86 N/A is a daily driver so if your looking a bit further afield I would be happy to test one for you.

Hope it all works out well as I would be interested in removing the weakest link from my car.

Cheers,

John

[arominus]

Originally Posted by fiily

Great work.

In your spare time, can you develop a nice DME like rogue's?

The DME was an intense project, it not just something you do. That's another level of development work and testing vs this relay. Just buy Rogues DME if you need it.

The fan relay and the Blower resistor pack do seem like good targets for development and don't overlap with existing products.

[Mach944]

As an electrical engineer also, and I say WELL DONE !

[JoshB]

Wow!

[Ftech9]

Originally Posted by fiily

Great work.

In your spare time, can you develop a nice DME like rogue's?

Originally Posted by arominus

The DME was an intense project, it not just something you do. That's another level of development work and testing vs this relay. Just buy Rogues DME if you need it.

The fan relay and the Blower resistor pack do seem like good targets for development and don't overlap with existing products.

Lol. Fun fact, I worked with Josh to develop the Rouge Tuning DME. Arominus is correct, a ground up DME redesign is no small task.

[Ftech9]

Originally Posted by campbelljj

Great work! Any idea f how much testing you want to give it. Or when do you think these will be ready for sale and at what price point?

The SSR has already been exhaustively tested both on the bench and in my 951. No way I would put it in anyone else's car if I didn't trust it completely. That said, it is still prudent to have other people try it out. Once the beta testers have a 100% level of confidence then I will release it for sale. I am hesitant to put a price out there because I don't have all the final costs yet. When the numbers come in I will make an announcement.

[968 GUY]

Depending on price, Ill take 3.
Yes, I have a spare relay for 2 of the cars, plus a few I saved that failed or may have been failing.

[Rasta Monsta]

Happy to test an NA unit (race car) or 951 unit (project car).

[campbelljj]

Originally Posted by Ftech9

The SSR has already been exhaustively tested both on the bench and in my 951. No way I would put it in anyone else's car if I didn't trust it completely. That said, it is still prudent to have other people try it out. Once the beta testers have a 100% level of confidence then I will release it for sale. I am hesitant to put a price out there because I don't have all the final costs yet. When the numbers come in I will make an announcement.

Sounds good to me. I'm in for two

[J1NX3D]

Do you want to test on a RoW car?

[BoulderGeek]

Wow, impressive!

I will be monitoring this project for final availability and production. Kickstarter for production funding?

[GreenWater]

PM sent!

[porsche4life]

I'm in gilbert, I'll toss one in my car to test it once I get the damn thing running again!