Quaife Strain Gauge Black Shift Knob for Quaife 8J and 6U Sequential Transmissions

Load cells are still the most popular choice in professional motorsport for triggering a full-throttle shift cut because of their easy installation, repeatable operation and simple setup.

Unlike other methods of triggering, such as linear potentiometers, microswitches or proximity switches that detect the physical position of the gear lever, a load cell measures the applied force.

Load cells are highly sensitive analogue instruments, which means that the electronics can be accurately configured to detect the onset of a gear shift before there is any physical movement of the gear lever or shift drum. This is exactly the opposite to what is erroneously claimed by some.

The unit requires an unregulated 12v supply, and provides an output of 0.5v to 4.5v which is biased at 2.5v when no load is applied. When mounted in the conventional orientation, the output voltage increases for upshifts and decreases for downshifts. It can therefore be used to trigger an upshift engine cut or a downshift throttle blip.