Re: Shogun Stop It - does it work?
 

If anyone is interested, I saved this quite a while ago, but I'm am totally lost when it comes to doing stuff like this. They, mention the STOP-IT at the end, but don't say whether it works or not. I have the irregular light from time to time, but I chalk it up to nerves most of the time. Anyone have any opinions on it?: http://www.computechracing.com/forum...hread.php?p=38

"Suppressing Solenoid Switching Reaction to Protect and Improve Computer System Performance:
If you have a transbrake, line lock, or any other solenoid on your car that consumes a significant amount of current when energized, then you should add a BYPASS DIODE to each and every one of them. This need also includes electric fuel pumps and the like. When the current is shut off to the electric coils inside these devices, they act much like the coil on an ignition system – they try to generate a large voltage and perhaps even a spark somewhere else in your electrical system. This reaction can disrupt and sometimes even damage computer equipment on your car. It does not matter if the coil and computer are directly wired to one another. The reaction of the coil can go through the power wiring of the car and even through the air like a radio signal.

A diode rated at 3-amps with a peak reverse voltage of several hundred volts is preferred. If this package does not include bypass diodes, Radio Shack part number 276-1143 will work. This is a type 1N5402 diode rated at 3 amps average current, 200 amps peak surge current, and 200V peak reverse voltage.

The installation location and direction of the diode are extremely important. For each device being bypassed, the diode should be wired as close to the device as possible, preferably connected directly to the device terminals or within one inch of the device. The diode will have an indicator on one end. That indicator will be a painted band or a pointed end. This end of the diode must be connected to the [sometimes] hot wire of the solenoid, coil, or motor. The other end of the diode should be connected to the other end of the device, which is often chassis ground. Note: connecting the diode backward may prevent operation of the bypassed device or else invisibly damage the diode. Warning: a damaged diode later connected in the correct direction will provide no protection at all.

((Diagram ommitted from this text))

NOTE that Shogun Industries (shogunindustries.com) produces “Stop-it”, a device specifically designed for eliminating this kind of noise problem caused by the transbrake solenoid. It’s more expensive than a diode, but is claimed to do a better job as well."

Re: Shogun Stop It - does it work?
 

you win a championship !

Re: Shogun Stop It - does it work?
 

Brandon, this seems like a whole lot of voodoo to me. There are probably 100,000 people actively racing cars, and I bet you can't find 10 who have done what this recommends. If this was really a problem, don't you think you'd hear about it all over the place? Don't you think Biondo and Dedenbear and RacePak and all the other people who make sensitive electronics for race cars put in power supplies that isolate them effectively? I know people who have been running the same delay boxes for years with no issues.

I think this is an electrical engineer who's chasing a theoretical problem, not an actual issue... Just my humble opinion. :)

As for the "Stop-It", the claim they make is that it will improve your reaction time by preventing the surge. But, the "surge" from the transbrake IS the reaction time, so any effect it might have (debatable) is too late...

Re: Shogun Stop It - does it work?
 

Resurrecting this old thread.

I recently bought a dragster from a guy that has one of these Stop-it boxes on it. I became interested in what it did since the previous owner of my car swore by it and I found this thread.

I took the Stop-it off of the car and took it apart. It is indeed a diode and a resistor. The diode is a 1N5402 and the resistor is 3 watt 1 ohm 5% wire wound type. So I think the purpose is solely for the protection of other devices on the 12V circuit as Bill Harris has so accurately described. Like Bill says, any computer equipment built for automotive use will typically have this same protection built in to the device already. This makes the Stop-it device kind of redundant. Its interesting that Computech was recommending this type of circuit and they make computer equipment for automotive use, hmm.

I have read on another forum that the manufacturer claimed it will fix the "where did that come from" reaction times that racers sometimes see by limiting the rising amount of current that flows through a solenoid the longer it stays energized. I think that is baloney. The Stop-it device is to cure problems that could result after the trans-brake releases and won't affect the release of the solenoid at all. http://www.v8buick.com/archive/index.php/t-198448.html

Once I scraped all the silicone off of the components in my box, I noticed that the resistor had turned brown, a sure sign of failure. I measured the resistance and sure enough, it was in the Meg-Ohms range, not the 1 Ohm range. So my box is actually burned up and probably had no affect at all even though the previous owner thought it did (kinda funny).

I noticed that the ShoGun web site is gone and perhaps out of business so I am unable to find the actual claims by the manufacturer. I did find a Stop-it that sold on ebay recently for $30 though.

Re: Shogun Stop It - does it work?
 

Bill from Shogun passed away last August, and his son Dave was recently killed in an auto accident.