Racing To the Finish With CPI Momentary Switches

If you’re at all into racing of any kind, chances are you’ve been watching a CPI momentary switch run around the track right in front of your very eyes.

CPI pendant style momentary contact switches are a fairly common fixture on the racing circuit and our newest application includes some racers who are tearing it up on ATV and snowmobile tracks across the country.

Nitrous Oxide Racing with ATV’s and Snow Mobiles

Nitrous kits are actually a common fixture on many racing circuits. Maybe their most well-known use is on the drag racing circuit, where the power of compressed Nitric Oxide can add some serious horsepower to a drag rig allowing those vehicles to get from 0 to 60 in ridiculous times like 1.6 seconds.

In the ATV circuit, a well-placed and carefully utilized nitrous kit is a staple of racing, meant to provide rapid acceleration and deceleration under driver control. For this application the folks at Straightline Performance selected the CPI B7151 Momentary Pendant Switch.

A Momentary Switch Designed with Humans in Mind

One of the many reasons CPI switches are choosen for demanding performance applications goes beyond just waterproof reliability. The B7151 momentary contact switch is a low force, high activation button variant of our standard switch, allowing operators a definite tactile feel, even when they are wearing gloves! As part of their e-tek nitrous kit, Straightline chose the B7151 for these ergonomic factors as well as its ability to perform as a completely sealed waterproof momentary switch. The B7151 is completely sealed in santoprene and can be ordered with custom lead lengths, and electrical specifications.

On the snowmobile racing circuit, the racing is chillier, but the goal is the same. Give your machine that nitrous boost in the wide open straightway. Our momentary switch is typically mounted to the steering wheel and is normally open until depressed, providing added horsepower until released. And it doesn’t matter how wet or cold it gets, our santoprene sealed switch is 100% waterproof and temperature certified down to -20F.

CPI Momentary Switches in “Push To Talk” Applications

When racing around a track at high rates of speed, talking to your team is critical whether you’re NASCAR, Formula 1, or driving your restored VW in the demolition derby. While racing teams like to keep their choices in technology pretty close to the vest, we can tell you for certain that a few of these folks that you watch on TV are using our B7151 momentary contact switch to keep in touch with the pit crew. Again this switch has been chosen because it provides a large tactile footprint for a gloved hand and extremely reliable operation. It is mounted to the steering wheel where the driver can easily interact with it with their thumb without moving his hands from the wheel.

Finding our Momentary Switches.

If you believe one of our Momentary Switches might be right for your racing application give us a call. We have many off the shelf variations of this switch to meet most needs. Small quantities of switches are available immediately through distributors like McMaster and Grainger.

Typical CPI Momentary Switch variations include:

1. Lead length
2. Electrical parameters (normally open/closed)
3. Temperature range (mil-spec ranges available)
4. Switch footprint and button size.
5. Momentary Switch or maintained contact switch.
6. Switch tactile feel (high button, low button)
7. Switch activation Force

Call us today for further information on our full line of Momentary Switches. Or see our full product line at http://www.cpi-nj.com/waterproof-switches

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