F1 engine "Sings"

[pparaska]

"Lifted" from a Z car mail list:

 

According to Tim Blair in Oz, the Asiatech folks have programmed their F-1 engine to play music. I quote:

Load the link and press play.

 

http://astro.temple.edu/~kmr/Chauffe2.mp3

 

First you'll hear a 10-cylinder, 750 horsepower Asiatech F1 engine being warmed up. Then it performs a rousing version of "When The Saints Come Marching In", to the delight of assembled pit staff and journalists.

 

Here's how the magic was achieved (technical/musical details via F1 Racing magazine):

As we all know, a V10 engine produces five combustions per revolution at a frequency per second of 60/(5 x revs per minute), which equals 12/rpm. Therefore, to work out the revs you need to hit a particular musical note, you multiply

the note's frequency by 12. To play a 440Hz 'A', for example, you need 5,280rpm. For 'C', use 3,139rpm, for 'F' 4,191rpm,

and so on.

 

Asiatech's French technicians (the engine, despite its name, is derived from a Peugeot design) simply programmed their engine to run through the various rev/note ranges in the

correct sequence. The result is delightful. And think of the possibilities - BMW's F1 engine, which howls all the way to 19,050rpm, could rip through the entire Hendrix songbook.

 

Even better: imagine a massed NASCAR choir performing "The Star Spangled Banner"! Being eight-cylinder engines, the frequency per second would be 60/(4 x revs), which means

you'd multiply the note frequencies by 15 instead of 12: 'A' would arrive at 6,600rpm, 'C' at 3,923rpm, 'F' at 5,238rpm, etc.

 

Mark my words, someone will be getting rich at Daytona next year selling a CD of NASCAR patriotic anthems. Send some of

the royalties my way.

 

That's straight off my e-mail list. It's pretty cool-sounding, really, and it says a LOT about exactly how much control the pit guys really have over the cars and engines these days. Give

it a listen. I don't know if they take requests, but Jordan/Honda and BAR/Honda could probably do "Purple Haze" in honor of their ever-grenading motors!

 

Mike

 

PS: I like the idea of a NASCAR sing-along, but if "A" arrives at 6600rpm on a V8, I don't think they'll be hitting the high notes. I guess "Free Bird" will be out of their repertoire...

[Guest Thurem]

Pete's Musical Z

I knew it you will use any excuse, now your poor wife will have to deal with years of drained bankaccounts, because of your sudden interrest in music. How much is that programmable efi/ignition gonna run, or how about the full forged bottom end of your 406 to withstand the rpm's. Then you might have to supercharge it just for that subtle change in tone, and who knows how many different exhoust config's you will be going thru. I know that Hi-Fi is another very expensive hobby, but combined with hotrodding it doesn't just doubble the budget, it will go exponential on your a$$.

All in good humor,

Thure

[Guest Anonymous]

love it!

franklinz

[blueovalz]

What amazes me is the lack of transition from one "note" to the next "note". Obviously there is little mass to accelerate.

[Guest Z-rific]

F1 engines only put out 750 HP?

 

Having played guitar for many years, I highly doubt these guys can come close to playing Jimi's stuff. Has the guy with the commentary ever heard Voodoo Chile? I know, I know, he's just trying to be clever.

 

My favorite is still the singing dogs. Which X-mas song did they do? I can't remember.

[S30Z Bushido]

now that is cool.

[Drax240z]

Z-rific. I understand where the "only" comes from when talking about 750hp F1 engines, hell its not hard to build a SBC to that number with a bit of power adding. (Nos, turbo, super, what have you) But for comparison, BMW F1 is arguably prodcuing somewhere around 850rwhp @ 19,050rpm. To break this down:

 

- 10 cylinders

- 3000cc displacement limit

- FIA limits cars to no less than 600kg

 

Some interesting figures at max rpm:

 

- 158 ignitions per second for each cylinder

- one ignition every six thousandth of a second

- Number of combustions during an average GP: 8 million

- Number of litres of air aspirated in 1 second at top speed: 450 (or 953.5cfm)

- Weight: less than 100kg

 

Thats 283bhp/L for this engine. That would be equivalent to a chev 350 with 1614bhp, or a Viper V10 producing 2266.6bhp... without the aid of forced induction, Nos, or anything else but "old fashioned" engineering.

 

If a F1 car could hook up at the drag strip (but it is limited to a maximum tire size by the FIA) it should be capable of a 7.9sec @ 190mph 1/4....

 

On an aside, F1 cars in the early to mid eighties were producing over 1400rwhp with turbos. Someone in the FIA decided that was a somewhat dangerous number for a 1.5L (90cubic inch) engine...

[Guest livewire23]

1400rwhp on a 1.5l engine. sounds like a honda builder's dream. I need to talk to a CART guy about my 2.3l prelude! 2000fwhp here I come!!! bye bye traction!

[Mudge]

I heard Asiatech will not be making engines for any F1 teams this year, due to the 100 HP more the other engines are making.

[Guest Z-rific]

Hey Drax,

 

I'm very familiar with F1, just a little dissapointed in the 750 HP mark. I know F1 is all about weight, and they would surely sacrifice a few hundred HP for better balance and weight. The revs these guys pull is absolutely amazing.

 

F1 is far and away the most technically advanced racing anywhere. The most impressive things about these cars is their braking ability.

 

I'd love to see a Can-Am type racing series return. Monster power in a sleek, light weight racer. Dangerous as hell, but it would be an amazing spectacle, and the US could boast fastest race cars anywhere.

[niceguy678us]

that is THE coolest thing I have ever heard my life is forever changed

[blueovalz]

To place the 850hp (BMW) number into even better perspective is to consider the small (reletively speaking) amount of torque these motors have. I do not know at what point in the rpm curve that peak torque occurs, at but the torque output of these motors is near the 300lb/ft range . Put my mama's 390 Ford in a go-kart , and I could keep up with them at least until I redline in MY first gear at a lowly 5500 and then watch the BMW disappear toward the horizon ....quickly.