| Blitz SBC - I-Catching
When it debuted, the Blitz SBC (Sequential Boost Controller) i-D stormed the electronic boost controller front with a combination of dual solenoid capability, playback and display features, all within a compact 1/2 DIN size. Other offerings from rival companies existed, many of them packed with features, but tuners had realized that many consumers didn't enjoy getting the wrong kind of attention because they sported the multi-gauge "jetfighter cockpit" look. Boost controllers began appearing as combination boost controllers/gauges and data loggers, Blitz has decided to step up the game to the next level. With a brand new full-color display, the Blitz SBC i-Color features all of the same electronic boost control capabilities of the SBC i-D, but adds the ability to replace all of your gauges with one digital dash display.
From the moment you touch the brushed metal-look face to the multiple button presses that are sure to follow, you'll realize that this is a whole different animal from the SBC i-D. The screen display is able to rotate, meaning you can mount the i-Color sideways, straight up, or upside down. We can only envision how many cup holders, dashboards, or cell phone holders will be jury-rigged to hold i-Colors. With the ability to display boost, RPM, speed, power, oil or water temperature, fuel pressure, oil pressure, air/fuel ratio, and three more auxiliary inputs depending on which optional sensors you buy, the i-Color is just the thing to free up some cash. Good money that would have gone towards a gauge that you were thinking about buying but weren't sure because you really wouldn't look at it much anyways.
Upon installing the i-Color, the first step is to calibrate the unit to your car. To setup the tachometer, power, and speed inputs, there are settings to synchronize RPM, vehicle weight, speed, power loss, and wheel spin. For air/fuel and the three data inputs, the settings are different altogether. The user has the ability to set the allowable voltage range, so you have to know what the voltage range is for what you want to monitor. For example, the range can be set from 0 to 5 volts for a mass airflow sensor, or 0 to 12 volts for a car's electrical system.
Because control of the boost curve is the meat of the i-Color's capability, the options to control boost are numerous. The first thing to do is to set up your four boost channels. Here, you can input your target boost level (set in bar, 1 bar = 14.5psi here), how fast you want your car to hit that level (called gain), and your scramble boost settings. The i-Color also gives the user the ability to switch through boost channels based on a RPM or speed map. This means, if you used two of your boost channels and set channel one to 1 bar and channel two to 2 bar of boost, you could setup your car to run 1 bar from 2000-2100rpm, 2 bar from 2100-2200rpm, and then continue to switch off every 100rpm from 2400rpm onwards. The same mapping can be done over vehicle speed, although why you would want to alternate boost levels in such a manner is beyond us. Blitz just loves giving options.
The advantage of the electronic boost controller is the accuracy and functionality of its control. Versus a manual check valve-style boost controller or no controller at all (just a wastegate spring), the i-Color displays all of the virtues of electronic boost control: greater accuracy with less variations, more options for setting any variety of boost curve, and the all important lack of boost spiking. With separate settings for internal and external wastegate-type turbo setups, the i-Color can prevent overshooting the set boost limit with built-in limiter and warning settings. In addition to boost, every input that can be displayed on the i-Color has a warning setting available. The user sets the highest oil temperature allowed, the highest fuel pressure allowed, or the lowest air/fuel ratio allowed and the i-Color watches. If any input is out of the desired range, the data display will turn red and give an audible signal, warning the driver to back down and lose the red mist for a little while.
The digital data display built-in to the i-Color functions in one of three different ways at any given time, analog meter, graph display, or digital readout. The digital readout display shows either two values at a time or six values at a time, with peak values constantly updated and saved in real time. The analog meter display is self-explanatory. The meter display mode shows real time input from a single input, with smaller numerical-only values from three other selected inputs off to the side. This mode is where gauge replacement becomes a good idea, as the i-Color can display virtually any gauge you can buy, but in a compact 1/2-DIN space.
The graph display mode is where the recording and playback capabilities of the i-Color come into play. The i-Color's built-in memory holds three selectable slots, each capable of holding 10 minutes and 9 seconds of data. In the graph mode, the display will show previously recorded or real time versions of air/fuel, boost, or power curves versus a 10,000 rpm range. During playback mode, the user can selectively move along the curve in 100rpm increments to read the data input at that give rpm point, as well as display any combination of data graphs on top of each other. With graphs in plain view, users can see how their air/fuel ratios, boost, and power relate to one another throughout the power curve. After programming in a sample boost curve on the i-Color, users can make test runs with this data-logging setup and see if an immediate positive impact on their power curve was made versus a previous run.
By combining their tried and true electronic boost control technology with a brand-new color interface, digital dash display capabilities, and data-logging functions, Blitz has taken the game to a new level. The $888 MSRP may turn off some buyers from picking up this unit, but think of it this way, you're not just getting a boost controller, you're getting a boost controller and a handful of gauges with a playback unit. A package of those gauges alone would push near the price of the SBC i-Color itself, and not everybody wants to rock that much equipment in plain sight. The i-Color's expansive feature set and small size makes it the ultimate stealth monitoring setup. Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?