FleetAutoNews
Magazine
(June 2001)
DAG
markets products that have been developed with the automotive industry
in mind although one of their most successful products to date, Vibramat,
was developed as a result of DAG’s research on acoustic dampening material
for speaker enclosures.
I
am often accused of being very skeptical or even downright negative when
it comes to the latest in car accessories or fuel and oil additives. In
fact, I am not. What bothers me are the products that do not work, but
are marketed with such dazzling claims and bovine fecal matter slung about
that customers go running to buy it only to have the whole trend fizzle
out months or even weeks later, only to resurface in another form or brand
name.
With
memories of these “snake-oil” products in mind I traveled to Shah Alam
to report on DAG Electrophonic Sdn. Bhd. a company that is mainly a knowledge
based, research and development driven company that primarily offers high-tech
solutions to commonly experienced automotive comfort and convenience concerns.
Upon
arrival at DAG we met it’s managing director,
Darren Aster Gunasekera, who explained DAG’s products to us in a clear
and understandable manner. As the interview went on we obtained a better
understanding of the company’s products which although is somewhat sensational
in their claims of performance seem to be designed based on sound scientific
principles. There were very minimal high-end technical concepts and the
whole presentation and live demonstrations left us convinced of their
veracity and benefits.
The
Vibramat material, a black nitrile rubber foam,
has been developed into a car bonnet and trunk liner. One of the secrets
to its success is the adhesive used in the Vibramat family of products.
The
adhesive is a cross linking, pressure sensitive acrylic based adhesive
coating which conforms readily to compound curves and flat surfaces in
a vehicle. In addition to this it is a flame retardant and results in
a reduction of noise of up to 5db. The Vibramat is available in sheets
for floorpans, or die-cut in conveniently shaped sets to conform to the
undersides of poplar car bonnets, trunks, doors and roof sections.
The
material has a temperature limit of up to 105 degrees Celsius
and is claimed to be resistant to fuel, brake fluid and battery acid.
Newer versions are available in attractive colours and as a car trunk
bed liner.
Vehicular
noise and vibration are one of the many causes of driver fatigue. Noise
is in fact, the ‘N’ and ‘V’, the vibration in NVH or Noise, Vibration
and Harshness, which so many auto manufactures
are striving to reduce or eliminate altogether.
This
should be a special concern for fleet owners who have drivers or staff
who spend long hours driving a vehicle or are other wise occupied inside.
Prolonged exposure to noise and vibration leads to driver fatigue and
exhaustion. If noise can be significantly or noticeably reduced then comfort
and performance can be increased.
An
enhanced version of Vibramat is the Vibramat Acoustic Tile. The Acoustic
Tile is in fact a thinner layer of Vibramat material with an added layer
of film covered, elastoplastomeric polymer with polyester fibre reinforcement.
The
total thickness of the acoustic tile is the same as the normal Vibramat
material. The main advantage of the acoustic tile is that it provides
up to 30db of sound reduction, which is remarkable for the size and weight
of the material. A rectangular ‘tile’ measuring about 12x20 cm is die
–cut into 2 E shapes. These are pulled apart slightly so that the E shaped
fingers overlap and are fitted on to the door panels and the backs of
fenders.
About
3 of these tiles are sufficient for most car doors. The acoustic tile
has an effective panel coverage equal to an area
approximately five times its actual size. Each tile weighs 115 grams and
is 9 mm thick. DAG claims that the acoustic tile works on the principle
of opposite phase effects induced by positioning the tile on the nitrile
rubber layer, allowing it to resonate inversely and reduce panel noise
and vibration. Vibramat and Acoustic Tile can be fitted by accessory dealers
or as a DIY kit by vehicle owners.
The
above-mentioned are what DAG has been selling since its inception in August
1998 but what was really thought provoking were two electronic devices
that are to be launched soon.
The
DAG e-Light is a little black box containing microprocessor controlled
circuitry that fully automates a vehicle lighting system. All too often
vehicle owners tend to either forget to turn on their headlights or leave
the vehicle parked with it the lights on.
The
owner or driver usually returns to find the battery has been discharged
and is not able to start the vehicle. The e-Light is claimed to be able
to differentiate between artificial and natural light and does not switch
off or on in cases of momentary darkness (e.g. flashes of light, shadows).
It also activates the headlights automatically when ambient light levels
drop or the vehicle enters a subterranean car park or tunnel.
DAG’s
e-Cool is another ‘smart’ product that
is also an add-on microprocessor controlled ‘black box’ which interfaces
with a vehicles air conditioning blower to lower cabin temperatures by
up to 15 degrees Celsius.
When
a vehicle is parked under the sun, cabin temperatures can soar to unbearable
levels, even resulting in damage to a vehicles plastic interior.
The
e-Cool measures the cabin temperature and activates the fan blower to
pump out the hot air and bring in cooler ambient air so that the cabin
temperatures do not have a chance to soar to unbearably hot levels.
To
reduce battery consumption the e-Cool operates the fan periodically according
to cabin temperatures using a 24kHz pulse. This
increases the efficiency of the blower motor to 75%. When a fan is operated
normally, the efficiency is only 30%!
The
battery consumption is quota limited and the e-Cool stops it periodic
blower operation if the battery health is judged as being below specified
requirements. A side effect of this is that the vehicle owner is made
aware of the battery condition and can then top up battery water, thus
prolonging the life of the battery. The e-Cool system has been tested
for an equivalent of 5 years.
Other products being tested are due to be launched soon and are electronic devices. SIRIM, PSB Singapore, DAR and other accreditation and certification bodies have tested all of DAG’s products. EON is offering Vibramat as a dealer installed option.