Controllers

Applies to: IOcan · Standalone controller. What this means

A controller is the transmission control strategy that runs on the device (in the schema it is called a driver). It turns engine and chassis inputs into the signals a transmission needs, and exposes transmission state back through outputs and CAN presets. Read Configuration Concepts first — it explains where a controller sits in the signal flow.

Each controller is selected for the device and then calibrated through its own set of parameters and maps/tables. The pages below document one controller per page.

Driver catalogue

The configuration app offers these controllers. Which ones are available depends on the device type: a CANbus Gateway (CGW…) and an IOcan (IOC…) run the gateway and emulation drivers; a standalone transmission controller (direct controller) runs the drivers that operate a gearbox directly.

Controller (driver) Runs on Role Page
BMW OEM Gateway (Gateway BMW OEM) CANbus Gateway, IOcan Engine emulation to a factory BMW TCU — ZF 8HPxx automatics and DKG dual-clutch BMW OEM Gateway
OEM PDK Gateway (Gateway PDK OEM) CANbus Gateway, IOcan Engine emulation to a factory Porsche PDK / 7DT45 TCU OEM PDK Gateway
Shifter emulator CANbus Gateway, IOcan Emulates an OEM gear selector (GWS) planned
Passthrough CANbus Gateway, IOcan, standalone controller Forwards frames between CAN buses planned
DCT direct-control drivers (DQ250 · DQ500 · DL501 · DL800 · DKG · 6DCT470 · PDK · TR9080 · NSX*) Standalone controller Standalone dual-clutch control (drives the gearbox directly) DCT Standalone Drivers
ZF 8HPxx direct-control driver Standalone controller Standalone control of a torque-converter automatic planned

* NSX is being withdrawn and will be removed in a coming release. Do not start a new build around it — see Stated limitations.

The standalone PDK driver controls the 7DT45 gearbox hardware directly (clutch and line-pressure solenoids, gear actuators) and is not the same thing as the OEM PDK Gateway, which talks to the car's factory PDK controller. See DCT Standalone Drivers and OEM PDK Gateway.

OEM gateway drivers

The BMW OEM Gateway and OEM PDK Gateway are the same kind of driver: an OEM gateway. They let you keep the factory transmission controller (TCU) and run it behind a standalone/aftermarket ECU. The TCU still does the gear shifting; the gateway gives it the engine picture it expects.

flowchart LR ECU["Aftermarket ECU<br>(RPM, TPS, torque, …)"] -->|inputs| GW["OEM Gateway driver<br>(emulates the engine,<br>reports gear state)"] GW -->|CAN preset| TCU["Factory TCU<br>(8HP / DKG / PDK mechatronics)"] TCU -->|TCU state| GW GW -->|"gear, mode, speed"| OUT["Outputs / dash"]

What the gateway driver does:

  • Emulates the engine towards the TCU — most importantly engine torque, plus RPM, throttle/pedal, MAP, temperatures and chassis signals. Factory TCUs schedule shifts and set clutch/line pressure from the torque signal, which aftermarket ECUs rarely broadcast in the OEM format.
  • Reports transmission state back to the rest of the car — current/next gear, gearbox mode, ratios, shaft speeds, temperature, vehicle speed, reverse light.
  • Relays the TCU's shift-time torque requests (cut on upshift, blip on downshift) to the ECU — see Shift torque management.

The on-wire conversation with the TCU is implemented by a transmission-emulation CAN preset (one per platform/generation), which you pair with the driver — they are listed on each driver page.

Common features

Several building blocks appear in every driver. They are documented once, and each driver page links to them instead of re-describing them:

Feature What it covers
Engine torque estimation The Torque calculation method parameter, what each method needs, correction maps, rev-limiter behaviour
Fuel & injector model Primary/secondary injector settings, fuel types and built-in fuel data, dead time, pressure compensation
Vehicle & wheel speed Diff ratio / wheel diameter, speed sources and priority, plausibility monitoring
Shift torque management Cut/blip requests to the ECU on the gateways; the DBW Modifier on the standalone drivers