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 Functionality

APC technology depends on the synchronisation of the motorcycle’s control box and one or more helmets. The mechanics are very simple:

Fitting the electronic control box



Follow these steps carefully and consecutively:

1. Find the battery of the motorcycle or moped.
2. Find an insulated exterior area under the seat of your motorcycle or moped that is firm and horizontal. It is very important that it is insulated from water, easy to access and inspect, and away from heat sources.
3. In order for the adhesive of the APC control box to hold the device firmly during use, it is very important that you clean the area selected for fixing it with isopropyl alcohol.
4. Once the surface is dry, fix the APC control box using the adhesive it has on the bottom. It is very important to leave time for the joint to set: 50% adhesion is achieved in 10 minutes and full adhesion only after 72 hours at ambient temperature.
   
   
   Important: once the control box is fixed, do not remove it for at least 72 hours. It is possible that the adhesive will come unstuck, losing all its effectiveness.
   
   
5. If there is no area for fixing the control box (normally type R motorcycles), fix the control box using plastic clamps, as shown in the graphic. : clamps are not supplied with this equipment.
   
   
   Important:
   

   • The coloured arrow at the top of the device must point in the direction of the front of the motorcycle or moped (handlebars).
   • The APC control box must remain as horizontal as possible. If it is not, the device’s measurements may be incorrect and the system may not work properly.
   • Do not install more than one control box on a motorcycle or moped.
   
   
6. Connect the end of the red cable to the red or positive pole of the motorcycle or moped battery. Repeat the same procedure with the end of the black cable and the negative or black pole of the motorcycle or moped battery.
7. Activate the on/off switch. The red LED will immediately start to flash slowly.
   
   
   Important:

   • If you do not plan to use your motorcycle or moped for two days or more, you are recommended to turn off the APC control box by activating the on/off switch. Otherwise, it is possible that the motorcycle or moped battery will discharge. : to prevent battery discharge problems, it is possible to connect the control box to the motorcycle’s or moped’s electrical ignition system. In this case you are advised to contact an official service for your make of motorcycle or moped. APC will accept no responsibility for any defect that may be caused to your motorcycle or moped.
   • It is also recommended that you periodically turn off the APC control box and turn it on again. The APC control box is programmed to check the whole system every time it is turned on. This simple periodic action will allow you to ensure that your equipment is working perfectly.
   
   

Synchronising the airbag crash helmet with the control box

Follow these steps carefully and consecutively:

1. The airbag crash helmet incorporates a battery which may be partially or entirely discharged when the product is purchased. You will see its state by checking whether or not the LED on the back cover is flashing. In either case, connect the helmet to the electrical mains and, the first time, keep it connected for a minimum of 8 hours. At subsequent chargings, the crash helmet will indicate that the battery is fully charged when the LED on the back cover of the crash helmet shows a steady green light (minimum 2.5 hours). While the battery charging process is continuing, the helmet’s LED will show a steady orange light
   
2. Make sure the crash helmet battery is fully charged. Press the button on the control box, fitted and fixed to the motorcycle or moped, for at least 3 seconds, until the LED flashes green quickly.
3. Before 10 seconds have elapsed, press the button on the APC crash helmet. The flashing orange LED will immediately turn green. The flashing LED on the control box will stay green but will flash as fast as that on the helmet or a little more slowly.

Note 1: it is possible to synchronise up to 5 crash helmets with the same motorcycle or moped. This means that any user wearing an APC crash helmet can synchronise with any motorcycle or moped that has a control box installed, following the same procedure explained in points 2 and 3.

Note 2: if you are near the radius of action of two motorcycles with which your crash helmet has at one time been synchronised or if you are not sure whether the motorcycle you are going to use has been synchronised with you, repeat steps 2 and 3.

Note 3: the motorcycle or moped control box is capable of storing the last five crash helmets it has been synchronised with in its memory. Because of this, if your crash helmet is one of these, it is not necessary to repeat steps 2 and 3 every time you use this motorcycle or moped.

Note 4:if you are not sure whether your crash helmet is stored in the control box of the motorbike you are going to use, repeat steps 2 and 3 to make sure the motorbike and crash helmet are synchronised.

Note 5:If a long time has elapsed since the last time you used the motorbike with which you want to tune now and you are not sure whether this motorbike has been used by users with 5 different APC crash helmets with airbag, it is possible that you are now not on the list of crash helmets tuned to this control box, so, for your safety, repeat steps 2 and 3.

How does the airbag work?

The airbag has been designed to optimise rider safety in the case of violent collisions; it complements the function of the helmet. In this case, the electronic detectors record and analyse the sharp deceleration of the vehicle: if the trigger threshold is reached, the airbag immediately inflates and protects the rider.

Immediately after a crash, the airbag gradually starts to deflate. After 5 seconds, the airbag system ceases to provide safety to the rider. The airbag will not go off in the case of minor bumps. The importance of a crash depends on the nature of the obstacle, the place of impact and the speed of motorcycle or moped at the time of the collision.

The airbag system is integrated into the back of the crash helmet. The inflatable bag is fixed at the back and on the lower edge of the helmet, confined in the canvas ring.

It protects the cervical area and stabilises the neck, preventing sharp movements of it during the accident.

Both the APC airbag helmet and the control box communicate with the user via a simple colour code.

APC control box colour code

Three cases are distinguished in normal operationl:

1. LED flashing red slowly: means there is no crash helmet recognised in the memory.
2. LED flashing orange slowly: means that all tuned crash helmets are out of range.
3. LED flashing green: means there are one or more synchronised crash helmets in range and communication has been established. This means that, if there is an accident, the airbags in these crash helmets will be activated.
   
   There are two exceptions:
   
   

1. If there is an accident, the LED will show a permanent red light.
2. In the case of an error when the control box is switched on, the equipment will be blocked and the LED will flash red quickly.

APC airbag crash helmet colour code

Two cases can be distinguished in normal operation:

1. LED flashing red slowly: means the helmet is out of range of the motorcycle or moped control box.
2. LED flashing green: means the crash helmet is within the range of the motorcycle or moped control box and is ready for us.

There are two exceptions:

1. If there is an accident, the LED will show a permanent red light.
2. In the case of an error when the control box is switched on, the equipment will be blocked and the LED will flash red quickly.