The SEMA Emerging Trends & Technology Network (ETTN) named Mike Black as the 2024 ETTN Engineer of the Year. Black was recognized during ETTN’s Lunch and Learn event during the 2024 SEMA Show.

The ETTN Engineer of the Year Award honors an individual that has made great engineering achievements within the automotive aftermarket industry over the past year. Black received the award for his innovative creation of the ATLAS Boost Controller, a new electronic approach to controlling boost on positive displacement superchargers. Previous to this design, there were only Vacuum Actuators for controlling the bypass valve (and thus, boost) on superchargers such as Magnuson and Whipple superchargers.  

Black's innovative design incorporates a MAP based approach, which measures pressure before and after the supercharger's compression. This allows the end user to have a linear power progression instead of the "light switch" effect provided by the vacuum actuators of the past. The ATLAS then controls the bypass valve electronically with a servo, and is a fully closed loop system to achieve targeted boost amounts set by the user's dial.  

The user then has full control over boost progression and boost amount, and there’s no need to swap out pulley sizes to achieve different boost values. Black handled the entire project from start to finish – from conception to software programming, and from hardware board design to 3D printing of the plastic housings needed. 

Congratulations, Mike, on this outstanding achievement!

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