MegaSquirt trigger wheel sensor solution, What's your design?? Options

[draganc]

Hi guys!

I’m planning to upgrade my D-jet system on a 75 2.0 (2056) with a MegaSquirt system.

I’m still debating how to mount the trigger-wheel-sensor and would like to see some of your solutions.

Thank you for your input,
Dragan

[Jake Raby]

I actually prefer the handheld programmer of SDS as my users don't need to have to learn software and tables before tuning their engine.. The more interface and adapataion thats necessary the more phone calls we'll get and the more mis-tuning thats possible.

I first used Electromotive in 1994, Haltech shortly thereafter and in some way I have tested or applied most every system available except the newer CB system, that even includes Motec.

When people "play" with my engines they are playing with my reputation and IF they screw it up you can bet your ass they aren't going to be accountable, it'll be my fault and that takes my time to square away.

What it all boils down to is what makes sense, what people can understand and whats simple to comprehend. I tend to like simple with most everything, right down to the optics on my rifles. Doing more with less is what I prefer.

The tables and software for both Autronic and Electromotive both make a lot of sense to me.. Thats what matters most. Electromotive is setting me up with a new, simplified ECU that doesn't have all the bells and whistles and is simpler to install as well as tune. I will be using it in parallel with MS on the 912E, or I may possibly install it on my Wife's Vert which now has Dells on the 2270 roller cam, A/C equipped engine.

I am using SDS on my double cab, that engine makes 161HP at the rear wheels and is a true beast.. All the systems have pros and cons.

About the time MS was really starting to impress me a really well built system failed in the middle of a trip acorss Africa in the hands of one of my customers that has an older engine kit. This person already drove that Bus from Amsterdam to Beijing in 2008 with stock FI without issues. This year they made a trip across africa, 18,000 miles in total and MS didn't make the grade, it failed and had to be replaced with stock FI for the remainder of the trip...

BTW- The theory you have read concerning sequential arrangements has not proven to apply to TIV engine in my direct experience back to back. The TIV has exceptional port velocity, mixture motion and chamber filling compared to many other engines. We spend more time gaining power in the lower RPM range than anywhere, because thats where the street engines really need to shine, even those that make 200 net HP..

This post has been edited by Jake Raby: Aug 31 2010, 09:12 PM

[JamesM]

BTW- The theory you have read concerning sequential arrangements has not proven to apply to TIV engine in my direct experience back to back. The TIV has exceptional port velocity, mixture motion and chamber filling compared to many other engines. We spend more time gaining power in the lower RPM range than anywhere, because thats where the street engines really need to shine, even those that make 200 net HP..

The main point i was trying to covey is that at higher RPMs there should (in theory) not really be a difference between sequential and batch firing because at higher duty cycles the injectors are held open for most of the time either way on both systems ie. a batch system holding the injectors open 100% of the time is going to be running exactly the same as sequential system holding the injectors open 100% of the time.

The performance differences, good, bad, or none at all (in theory) should only occur at lower RPMs. It would not supprise me that to get any advantage at all from such a setup that an engine might need to be designed specifically for it.

BUT that is all just theory and we all know strange things happen in the real world which is why i would love to be able to test one properly (i love finding this sort of information) and also why i envy the resources you have to do such things.

Nothing beats real world testing.

I would also like to know more specifics if they are known on the Megasquirt failures you or anyone else have seen. I am trying to identify the weak points in the system so that i can improve upon them. I have not been able to put enough miles on mine to burn anything out yet and am interested in finding out which components are burning out first. My guess is the injector drivers are most likely to fail but i have yet to see it first hand.


As for the complexity of Megasquirt, i blame a lot of it on the tuning software that is available for it. The Megatune software is pretty poorly laid out and every new feature that has been added to it was just sort of tacked on the the existing interface without any sort of design considerations. I try to avoid using it as much as possible and usually adjust my fuel maps from datalogs using other software. There are people developing other tuning software for it, but as no one is getting paid for any of it who knows when it will be completed. The tuning software avalible for palm pilots is simplified quite a bit and its handheld however you are still dealing with a fuel map rather then an adjustment knob.

Having done hardware and software support for years I can fully understand why you would chose the more user friendly option when you are the one having to hold someones hand through the whole process.