Anyone ever hear of the megasquirt DIY DFI?
05-07-2004, 12:50 AM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Crofton, MD
Posts: 1,363
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Anyone ever hear of the megasquirt DIY DFI?
Yeah...I was researching 4AG turbos and a lot of the guys run this computer on their cars: http://www.bgsoflex.com/megasquirt.html . It is a build-it-yourself fuel injection computer that uses a MAP sensor and can be tuned to use any stock sensors, and run any kind of injectors. Aparently for $140 you can build your own, or a guy sells them prebuilt for $240. The software is free, it is controlled via a serial cable from a laptop, and the whole project seems like linux for cars. It doesn't control spark, but can feed dummy signals to the stock ECU to make spark advance/retard still work and have the stock ECU drive the gauges.
I'm not very good at soldering, so I would probably pay the extra $100 for a prebuild one, but it seems like a pretty nifty device that I may pick up for junkyard turbo 4AG project I may be doing (I am trying to build a 4AG, which is the 1st gen MR2/85-86 corolla GTS 1.6L DOHC 16V motor, using 4AGZE pistions [MR2 supercharged], supra turbo injectors, a $20 turbo manifold for a 4AG I came across today, my friend's T3/T4 he doesn't have a use for, and other odds and ends, and try to have a very fast motor with a basic rebuild for under $1000...think I can do it?)
I'm not very good at soldering, so I would probably pay the extra $100 for a prebuild one, but it seems like a pretty nifty device that I may pick up for junkyard turbo 4AG project I may be doing (I am trying to build a 4AG, which is the 1st gen MR2/85-86 corolla GTS 1.6L DOHC 16V motor, using 4AGZE pistions [MR2 supercharged], supra turbo injectors, a $20 turbo manifold for a 4AG I came across today, my friend's T3/T4 he doesn't have a use for, and other odds and ends, and try to have a very fast motor with a basic rebuild for under $1000...think I can do it?)
05-07-2004, 11:07 AM
#2
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Not huge on the features or fancy tuning software, but it's been used quite successfully on quite a few different cars. No 944s that I know of though.
Sam
Sam
05-07-2004, 01:45 PM
#3
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
We are building a kit for my fathers supercharged 3.2 911 SC. Pretty easy to make, software seems simple yet powerful.
I'll tell you more about it in the fall when we get the rest of the car done.
I'll tell you more about it in the fall when we get the rest of the car done.
05-07-2004, 04:32 PM
#6
Racer
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've been following the megasquirt thing for a while, waiting on the one with ignition control that they're currently working on called the UltraMegaSquirt.
Here's the somewhat hidden page on it:
http://www.megasquirt.info/UMS.htm
Here's a little snip from it though.
# the ability to control ignition (both EDIS and HEI type distributors that can be locked down) to allow the ECU to advance/retard the timing from a MAP/rpm table.
# built-in Bosch wideband O2 sensor interface and code that will maintain AFR according to a user input map/rpm table.
# plenty of spare ADC and I/O controls so that people can add whatever features they want. It just seems more logical to keep all engine functions on one board, but you don't really want to run the whole car from one board, so we will leave out transmission control. The trend today is toward more embedded not less.
Not bad for an ECU that's under 300 bucks or so.
At the pace they develop though I'd say it'll be a good year or so before that one is available for mass consumption (as much as any DIY EFI/ignition system is ready for mass consumption).
Here's the somewhat hidden page on it:
http://www.megasquirt.info/UMS.htm
Here's a little snip from it though.
# the ability to control ignition (both EDIS and HEI type distributors that can be locked down) to allow the ECU to advance/retard the timing from a MAP/rpm table.
# built-in Bosch wideband O2 sensor interface and code that will maintain AFR according to a user input map/rpm table.
# plenty of spare ADC and I/O controls so that people can add whatever features they want. It just seems more logical to keep all engine functions on one board, but you don't really want to run the whole car from one board, so we will leave out transmission control. The trend today is toward more embedded not less.
Not bad for an ECU that's under 300 bucks or so.
At the pace they develop though I'd say it'll be a good year or so before that one is available for mass consumption (as much as any DIY EFI/ignition system is ready for mass consumption).
05-07-2004, 07:30 PM
#7
Three Wheelin'
I've built two and used one. They're great little devices. As tuneable as you want them to be, they can equal a $3000 Motec if you're good enough.
The basic kit is simple enough to build, there are very detailed manuals out there and the support on the Yahoo forums is excellent as long as you don't post questions like "I soldered my thingys to the green board thingy and it doesn't work".
Once you have the unit built and functioning correctly, its almost spooky how easy it is to get things started. The engine I paired the MS to was a Suzuki GSX-R for the FSAE event last year. We had to build a custom manifold (the gixxer has individual TBs, no no by the rules), which was probably the most difficult part of the project. Anyway, you answer a couple of generic questions like "4 cylinder" and "600cc" and "4 injectors, sequential". Then just save your settings and hit the start button. Our engine fired on the 3rd crank and settled into an idle of 5000 rpm (our intake manifold had a few leaks).
There is a program called "Megatune" you use to datalog and then automatically adjust your VE table. Basically, the more you drive, the better the engine runs.
I'm itching to put a Northstar into a 944 (or better yet a worn out 951) and that project would be well suited for an ultramegasquirt. I guess I should get started!
The basic kit is simple enough to build, there are very detailed manuals out there and the support on the Yahoo forums is excellent as long as you don't post questions like "I soldered my thingys to the green board thingy and it doesn't work".
Once you have the unit built and functioning correctly, its almost spooky how easy it is to get things started. The engine I paired the MS to was a Suzuki GSX-R for the FSAE event last year. We had to build a custom manifold (the gixxer has individual TBs, no no by the rules), which was probably the most difficult part of the project. Anyway, you answer a couple of generic questions like "4 cylinder" and "600cc" and "4 injectors, sequential". Then just save your settings and hit the start button. Our engine fired on the 3rd crank and settled into an idle of 5000 rpm (our intake manifold had a few leaks).
There is a program called "Megatune" you use to datalog and then automatically adjust your VE table. Basically, the more you drive, the better the engine runs.
I'm itching to put a Northstar into a 944 (or better yet a worn out 951) and that project would be well suited for an ultramegasquirt. I guess I should get started!
