Aftermarket ECUs - where do I learn?

[healeyneil]

Hi all. I’m finally going to dip a toe or two into the world of aftermarket ECUs. Possibly Emerald, being used to run a Jaguar AJV6 engine.
Where’s a good learning place for a beginner. Ideally a book ! I’ve been googling lots, and looking at Emeralds website, so any useful gen would be appreciated
Thanks in advance. Neil

[bmw2101]

what do you plan to do with the car? what are you wanting the ecu to do?

If you just want it to run and not cost the earth, a simple speeduino or microsquirt may do you.

I run speeduino on my R100 and it works really well.

[healeyneil]

The engine and gearbox are going into a Jensen Healey, and I understand the original ecu is seriously difficult to transfer, so other than that, I know nothing !

[crockpot]

I had the same issue when I started out with Microsquirt.
It was a case of finding what I could on the internet and taking in what was relevant. I found some good YouTube channels and also the MS forum and technical pages.
I'll put the YouTube links up if you want them, they are on my pc and I'm on my phone ATM.

[bmw2101]

I also have a bmw compact with a b230 in it, that runs the microsquirt. Microsquirt is really good, small etc, uses tunerstudio like the speeduino. i have found that getting someone to map the microsquirt properly is a lot easier than with speeduino, but part of it is you are going to map it yourself.

Speeduino is seen i think as more home built as the older ones where kits usually. Later boards can be bought already assembled and tested.

Both will need you to buy tunerstudio at i think it was £70, both will need you to make or mod the loom for the engine. I made both of mine as its just easier in the long run and you get to know exactly what is going on there, and you can place components where you want them.

Both will need you to buy a wide band 02 sensor for the exhaust pipe, so you can see whats going on with the wasted gasses.

Both will run your fuel pumps, power to coils, rad fan, and more.


Both arnt free either;

The microsquirt when i looked last year was around £450, you either need an econoseal connector i think it was and make your own ecu plug up, or get one with tails that you solder onto.

Speeduino comes into its own here, speeduino is not expensive at all

Speeduino is imho the easier one, less settings, less messing, and i don't know the trigger pattern of the jag for the crank sensor, but i know someone who will mod the code to suit what you have...

[crockpot]

Microsquirt is £395 from efiExtras c/w loom.
I paid £350 for mine a while ago.

[healeyneil]

Thanks for the above. I’ll keep investigating then. U tube links would be helpful, thanks
My reason for thinking Emerald was that it kept coming up on the Locost pages, the AJV6 seems popular there

[welshpug]

first step is to find your mapper, then ask them what their preferred ecu is that will work your engine and budget.

no point saving a few hundred on something home built if nobody will map it.

[bmw2101]

you are right, if no one will map it then it can become hard, but most people want the engine to at least run first an a base map. On my R100, i downloaded a map of a simular type of engine, changed the bits i needed to make it talk to my engine, ran auto tune, looked at the fuel for any obvious problems, listened for pinking, and it works. If its 80% power that the proper guy would get, it still flys.

All depends on what you want to spend.

[healeyneil]

Very good point, Welshpug. I shall ask around. Plenty of time!

[slater]

Dave Walker (founder of Emerald) did a good Haynes book on Engine Managment. I'd suggest that's a good start to get a grounding in how everything works.

[crockpot]

As promised here's the links I had saved from installing Microsquirt on Sandras Pop engine. They may be of some use for gleaning the basics and also provide additional links to look at.

Edit. Just noticed there are no links to Making for Motorsport on YouTube. He covers Speeduino and Tuner Studio basics

sideways-technologies.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/9573-developing-afr-and-ve-tables-from-scratch/

www.extraefi.co.uk/support/downloads.html

www.useasydocs.com/

www.useasydocs.com/quickstart.htm

www.megamanual.com/begintuning.htm

www.msextra.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=73054

[healeyneil]

Thanks, Slater and Crockpot. That’s my homework sorted !

[logicaluk]

How very timely, my microsquirt has just had its last rights read to it, its replacement a Speeduino NO2C is in the post.
Here is some more info to cogitate and digest. Ill add more links as I come across them.

Basics how to get started with a Speeduino, but the principles still apply
speeduino.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2892#p2892

spark latency
www.msextra.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=79091