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I applaud Mike's efforts! This info will be helping me out VERY soon, and as such the accolades should flow freely from this group.

I have purchased the pay version of both Tunerstudio and MLV, Mike. Thank you.

Like I said in my thread, spark first, then fuel. It's almost time, the garage heat will be on soon. Garage heat=too cold for top down driving.

@DannyP posted:

There are several pickup points on my "aftermarket" non-VW throttle pedal. I attached the cable at the closest one to the hinge point, which seems to work with the comparatively longer attachment at the throttle arm on the hexbar.

But what I'm telling Mike about, and you, Gordon, is rotating the throttle arm by one or two flats on the hexbar, but probably only one flat. This will give you a "cam" action, less movement initially around the "just open" part but as the throttle opens the arm will be more perpendicular to the hexbar. Then it will get to full quickly.

I believe a lot of pan cars are sensitive to throttle because they need a bow in the throttle cable housing, just like the clutch "Bowden tube" needs.

Beetles originally had a throttle cable guide tube between the cable's exit point on the frame horn and the front engine breast plate.  You are right, Danny, it was a tad longer and did hang just a little bit just like the Bowden tube.  Unfortunately it frequently got forgotten during an engine install after a clutch replacement or rebuild so a lot of cars are missing them now.  I don't know it it is still made.  Al

Wow.

Suddenly, my old school Dellorto Carburetors and their ancient Liquid atomization technology are looking pretty damn simple.

Jaysus!  I thought it was complicated just re-learning how to use a friggin Oscilloscope (it wasn’t, really).  I’m so glad that the car makers use standardized stuff that works out of the box (or show room).  This is light years beyond the average driver on the road, today, even though I unnerstan what’cha doin’.  As my old Aunt Gertrude would say;  “I don’t need to know all that.  I just turn the key.”

Wow.

Suddenly, my old school Dellorto Carburetors and their ancient Liquid atomization technology are looking pretty damn simple.

Jaysus!  I thought it was complicated just re-learning how to use a friggin Oscilloscope (it wasn’t, really).  I’m so glad that the car makers use standardized stuff that works out of the box (or show room).  This is light years beyond the average driver on the road, today, even though I unnerstan what’cha doin’.  As my old Aunt Gertrude would say;  “I don’t need to know all that.  I just turn the key.”

Did you really have an aunt Gertrude?    My Gertrude was my mother

Actually, yes, but it was Gertruda.  She really hated that "a" at the end but she was a force unto herself.  

We were out of state with her (Baltimore, actually) trying to find a funeral home for the wake of a relative in the days way before GPS.  Gertrude was with us in the shotgun seat as she was 85 years old back then but incredibly spry.  As we were driving aimlessly around looking for the building we stopped at a stoplight and there was a rather unkempt young man standing at the light.  

Gertrude pointed to the young man and calmly asked,

"Should I ask this creature for directions?  I believe I can speak 'inner city'"

Most of the Speeduino goodness is available just using the default tables and Auto tuning. Some of us have to make it "just a little bit better..."

I realized in my quest to make this thread useful to EFI beginners I needed to point out from whence the default tables come.  When you're setting up your Speeduino for your engine, you use the downloaded SpeedyLoader tool to get the most recent stable release of the hardware configuration file (e.g. 202008.ini). You'll also get some sample configuration files. After you fire up TunerStudio, create a project and point it towards your hardware configuration file, you load the Speeduino base tune.msg configuration file. It will preload all of the default tables.

Last edited by Michael Pickett

Yeah, I thought you did a terrific job, Mike.  Not may of us are going to attempt what you have, but all of the info is there to try to successfully duplicate your efforts.

You don't often get that level of detail or completeness on car sites!

Thanks, Gordon. I'm just focusing on the things that aren't covered well in the online manual or the Speeduino forum (yet).  I figure after doing aftermarket ECUs for 20 years, if it gave me pause, then it probably would be a good idea to share what worked for me.

That's how I felt about re-learning timer and pulse generator logic.  Then I found it's easier than I first thought, once I got reliable schematics and could probe things out to see what's going on.  I'll tell ya, though, dealing with Chinese and Indian so-called "DIY" circuits, beyond the challenges of language, the people out there doing stuff like this and creating auto ECU systems are living in a "Wild West" environment that's traveling at light speed or above.   It's tough for an Auld Phart to keep up!

My first forced induction project was consulting with a now defunct company in SC that was developing a supercharger kit for miatas. I was the guinea pig and testing unit in exchange for free hardware and electronics. Otherwise, it was strictly unpaid, but lots of fun.

That was 20 years ago and over that time have installed and tuned 7 aftermarket ECUs. The riskiest one was a Megasquirt II install on the 425 hp Porsche turbo. It was very similar in complexity to the Speeduino (used the same software). The biggest trouble I had was acceleration enrichment (for a year it liked to bog on top of the turbo lag) and when we moved to RI realizing that I really needed to get the warm-up enrichment right.

I posted all of my turbo EFI tuning adventures up on the Pelican Parts forum. It's all part of my lifelong ambition to convince others that what I'm fiddling with isn't totally bonkers and to get them to try it out, too. Come on in, the AFRs are fine :-)

Last edited by Michael Pickett

Yeah.

That's pretty much my story as well... except for the blown Miata, the 7 aftermarket ECUs, the Carrera turbo, and the Pelican expert parts. That and the 20 years of doing this.

Mike's been slumming with us here and sandbagging us with his "aw shucks" hakuna-matata shtick. Dude's an EFI luminary, masquerading as a simple guy with a tarped garage.

Pretty much like all the rest of us, only way, way different.

Last edited by Stan Galat

I was just wondering where he could go in Rhode Island to try out his EFI at high altitude.  Almost the entire state is a big tidal plain.  Where Mike lived, in Barrington, is about 6' above sea level while Foster, in the northwest corner, is the highest place in the state at about 450'.

It's been said that when climate change melts both polar ice caps and floods the planet, the only place left exposed in Rhode Island will be the town of Foster.

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

Mike's been slumming with us here and sandbagging us with his "aw shucks" hakuna-matata shtick. Dude's an EFI luminary, masquerading as a simple guy with a tarped garage.

Pretty much like all the rest of us, only way, way different.

Hey, you're blowing my cover. The real reason I hang out with you EFI peasants is the witty repartee and the cowed respect given to true experts on this forum...

Yep, I've avoided trashing several motors with my playing around with EFI/spark, but that's really simple, keep the AFR in the zone, keep the advance reasonable and keep the engine heat lower than the surface of the sun.

You all might recall me begging for help when my engine needed rebuilding, and when my fan blew up, and last week when I PMed Danny to get a copy of his spark advance table.

Plus, I can't seem to remember what I went into the other room to get and have to write my home address on the wrist band on my arm so I can find my way back home. Whatever head start I have on Speeduino is fleeting at best.

However, my tarp garage will be the standard against which all rebuilding housing is measured...

" I have to write my home address on the wrist band on my arm so I can find my way back home."

You're not alone there Buckeroo.  But a "Road ID" band works better (I have the same info on the lock screen of my phone in case I get hit again while on my bike).  EMTs are trained to look for these and it can help them lead you back home if necessary.   Jus' sayin'......

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"There's an APP for that!"

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Last edited by Gordon Nichols

.

But seriously folks, given Mike's background, this approach to tuning makes a lot of sense.

He does have the great advantage of already speaking the language.

Most of us have spent all our lives learning Carburetor. We know how to conjugate the jets. We don't have to think about what the future tense of idle stop is. We can call up any parts place and order right off the menu, without using a phrase book or any hand gestures.

But doing the simplest things in EFI, for most of us, is like trying to say, "Please, pass the butter", in Swedish. Mike, on the other hand, has spent his summer vacations, if not in Stockholm, then in a comfortable waterfront cottage on the outskirts of Malmö.

If you've ever looked at a cutaway drawing of a carburetor and tried to figure out how it all works, you quickly realize that it is a mostly Rube Goldberg contraption. They started out as straightforward devices, but as one limitation after another became apparent, more and more kludgy fixes were added to compensate and correct for shortcomings in the basic design. If everything is brought into a tenuous balance, if it's all kept surgically clean, if nothing is allowed to wear or to leak, it sort of works. It was the best we could do with purely mechanical solutions.

In an age of modern technology, though, it's a quaint, little joke. And oh, you want to hook up TWO of them and have them both do everything in synch with each other? And all of the time? When it's hot? When it's cold? When you're on the top of a mountain? You must be quite the romantic.

If you've got the experience, if you've got the chops, if you've got the time, if you speak the language, this probably does make a lot more sense than the usual dance that the rest of us go through.

.

@Stan Galat posted:

Yeah.

That's pretty much my story as well... except for the blown Miata, the 7 aftermarket ECUs, the Carrera turbo, and the Pelican expert parts. That and the 20 years of doing this.

Mike's been slumming with us here and sandbagging us with his "aw shucks" hakuna-matata shtick. Dude's an EFI luminary, masquerading as a simple guy with a tarped garage.

Pretty much like all the rest of us, only way, way different.

Stan beat me to it. I was planning to go copy Mike's very humble very understated intro to the group and reveal him for who he really is but Stan said it quite well.

However, I did copy his intro so we could all see if we missed something:

Background of the Plan: I've built and raced several scary fast cars and sold them all when we retired to Maui (our son and his family live here). Maui has WONDERFUL roads for driving, but also lots of distracted visitors in rental cars and on bicycles. I didn't want a car that tempted me to do something stupid, but I needed something for top-down fun. The last big build I did was a franken-911 cabriolet based on a 1982 911SC chassis rebuilt with the body panels from a 1995 911 Turbo. The engine was originally a 1979 930 (blown up). I bought a disassembled 1982 3.3 930 engine and took the best parts from each. It took me nearly 2 years to complete and put out 425 hp at the crank (de-tuned). So, it was a tribute car to the Porsche 993 Turbo Cabriolet that Porsche never sold to the public (they reportedly made 13 for friends of the family). It was rough, raw, competent and loads of fun. My wife drove it often, but complained about the pedal placement and lack of power steering etc. She had a 1996 911 cabrio that she thought was just the ticket (sold, too). So, my goal was to find a fun, sporty, but not dangerously fast car that we could use on our adventures around Maui. The IM Speedster ad showed up on Craigslist and I was sunk.

Oh, and he paired it with an unassuming photo of himself and he knew we would notice that he was barefoot while wearing shorts and his t-shirt. When no one questioned him he knew he had us fooled.

PorscheMM1

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Sacto-Sage Mitch wrote:

"If you've ever looked at a cutaway drawing of a carburetor and tried to figure out how it all works, you quickly realize that it is a mostly Rube Goldberg contraption. They started out as straightforward devices, but as one limitation after another became apparent, more and more kludgy fixes were added to compensate and correct for shortcomings in the basic design. If everything is brought into a tenuous balance, if it's all kept surgically clean, if nothing is allowed to wear or to leak, it sort of works. It was the best we could do with purely mechanical solutions."

If that ain't the perfect description of a Quadrajet, I don't know what the heck is......

No wonder people hate them.

Sacto-Sage Mitch wrote:

"If you've ever looked at a cutaway drawing of a carburetor and tried to figure out how it all works, you quickly realize that it is a mostly Rube Goldberg contraption. They started out as straightforward devices, but as one limitation after another became apparent, more and more kludgy fixes were added to compensate and correct for shortcomings in the basic design. If everything is brought into a tenuous balance, if it's all kept surgically clean, if nothing is allowed to wear or to leak, it sort of works. It was the best we could do with purely mechanical solutions."

If that ain't the perfect description of a Quadrajet, I don't know what the heck is......

No wonder people hate them.

Carbs were always voodoo to me until I bought a MotoGuzzi V-50 Monza. The original owner had taken off the air cleaners and replaced them with K&N pods and it had a flat spot between 3500-4,000 rpm. I bought a Dellorto book and about the third time through it, it dawned on me:

"Carburetors suck, fuel injection blows."

By the time I got that rejetted and pulling strong from idle to redline, I had a pretty good grasp on how a carburetor works. TBH, it's Rube Goldburg Voodoo, but it works.

Imo, the most fascinating thing about a carburetor is how specific gravity of the gasoline you're running, air pressure, the Bernoulli effect related to float bowl height all relate to the volume of gasoline that hits the airstream. And without that float bowl height being nearly perfect, you'll never get the rest of it dialed.

Last edited by dlearl476

You know, I used to do carbs back in the 60s and 70s, and I tried to polish up my Kadron skills enough to be happy, but the altitude changes on this island just didn't let me stick with it. EFI/spark is a superb alternative to carbs if you're forced into it. Otherwise it's more fiddling than most folks will want.

Until you're done fiddling, then the ECU just takes care of it. I'm sold, but then again I haven't started doing my install just yet.

And I think I've got a pretty good understanding of multiple carburetors. Singles are a piece of cake.

Polishing the polish: A while back I noted that EFI wants to know the injector dead time/ latency (time it takes to open the injector after the ECU sends the signal). In my case, the manufacturer had been purchased and the new owners couldn't find the information . PSIG (David) on the Speeduino forums posted a method for measuring the latency by varying number of pulses per cycle and logging/observing the automatic  corrections and pulse widths Speeduino came up with to fix the AFRs. I finally got around to  doing the measurements and calculations and can say that it works. The 17lb/hr Accels have a lag time of .6 ms.

On the slim chance that someone will want to give it a try, my interpretation of his formula was:

#a = maximum number of squirts per cycle (usually = # of cylinders)

PWa average pulse width when no AFR correction needed at max # of squirts

#b = minimum number of squirts per cycle (usually = 1 or 2)

PWb average pulse width when no AFR correction needed at minimum # of squirts

Here is a link to the draft paper from PSIG on how to run the test and do the calculation.

https://speeduino.com/forum/vi...mp;hilit=PSIG#p41357

Again, this is not absolutely necessary for Speedy to work well. It's only for those who show clinical signs of obsessive/compulsive behavior!

.

...0-5000 ft without a hitch...first outing up the volcano with barometric compensation...



Well Mike, that was easy enough.

When we go up to Tahoe (6000 ft, 7000 briefly over the passes on the way there), I do lose some power and idle drops about 200 rpm, but basically it runs OK.

If we're going to be up there a few days, I'll take a minute or two to tweak the 'mixture' screws, and set them back when we get home. All things considered, I'll probably keep doing that.

It's a nostalgic reminder of how life used to be in an analog world.

Besides, it's comforting to know that the car needs me.

.

I had to tweak(lean) my carbs down in the North Carolina mountains when we got there at a couple thousand feet ASL. The car ran like an absolute TOP down there.

I usually have to set them when it's really hot in July or so, then again in the fall once it cools and the air is more dense, even at home.

Just make sure the engine is good and hot when you do it.

@Sacto Mitch posted:

.



Well Mike, that was easy enough.

When we go up to Tahoe (6000 ft, 7000 briefly over the passes on the way there), I do lose some power and idle drops about 200 rpm, but basically it runs OK.

If we're going to be up there a few days, I'll take a minute or two to tweak the 'mixture' screws, and set them back when we get home. All things considered, I'll probably keep doing that.

It's a nostalgic reminder of how life used to be in an analog world.

Besides, it's comforting to know that the car needs me.

.

Yep, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unless you want to :-)

More polishing the Speeduino tune. Up to now, I've been getting my engine temperature from a VDO oil temp sensor. Speeduino uses the engine temperature sensor reading to calculate how much fuel should be added to the VE map when the engine is warming up. It's a pretty simple adjustment, but oil temp lags behind cylinder head temps by quite a bit especially on air cooled engines.

I decided to get a better sensor reading to drive the warm-up calculations. It doesn't need to be instantaneous, just a bit closer to actual cylinder head temps than the oil temp.

I decided to use the same head temperature sensor used in Type 4s and 914s - a Bosch style 0 280 130 012, also known as a VW temp sensor II (TSII). I found a cheap Chinese copy on eBay and got the calibration tables off the web.

Again, it just needs to track pretty close to the head temps, so I decided to make a mount to attach it to the head using one of the front exhaust studs.

I took 3/8" copper tubing and flattened about 4" length of it. I then folded the flat part in half and drilled a couple of holes. Once it was cleaned up, I cut the flat part off. I secured the sensor to the mount with a M10 - 1.5 nut. I then bolted the sensor mount under an exhaust nut.

PXL_20201113_034323607PXL_20201113_034325500PXL_20201113_034336312

You've got to put the sensor calibration info into the Tunerstudio temp calibration tool. I used a bias resistance of 2490 and temp data points of:

68F - 2510 ohms

140F - 593 ohms

320F - 45 ohms

I used the Tunerstudio warm-up wizard to adjust the warm-up table to match the new sensor. It definitely warmed up a lot faster than the oil temp. It ran up to around 250F and then dropped back to 180 when the oil cooler thermostat opened. I'll be tweaking the warm-up table over the next day or so.

PXL_20201113_040939536

Just FYI, this gives you a nice cold start. You can get an even better one by adding an idle air control valve. For that to happen, you need to add idle port connections to the manifolds. The extra idle air can't just be connected to the same vacuum lines used for the ECU MAP sensor. I found that if I set the idle between 1000-1200 RPM I really don't need it.

Things are really smooth now. I don't really have anything big on my EFI todo list anymore. If anyone has questions, post here or shoot me a PM.

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Very good info, Mike. I have 040 casting heads that have the threaded boss above #1(or#4) exhaust outlet so am using a GM 1/8" MPT sensor. The threads are close enough that it will work, and it's a closed hole so doesn't need to seal. It just needs to make contact and stay put.

I plan to also incorporate some extra ignition advance control into the warmup and idle control, hopefully that will work without an IAC.

Stick a fork in it. Marianne and I ventured up through the clouds to the summit of Haleakala this morning and the barometric corrections kept the car happy from 0 to 10,000 ft. Outside of getting bored and fiddling with it, I think this project is done. I've attached my Speeduino tuning file to this post for the future amusement of people who figure out how to do it better. All cautions apply, don't blow up your engine!PXL_20201113_201845210

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Speeduino Tuning File

Stick a fork in it. Marianne and I ventured up through the clouds to the summit of Haleakala this morning and the barometric corrections kept the car happy from 0 to 10,000 ft. Outside of getting bored and fiddling with it, I think this project is done. I've attached my Speeduino tuning file to this post for the future amusement of people who figure out how to do it better. All cautions apply, don't blow up your engine!PXL_20201113_201845210

As they used to say, "Class dismissed!".

@Stan Galat, whenever you say that, I imagine someone kneeling down and getting tapped on the shoulder with a sword. Probably a Stanistan thing... Anyway, thank you!

Ape

"beloved by his people, who have no need for elections"



There's no need to be humble, Mike. You are a Hero of the Republic. The Dear Leader has decreed it.

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Last edited by Stan Galat

@Michael Pickett

Great thread, just finished reading the whole thing. At one point you mentioned this, but I didn't see any follow-up info on whether it actually happened, or the results if so.:

After doing more research, I'd have been better off configuring using the throttle position sensor (TPS or the Alpha-N algorithm) as the indicator of engine load. This seems to be the recommendation for ITBs anyway so I'll get that reconfigured soon and give it a try.

As I am partway through a similar build based on an MSII controller, this is of great interest to me. I believe MSII also offers a specific blended ITB/ITF mode for our use case scenario, not sure if Speeduino does the same?

Or, did you ultimately find simple MAP based Alpha-N adequate?

Hi James, Alpha-N (MAP) has worked fine for me so far, so I haven't changed it. Speeduino has added a blended load configuration, but I'm not sure if it's as mature as the MSII setup. If I were you, I'd go blended since everyone seems to recommend it for ITBs. I'm mucking around with idle air adjustments and still looking at solutions for picking too large ITB throttle openings. I rarely get over 30% throttle opening during normal driving. Good luck, the MSII is bulletproof!

Last edited by Michael Pickett

Ok, so I did just a little more fiddling with the idle air control and thought I'd add it to this thread in case anyone is foolhardy enough to take the same path. Idle air control is the fuel injection equivalent of a carburetor's choke.

It works by leaking extra air and fuel into the intake manifold at certain temperatures and for certain amounts of time after startup. It can also maintain a set idle speed. The particulars are set in setup tables. The mechanics involve a valve that can be controlled by the speeduino (or other ECU) and the setup tables.

I used the same Bosch 3 wire idle air control valve that I had used on my old Porsche turbo. In this case, it was a $28 Isumo equivalent I found on fleabay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Idle-...&epid=1659374567

The connections are simple. One wire is connected to a fused +12v and the other two wires are selectively grounded by the Speeduino through the Idle 1 and Idle 2 connections. One opens the valve and the other closes it.

Screenshot_20210226-175913

I made a small capped manifold out of PVC pipe that connected to 1/4" NPT barbed fittings placed into the intake manifolds. The other end of the valve has a small air cleaner attached.

PXL_20210227_033415027PXL_20210227_033456177

I'm using PWM Closed + Open Loop as the idle control type. Each system is different, but if you go down this route and have questions let me know. I went this way not only to get a smooth startup, but to keep the air conditioning compressor from dragging the idle down at stops. Works great for both purposes.

Cheers!

Mike

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Last edited by Michael Pickett

Decided to clean up the wiring while installing the Speeduino in the new box under the package tray.

The first thing was to build a new rear relay and fuse box. This powers the ECU, wide band, idle air control, ignition module, fuel injectors, AC fan and compressor clutch and the oil cooler fan. It employs a hidden security switch that allows the driver to disable the whole box effectively forcing a thief to tow to steal.

I splurged and bought a cheap DYMO label printer that could make shrink wrap labels. No more scratching my head as the bomb timer ticks down - was it the red wire or the blue wire?

I also bought a bunch of Deutch waterproof connectors to allow easy removal of the various system components and to make it dead-easy to drop the engine.

My kind of fun and part of my never ending battle against entropy.PXL_20210831_184443224PXL_20210831_184457857PXL_20210831_184508514

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@Stan Galat, here you go.

1/2" heat shrink label tubing:

KCMYTONER Compatible for Dymo 18056 Heat Shrink Tubes 12mm Label Tape for Wires Cables 1/2 Inch x 4.9 ft Used in Rhino Pro 3000, 4200, 5200, 5000, 6000 Industrial Label Maker, Black on Yellow, 2 Pack https://a.co/d/1ZICN1i



1/4" heat shrink label tubing:

Aonomi Compatible Labels Tape Replacement for DYMO 18052 Heat Shrink Tube Compatible with DYMO Industrial Rhino 5200, 4200, 5000, 6000 Label Maker (1/4", Black on Yellow), 3-Pack https://a.co/d/9WWiK8Q

Dymo 160 Label Maker:

DYMO Label Maker LabelManager 160 Portable Label Maker, Easy-to-Use, One-Touch Smart Keys, QWERTY Keyboard, Large Display, for Home & Office Organization, Black https://a.co/d/ipiMYpp

As I'm sure most folks who've watched my shenanigans over the last 3-4 years know, I'm as much delighted by messing with my car to make it my version of better as I am by driving it (nearly).

In recent Speeduino events, I upgraded to the newest version of the software, rebuilt the idle air control manifold to allow even more air, converted 100% over to Alpha-N (throttle position) control for the individual throttle bodies, and did another retune from scratch to optimise startup, engine idle speed control, air:fuel ratios, tolerance for air conditioning load at idle, and probably most importantly, tweaked the spark advance table for performance.

It's starting perfectly at any temperature (on Maui), running smooth as butter, is much perkier at low RPMs, is at safe air:fuel ratios up to my set redline (6K), and handles the barometric changes smoothly from 0 ft above sea level up to 10,000 ft.

Things I would have done differently from the very beginning:

- Bought smaller ITBs: my individual throttle bodies have a diameter of 45mm. This is too large for fine throttle control on an engine of 1776cc. They work fine, but most of the throttle control happens in the first 40% of throttle. After that it's all just the same as having the throttle pedal fully depressed. Not a big deal and it doesn't affect driving, but I'd pick smaller throats to give a little more sensitivity to the pedal across the range.

- I should have started out with placing the Speeduino ECU in an more easily accessible and waterproof place from the beginning. The first couple of years saw me underneath the car as I evolved the wiring plan. Since I moved the ECU from the back of the firewall into its own box accessible under the rear package tray (along with cleaning up all of the ECU wiring), I've been much happier with getting to things I wanted to change (read: play with). Most folks won't want to play with the configurations as much as I do, but putting the ECU outside of the engine compartment or underneath the car is a very good idea. On my previous cars, I usually put the ECU underneath the passenger seat and mounted it on standoffs above the carpet so downpours couldn't create problems. This is a great place if you're thinking of doing this. I chose to make a small, hinge-lidded, fiberglass box under the package tray because I'm a nut for keeping space available for stuffing things I might need on a drive. I also have a lot of free time in my retirement...

- I would have bought the CB Performance crankshaft position sensor wheel and sensor mount first, rather than building my own. Mine worked, but I bought the CBP package to clean it up. Save your time unless you're hard-headed and cheap (like me).

- I'd have done a better job at planning out the ECU wiring ahead of time so it didn't need to be redone a few years later to clean it up. My first 6 months of use was for spark only. I added in the fueling after that and the wiring wasn't clean enough for me to understand easily (and I made lots of documentation). The Dymo label maker and shrink wrap labels are a lifesaver. This includes cleaning up the sensor signals and protecting the system from engine noise using capacitor/diode quenching on the loud sources (alternator, ignition coils, fans...). Good planning is part of the "pay me now, or pay me later" equation.

That's about it. I've never had any kind of failure on the Speeduino that left me stranded since I installed it. I keep an up-to-date spare with me stashed in the car in case that ever happens (just like I used to do with my Megasquirt systems). I suspect I'll never need it but...

I'll post my yearly software tune update in the next post.

Cheers!

Last edited by Michael Pickett

As promised, attached is the latest and greatest version of my Speeduino tune for my car. Just for those who found this with a search, here's what I'm running. Don't use my tune and expect it to be perfect for your car, but it might help you get started. I take no responsibility if you blow up your engine because you used my tune. Be forewarned!

Specs

  • Speeduino board v0.4
  • Speeduino firmware version 202207 (attached below)
  • 1776 Type 1 engine
  • 9:1 compression Panchito heads
  • Bosch 0280130012 or VW Temp Sensor 2 cylinder head temperature sensor
  • Bosch 280140505 3 wire idle air control valve
  • VW/Bosch ignition coil 032905106F (2000 Golf GTI 2.0L engine)
  • CB Performance 2093 MAGNASPARK™ Crank Trigger Mounting Kit without Coil
  • VW Speedshop IDF Throttle Bodies

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Files (2)
Speeduino Tune 08/20/2022
Speeduino firmware version 202207

Well, if this thread isn't a playbook to get some of us into the exciting world of custom Aircooled EFI, I don't know what will.  I totaled your list for pricing and came up with $1,394 with a little rounding on the high side to be safe, and I would throw in another $200 for incidentals (and still probably come out on the low side of reality).

Still, that's in the ballpark of the cost of a new pair of Dells, if you can find them, and your setup is far more user/engine friendly under all conditions.  

Certainly gets one to thinkin'.

Well, if this thread isn't a playbook to get some of us into the exciting world of custom Aircooled EFI, I don't know what will.

Thanks, Gordon! I like to make a lot of mistakes so others don't have to. Danny has a lot of expertise, too.

If anyone else wants to give it a go, I'd be happy to consult for free from afar (helped out a guy in Nigeria who speeduino'd his old VW last year).

Just think, after everything works, you can sell your Dells to recoup some of the cost!

@Stan Galat, here you go.

1/2" heat shrink label tubing:

KCMYTONER Compatible for Dymo 18056 Heat Shrink Tubes 12mm Label Tape for Wires Cables 1/2 Inch x 4.9 ft Used in Rhino Pro 3000, 4200, 5200, 5000, 6000 Industrial Label Maker, Black on Yellow, 2 Pack https://a.co/d/1ZICN1i



1/4" heat shrink label tubing:

Aonomi Compatible Labels Tape Replacement for DYMO 18052 Heat Shrink Tube Compatible with DYMO Industrial Rhino 5200, 4200, 5000, 6000 Label Maker (1/4", Black on Yellow), 3-Pack https://a.co/d/9WWiK8Q

Dymo 160 Label Maker:

DYMO Label Maker LabelManager 160 Portable Label Maker, Easy-to-Use, One-Touch Smart Keys, QWERTY Keyboard, Large Display, for Home & Office Organization, Black https://a.co/d/ipiMYpp

   Michael does the Dymo 160 take the Rhino Heat Shrink Tube?  I thought you needed the Rhino Printer models at least that is what Dymo says.

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