Once the firmware download is complete, you MUST reload the base map, or your updated map which was based on the base map, before reconnecting your ignitor. The .msq file for the base map will be located in the same folder as the firmware update above. Load the base map .msq file, and then you can reconnect your ignitor.

Working with MSQ files (MegaTune Maps)

MegaTune stores the information from MegaSquirt in MSQ files. The MSQ file contains all of the adjustments and settings needed to run MegaSquirt on a particular engine. These let you back up your tuning or compare your settings with other MegaSquirt users.

The MSPNP CD comes with a base MSQ file. We’ve tested this one out on a stock Miata, and it should get most cars with basic bolt-ons to start up and run too. Even if your car is stock, you will want to fine-tune it to your particular engine, as every car varies just a bit. If you’ve added any significant mods, you will definitely want to do some good tuning before really pushing your engine to its limits. But if you find yourself getting lost and having trouble with your tuning, you can go back to this default tune to make things work again as a baseline.

The base map is intended as just that however: a ‘base’ map. It was tuned on 93 octane fuel, and in theory is somewhat conservative. Fuel is different from state to state, and pump to pump, so what is in theory conservative here may be aggressive on your fuel. RUN THE BEST PUMP FUEL AVAILABLE, AND GET IT TUNED IN, AND KEEP RUNNING THAT FUEL. On a stock car EXACTLY like ours, in EXACTLY the same condition, this map should make similar power to stock, maybe a bit better—though we recommend only running premium fuel, and getting the system properly tuned for your car as soon as possible. With this EMS you have full control of all aspects of engine management on your vehicle. You will get excellent results when properly tuned. Though giving you that level of control means you also have the power to melt down your engine in a hurry if you don’t tune the engine properly. The power to tune is just that, very powerful… Do it right the first time, and if you’re not confident in your ability to do so get a professional tuner to assist you on a load-bearing steady state dyno where the maps can be properly tuned in for your car. Once that’s done by a qualified tuner, you can rest assured that your engine is safely making all of the power that it can make.

If you go to File -> Open in MegaTune, you can open a MSQ file and it will load it into your MegaSquirt. This will overwrite all the settings you currently have saved in the MegaSquirt’s memory. MegaTune will confirm that you want to do this. If you see a dialog box appear with a warning that there are warnings when you open the MSQ file, you should cancel this until you can investigate further. Feel free to contact our support team and we'll help you quickly determine what may be causing the warning.... or look in your Audit.log file (MegaTune folder) and you can likely determine if it's anything to be concerned about.

If you want to open a file just to examine it, the safest way is to open it with the MSPNP disconnected. Then you can go to the File menu and select Offline. MegaTune will still prompt you if you want to burn the values into the controller. You should tell it No. You can then examine the settings in the MSQ file without loading it onto your MegaSquirt.

The Save command under the File menu will save your settings. MegaTune will automatically suggest a name based on the time you have saved the file, or you can specify your own file names.

You can share MSQ files with other MegaSquirt users, both ones using the MSPNP and standard MegaSquirts. There are a few words of caution when sharing MSQ files. First, you will need to make sure it is from the same firmware release, or at least a compatible one that uses an identical MSQ format. You will see a warning if you try to load one from an incompatible firmware version; don’t ignore this warning.

The other potential source of trouble when sharing MSQ files is that a different owner’s MSQ file may not be right for your engine. It may be tuned for an engine with different modifications, or may have a few mistakes in it's tuning. Loading an untested/untuned MSQ file just before a race and going out for a few laps without tuning it can be a recipe for disaster.