sickmiatabra

iTrader: (1)

Edited becuase I was venting and sounding like a fool up here.

#2 Tune is never completely saved to my "controller." We've tuned the car plenty of times now. Get the air to fuels looking FANTASTIC all over and we save the tune. Unplug the laptop, and either 2 minutes will go by or on the next start up. The tune is not all there (this may not make sense to some so I'll give a scenario) Tuned to be at 14.8-15.1 crusing at 60 mph on the interstate........ but then out of the blue, it goes to 17.9 or ---. Now someone explain that **** to me.

#3 This happened today.
I'm driving, about to get on I664 heading home, coming off the ramp in 3rd, get on it just a little bit, then BOOM, car stalls and dies. I pull over (because i'm used to the tune saying **** this and stalling the car off.) And I smell nothing but an electrical fire. Just for kicks, I look under the dash, and HELL YEAH!!!! There is smoke just billowing out of the MS. Good **** right??

I'm sorry, but screw anyone who suggested MS, I feel scammed. I should have just gotten the Voodoo box and saved SO much headache. Edit- I still would rather have the MS. lol

Anyone know how to repair this? I tried to connect to my laptop to see if I'd see anything funky going on (car does not start, just cranks and cranks), But whatever fried killed any connection I could make so I can't even monitor what's going on with tunerstudio.

Please someone show me the light as I loved this car some days ago but I'm in deep hate right now.

-rick

DrewLGT

iTrader: (1)

i would imagine if there was smoke pouring out of the MS its dead.

I bought a MSII from brain as well, mine has been sub par also. i'm sure he's a very busy guy, but his communication is terrible.

Reverant

iTrader: (10)

Open up the ECU, take pics, post here. I'll try to help.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

To be fair you sent it back once because the firmware got corrupted because you failed to select activate microsquirt module in your project properties as outline in my install sheet. Yes, the tach was one of the side effects of this because the microsquirt module has its own output channel for the tach and when the MS was connected to a project without the module acitavted the settings got confused.

There are only a few likely reasons why it still wouldn't be working after this: 1. the tach output is still not set to on and through "tachout"; but you said you changed this back. 2. I put the wire on the wrong pin on the harness, possible, easy to determine or 3. the stamped tahcout circuit on the microsquirt module is somehow doa.

There are plently of reasons this could happen, but it's not because the ECU lost the tune. Could be you hit cells that didn't get tuned, a number of enrichments could be active/inactive during the event, best thing to do here is datalog when it happens and figure out why the MS went lean -- if it was due to a fueling value within your fuel table or something else.

Not good ****; incredibly disheartening. We need to figure out what happened here. Like Reverant suggested, please open the ecu and take pics, lets find out what got cooked and then figure out the best approach to correcting the issue.

I mean these things take time to tune and perfect -- they aren't a unit to toss in and drive off. They control almost every aspect of the motor and can cause some headaches.

This is pretty serious. These things dont just fry unless something major happened. Is it possibly the 12v wire on the db15 made contact to ground? That's honesly the only thing I can thing of at the moment.

You last email was the 12th, yes I haven't responded, honestly I missed it. I'm one person and I'm busy. Hell Corky Bell has emailed me twice and I still haven't responded yet.

I understand your frustration, but this is gone from missettings or the need for additional tuning/tweaking to a unit that has possibly fried up -- we need to correct/repair this; its a big deal.

sickmiatabra

iTrader: (1)

I am sorry for the post coming off bashing if it did. In order to get the car home yesterday, (because a tow would have been $100+) I got a ride back to my house, grabbed my maf and stock ecu. swapped the ecu, and ducktaped the maf to the hot side right where the the 90 coupler goes to the turbo. Of course it ran a lil sketchy but i got it home and I got to see the tach working again.

Uploading pics now to original post and this one. My friend said it doesn't look to bad. (same friend who has helped me the whole time, works for a shop etc. He's a good guy and has been looking out this entire process)

I'll edit the original post as stuff comes back together. Frustrated is definitely the the word for now.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

Is there any chance the 12v source #1 on the db15 touched ground? Something got the 12v wire hot. This is fixable, but you lost power to the unit when it melted through the copper wire.

but obviously we need to find the source of the short first.

that's the first obvious thing, other if it had been a diode reversed or something, it would have happened on first power up.

sickmiatabra

iTrader: (1)

The wideband never read on tunerstudio. I had pin#1 to power(red wire), #2 to the ground (black) I removed the wires for the serial output over a week ago (because on tunerstudio all it did was read between 10-13's air to fuel; like the needle just went up and down sporatically when on my acutal wideband i was reading 14.8 at idle and so on)
I taped off all the spare wires that were not connected for the wideband. I assume that's what you're talking about. I don't believe they touched. I do know the wideband was not getting power to it when i tried to crank it over before I removed the MS. I assumed whatever fried killed that and the connection for the serial to laptop deal.

Ideas...

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

The heat eventually burnt up the 12v trace to the unit, so obviously you lost connection and power to the wideband -- its not getting beyond the oem harness.

Please explain what you did a little more, you had the LC1 wired to pin 1,2 and 4 on the db15 correct? What I worry is that wire #1 on the db15, touched a ground. Are you saying you pulled you LC1 off it? Is it possible that you allowed the #1 wire to touch the frame or another wire like 2 or 3? because that would cause the burnt board.

Like I said, this is repairable, but it will suck to repair to burnt traces, send it back and it does it all over agian because there's still a short somewhere.

sickmiatabra

iTrader: (1)

It's an AEM Uego digital wideband. I have that selected on tunerstudio. I don't remember which of the two (white or blue wires) that was unused. pin 1 was red power. pin 2 was main ground. pin 3 was for sensor ground? not even sure if that was used (may have tied that in with pin 2. pin 4 was for the serial output and i'm pretty sure we used the blue wire, but it may have been the white.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

white should have gone to #4 on the db15. Blue wouldn't output to the MS correctly.

but are you saying they were ever removed. Can you tell me yes or no was it ever possible that the wire on #1 touched the frame or another wire or something. I need to figure out the cause. The fact that it was running for a few weeks and then suddenly burnt up means something randomly shorted between now and then.

sickmiatabra

iTrader: (1)

for a week, all 3 were wired in. Then removed the (white or blue, I can verify which one it was in some minutes) because we thought that the 10-13 sporatic read was causing the tune to go wack at times.

For the time being I'll say yes. I believe a wire touched another, or possible frame. It would make sense it happened this way. But i'm pretty sure i had these secure/electrial taped and safe.

Should I send it out today. I may have your address somewhere.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

ill pm you my address again. Sorry this happened, lets get you back on the road asap.

sickmiatabra

iTrader: (1)

Don't be sorry. I may have over looked connections. This time i'll make sure it's impossible for this failure. The only thing I still question is the tachout deal.

sending MS to ya now. Should have it wednesday

and THANK you

gslender

iTrader: (1)

Braineak, that is exceptional customer service!

sickmiatabra

iTrader: (1)

yes it is. He got it today, said it was repairable. This time around, i'll make sure all connections are good and that have my settings correct for tachout and all of the above. Good guy

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

Wasn't so bad. burnt the trace on 1B (main power) and exposed a few others from the heat...I dabbed some touch up paint on them to cover them up, and fixed the traced with a jumper wire straight to the input.

tach fixed, a wire broken off the solder joint.

and re configured to input the a/c and clutch.

SKMetalworks

iTrader: (7)

Like a baus...

thirdgen

iTrader: (26)

Looks like your sick miata will be up and running in no time bra.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

excellent post

would read again

sickmiatabra

iTrader: (1)

Haha, this had me weak. Yeah she should be back up and running wednesday when the unit comes back in. Today, fab'd up an exhaust. 2.5 inch all the way back to a legit muffler. Car sounds almost stock with a little rumble. Looking forward to tuning and that boost again.

Thanks Brain for the repairs!!!
Dude is BOSSSSS