My Love / Hate relationship with my Hydra
10-15-2012, 08:13 PM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Kamloops B.C.
Posts: 274
Total Cats: 36
My Love / Hate relationship with my Hydra
I'm curious to see if any of these things strike a cord with any of the other Hydra owners out there . I'm currently on a Gamma version of the 2.7 .
Things I love about my Hydra :
32 square resolution of the maps , probably better than I'll ever need but I'd rather have more than I need than than need more than I have.
LTT fuel trim is fantastic , makes getting than base fuel map right a pice of cake
On board data logging is super easy to use , much better than the old 2.6
version.
Versatility of the ECU , if I can ever figure out how to use it .
FM support after the sale has been as expected , excellent .** If Jeremy is available , if not you're screwed til he is .
Things that drive me INSANE !
The almost completely nonexistent documentation for this thing . How any product like an ECU could be released to the end user without I'd beyond me .
Features that I've paid for , twice in fact , that still don't work as advertised . Can you say EBC ?
Firmware updates to fix problems that should never have been there in the first place . For some reason I'm feeling like an unpaid beta tester , and I wasn't one of the poor souls that needed NB alternator control.
As a late 2.6 purchaser I received a "free 2.7 upgrade" . Of course to get the vvt control I already had in the 2.6 version , I had to pay for the Gamma upgrade. With shipping and insurance from Canada ,my "free upgrade " was around $500.
On the whole I still think the Hydra was a good choice (in too deep to change now) . It has potential to be great , in my opinion the major thing holding it back is the lack of documentation . I'm off the road now for the winter now and a forged bottom end . Hopefully some off these things will be resolved by the time I'm boosting again !
Things I love about my Hydra :
32 square resolution of the maps , probably better than I'll ever need but I'd rather have more than I need than than need more than I have.
LTT fuel trim is fantastic , makes getting than base fuel map right a pice of cake
On board data logging is super easy to use , much better than the old 2.6
version.
Versatility of the ECU , if I can ever figure out how to use it .
FM support after the sale has been as expected , excellent .** If Jeremy is available , if not you're screwed til he is .
Things that drive me INSANE !
The almost completely nonexistent documentation for this thing . How any product like an ECU could be released to the end user without I'd beyond me .
Features that I've paid for , twice in fact , that still don't work as advertised . Can you say EBC ?
Firmware updates to fix problems that should never have been there in the first place . For some reason I'm feeling like an unpaid beta tester , and I wasn't one of the poor souls that needed NB alternator control.
As a late 2.6 purchaser I received a "free 2.7 upgrade" . Of course to get the vvt control I already had in the 2.6 version , I had to pay for the Gamma upgrade. With shipping and insurance from Canada ,my "free upgrade " was around $500.
On the whole I still think the Hydra was a good choice (in too deep to change now) . It has potential to be great , in my opinion the major thing holding it back is the lack of documentation . I'm off the road now for the winter now and a forged bottom end . Hopefully some off these things will be resolved by the time I'm boosting again !
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12-26-2012, 11:45 AM
#2
On the whole I still think the Hydra was a good choice (in too deep to change now) . It has potential to be great , in my opinion the major thing holding it back is the lack of documentation . I'm off the road now for the winter now and a forged bottom end . Hopefully some off these things will be resolved by the time I'm boosting again !
Most ECUs in this price range have equal or better versatility, documentation, software and core function. Jeremy does a good job supporting what is there which I am sure is frustrating. I am guessing that future improvements will continue to come with high costs for the customer. With all that said, 2.7 is a big step in the right direction. More improvements are still needed but the Hydra is presently better than ever. My MSM is running better than ever and I should have CAN comm to my AiM dash / logger finally. I hope they will start making firmware & software changes to improve that don't require expensive upgrades in the future but rather just improve the core product to get more customers the old fashioned way.
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06-11-2013, 05:06 AM
#4
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 2
Total Cats: 0
I could go on for a while on this issue. Basically my expectation when buying a 2.6 was for a competent ECU on par with an autronic, haltech, aem, etc. What I received was a time machine that took me back to very early windows interfaces circa 2000. Incompetent logging, terrible interface, poor voltage comps, unable to work with most fuel injectors, inexplicable lack of on board firmware upgrades, slow loading, poor implementation of some features like boost control, etc etc etc. After the 2.7 upgrade, I am Motec $$$ deep for a still deeply flawed product that I purchased for ease of implementation and apparent advantages over MS at the time.
Most ECUs in this price range have equal or better versatility, documentation, software and core function. Jeremy does a good job supporting what is there which I am sure is frustrating. I am guessing that future improvements will continue to come with high costs for the customer. With all that said, 2.7 is a big step in the right direction. More improvements are still needed but the Hydra is presently better than ever. My MSM is running better than ever and I should have CAN comm to my AiM dash / logger finally. I hope they will start making firmware & software changes to improve that don't require expensive upgrades in the future but rather just improve the core product to get more customers the old fashioned way.
First, I have reversed the Link mount back to OEM. Installation of the Hydra OK, pretty staightforward. My injectors are 880 Venum. I didn't succeed in measuring their impedance, but Jeremy has programmed the base map with high imp.
So far, I haven't succeeded using the program for initial set-up, due to bad compatibility to my Win 7 computer, so no start yet. I hope ro get it going this afternoon, though.
I must state that I have mixed feelings about this ecu so far, but I'll give it two days..
Regards
Finn, Norway.
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06-11-2013, 07:59 AM
#6
I didn't think this was a problem for 2.7, but:
Might be worth a shot.
Originally Posted by Jeremy
Hi Owners,
Just about oh 5 minutes ago I discovered that all Hydra 2.1 – 2.5 – 2.6 softwares will install & open in Windows 7 if you install them in C:\Program Files\Nemesis, and NOT in C:\Program Files (x86)\Nemesis. From here I have opened the softwares & loaded in base maps. Full disclosure, I do not have any older ECUs here to see if they will connect, but a customer who gave us the tip says it’s good. Big thanks to Jon (aka “Leafy”) for the tip, I hadn’t thought to try this earlier although I have seen that x86 folder be a problem when installing other legacy software in W7.
Just about oh 5 minutes ago I discovered that all Hydra 2.1 – 2.5 – 2.6 softwares will install & open in Windows 7 if you install them in C:\Program Files\Nemesis, and NOT in C:\Program Files (x86)\Nemesis. From here I have opened the softwares & loaded in base maps. Full disclosure, I do not have any older ECUs here to see if they will connect, but a customer who gave us the tip says it’s good. Big thanks to Jon (aka “Leafy”) for the tip, I hadn’t thought to try this earlier although I have seen that x86 folder be a problem when installing other legacy software in W7.
Might be worth a shot.
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