albuquerquefx

I hope to drive a bunch more NC tuning conversation topics now that the admin staff has seen fit to retitle this subforum to "EcuFlash." As part of this, I'm going to post up my enormous PID definition file specific to the Miata NC platform, to be used with the pay-for Torque Pro available for the Android platform in the Google Play Store. I do not get any money or other incentive for you purchasing this app, I'm just here to provide the PID definition file which lets you get use out of it. If you get the "lite" version, you cannot use the custom PID file I'm attaching. Don't be a cheapass

Along the same lines as not being a cheapass: you'll need a bluetooth OBD2 dongle. There are plenty of devices that work (ie it collects data, the app doesn't crash, it doesn't disconnect from your phone constantly) but this isn't the same thing as working well. I was given a free OBDLink MX from my employer, which is pretty much the top of the line. You can spend less and buy the LX model, which doesn't support some older protocols but has no problems with the modern NC CANBUS stuff. You can technically get away with the cheapo ELM327 devices, there are good ones. The trick is, you need one which supports high speed communication, and despite what you might read on Amazon, most aren't capable as going as fast as the OBDLink series.

Install the Torque Pro app on your phone or tablet. and pair your chosen OBD2 scanner doohickey. You'll also need a way to view the Android file system on your device to make all of this work, and you'll need to tool around a bit to figure out how to enable showing hidden folders and files.

Download my attached CSV file onto your Android device, and open your file system viewer. Find your download folder and either Move or Cut the Miata MX5 NC.csv file you've downloaded. Then, navigate to your Storage / Emulated / {this is either 0 or SDCard or something similar } / .torque / ExtendedPIDS folder. Once you're there, Paste the CSV file. Start the Torque app, touch the Gear icon in the lower left, and then select Settings. Scroll until you find Manage Custom PIDs, and then click the Three Dots (upper right) icon and select Predefined Set... You'll find the Miata MX5 NC listed in the options, select it and enjoy!

Here's the list-o-crap I've got wedged into this thing. Feel free to ask questions, make comments or suggestions, etc...

albuquerquefx

There are a few custom things I built into my definition file; I'll talk about those here.

This file includes the MX5_Gear Indicator virtual PID and several related reference PIDs. If you're on the factory six speed manual transmission and have made no changes to your final drive, then you can use the out-of-the-box settings without issue. For all other transmissions (5spd manual, 6spd auto) or for anyone who has swapped final drive ratios (3.9, 3.6, etc) you'll need to edit the following Torque Pro PIDs in the Settings -> Manage Custom PIDs:

For 5spd manual transmission owners:
zGear_1st should be set to 3.163
zGear_2nd should be set to 1.888
zGear_3rd should be set to 1.333
zGear_4th should be set to 1.000
zGear_5th should be set to 0.814
zGear_6th should be set to 0

For 6spd automatic transmission owners:
zGear_1st should be set to 3.538
zGear_2nd should be set to 2.060
zGear_3rd should be set to 1.404
zGear_4th should be set to 1.000
zGear_5th should be set to 0.713
zGear_6th should be set to 0.582

For those of you with custom final drive ratios, please edit zGear_Final to ensure it reflects your proper gearing.

For entertainment value, you can use the Torque app "On/Off" dashboard indicator type to show whether you're in a particular gear (or a higher gear) by using the various "thresh" reference PIDs, such as: zGear_4Thresh. As a fun toy, I created six tiny On/Off indicators -- one for each gear -- and made a little light tower display out of them in my phone.

I've also added four new zref_ parameters... Let's preface this update by reminding folks of how OBD2 polling works: Torque Pro sends a request to your OBD2 connector, the ECU processes the request and sends back a result. Once that result is received by the Torque app, the next request is sent. In this way, the less things you ask for result in faster overall refreshing of the list of items. (Smaller list = faster through the list.) This little anecdote hopefully helps explain most of the changes I've made...

• zref_AmbTdt10 This is the "ambient temp" reading but only refreshed once every 10 seconds. Because really, how fast does ambient temp change?
• zref_ECTdt5 This is the Engine Coolant Temp PID, but only refreshed every five seconds. Because really, how fast does engine coolant temperature rise?
• zref_IATdt1 This is Intake Air Temperature reading but only refreshed once per second. You know the drill by now...
• zref_IsBoost This is boost! No, it isn't a delayed reading, this is actually a True / False indicator of a MAP reading between 96kpa and 225kpa (so, right before boost to ~22psi.)

I also added MX5_Knock Retard - Boost Referenced This is a version of the knock meter which only displays knock results if you're in boost. No need to have that 1.8* peak/hold boost retard value haunting you while boosting around During my commute, the Miata ECU will hunt around once in a while and ping itself like it does, completely outside of boost. I really have no interest in those pings...

albuquerquefx

I had a question from someone in PM, and thought others would get some benefit from the answer...
The answer is yes, with a caveat or two:

First: Because we're dealing with the factory ECU and OBD2 protocols, there is an upper limit on how quickly the ECU can accept and then respond to queries. As such, two things to focus on: use the smallest possible list of data elements to log, and where possible consider using data from the phone vs data from the car (eg: use the phone GPS speed or phone barometer instead of the equivalent OBD2 speed or baro queries from the ECU.)

Second: As a follow-on to the above, know what is and isn't important for tuning the factory ECU. Easily 80% of the tune can be built with Commanded Lambda, Actual Lambda, Load Absolute, RPM, ECT, IAT, Ignition Timing and Knock Response (retard.) You'll notice MAF didn't show up in my list: unless you're trying to calibrate the MAF voltage vs mass itself (ie you've upscaled the MAF tube) you'll never end up using the MAF readings. You'll also notice MAP didn't show up either, because the factory ECU tables don't reference MAP as load, only for IPW correction vs manifold pressure and that's about it.

Once you're comfy with the tune, you can potentially stop using Torque and start using the Tactrix OpenPort module itself. Slide a MicroSD card into the OpenPort, configure the necessary logging file in the root of the file system, and the OpenPort will generate logs every time the car is turned on. Great for keeping your dash free of clutter, if you're not into watching...

18psi

iTrader: (76)

Major props on breaking it down so thoroughly.