I got the EBC functioning...I love shiny things.
 

When I plugged in the MS initially, the blue LED integrated into my dash switch was on, indicating a good circuit. I can disconnect the wire going into the harness and ground it to get the blue LED on... so I know the connection is good.

But when I plug the wire back into the harness, now the light won't go on. I understand that the MS simply acts as a ground to activate the EBC and that the blue LED should be ON when it's not dumping boost... also when the engine is off. But the led won't come on.

Could I have turned the EBC "off"? I couldn't find an "off" software function and haven't made any changes to the tune in any of the boost related windows. I even pulled the pin out of the harness Brain made for me and touched the wires together... no joy.

Any thoughts?

Go into General Settings-> Codebase Output Functions
Make sure X4 JS2 is turned on to Boost Control. That is how you turn it on and off at the root.

The setting is correct in Codebased Output.

After some diagnosing, I've discovered something. The circuit is only completing (ie, the blue LED comes on) when I plug in my USB>Serial cable... regardless of the laptop being connected to the cable. When I remove the cable, the light goes out and nothing will bring it back.

I'm at a loss when it comes to circuitry.

Maybe a short in your DB37 connector?

When you go plug in your DB9 cable, do have to move your MS unit or is secured down?

An intermintent short would appear to only be with the cable, but it'd really be just moving the MS and harness around.

Just a thought...

The MS is just sitting on the passenger floor right now while I get everything sorted out.

At least at night I'll never forget that the EBC is on.

OK, something isn't right. I've tried reversing the 2 wires going into the EBC and cycling it "off/on" in the codebased output and burning it between the changes. Since I don't have the redwire/blackwire connector with my solenoid, can somebody confirm based on the pic below that the 12v power wire goes on the "bracket" side of the solenoid, and the ground wire from the MS goes on the side w/o bracket.

Here's the kicker:
The blue LED never flickers but remains permanently bright as long as the SERIAL cable is plugged in... but I've still just got wastegate pressure! It doesn't make sense... with the circuit being completed, even if it's just grounding it out, I should have unlimited boost.

The boost lines going from the COMPRESSOR>SOLENOID>ACTUATOR are correct via the instructions the pic in Brains FAQ: https://www.miataturbo.net/~web1_bra...oid_hookup.gif

I just can't figure it out. With a grounded solenoid, I SHOULD have unlimited boost. I'm sure it's something really small I'm overlooking... somebody help!

Attachment 215200
That shows 12v positive.

OK, I had it right the first time, and wrong after I changed it... it's correct now... but that still doesn't explain why I'm not seeing the light flicker. Since the solenoid is activating off the BoostTargets MAP, it's really independent of the actual boost being made, right?

Confirm that as long as I have the EBC functioning, I should be seeing that blue LED flicker, and and since it isn't, I should have unlimited boost.

Would the wires being reversed cause the solenoid to be held OPEN as long as the blue LED was on and giving me only wastegate?

You're trying for open loop boost control, right? So the "boost duty target" table is controlling, since you essentially tricked closed loop to be bypassed by setting "boost kpa target" table values to be more than the "closed loop kpa limit" away from actual values?

I would think with no rpm or kpa input the DC would be full open or full closed. You might just have to do this once your car is running.

^Atlanta, you just went over my head there... with the exception of taking out some fuel at idle to get my AF a little leaner, I've made no changes at all to the tune that Scott sent me. I did change the dwell settings for my 1.6coils, but that's it.

^Magna, I'm getting good RPM and Boost Inputs in to MS verified by Megatune and this is all happening while running.

I drove it to work this morning and still nothing. My LED is on, indicating a good circuit (and I assume the solenoid is fully closed) and I still get only wastegate pressure. Is there a way to verify the solenoid isn't faulty. Should it make any noise (a click) when I apply power to it like any other solenoid? Should I be able to blow through it one way and not the other?

sam, simply try changing all the the DC% numbers in the Duty Cycle Targets table.

change them all the 100%. But! Turn your overboost protection on to 10psi, then go out and drive. If you suddenly hit a rev limiter, it's working and you just need to tune the values.

IIRC, your values are at 20%, which is probably wastegate pressure still.



I also don't believe MS will activate the EBC ground until it sees 100rpm (or whatever the lowest RPM in your DC Targets table is)


The wiring on your board looks good, I just reviewed my pictures, so unless the FET itself is bad, I don't see why it wouldn't be working. Make sure the pin you use lines up with the blue/white striped wire. Now you also got me thinking if I didn't swap the fan and EBC output wires, however, I believe you tested the fans operate as they should when you play with the numbers. Plus I'm again looking at pics, and the EBC goes to IAC1B, which is pin 27 on the harness, which I make the blue/white lead, which it looks like i've done on your harness.


also the polarity on the valve itself doesn't really matter. but to test the valve, just hit the ground wire to the frame, with the igniton turned to ON, it should click when you do.


if that doesn't work, zip your msq file and post it here so i can take a look.

Brain, thanks for the text... will try all that stuff when I get home tonight. Now that you mention overboost, I noticed that yours was up at like 17psi and I turned it down to 14psi the first day just in case.

I'll hit up those values to 100% and go for a drive.

Fans work perfectly off and on at the set temps so that wire is correct.

The only thing that just confuses the hell outa me is that I can verify the circuit is being made via the blue LED, and with that circuit made, the solenoid should be closed preventing any air from reaching the wastegate can... but I still only get wastegate pressure.

Maybe you should get rid of this switch all together, maybe its messing up the circuit.
What are you trying to do with this switch anyway, make an artificial boost limiter? When its off you are using wastegate pressure, when its on your using the solenoid?

You can test the circuit pretty simply. Get a DMM and hook one end to the signal coming from the MS and one to the ground on the chassis. If your getting 0 while standing still then its not complete, then do whatever you have to do to make it send a ground if you get 12 volts you got a working circuit.


I also ran into some problems with the proper pinout. According to a chart Brain posted in the howto, 2B should come out on pin 29, except it doesnt.

^Good point... it wouldn't be the first time a $2 PepBoys ricer ghetto part screwed up an otherwise perfectly good build. I'll ad "remove the dash switch" to my troubleshooting inventory.

IAC2A COMES OUT ON 29. which is where i put his fan control, IAC1B comes out on 27 where I put his EBC.

IAC2B is the spark output (pin 25), and obviously that's working for him....

Sam's Mods:
https://www.miataturbo.net/~web1_bra.../msmods011.jpg
https://www.miataturbo.net/~web1_bra.../msmods016.jpg



Sam also, the LED will most likely simply dim proportionately to the DC, not flash. It should NOT light with the ignition to ON, it should light once the car is started, as it should trigger at 100rpm (verify this for me in your DC% table).

Hmmmm. Im gonna have to check my pinout on mine, something fishy is going on.

well, did you build your db37 harness correctly? it's all gotta match up....

So, upon returning home, first thing is to get rid of the inline switch and set all my Targets to 100% and lower my overboost protection for some safety.

I'll also get up close to the solenoid and ground it out with my ear next to it to make sure the valve is working... then report back.

Saml01, you're correct about the function of the switch... it's intended for me to be able to drive under wastegate only for everyday stuff and have the switch there to activate the EBC whenever an extra 50whp is needed on short notice. Short notice: for the wife, or valet, or rain, or buddies. I figured on 8psi for the wastegate, and around 13-14psi w/EBC. Based on other's results, and my previous dyno runs, 8psi should get me around 165whp, and 14psi about 220whp.

Previously I made 190whp@12-13psi before I ran out of safe fuel.

Dude, just get rid of the switch. Set DC to 100%. Set the RPM really low too. If I am right, and it basically locks out the boost signal when current is applied then just use a DMM to test for voltage while the car is standing still. Simple. No listening involved.

same how is your LED switch wired?

power to solenoid, and the supply to MS right? Then the ground to the frame somewhere?

the LED must just never work right, what you could do is wire the LED switch on the +12v side, then to the solenoid. ground to the frame.

Sam, you'll know if the solenoid is working or not when you start your car. The solenoid will click around like a mutha after you hit the key for a few seconds. I assume you have the same GM solenoid I do; if so, it's loud as balls and can be plainly heard in the cabin from the engine compartment.

The solenoids are pretty damn loud. I took a piece of vacuum line, cut a 1/4 inch of it and used it as a bushing so it doesn't transfer the noise through the chassis. Mine isn't working either right now. Need to figure that out as well.

^Brain, I think you're right about the way the switch is supposed work. I think I do need to wire it on the 12v side and no the ground side.

Or you could replace your LED switch for a stand 2-pin toggle switch.

But then I wouldn't have the super-cool-uber-ricer LED on my dash. I'm Squirted now man... BLING BLING!!!!!!!!!

you really picked the brightest blue LED you could find huh?

Technically it doesnt matter what side you ground it on as long as you have the polarity right.

those led switches have three ports, iirc.

a 12v, source, and ground.

if you wire though the 12v and source it will work like a normal switch and the LED will never light. ground the ground to the frame and the LED should light when switched.

So then it would matter which leg is grounded then eh :slap:

Well, the EBC works perfectly... so does the Overboost Protection... so does the rev-limiter. Ask how I found out... go ahead... ask.

<I'll pause for your internal monologue to ask me>

OK,
Well, I simply removed that blue led switch from the equation.
I went for a drive and pulled out of my housing development... once pointed in a straight line, I floored it in 1st gear. I had left the Overboost at 14 psi. I can't remember when it actually hit 14psi (way sooner than ever before), but it built so quickly that the rear-end went sideways almost instantly... while I immediately spent 100% of brainpower to keep the car going straight, the OB kicked in and dumped all boost in about .002 seconds... which threw me forward in the seat and I couldn't lift my foot off the gas in time and then I found the rev-limiter.

Now I need to do some 4th gear pulls to dial it in... but I know the clutch isn't going to like that... so I just need a full afternoon to a couple long drives to autotune and do some good boost-target re-adjustment for my T25 as the current tune is for Brains' T3s60.

Really guys, thanks for all the help... I'm sure somebody will find this thread and save themselves a lot of grief. I am going to replace the stupid LED switch with a regular 2-pos toggle so I can still have the wastegate/EBC option... but no LED this time.

This thread should be retitled: "SamNavy is distracted by shiny objects"... mods be gentle.

Yayy EBC. Glad to hear it, damn switches.

no reason why it shouldn't work with the switch wired in, unless the switch itself is faulty.

Or you just have no idea how to wire a switch :P

It is most likely a SPST switch.

I am sure the LED is drawing power (resistance) from the EBC circut and messing up the readings.

This is why you use a DPDT switch with 2 independant circuts, one for the LED, the other for the EBC.

This is how I am going to wire up all my toggle switch functions on the MS in the spring. (NLTS, EBC, Dual Table, etc)

NLTS? Unfamiliar acronym.

sam adjust your clutch pedal like i said first! make sure the rod is pull out from the firewall, towards you in the seat....just see if there is anymore room to move and see if it helps, it may, it may not. anyways, you can still tune for whatever boost it can hold ;)



take a few logs in 3rd gear from 1k to 3k, see how the boost rises, see where you target hits, tune the second column a few hundred rpm below that, that will allow for best spool, then find the DC% target that bests sustains the boost target to redline.


im glad your lovin' the MS.

Cool beans Sam :bigtu:

Yup, loving it!
Just a couple more little things to do... ground the fuel pump properly, clutch pedal, tune boost targets, install proper switch (just bought plain old non-led on/off toggle)... and a few more things.

Keep the info coming, love this new toy!!!

You can still use the LED togle to run your FP ;)

DAMN!!!
Well, it's almost working. I went for a tuning drive and after repeated burning of lower values in the "Boost Duty Targets" I still had unlimited boost even when the table was down to all 1's.

Then I remembered the thing about the circuit only being complete when the serial cable was plugged in... so I burned all the original "Brain" values back in and unplugged the serial cable... and I was back to wastegate only.

So, with the serial cable plugged in, the circuit is energized, with no cable, there is no circuit... I verified this with the cable plugged into the laptop and without... same result. There is no blue-LED effect this time, so what's going on?

PS: We need another thread title change.

I was just reading through another current EBC thread and found this page: https://www.miataturbo.net/showpost....97&postcount=6
My "Boost kpa Targets Table" is completely empty. The tps values in my "Boost Duty Targets" page are all 100%, but I see in KrazyRac3r's screenshot his tps values are scaled up the left side of the chart.

I still have the stock tps... but I know some guys have better luck with the BMW variable tps... is this something to consider?

The boost targets are for closed loop boost control. Not gonna happen w/o vari tps. You will have "unlimited" boost if all your duty cycles are set to 100%. You need to scale them back. 100% = full boost, 0% = wastegate boost. I don't know what Brainy locked your TPS to, so you'll need two rows, one for 0% throttle and one for 100% throttle. That will take care of you.

Sounds like something more fishy than user error to me. Sam, can you hear the solenoid clicking at all? During startup and otherwise?

sam make sure your settings look like this:

https://www.miataturbo.net/~web1_bra...parameters.JPG https://www.miataturbo.net/~web1_bra...am_targets.jpg

this will make sure your boost rises slowly as the RPM increase. to really test the functionality.

Try is both with and without the serial cable installed. If you keep getting crazy high boost really fast one way or the other, something is then causing a complete circuit and I'll probably need to good back over the board and make sure something isn't wrong, that shouldn't affect anything! remember, crazy high boost = valve working, meaning something grounded the circuit, otherwise with your switch you break the circuit and = wastegate pressure.

my RPM columns on your DC% targets, may always shoot you to high boost fast, because your turbo will spool faster than mine.


I might suggest trying to wash the motherboard down with alcohol before sending it back, make sure there isn't any random flux or hairs that could be causing a short or something, but it's odd everything else seems to work fine.


off hand: do you guys really hear your valve clicking like crazy on startup? I don't have a GM valve myself, but when it activates it's plenty loud. I never hear it....

^Roger... will try all that stuff. In the tps% column, mine look exactly like that, 0 at bottom and all others 100%.
I'll try inputting the values as suggested in the targets columns for a slow ramp-up of boost... but I had all the target's ZERO'd out on one test last night and I still made unlimited boost... so I suspect a short. We'll see.

But now I've got a bigger problem. I blew the dipstick out last night and coated the firewall, hood, back half of the motor, brake reservoir, etc... I cleaned it all out really well, can't even tell... but on startup this morning I had blue smoke... went for a 5minute drive, had moderate blue smoke when accelerating in or out of boost.

I pulled the plugs and they all look clean. Pulled the PCV valve and it checks good. I'll pull the hot-side pipe to make sure it's not compressor blowby. I've been running 12-13psi for a year now... I can't believe a few runs at 14psi toasted my motor. Gotta do a compression test, but did one about 5k miles ago and everything was in the 190's.

your pcv is dead.....again.

Man, I hope so... the "need a new engine" conversation with the wife is not gonna go good.

Doing a compression check now before I go to advance for another PCV valve... wish me luck.

SHOULD'VE WISHED HARDER... see new thread in General Miata forum.

Man I wish I had luck with mine.

No Lift To Shift (flatshift).