Install Notes for Abe's PnP NB/MS-II Adapterboard
 

This is a thread I'm starting to give instructions and to let people discuss problems with the adapterboard I designed and have been shipping out.

I wanted to start by thanking all the people who either gave me ideas, full blown circuits, and encouragement. Also, I want to thank the people who said it couldn't be done - without the prodding I'd have just bought a CAS.

Mostly I want to thank the people who had the faith in the project to buy in, and hopefully you'll all be rewarded with balding tires in the near future.


I would suggest this order:
1) Resistors
2) Diodes
3) TL431's
4) "small transistors"
5) "large transistors"
6) All other transistors. :-)
7) All small, yellow capacitors
8) TL082 (6 pin chip)
9) Jumper Block
10) Terminal Block
11) DB37
12) OEM connector
13) 100 uf Capacitor (Big, black, don't trim it's leads!)
14) Cut alternator trace
15) Jumpers/wires

Ok people, as you have issues, post them here. I'll try to host an MSQ or two there as well.

Remember:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/gallery/8594461_goXpe pics of MS build
http://abefm.smugmug.com/gallery/9332067_uF2iQ pics of resistors
http://abefm.smugmug.com/gallery/9338211_PvMEM pics of build process
http://abefm.smugmug.com/gallery/9164187_oeSgi pics of mods
Clicking on a pic will bring up a higher resolution version

note: I edited post 4 to reflect the mods for the alternator.

AbeFM : photos : First Build, Final Kit
Gallery of build pics, as well as final product. Looks like the kits are fine. I mislabeled one thing (Q3 vs Q2) and it looks like everyone gets an extra 1k resistor, but otherwise the kits are fine.

I've got two totally ready to go, and a third I could get out tomorrow with a tinsy bit more tricky soldering to get the jumper blocks on - but very minor.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624621567_6TmeJ-X1.jpg

It took me 2.5 hours to solder the thing together. It's mostly very straightforward, working off the list - I thought it easier than building the MS. I took a bunch of notes which I will put in a thread dedicated to building the board.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624621675_vKFbZ-X1.jpg

A few of the parts in these kits are better (higher temp range, physically smaller, screw terminals are heftier, etc) so everything looks pretty good. Technically, the AC switch and the alternator circuits could be on the wrong pin or something,

Here's the sin:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624622937_psSov-L.jpg



Instructions to start next post.

Hardest parts first. Due to my choosing the wrong footprint in software... I have some voltage references which need to be installed turned 1/3 of a turn. Bending the legs will help, see the following:

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624441394_pdCFt-L.jpg

And you have to do this twice:

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624616656_pLJSb-L.jpg
and install it rotated. But I came up with what I think are very straightforward directions. Let me know if they aren't clean.

Note the pink stripe to remind you to install these sideways!

Another view:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624445306_Nv2iE-L.jpg

Its U2 and U3, a bit easier to see here:

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/611410954_jgj4t-L.png

Jumper Wires
 

At the very end, you'll want to install 4 jumper wires, and cut one trace. The one to the Mazda OEM connector will be just before the very last thing you install, the 100uf "large" black capacitor. The reason for this is the leg sticking down gives you a convenient place to solder a wire. I like to use heavy wires here since these supply current to Big Things like the VICS and EBC solenoids,

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624438143_ZLkBt-X1.jpg
Edit: Will update picture. Instead of the "top of diode", use the capacitor, as detailed at the end of this post.

Closeup:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624618628_6EJdq-X1.jpg
It's easier to tell the pins by looking at the pattern of traces under the board.


The Capacitor to save for last:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624619435_D8ULg-L.jpg
I was so happy to find a nice small one which fits, and lets you read the jumper labels...
Note which side of the cap is where: There's a silver stripe. Getting it backwards will make the capacitor explode!

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624619144_yHWTU-L.jpg
Here's where the jumper goes


http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624619231_kJZLj-L.jpg
How to take advantage of this cap to get your power for the VICS solenoid




NOTE: After soldering jumpers or doing a modification, always do a quick continuity check with a volt meter to make sure you didn't accidentally short to a nearby pin. Put it on "beep" mode, and while touching the wire on one end, check all the pins near the other end. Also be sure to check and pins you went near or over - the heat from soldering can soften the insulation, letting a nearby pin poke through.

Note, on Q2, pin 2 will end up electrically connected to your jumper, so don't freak out if this happens and you can't find it, it's ok.

One more thing to do! I got the alternator output on the wrong pin (I forget who told me to change it.... Sucks that I did!)
Here's the idea, cut one trace, and run one wire. There are other places to pick this up, but this lets you still use the jumper as intended, so I like it.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/6393...9YKih-XL-1.jpg
high res available here:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/639348511_9YKih-O-1.jpg

I'll post pictures next time I make a board. The idea is my output is on pin 1T and it should be on 1O. So we're stopping the signal from getting to 1T, and adding it to 1O.

How do I configure Board for a '99-'00?
 

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624440076_5PceV-X1.jpg

Leaving off these jumpers is a safe thing to do. Keep them in case you want to dig into the capabilities more later, that's for things like VVT and other options a 99-00 doesn't have. The clutch switch is in there too, which I have yet to decide how to utilize.

Note: The alternator jumper is off (offset) in this picture. That was because I was testing something. In your build, put this on, or your car won't charge.

PLEASE talk on here before trying this on the car. I never found a volunteer so I'm not 100% sure the alternator is on the right pin. I'd suggest first starting the car on battery only. Once it's running, install that jumper (even for just a second) and see if it works (you can see battery voltage in megatune.)

"unplugging" coils
 

I've never found the need for this, but if your coils get warm while flashing, you will want them unplugged. You WILL burn them up, and they aren't cheap. I think this is more an MS-I thing, but it's something to watch for the first couple times.

IF you decide you want to, you can solder wires on each side of the jumper block on "ignition" - those of you who've gotten prebuilt cards will see long jumpers there. They should be labeled IGN_A and IGN_B. If you put wires, you can run those wires to a switch. That switch could be mounted somewhere handy, and would serve two purposes, both by disabling the coils:

1) Flipping it will keep the car from running. This is a low-tech anti-theft device. If the thief doesn't know to look in the glovebox or where ever you put the switch, they can't drive the car PERIOD.
2) It will keep the coils from frying during flashes. Which means instead of unplugging the coils, you can just flip a switch. Certain this is less work - reaching the plug on those things is contortionist work.

Q8 - side note
 

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624416517_32EG6-L-1.jpg

Note the 'bottom right' transistor here, the small one - the printed side with the curve faces away from you in the picture, and the flat side with the dot goes on the back. The footprint is misleading on this part, but it had way better performance so I bought the more capable version when building the kits.


http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624617413_VvCF3-L.jpg
Prebend the leg like so.

Helpful Soldering Hint - Resistors
 

Again, please check http://abefm.smugmug.com/gallery/933...24615666_Mq6sN for better/more pictures.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/gallery/9332067_uF2iQ pics of resistors
I put lots of pictures of the resistors themselves here, so if you're not sure the color code for a resistor, look there.

Here's the #1 thing you need to know about electronics (forget V = I * R): Bad Boy Rape Out Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly (Get Some Now) -> (0)Black (1)Brown (2)Red (3)Orange (4)Yellow (5)Green (6)Blue (7)Violet (8)Grey (9)White - 5%(Gold) 10%(Silver) 15%(None)

The resistors are designed to go in vertically. Bend one lead over 180* so they stand up as shown here:

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624615150_6MfYM-L.jpg

Most of you will not have the taller 1k ohm resistors I've shown, I used smaller ones, saving the big ones for the kits I build myself - I was thinking it would look cleaner. The blue ones were not really available in the 1/6th watt size.

Anyway, tips for installing resistors:

1) Sort them all by type. You should have many little piles, one for 1k's, one for 3.0k ohms, etc.
2) Go down the list and put them in by size. PRINT OUT THE LIST and scratch off each one as you do it.
2a) Note there is one extra 1k. It's a birthday present. Congratulations. But you should only have that one resistor left when you are done, and no holes needing resistors.
3) I like to put in all of one type, then solder, from the top, the exposed lead. If you're doing a good job soldering, just a bit of solder should come out the back. Repeat with each value until all are soldered on one leg.
3a) This is nice because you get to have all your resistors standing up nice and straight and not interfering with each other.
4) After they are all held in place, and you can flip the board over, solder the other legs, check your work, and trim your leads.

See photos:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624615306_vBx3c-L.jpg
R26 hides in the corner here. :-)

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624615796_FMtML-L.jpg
All there. Half soldered.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624616084_T8SNa-L.jpg
Leads trimmed after soldering.



Note: R18 between jumper block and transistor Q7 It's hard to read the silkscreen. In general, look for a smooth back to the number, if it's two bumps it's an 8 and a straight line it's a 9. Check my pictures to get a better idea.

Nicely done!

Sorry about the post in the middle of your build thread. Please delete, mods.

Diodes!
 

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624616190_r5iw2-L.jpg

Not a lot to say on these. Obviously, make sure you get the in the right direction. Remember the one by the Mazda connector doesn't need to be populated, and I didn't send you a part for it.

The leads only BARELY fit in the holes, so try not to kink them, and they have to be bent pretty tight. You can use the same trick to see how the soldering is going, look for solder on the other side.

"Big" transistors
 

Note: The parts I sent on the first kits (only a few boards) have a wide design tolerance, some of them might not work and you'll get no idle. New parts being sent out. The other kits will get the new parts so ignore this if you're not an early adopter.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624617260_M5GZd-L.jpg

Note which way these face. The footprint also tells you, but it's easier with a picture.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624617101_Q8Rxy-L.jpg

Also, you're not populating the end one, labeled "boost".

"Small" transistors
 

Note that the center hole isn't populated either. I mislabeled the cardboard, it's Q1 and Q3, not Q1 and Q2. Do Not Install Q2. The best thing to do is mod the MS-II card and use my board as originally intended, but you don't need to, so just jumper past as shown - i.e. skip the VICS transistor as well.

REMEMBER when soldering transistors, they get ruined if they get hot, yet you have to get them hot to install them. The solution?

1) Leave a little space between them and the board so they can cool
2) Do several at once, solder one pin, let the transistor cool while working on another one, come back to this one later to do another pin.
3) Blow on it! :-) If you can't touch your finger on the body of the transistor, it's getting warmer than you would like. Make a good connection, melt the solder, then get out of there.
3a) Look for solder 'wicking' on the lead and on the pad, and you should be ok.

Terminal Blocks
 

These cost quite a bit more in larger blocks, and have fewer options, so I opted for these with more current capacity. You'll want to assemble them before you put them on the board. You COULD put them in, in order, but why?

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624617730_qrP3k-L.jpg
This is where, after assembly, you'll make your connections to the knocksense, wideband, EBC, AIT, and reference grounds/12V.... As well as the "spare" port should anyone use it.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624617776_AHwcn-L.jpg
They slide and lock together like so, note the notch and the ridge.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624617839_B2vg2-L.jpg
And baby makes three. I'd recommend installing with the opening facing the edge of the board to make sure you can get the wires in easily.


Make sure to get it on the board flat and all the way down. It will be stronger, and feel better. Put some solder on one pin (an end one). Now, hold the block with one finger from the "blue" side, and heat the solder, making sure the block sits flat. If it's flat, solder the other end pin. If the block is as flat as you'd like, solder the rest, if not, keep working on those two until it is where you would like.

Jumper Blocks
 

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624618023_ESdm4-L.jpg

Everyone was supposed to get one nice block with 50 pins, being 2 rows and 25 long. Unfortunately, I received the wrong size! I made do by sending out rows of single pins. It's ok, they are made for this.

Put one row in in hole, maybe not all the way down. Now put in the other row. You'll notice the plastic has a slight hump/depression. Align the hump with the depression to help keep them aligned, as shown here:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624618095_Yuxog-X2.jpg

Make sure you've pushed everything down flush. It's a little hard to get in, but when it's aligned right they drop right in.

For further alignment, put a jumper or two on before soldering. This will ensure everything lines up nicely.

Tips:

1) As usual, solder one or two pins (per side) first, to get it straight and flat.
2) Try not to solder on the pins with the jumpers on them. When you have a few done, remove the jumpers
3) BE CAREFUL not to short nearby pins. Just check it. It's easy to do.
4) BE CAREFUL - don't solder on a pin you are pushing on to hold it flat to the board. You'll burn your finger. :-)

Db37
 

While there is a slight effort to push this in due to the board retainers, do not FORCE this in. You can bend a pin. Just kinda line it up and wiggle it around, look through from the backside to see if you've got it. It's easier than it sounds.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624618222_rPiaf-L.jpg
I like to coat these holders in lots of solder to hold them in. Don't know if it helps, but I'd like to think so. :-) Again, make sure it's flat before/while soldering these first two.

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/624618291_HE9SA-L.jpg
Lots of solder.

Sorry for all the random notes, just posting what I noticed as I think of it. I should redo this in order, and may later. If you're racing, it took me about 40 minutes to solder the resistors, 2.5 hours to do the whole thing. I already had the resistors sorted, and most of my soldering supplies handy. Then again, I stopped to take notes and pictures quite often.

Parts List/Assembly Instructions
 

Solely for reference:

Mods to MS-I
 

This is how you tweak the MS-I V3 PCB to work with MS-II and my board.

This assumes it was already running, working, and in "stand alone" configuration. For those with missing pullups, etc, for parallel install, you'll have to undo those mods.

If you're building the MS from scratch ALL ignition inputs could be skipped, left unpopulated. No opto, etc.
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/572881807_QM9eF-X1.jpg

D14 - IGN with pullup (You should have done this already)
D16 - IAC2B with pullup (You should have done this already)
You'll want to do up the middle LED the same way as you would the normal "spark mod", with a pull up, and run that wire to IAC1B
D15 - IAC1B with pullup

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/572881599_AL2cG-L.jpg


JS11 - SPR1
JS6 - SPR2
JS4 - SPR3
JS0 - SPR4
JS10 - IAC1A
JS2 - IAC2A

Bridge pins (I think it's 2 & 3) on the stock idle transistor, a blob of solder or a wire will work. It's the middle to the left pad if viewing the board from the top with the DB 37 facing you.

TACHSELECT - TSEL (You're skipping ALL of the MS's tach inputs, don't let TACHSELECT or TSEL go to anything but each other)
http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/572881181_YRcqq-L.jpg


http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/572881972_WTnj2-L.jpg

I'll try to post better pictures later.

Abe, you might want to make sure that the people who do get the kits observe the polarity of the C5 capacitor (the big black one). Its only noted briefly in your reference notes regarding the wire jumper required on the positive(+) side to the 3M pin of the harness plug.

Be extra careful with the resistors, I mixed up R21 and R20, but I caught it before I progressed any further; the silkscreen text is hard to see. I recommend putting them all at once and soldering all in one shot so you don't have to keep flipping them over and repeatedly bending the resistors, if you choose to solder them first (a "helping hands" or a clamp works great for holding the board).

Good points both. I remember thinking that about the cap, but never writing it. I'll go edit the post.

The resistors, that's exactly how I did it - I would put in all of one value, solder one half of the resistor, then move onto the next. when they were all half in, I'd flip the board and solder the other half of the legs.

Edit: I'm liking the living document thing. Keep the suggestions coming! :-) At some point (2-3 weeks?) I'll make a little megasquirt-esque map of where all the parts go, but I guess in the mean time you'll just have to rough it out.

Case Ideas
 

Case Ideas:

Ok, so I've built the board, and I've taken account on the measurements. There are several ideas that I've come up with as to mounting the board.

From what it seems, it's not possible to use the stock MS case to fit both the board and the adapter board; it's simply not tall enough. For those who wish to mount the board and the MS together, there is a "taller" version of the case, available at fry's (available in the same brushed aluminum as the stock MS case, or anodized black). I was thinking about doing it this way, but I was toying with the idea that I may want to upgrade to MSIII in the near future (when it is released) so I want to leave room for the large MSIII adapter board and other attachments (i.e. mods for sequential or whatever). If you've been following with the development of MSIII, you'll find that there will be no room so spare with the new case that MS3x will be using.

MegaSquirt-3 Case Preview
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3103/ms3main.gif
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4718/ms3main2.gif
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9...caseinside.jpg

I decided to mount the board externally in its own separate case, and thanks to abe's perfect sizing of the board (lucky :winner: ), the board will fit in a 5.00"x3.12"x1.85" case made by context engineering (which is available at frys for about 13 bucks, cheaper than buying from their home website at 15). Getting it to fit perfectly will require some work, but it fits right for the job. The adapter board on the harness plug side where the Abe's board label is located will need to be shaved a bit for my mounting idea (sorry Abe).

I will be working on this over the next few days and I'll let you guys know the progress. I will update this post to keep clutter to a minimum.


Current parts purchased:
5.00"x3.12"x1.85" Aluminum Case
2-56 x 3/4" Screws with matching nuts for securing the board
Size #2 washers for adjusting the board height.

These can be purchased all at fry's.

Tools required:
Screwdriver
Mini adjustable wrench
Cutting Tool (dremel)
Patience.

EDIT: Here is my post updated with the additional information on how to make the case:

Pictures!

I shaved the top of the board where the harness plug sits. Its shown here. Don't mind the extra wire there, I felt like i accidentally severed another trace while i was killing the alternator one, so I just ran another wire for insurance.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4024/dsc01354da.jpg

There is glue here covering the DB37. Just used hot glue. I used it for insurance that the box side cover doesnt touch and short it.
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/1421/dsc01355f.jpg

Here is another shot on where I shaved the board.
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/6452/dsc01356z.jpg

Another Shot where it was shaved
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8306/dsc01357m.jpg

This is the bottom of the board. THere are just two screws there at the bottom, and with a bunch of washers to level the board. The board sits within the side rails, so basically, the screw posts just hold the board in place from moving. On the back side, towards the top right side, there is a hole for the terminal posts where the wires can be fed.
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8076/dsc01358p.jpg

Another shot.
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6964/dsc01359w.jpg

Take note here. I had to shave the "rail" area beacuse the black mount of the DB37 wouldnt fit in there of course. On top of that, I shaved down the side of the DB37 too. You can see it in the pics above.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/5683/dsc01360z.jpg

This is the "top cover" of the box. it just has a cut hole for the harness plug.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/6366/dsc01364h.jpg

Here is the board in place.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3245/dsc01365q.jpg

A shot on how the board is mounted.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/6519/dsc01366.jpg

The other side of the board. Yes, there will be space here. The board doesnt fit THAT perfect :rolleyes:
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4841/dsc01367r.jpg

Here is the other side of the box. This is the hole where the terminal posts are.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/6574/dsc01368.jpg

Heres a shot of the terminal post area with the cover top.
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/5980/dsc01371w.jpg

Other side, harness area with the cover.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1548/dsc01370.jpg

I could have done this more prettier, but I was being lazy and i Just wanted it to be done. You can just measure this and cut it to your needs. This is the DB37 connector cover. The underside of the board where the pins are sit a little close to the cover, so i used glue to seal it for insurance, which you saw in earlier pics.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/6923/dsc01372.jpg

Another shot.
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3563/dsc01373o.jpg

And there you have it. It only cost me about 17 bucks in supplies, and I have a dremel handy. I wish i had something that could cut it with better precision, but I just dont have that kind of tools or access to any tools of the like. Im sure you guys can make it look a lot better with the proper tools, but this will work for me.

Nice! I'd love to see pics.

Hmm, a taller case, you could just mount vertical DB-37's on there, I think the footprint would be the same. I'd have to think about the directions of everything, it's mirror imaging that gets you most of the time in this - otherwise, hunker down and solder 37 wires board to board, not too bad either.

If you're looking for just a bit more strenth, if you can find screws which will bite right on the tip, there's ~4 more holed you can pick up - those in the OEM connector. All my screws were too long, but if you were bolting it TO your case, you might be able to use those.

Glad to hear the board went together ok.

I worked on my plastic ABS case and it was a tad too small for the board, so I ordered an aluminum case from Fry's. I hope I ordered the right one, there was only one for $14.99, per MarcD's notes, that's the price on their website. Part no. is 2090782. I am also going to do a relay wire like MarcD's. Thank you MarcD for your tips.

Too bad. The one on context engineering's website is 12.99 at fry's though. 2 bucks cheaper... unless you wanted black anodized. THe box fits just right, but its going to require sanding down the board a bit underneath the ECU harness plug. This is required so you can plug in the harness and its easy to pull out, instead of having the plug recessed within the box itself.

I only used the two center mounting points to secure the board in the case, but the board underneath the harness plug sits in the slots, so its very well stuck in there and has no chance of moving.

Good luck, and when you do sand down the board, becareful not to damage the traces.

FYI everyone:
I was originally planning on being out of town this week, but I won't be - so hopefully I can help with any questions!

Need another thread
 

Looks like the baseline MSQ is going to be the next tall pole.

I'll start another thread, not because we couldn't post one here, but as MS-II firmware continues to evolve, just posting a file won't do it. I should go through and list all the settings to set.

Baseline MSQ for '99-00, including Abe's Board - Miata Turbo Forum - Home of the turbo Mazda Miata.

I'll take notes here, and try to keep this at least mostly hardware.

I'm sure I've said this before, BUT...

PLEASE remember that because it's "PnP" it's not "plug and race around like an asshole".
1) This is pretty experimental
2) It's easy to blow up your motor even with something that is perfect.

So go slowly!

The real advice is this, it's how you start:

Load up megatune. Make sure the MS and MT can talk. That means on the stim you can see what's going on. Turn the knobs, make sure it all works.

When you plug it in, be aware of burning smells. Put your hang on your coil pack within the first minute and again a minute later to make sure they aren't cooking. Ideally have someone check them 30 seconds after powering everything. After you're sure nothing is burning, turn it on, do it again.

Do this with the vents/fans off, the stereo off. Listen for funny clicking, buzzing, cooling fans coming on. All this is settings you'll have to play with

You may choose to start with the coils (IGN A and IGN B) unplugged, test the rest, then plug them in and check for heat.

After that, see if all the sensors work. Open up "real time display" on the MT. Make sure the TPS, baro, MAP, CLT, MAT (AIT), are all sensible (does the MAT and CLT roughly agree? If one says 105* and the other 57 or -108,835 there is something wrong)... When you move the gas, does TPS go smoothly from 0% to 100%? If not, recal it.

You can mess with output test modes to make sure the fuel injectors and ignition and idle all work, but they are probably fine so don't bother. Same with the fuel pump.

Odds are the idle valve, cranking and warmup settings are a bit funny, so it might not start easy. With any luck, it will. MS-II takes two full engine revolutions (most of the time) to even notice the motor is there. So, it will take 1-2 solid seconds of cranking even on a good day (which, once things are tuned, it normally is). Don't run out and get the starter fluid right off the bat.

Pulling the jumper on the board for the fuel pump should let you manually verify the timing. You shouldn't have to, but it's a VERY good idea. Before it's running I like to do this. Yes this means you'll need a timing light. :-)

Remember, after you're running, see if the fans come on when it gets hot. You can experiment by setting them very low initially to make sure they work (perhaps 100* instead of 190*). VICS you can set to switch at 1500 or 2000 RPMS, blip the throttle and see if it moves.

Make sure the battery voltage is sensible (~12V without running, about 14.3-15.0 running)

The basic idea is to quickly test each thing, so you don't get 15 miles from home, overheat and warp your head, etc. I *know* it'll add a frustrating hour or two to driving away, but it'll save you an hour waiting for a tow truck and three weeks waiting for parts.

I know you are all smart guys, but I just wanted to re-emphasize this. :-)

See post 4 for Alternator Fix
 

In case someone is watching this thread, it turns out there is an issue on the alternator, please make this change to your board. See post 4, end of that entry.

Another message for thread watchers:

Turns out I poorly speced a part I bought, the transistors for idle and "spare" aren't *really* up to the job. I'll be ordering some new ones. So the "big" transistors are going to be replaced. Sit tight, I'll mail them out. The ones you have may work (I had one running on my car just fine) but they are borderline. If you've yet to populate your board, don't do those yet.

I updated my post about how to make the case for this board. Its on the top of this page.

Captain Douchebag, reporting for duty. Sorry everyone, I have the transistors and utterly forgot to send them out. Raj, I think I owe you something as well (was it jumper blocks?)

Let me know where you are all at, I'll get them in the mail today or tomorrow. I delivered some locally, and that leaves:

Leo C.
Marc
Raj
Todd
Paul

which I need to mail still. I'll dig up the addresses and try to get them out today, if there's anything else I owe anyone, try to let me know now (Raj, your's will have to wait one more day so I can get the blocks)
-Abe.

Yep, I was missing the jumper block.

I am in no hurry, take your time.
-Raj

All good abe, just send it out when you can. When I get those transistors, I'll go ahead and solder them along as well as modify my MS board for bluetooth.

Did you see my post on it? Its al updated now with full instructions, but sadly no pictures yet. When I do get pictures after the install, ill post it up.

I was aware of it, but haven't checked it out in detail yet. I DO like the idea, although, MS's serial is bad enough as is... The last thing it needs is MORE errors. :-) I wouldn't flash code or set tables with it, but I imagine for logging it would be awesome. Who knows, maybe it'll rock.

Found little protective shields for the transistors, so out they go tomorrow.

Some notes I worked up for another user. Probably as useful here as in the baseline thread.


From the Install Notes thread, there's some info:
D14 - IGN with pullup (You should have done this already)
D16 - IAC2B with pullup (You should have done this already)
You'll want to do up the middle LED the same way as you would the normal "spark mod", with a pull up, and run that wire to IAC1B
D15 - IAC1B with pullup
JS11 - SPR1
JS6 - SPR2
JS4 - SPR3
JS0 - SPR4
JS10 - IAC1A
JS2 - IAC2A

and from the Baseline MSQ thread:
Output Port Settings:
PM5(warmup):
coolant > 190 5.0
no second condition
0
0

PT7 IAC2 (VICS, I believe)
rpm > 5250 500
no second
0
1

Knock Sensor:
Safe Mode
MS2 AD7/JS4

Tacho:
on
JS11

So:
IAC1B is running the fans
IAC2 is running VICS

Spare1 is TACH OUT
Spare2 is the SPARE output. Interesting, I didn't remember hooking it up. :-P
Spare3 looks like KnockIn
Spare4 is EBC out - That one I guess you just have to know. :-P



edit: William - It looks like to run VVT in the most simply way, you've got two options. First, recycle the VICS transistor. I wouldn't recommend this, however, I used a smaller transistor for it. So, for you, that's the spare, and you'll deactivate that output in output settings (PT7).
But you'll want to add in the SPARE/VVT transistor. That's JS6. Let me check the MSV3 schematic... Hmmm, not SURE if the software will let you control that how I'd like... If not, you can swap two of the jumpers I said to add in the MS case, that from SPR2 and IAC2, then set PT7 to run VVT how you'd like (i.e. "on" when 3000<RPM<6000 or whatever your tune desires).

Yeah. It looks like that's going to be your best bet, the software doesn't support running it the other way. So, in your case, run the wire from the CPU at pin JS6 on the CPU to the IAC2A, set it as above, and you should be running VICS in a digital fashion.

If you want to get fancy, later, I've been kicking around an idea with Joe P. to use the EBC output to PWM the VVT in a variable fashion. It'd take more work to develop, and be sensitive to oil pressure (and hence oil temperature) but... In theory, it'll work in an open loop mode, even now, based on a table of RPM and TPS. If you want to mess with software, you could likely make it RPM and oil pressure, which would be awesome but invovled.

Hope this helps everyone!

Abe, why are you connecting the ebc out to SPR4 on the DB37?

Isn't SPR4 connected to the base of the power transistor?

-Raj

Ah, yes, I was using the idle function of the MS-II... It has a chip on it for driving stepper motor coils... I was hoping to use the output of the MS-II to drive a bigger chip for more maring in driving EBC, but the truth is, the chip on the MS-II can drive coils. So, I'm letting it - remember, you're not supposed to populate that transistor, nor the one for VICS. The reason is that the chip puts out 12V, and there's no easy way around it.

Oh, OK. I put the transistor in for the EBC. I guess I will have to remove it. Will try to de-solder it. If I can't I will cut the transistor out.

Ok, guys, Jason was kind enough to make a suggestion on how to fix the dim low battery light when the light should be off. I don't have a way to check it, but I'll post it here and you guys can try it and see. I'm not 100% sure I'm interpreting him right, but he says:
Ok. That's here:
http://abefm.smugmug.com/MegaSquirt-...67_TF7is-L.png

...between pins R and C on U2. That's the transistor looking thing which is installed closest to the proto-area and the jumper block, and it goes between pins 1 and 2 I believe.

Give it a shot, see what happens.