AbeFM

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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

iTrader: (3)

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.



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.



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:




Instructions to start next post.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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:



And you have to do this twice:


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:


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

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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,


Edit: Will update picture. Instead of the "top of diode", use the capacitor, as detailed at the end of this post.

Closeup:

It's easier to tell the pins by looking at the pattern of traces under the board.


The Capacitor to save for last:

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!


Here's where the jumper goes



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.


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.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.)

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.



Prebend the leg like so.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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:



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:

R26 hides in the corner here. :-)


All there. Half soldered.


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.

kcbhiw

iTrader: (1)

Nicely done!

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

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.



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



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

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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?


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.


They slide and lock together like so, note the notch and the ridge.


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.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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:


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. :-)

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.


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.


Lots of solder.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

Solely for reference:

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.


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

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)





I'll try to post better pictures later.

Marc D

iTrader: (7)

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).

AbeFM

iTrader: (3)

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.