Loren

Being one of the early adopters of this $105 WBO2 setup, I thought I'd take a minute to share my thoughts and a little bit of data.

Details are here: 14Point7

It basically does what a WBO2 should do, but without the programmable bells & whistles. It's simply an O2 sensor (same one that Innovate uses, I don't remember the number) with a controller built into the connector. It gives you a simulated NB output and a 0-5v (10-20 AFR) WB output.

"Spartan" is a good name for it. It gives you what you need and nothing else. No fancy box, no fancy packaging, no manual or instructions included (they're easily found on the website), ho hassles.

Shipping was a bit slow, as it came from Canada. Took 11 days to get here. I didn't take any photos. It's an O2 sensor with some wires coming out of it, just like the picture on their website. Nothing photogenic about it.

It's a 5-wire installation:
+12
Signal Ground
Heater Ground
NB Out
WB Out

I wired it directly to the MS and put the NB signal on the main O2 input and the WB signal on EGO2. I know it's completely pointless to even bother with the NB signal, I just did it so that I could easily check it for this review.

I set up an MSQ with EGO correction and AE turned off, and tuned it for good stable(ish) 14.7 AFR on the low end and took a quick log with the stock sensor last night. Today, I installed the Spartan and first ran a test using the exact same MSQ to compare the NB output.

Here's a comparison of the stock NB and the Spartan NB:
Bold trace is Stock.


I did a surprisingly good job of matching my first run-up. (couldn't match it a third time for the WB, though) Both sensors showed stable .5 volts where it was warranted. The big difference is that the Spartan seems to be much more sensitive to deviations from 14.7 and reacts much quicker than the stock sensor. Otherwise, I'd say the outputs pretty much matched. (It seemed much more so watching the O2 gauge in TunerStudio where a lot of those fluctuations are more averaged.)

I never got a good matching trace of the WB to match the stock run-up, and gave up after 3-4 tries. I could do more and better testing (should have just set a 1500 RPM fixed idle and logged that... oh, well), but I'm satisfied that this sensor is accurate enough. Heckuva lot easier to set up than an LC-1, too. No calibration required (or possible).

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

I'm happy with my LC-1. Calibration takes all of 2 minutes. I dont bother with any of the programmable bells and whistles however what i do like about it is that it offers a digital output to the ECU. Digital > Analog on a ground sensitive unit.

The sensor is a bosch 17014 which is 51.99 at vatozone. In other words they are charging you 55 bucks for a plug with longer cables?

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

I've always wondered why things like the MS2/μS/MS3/MS2PNP didn't come with an option for a purely digital input. Damn near everyone runs a LC-1 or a UEGO and both have some sort of digital output capability. That's definitely a feature I'd pay for.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

I like almost everything except for this part. I find this to be an issue because there is no way to verify the accuracy of the unit except against your narrowband which is only good for a specific range.

Loren

If you disregard the fact that there's a controller built into the plug, sure.

It does what I need it to do for $80 less than an LC-1. Sorry it doesn't meet with your approval.

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

Seeing that a DB gauge + LC1 is $209.00 and the gauge it self is $89.00, this leaves the LC1 controller + a sensor being 120 total. That's 15 bucks more than the what you paid for that cable so no it does not meet my approval. 2nd thought considering its coming from Canada, the shipping will even out that 15 bucks savings.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Everyone's a critic.

It's nice to hear some first-hand experience, though I'll note that the image in the first post isn't working (attachment missing.)

Bryce

iTrader: (24)

+1

Loren

Wait... so you're suggesting that I spend an extra $104 to get an LC1 with a gauge that I don't need? And this saves me money how?

With shipping, I spent $115 and got what I needed. The cheapest Innovate solution would have cost me about $180 (plus shipping), or I could have gone DIY for something like $150-160 (plus shipping).

For the frugal among us, this is the best deal going.

I'm really wondering why you felt the need to post in this thread at all. Nobody is attacking the LC-1 here. It's a great product. This is just an alternative that Joe asked me to share some info about.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

+1

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

So, this is pretty much like an AEM UGEO except for the additional narrow band output and lack of gauge? Me likey.

Also, pic is still broke. I'd like to see how that WB/NB relationship works with this thing. Have you thought about trying the NB output on a stock ECU?

Loren

Don't know what's up with the picture. It's an attached image... and I see it. It really doesn't show much.

The NB output should work with the stock ECU. My car is still stock-compatible, maybe I'll try it.

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

I'm not attacking your review, just saying they are charging you 55 bucks for a cable. Go to the junk yard, find the wideband harness from a pt cruiser and buy a new sensor that comes with 1 year warranty from autozone for half of what you spent.

Loren

Ooooh... I could have just gotten a cable from a PT Cruiser and hooked that to a WBO2 sensor from the parts store? That's all we have to do to get a functional wideband for a Megasquirt? Stunning that I've never run across that tidbit of information before. Thanks so much for sharing it.

Color me enlightened. Next time I'll know.

(Since you obviously haven't grasped the concept yet, in spite of the fact that I've said it at least twice, and you could go read the product description, the Spartan WBO2 includes not just a sensor and a cable, but also a CONTROLLER. Wideband O2 sensors don't work without a controller.)

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

I see, my bad. There is a unit of some kind on the sensors harness, I thought that's what you meant by built into the harness.

On a side note how long does it take before you get a reading from cold start? Instant?

Loren

No WBO2 gives a valid reading instantly on a cold start. I don't know how long this one takes to warm up. I'm sure it's typical for the sensor and dependent on ambient temperature.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

All wideband sensors require a controller. These folks have integrated the controller into the cable, like Innovate did with the LC-1, but in a much smaller form-factor.

Loren

FYI, I was having issues today and ended up plugging in the stock ECU to verify no mechanical or stock component issues. The Spartan simulated NB output works just dandy with the stock ECU. No CEL. Normal drivability.

tpwalsh

Timely thread. I received mine yesterday. I've wired it up, but haven't started the motor yet.(The car I'm building was a bare shell about 2 months ago, I should have it running this week or weekend). It did seem to take awhile to get here, more than 2 weeks. That didn't bother me too much since it's not like I was ready to start the car until this week anyway.


As a note the cable, controller and sensor are potted(epoxied) together. If it dies, you buy a whole new cable, controllerf and sensor for another $100. There is plenty of cable to work with. I haven't unfolded it, but it was way more than I'll ever need. For $115 to my door and if it works as advertized, I'm sold.

hochkis

I was looking to buy one of these but I don't like that the controller and sensor don't have a connector in between them :(