Who Has A Megasquirt Ecu?

[Guest red-col]

Hi All,

 

Been looking into the megasquirt ECU as an alternative to the emerald one supplied by GBS and was wondering if anyone has one or has used one? What are your thoughts on the system? especially when fitted with a standard 2 litre zetec blacktop?

 

I know there is a lot more work involved in using the megasquirt compared to the emerald but am willing to learn how it all works and how to tune it. I have read lots of information so far especially from http://www.extraefi.co.uk/ and have also already downloaded the software to take a look at it.

 

Any advice from someone who has used the system would be greatly appreciated

 

Cheers

[Guest dinger]

Look elswhere unless you like getting headaches, Lol,

 

I've been there and you dont save any money in the long run. Buy cheap! pay twice!

 

some people do get on with them but are only kidding themselves

[Guest old_timbo]

I've been successfully running Megasquirt on my Pinto for a couple of years. I built mine from a kit. Only consider doing this if you are wanting to learn about EFI and electronics. Megasquirt can be like a kit car - never quite finished. This winter I will be adding shift lights, launch and boost control. Also thinking about logging for fuel and oil pressure.......all sorts of other add-ons are available.

You can buy completed systems from Extra-EFI and M-Tech. which are probably more of a finished item, but will be closer to Emerald / Omex etc in price. M-Tech offer quite a lot of support, base maps, and a RR etc. but get bad press on some forums as in their early days they allegedly sold bootleg Megasquirt boards, and their current design is clearly derived from MS.

Any system will need tuning to get the most out of an engine, so take a look at the tuning software that comes with it as you will want to use it a lot to start with. What works on a Rolling Road isn't always so great on the road from the driveabilty perspective. TunerStudio and Megalogviewer are the main programmes used with MS, They are very good and are regularly improved and updated.

[Guest red-col]

I've been successfully running Megasquirt on my Pinto for a couple of years. I built mine from a kit. Only consider doing this if you are wanting to learn about EFI and electronics. Megasquirt can be like a kit car - never quite finished. This winter I will be adding shift lights, launch and boost control. Also thinking about logging for fuel and oil pressure.......all sorts of other add-ons are available.

You can buy completed systems from Extra-EFI and M-Tech. which are probably more of a finished item, but will be closer to Emerald / Omex etc in price. M-Tech offer quite a lot of support, base maps, and a RR etc. but get bad press on some forums as in their early days they allegedly sold bootleg Megasquirt boards, and their current design is clearly derived from MS.

Any system will need tuning to get the most out of an engine, so take a look at the tuning software that comes with it as you will want to use it a lot to start with. What works on a Rolling Road isn't always so great on the road from the driveabilty perspective. TunerStudio and Megalogviewer are the main programmes used with MS, They are very good and are regularly improved and updated.

 

Hi Old_Timbo,

 

Many thanks for the info. I have been doing a lot of reading on the Extra-EFI website of all the guides they got there and even got myself a copy of TunerStudio so I can take a look at the layout and how the software works etc. I wasn't aware of M-Tech so will take a look into them and have a read of their info and see what they say regarding it all.

 

The actual building of the ECU, although I do find quite interesting it is not something I am looking to focus on at the moment but the tuning side of things I look forward to. Maybe once I have gotten used to that I will look to modify the ECU and add things like shift lights etc

 

It would be good to see one set up and running on a car and take a look at the setup in the software so i can get a better idea of how it all works together but I dont know of anyone local yet that is running MegaSquirt so reading as much as I can and playing with the software is the way forward!

 

I know it will be a lot simpler buying an Emerald unit from GBS which is pretty much plug and play but I'm looking for something that requires a bit more work and something I can play with and adjust.

 

[Guest alfaGTA]

I'm not one for spending £600 odd quid easily (doubt if many here are in fairness) but have a long hard think about the Megasquirt route and do your research. All too often i have read posts on various forums from people asking for help with a non running or poorly running Megasquirt set up, the saving soon goes out the window when hours of time are spent getting the car running to somewhere near its potential.

 

Well and good if you are doing it as a learning exercise but time is too valuable for me personally to spend fiddling around with a car that is running poorly, do it once and do it right.

[Snapperpaul]

Well I'm a tight bugger and have only realy considered the Megasquirt however it does cause me some concern as I also don't want to spend hours trying to get it to work

Now also looking for a cheap secondhand Omex or Emerald

[Guest dinger]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DTA-S40-Pro-Ecu-Stand-Alone-Management-Not-Megasquirt-Emerald-Omex-Turbo-Bodies-/280991755542?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item416c69ed16

[Guest old_timbo]

I don't think the ECU is the problem in most cases, it is a poor installation. If you build a MS yourself, you can build a stimulator to test it and make sure it works before you go anywhere near a car. The onward wiring for any ECU is complex and has to avoid electrical interference from ignition leads, injectors etc etc. Then it has to drive a fuel pump relay, coil packs, take in signals from crank sensors, inlet air temp, throttle pots, water temp, inlet manifold pressure, and Lambda sensor. So plenty of scope for cock-ups. Especially if you are converting an engine that didn't have EFI to start with.

Where MS looses out to the pre-programmed ECU is in the time to map it and otherwise set it up. This translates to extra cost on the Rolling Road so negates the original low cost.

[Guest crutch]

I have had a few without issues, but i built it myself from kit. There are 2nd hand ones on ebay but you have no idea if they work or not and how well they are built. I would suggest looking at a tested prebuilt one.

 

All Ecu`s need rolling road for mapping or get a base map and a wideband lambda like innovate lc-1 to do yourself. Costs £150 against £500 for rolling road.

 

As others have said, if you go for an emerald there are many places who understand them, with the MS there are less but plenty of support on the web. My MS kit cost me £200, plus £100 for innovate. A lot of time learning (i wanted to learn efi) but i am pleased with the 250hp out of my zetec turbo. I also wanted to DIY everything on my kit car and this was another part of the DIY.

 

If you want a plug and play ecu go emerald etc if you want to learn the efi as you go the MS will do just as good or better than an emerald.

[Snapperpaul]

I've had a look at a Megasquirt with stim for a friend and it does intrigue me.

When I started with Megajolt it scared the hell out of me but now I can do them in my sleep

Perhaps ill look at another Megasquirt with stim and have a little play on the computer for a while.

Lambda sensor I'm looking for as I want to check the carbs so that won't be an added expense when I go EFI

Edited October 10, 2012 by Snapperpaul

[Guest red-col]

Crutch,

 

I am hoping to go down the root of "get a base map and a wideband lambda like innovate lc-1 to do yourself." as you said. I don't mind spending the time sat with a laptop connected to the car to get the settings as good as I can, even if that means getting it tuned up to the best that I can and then do the finishing touches on a rolling road.

 

Old_Timbo,

 

I might have to do some research into a stimulator to see what exactly it does and whats involved in it. The idea of spending the time to get it set up the best I can so that I can say I did it all myself is appealing to me, even if it does take longer than using an emerald ECU or similar.

 

AlfaGTA/Dinger,

 

I take into account what you have said, and I have also read lots of accounts of people who are having trouble getting it working correctly or at all in some cases and end up getting rid of the Megasquirt and going for emerald etc. Which is one of the reasons for this thread in the first place to see if there are real life people out there with kit cars running on MS.

 

I have been doing a lot of research into this and as said before even going as far as download/installing the software to see how it all works because I want to be sure that if I do go for the MS that not only can i install it correctly but also ensure I have some sort of understanding of the software and what I need to do to get it setup correctly.

 

If I had the money I would of installed the Emerald ECU in the kit so I can get it up and running correctly and then purchased the MS as well so i can play with that and see if I am able to get it set up and running correctly when its pi$$ing it down outside. Then when all done fitting the ECU I prefer and selling the other one.

 

Hmmmmmmm still lots to think about and more research to do.

[Guest alfaGTA]

Good luck, don't forget to keep us updated on progress

[Guest old_timbo]

The best stimulator is the JimStim which is more capable than the original Stim which can't emulate toothed wheels and VR sensors amongst other things. Think I need to upgrade to this.

 

These are the key MS websites if you want to learn more:-

 

www.megasquirt.info The original Megasquirt website.

www.extraefi.co.uk Megasquirt using the extra EFI firmware.

www.msextra.com Fully built (in the UK) Megasquirts by one of the guys involved involved in extra EFI.

http://tunerstudio.com/ Where you get the tuning software

 

http://www.diyautotune.com The most comprehensive supplier of MS kits and parts. Good prices and quick delivery to the UK.

 

The original MS website has so much info it is hard to know where to begin, but you have to remember that MS was designed to be a learning exercise and make you work for it. I built my MS using the simplified and easier to access info on extra EFI - the same hardware is used but slightly changed assembly detail. If you do this you need to use the matching firmware, but this is better than the original firmware anyway and most seem to use it these days. I occassionally refer back to the original MS site if I want another angle to understand something. I would never buy a second hand kit built MS. Like a Robin Hood everyone will be different, and you wouldn't know what you have until you pull it apart and rebuild it to suit youself!!