Megasqiurt

[Bonzo]

Hi all.

I have decided to use throttle bodies on my 1.8 Zetec silvertop engine install.

To controll the fuel I intend to use megasquirt.

Ms2 V3 to be precise. Probably a higher spec than I need but who knows what will change in the future.

Having tried the msextraefi web site I find it is no longer available. :confused:

Looking for an alternate UK seller has drawn a blank.

I realy want to buy it in kit form.
I see this as all part of the challenge.
In any event it will give me a greater knowledge of the modern electronic engine controll systems. ;)

I am at the moment thinking of buying direct from the USA. I am a little concerned about being hammered for import duty though.

Just The VAT to pay or is there import duty to pay as well !!??

I have posted this on the other side. :rolleyes:

Thinking that this may be a valuable resource for the future on here as well. :)

[shadowcaster]

Hey Ronnie, your dabbling in witchcraft you know, next thing you'll be getting a laptop to diagnose the the beast. :eek: :D :D

[jasongray5]

As far as vat and import duty goes, If you get the seller to send it as a "gift" then 9times out of 10 you will get away with it? Or at least I always have?

[Bonzo]

I know Rich.

Scary but exciting at the same time. :eek:

A bit like my good lady when she is after something. :D

After many,many years of tinkering with carbed engines with dizy & the likes it's time for a change.

At the outset I was adamant that I wanted to go the old school route. However, after reading the posts in support of moddern technology combined with a couple of constructive chats with Allan Jeferys son I became convinced that Zetec was the way to go.

Then the free 1.8 Zetec came out of the blue, that was the decider.

To be honest I am really looking forward to th challenges that lay ahead.

I'll dare say that I will live to regret those words when it all goes pear shaped a few months down the road. :o

I already have a small laptop loaded with some basic OBD2 software for reading fault codes & reseting engine check lights etc.

My oldest son spotted a 7" touch screen that you can build into the dash allowing you to do a bit of re mapping as you drive.
How extreme is that !!??

He is heck of a lot more interested in my build now that I am going moddern. Hence the offer to buy me a megasquirt for my BD. :D

[AshG]

i imported my ms2 v3 components in from the usa and it turned up in 4 days no duty to pay etc etc. havent built it yet. have tucked it away until the car is through the sva on the pinto lump.

i already have a 7inch touch screen for it and a pile of old pentium 4 laptops sitting around

keep us all updated on your progress as im sure you will finish yours well before me.

[TSM Locost]

Try Bill@shurvinton.fsworld.co.uk not always quick response but knows megasquirt back to front, good prices, good service, and UK. usually discount for more than one unit, group buy ?

Good luck Mike. :D :D :D

[Bonzo]

keep us all updated on your progress as im sure you will finish yours well before me.

Remember you are talking to the person who started his build a month or so after the book was first published. :o :o

Mind you, if you keep chopping bits off with your grinder. I may very well do :D :D


Thanks Mike

[james3004]

I got some parts when i used megasquirt on my rs turbo (the engine is going in the roadster) from a company called DIY Autotune, they are in america but never had any problems with their service

[Bonzo]

Thanks for that James.

I have been looking at that site. If I end up buying from the USA thats who I will use as they look to be the main distributor of MS in the states. :)

[fabbyglass]

Anyone know owt about microsquirt? used on bikes apparently so a lot smaller

[Bonzo]

I believe the new version of Microsquirt has most of the features of the Megasquirt 2 system.

Very small and compact. Ideal for the bike & all things small.

Not fitted with an onboard MAP sensor, though no problem using an external one.

That's what I have read so far. :D :D :D

[AshG]

the micro squirt can also do sequential which is something the others cant do yet.

[Bonzo]

Se what iential :confused: :confused:

I have not got that far with the MS manual yet. :D

[Bonzo]

My Megasquirt kit has arrived today.

I was stung £30 for the VAT :( No import duty though.

8 days from order to delivery ( From the USA ). Good going, being as Parcel farce has had it for 3 of them.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj266/Bonzoronnie/megasquirt001.jpg


OOHH lots of tiny bits in there. :eek:

That will be fun with my clumbsy mits & dodgy eyesight. :D

I'll keep you all posted with my progress.

[MightyMouth]

You have to build them? I thought these days they came pre-built.

[les g]

You have to build them? I thought these days they came pre-built.

depends on wether you are a cheap skate or not !!!!!!!!!!!! lol :p

buy em or build the difference is only money and the choice is yours
cheers les g

ps. bought mine only because i dont do circuit boards and me eyesight is going

[Bonzo]

I originally tought I would save a few quid but by the time my stim arrives + a few more bit n bobs, probably just as cheap to buy from the UK ;)

I tend to learn new skills more easy by doing, this was my prime reason for wanting to go the kit route.
I must say, from reading the manuals I have learnt a great deal about all things modern.

I dare say that I will have a few problems here & there, but that is all part of the learning process.

It is all going quite well at the moment & I am pleased about that.

Both my wife and eldest have been taking bets on how long it will take for me to throw it out of the window. :D :D

[shadowcaster]

You a brave man Ronnie, just looking at it give me the jitters, did they give you a bottle of smoke in case it leaks.:eek:

[Bonzo]

You a brave man Ronnie, just looking at it give me the jitters, did they give you a bottle of smoke in case it leaks.:eek:

I did find a little bottle of Prozac in the kit. :D :D

Stage one of the assembly is done.

will spend another couple of hours on it tonight, might even complete stage two :)

[les g]

I originally tought I would save a few quid but by the time my stim arrives + a few more bit n bobs, probably just as cheap to buy from the UK ;)

I tend to learn new skills more easy by doing, this was my prime reason for wanting to go the kit route.
I must say, from reading the manuals I have learnt a great deal about all things modern.

I dare say that I will have a few problems here & there, but that is all part of the learning process.

It is all going quite well at the moment & I am pleased about that.

Both my wife and eldest have been taking bets on how long it will take for me to throw it out of the window. :D :D



bonzo
what the f..k is a stim please enlighten us
i read about someone putting a 9v battery in there,s and i had all these funny images in my mind and couldn,t read no more
cheers les g

[Bonzo]

A stim is a simulator.

This plugs into the megasquirt ECU. It enables you to test the functions of the megasquirt, simulate engine loads & allows you to set the basic settings via the tuning software.

If all goes well. The engine should at least start once you have pre-configured the ECU with the stim.

That's the theory anyways :confused: :o :o

If you have bought a ready built unit it would have been set up using a stim. :)

[Danzetec]

Hi all.
Having tried the msextraefi web site I find it is no longer available. :confused:
:)

Your looking for www.extraefi.co.uk (http://www.extraefi.co.uk) - good quality ECUs that come with warrenty and if you provide your spec he will load a base map to get you started :)

[Bonzo]

I have finished the constrution of my Megasquirt unit this evening.

It took 4 good evening sessions to complete. Mainly reading, reading & more reading.

All I need to do now is to set it all up on the stim :eek:

It was quite realaxing work to be honest, it has been a long, long time since I have done any electronics work.

Didn't even get close to chucking out of the window :D :D

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj266/Bonzoronnie/CompletedMS2001.jpg

[HandyAndy]

looks good Ronnie, maybe not out of the window ??, but possibly a few harsh words thrown at it??????:D :D
i wouldn,t know where to start:o

andy

[Bonzo]

The construction was quite easy, the component locations are very well defined on the board, all of the component packs were also very clearly labled. :)

I did chuck a few F's when I wired up a set of jumper wires up to use the EDIS 4 module.

A bit further on I had to change them all around. :confused:

A bit further on, I found that they were in the right place the first time :D :D

[HandyAndy]

I did chuck a few F's when I wired up a set of jumper wires up to use the EDIS 4 module.

A bit further on I had to change them all around. :confused:

A bit further on, I found that they were in the right place the first time :D

:D whats that old saying????? " measure twice , cut once" sort of applies me thinks, smiles, ah you can build mine if i ever need one;)

andy

[AshG]

bloomin heck that didnt take you long. mine is still in all the little baggies until sometime in the future when i need it. your not f'in and blinding now but you will be when the stim turns up. what stim did you go for as there are a couple.

as for the manual its a bloody good read if you want to understand how modern fandango things work. only wish i had the manual when i was at uni as it would have come in usefull for the ecu and interface that i designed for my disertation lol.

[fabbyglass]

What a right box of devil sent bits....gives me a headache just looking at the picture:o

[Bonzo]

I went for the version 2.2 stim.

Yes I am saving my finest language for when I connect the stim :eek: :D

I did read the construction manual several times before I began.
What I did not do was to cross-reference all of the ignition options available properly :o

The small transistors were rather delicate to solder, so, so easy to bridge the pins with solder.

I was there with my glasses on & using a magnifying screen, still was unable to see 100%.

I ended up asking my eldest to check them for me. :o All ok though.

[Bonzo]

What a right box of devil sent bits....gives me a headache just looking at the picture:o

That's what I thought when I first opened the box.

OMG it's a kit, kit, kit :eek:

My eldest said " I think you should throw that in the bin before you start " :D

The constrction followed quite a logical sequence & was relatively easy to follow.

After being stung for the VAT by customs, I have probably saved just over £100. :o

Not that saving money was at the top of the list. I feel that I would now have the insight & confidence to adapt the unit to suit other things that I may want to do in the future.

[Bonzo]

My eldest came for a visit this evening.

I proudly showed him my completed Megasquirt.

His exact words were, " Just because all of the bits are in the box don't mean to say it will work "

Honestly, that's confidence for you. :( :D :D

[AshG]

hes not wrong tough as many people find out with megasquirt

im sure yours will be fine if you followed it perfectly.

[fabbyglass]

My eldest came for a visit this evening.

I proudly showed him my completed Megasquirt.

His exact words were, " Just because all of the bits are in the box don't mean to say it will work "

Honestly, that's confidence for you. :( :D :D

Kids hey Ron....don't yer just love the confidence they have in their parents..:)

[flyerncle]

Ronnie,How much do you actually have to put on the PCB,it looks bare in the picture and "fun" to say the least.

Nice job !.

Cheers

[Bonzo]

The board does indeed come bare. Every component needs to be sloldered into place.

With the exeption of the processors daughter board, this can be seen sitting slightly proud of the finished board.
Good job too. I wouldn't like to try and attempt to solder those tiny IC's. :eek:

The stim arrived today, it took just under an hour to construct. I'll try and post a picy tomorrow. :)

With a little luck I will have an hour or two spare this week & time have a play with the configuration settings. :eek: :D

[flyerncle]

Sounds Good and looks like a neat job Ronnie,Nice one.
Dont put the stim near your mouth ! nod nod wink wink

[Bonzo]

I spent last night testing the completed Megasquirt with the stim & laptop.

All construction & system checks were fine.

I left it running for a few hours, no problems have come to light so far.

Oh what fun I had loading the Megasquirts cpu firmware. :D

Me & computer software are not the best of friends :confused: I will get there in the end though.

Now all I have to do, is to create a base map to suit the 1.8 Zetec & Honda CBR900 R2 throttle bodies. :eek:

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj266/Bonzoronnie/Megasquirttesting001.jpg

[adrianreeve]

Well done getting this far Ronnie, I'm impressed even if your son isn't! I'll probably be going the same route, so keep going, I may need your help at some point. How's the zetec install going? Do you need any info on conversion parts, clutch combos etc.? I have amassed quite a bit of info if you need it!

Started building my manifold today. I'll post some piccies when I work out how, Ithink the CB900 bodies are very similar to the CBR900 ones, so you may find it useful - if only to see what not to do!

Cheers

Adrian

[bobbyh]

well done m8. where did you get ur kit from and how much?

[flyerncle]

How much in price does DIY Meagasquirt compare with the likes of Omex etc already built and bolt on ?

[Bonzo]

Now the ECU is built, i will take a bit of time out & do a lot more reading, learning the tuning software. With a little luck i will be able to create a decent base map to at least get the engine running. :)

I will not be able to do any work on the Zetec engine for a couple of weeks as my workshop will be needed for other things. :(

Once I have the time & space, first job is to give the engine a light overhaul, make some engine mounts, test fit into the chassis & then finally fabricate the manifolds.


The kit was bought from Diyautotune in the USA.

My credit card company gave me a bit of a crap exchange rate. So the kit cost me £219 inclusive of shippng. Then customs stung me for VAT (£30.34), Parcel farce had another £13.50 handling fee.

Total cost in the end was just under £260.

I believe that a Megasquirt2 - version3. Fully assembled & bought in the UK is in the region of £350-400.

Not familiar with other ECU units available or thier prices.

My eldest had a Simtec ECU fitted in his Subaru recently. This cost over £800 :eek: :eek:

[flyerncle]

Dont quote me but Omex from about £400 up over so not a bad deal Ronnie and you get an insight into the black art of engine management.

Wait untill you can get one with CAN BUS that would give Fabby a heart attack. Only two wires !

[Bonzo]

Dont quote me but Omex from about £400 up over so not a bad deal Ronnie and you get an insight into the black art of engine management.

Wait untill you can get one with CAN BUS that would give Fabby a heart attack. Only two wires !

:D :D

This was the main reason for going the kit route

With my roots set firmly in the old school ways it was time to fully embrace the modern electronics systems of todays cars.

I have over the last couple of years managed to build up a very basic knowledge of modern systems ( Familys cars are geting newer ) . However I still did not fully understand how all of the sensors interact with the ECU.

After many hours of reading, I can honestly say that my knowledge has greatly increased. :)

I am now quite confident that I can meet each challenge that I encounter on the long road ahead. :cool:

[les g]

:D :D

This was the main reason for going the kit route

With my roots set firmly in the old school ways it was time to fully embrace the modern electronics systems of todays cars.

I have over the last couple of years managed to build up a very basic knowledge of modern systems ( Familys cars are geting newer ) . However I still did not fully understand how all of the sensors interact with the ECU.

After many hours of reading, I can honestly say that my knowledge has greatly increased. :)

I am now quite confident that I can meet each challenge that I encounter on the long road ahead. :cool:

one word
" inspirational "

[flyerncle]

Plugs,Points,Coil and condensers,Su and Stromberg. What have we now they, call it technology,definately a black art and getting blacker as the manufacturers attempt to keep it in house and do stuff direct through the internet.

Definately the dogs bits Ronnie....