- :
- 92 & 16 Meyatas
well, it sounds like we need to get the laptop working so we can play with this some more!!
Aem F/ic
- Thread starter Crazee D
- Start date
well, it sounds like we need to get the laptop working so we can play with this some more!!
Well, I thought I did say...
The unit was installed and setup by a local shop
http://candcperformancefabrication.com/
Chris at C&C was the one who first told me of the AEM F/IC.
He performed the tuning.
He has been working with me on directing my build.
The unit was installed and setup by a local shop
http://candcperformancefabrication.com/
Chris at C&C was the one who first told me of the AEM F/IC.
He performed the tuning.
He has been working with me on directing my build.
Yup. Got that hooked up and it downloaded a bunch of datalogs it had been storing in it's local memory.
I also managed to record a datalog on the PC before the battery died again.
There's good news and bad too.
Good news is AEM has a large and active tuning forum. I posted my datalogs up there to see what people had to say.
http://forum.aempower.com/forum/index.php/topic,20518.0.html
Bad news is my mechanic's post regarding the following:
"people in this forum that have the same partial load missfire on other cars that have a similar trigger resolution on the crank. Simple way to describe it would be the # of trigger teeth make a difference on ignition resolution similar to your monitor, the more teeth the better the resolution. On the mazda and some of the other cars that I am seeing people complain about they have a small # of teeth on the crank trigger so ignition timing will be less accurate then those cars with more teeth, but in my opinion it should not cause a missfire unless the FIC is having issues correlating the info that it receives from these sensors."
So, we are in the process of diagnosing what the exact issue may be in order to figure out what to do next.
Other GOOD news is the new Beta version of the F/IC includes a firmware update that will ADD:
Added PIN-code locking.
Added new Offset O2 modifier mode
Added high-level drive option for all O2 modes
Added delay O2 modifier startup for all modes
Added spare configurable analog gauge (UEGO)
Added two additional map-able analog in/outs (A and B)
Added the ability to manually program the TPS and RPM calibration parameters.
Added both map-able analog in/outs to the gauge-screen
Added the spare analog gauge and both map-able analog in/outs to the logger file.
I'm glad to see that AEM tech sup was able to quickly react to customer's requests for this feature and find a way to add it.
Working with a big-name company with resources and experience is a big bonus in my book. I know there will be someone to stand behind this product in the future.
I also managed to record a datalog on the PC before the battery died again.
There's good news and bad too.
Good news is AEM has a large and active tuning forum. I posted my datalogs up there to see what people had to say.
http://forum.aempower.com/forum/index.php/topic,20518.0.html
Bad news is my mechanic's post regarding the following:
"people in this forum that have the same partial load missfire on other cars that have a similar trigger resolution on the crank. Simple way to describe it would be the # of trigger teeth make a difference on ignition resolution similar to your monitor, the more teeth the better the resolution. On the mazda and some of the other cars that I am seeing people complain about they have a small # of teeth on the crank trigger so ignition timing will be less accurate then those cars with more teeth, but in my opinion it should not cause a missfire unless the FIC is having issues correlating the info that it receives from these sensors."
So, we are in the process of diagnosing what the exact issue may be in order to figure out what to do next.
Other GOOD news is the new Beta version of the F/IC includes a firmware update that will ADD:
Added PIN-code locking.
Added new Offset O2 modifier mode
Added high-level drive option for all O2 modes
Added delay O2 modifier startup for all modes
Added spare configurable analog gauge (UEGO)
Added two additional map-able analog in/outs (A and B)
Added the ability to manually program the TPS and RPM calibration parameters.
Added both map-able analog in/outs to the gauge-screen
Added the spare analog gauge and both map-able analog in/outs to the logger file.
I'm glad to see that AEM tech sup was able to quickly react to customer's requests for this feature and find a way to add it.
Working with a big-name company with resources and experience is a big bonus in my book. I know there will be someone to stand behind this product in the future.
Manual:
http://forum.aempower.com/forum/index.php/topic,20859.0.html
Updated pin-out attachment in 1st post of this thread:
http://forum.aempower.com/forum/index.php/topic,20726.0.html
I've been working with AEM tech support.
I posted my logs on the AEM forum and emailed them my setup file (maps).
They asked me to zero out my fuel maps and see if misfires still occur.
I carefully connected up, copied current settings from the FIC to the laptop, then I saved a re-named duplicate of my current setup file.
Then I zeroed out the MAP load fuel map (theres also a MAF one), saved that file as "Zero Delta Fuel" and then wrote the new map into the FIC.
then, ofc, the laptop battery died.
after re-charging and re-connecting, I confirmed the current fuel map read zeros.
Driving around, it's not misfiring anymore. I managed to run a few datalogs on the laptop while driving. I'm gonna upload these later today.
So, as with every project I attempt, it's one step forward and 2 steps back.
Overall, I cannot tell a significant difference in the way the car ran with it's initial tune or no fuel tuning at all.
However, I am impressed and pleased with AEM support response so far.
I am psyched about integrating a UEGO feed to assist tuning.
The only shortcoming of the FIC so far (short of the beta features being finalized), has been no playback feature!!
Datalog analysis has to be accomplished primarily by scrolling thru spreadsheets! How 1990! Really!
The ancient technology in the Perfect Power / MPI unit and it's software had a playback display that incorporated a live graph of any parameters you configure AND an analog display of same.
AEM needs to get this going. I might ask some of my software buddies to try and hook me up.
More info when it comes...
I posted my logs on the AEM forum and emailed them my setup file (maps).
They asked me to zero out my fuel maps and see if misfires still occur.
I carefully connected up, copied current settings from the FIC to the laptop, then I saved a re-named duplicate of my current setup file.
Then I zeroed out the MAP load fuel map (theres also a MAF one), saved that file as "Zero Delta Fuel" and then wrote the new map into the FIC.
then, ofc, the laptop battery died.
after re-charging and re-connecting, I confirmed the current fuel map read zeros.
Driving around, it's not misfiring anymore. I managed to run a few datalogs on the laptop while driving. I'm gonna upload these later today.
So, as with every project I attempt, it's one step forward and 2 steps back.
Overall, I cannot tell a significant difference in the way the car ran with it's initial tune or no fuel tuning at all.
However, I am impressed and pleased with AEM support response so far.
I am psyched about integrating a UEGO feed to assist tuning.
The only shortcoming of the FIC so far (short of the beta features being finalized), has been no playback feature!!
Datalog analysis has to be accomplished primarily by scrolling thru spreadsheets! How 1990! Really!
The ancient technology in the Perfect Power / MPI unit and it's software had a playback display that incorporated a live graph of any parameters you configure AND an analog display of same.
AEM needs to get this going. I might ask some of my software buddies to try and hook me up.
More info when it comes...
- :
- 92 & 16 Meyatas
dan, so have you actually "tuned" the car or is it running stock right now? i'm anxious to see how this works on an auto!
- :
- 92 & 16 Meyatas
because it's all 0's??
Yes.
It looks like a big graph with RPMs on the x-axis and MAP load on the y-axis.
I *think* the maps on the FIC work similarly to the MPI.
Adding values (i.e. 0.8, -1.0, 2.3 etc...) into a cell on the fuel map modifies the signal as it is passing thru the piggyback unit.
Here's how I recently explained it to Culridr, who bought my MPI unit.
So some of this info is more specific to the MPI.
(found it in my post on the MPI help thread http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showp...&postcount=663):
-Start by trimming fuel on the Analog Map
Negative values ADD fuel
Positive values REDUCE fuel
If u think of the signal passing thru the MPI, when it hits the value in the Map it is adjusted and sent out back to the ECU with a "new" value. If u reduce the incoming signal value (negative #) the ECU "sees" less fuel and sez "Oh, s***!" and adds more fuel. and ofc vice versa.
(see here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...122274&page=18)
-Tune fuel first, Aiming for an AFR of low to mid 12s
- Software will allow creation of 2nd Map (aka Map B) AFTER you hook up a switch.
- On the timing map 1 unit = 1 degree of spark timing (+/advance & -/retard)
- Timing can range from -44 to +44
- Less retarding is needed with higher octanes
Few other fun things are:
- Configuring the laptop or pc ports. MPI needs an open com port 1, 2, 3, or 4 to connect to. The USB/serial drivers will help setting that up. But you might need a visit to the Device Manager too.
- Playback of logs requires you switch to an active port even when you are not connected to the MPI.
Thats a whole lotta stuff I wish somebody explained to me when I started, so hopefully that will give you a great headstart!
/info
It looks like a big graph with RPMs on the x-axis and MAP load on the y-axis.
I *think* the maps on the FIC work similarly to the MPI.
Adding values (i.e. 0.8, -1.0, 2.3 etc...) into a cell on the fuel map modifies the signal as it is passing thru the piggyback unit.
Here's how I recently explained it to Culridr, who bought my MPI unit.
So some of this info is more specific to the MPI.
(found it in my post on the MPI help thread http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showp...&postcount=663):
-Start by trimming fuel on the Analog Map
Negative values ADD fuel
Positive values REDUCE fuel
If u think of the signal passing thru the MPI, when it hits the value in the Map it is adjusted and sent out back to the ECU with a "new" value. If u reduce the incoming signal value (negative #) the ECU "sees" less fuel and sez "Oh, s***!" and adds more fuel. and ofc vice versa.
(see here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...122274&page=18)
-Tune fuel first, Aiming for an AFR of low to mid 12s
- Software will allow creation of 2nd Map (aka Map B) AFTER you hook up a switch.
- On the timing map 1 unit = 1 degree of spark timing (+/advance & -/retard)
- Timing can range from -44 to +44
- Less retarding is needed with higher octanes
Few other fun things are:
- Configuring the laptop or pc ports. MPI needs an open com port 1, 2, 3, or 4 to connect to. The USB/serial drivers will help setting that up. But you might need a visit to the Device Manager too.
- Playback of logs requires you switch to an active port even when you are not connected to the MPI.
Thats a whole lotta stuff I wish somebody explained to me when I started, so hopefully that will give you a great headstart!
/info
Interesting correspondence from AEM tech sup:
"We have seen certain Mazda vehicles (for instance, 01-05 Miata) that are double-pulsing the injectors, it seems to be during rapid load or throttle increases. The current FIC firmware does not handle this well, and that could explain what you’re seeing on your car (works OK when fuel trim is 0, but has stumbling issues when you adjust the fuel tables in the FIC).
We have a beta firmware version available, you are welcome to try it. It changes the way the injector outputs are calculated, and we have verified that it works well with the 1998 NSX, which has shown similar problems with the old firmware (double-pulsing injectors). We have not tested this firmware on a Mazda yet (we’ve scheduled a Miata test later this week), but I’m pretty confident this should solve your problem.
PS: the first two datalogs that you posted (log_10_15_2007_13_48_40.txt) showed a bunch of bogus numbers on my PC. All the values (except time) were too high and never changed. The PC logs seemed to work well though."
Any clue about double-pulsing injectors? anyone?
"We have seen certain Mazda vehicles (for instance, 01-05 Miata) that are double-pulsing the injectors, it seems to be during rapid load or throttle increases. The current FIC firmware does not handle this well, and that could explain what you’re seeing on your car (works OK when fuel trim is 0, but has stumbling issues when you adjust the fuel tables in the FIC).
We have a beta firmware version available, you are welcome to try it. It changes the way the injector outputs are calculated, and we have verified that it works well with the 1998 NSX, which has shown similar problems with the old firmware (double-pulsing injectors). We have not tested this firmware on a Mazda yet (we’ve scheduled a Miata test later this week), but I’m pretty confident this should solve your problem.
PS: the first two datalogs that you posted (log_10_15_2007_13_48_40.txt) showed a bunch of bogus numbers on my PC. All the values (except time) were too high and never changed. The PC logs seemed to work well though."
Any clue about double-pulsing injectors? anyone?
Last edited:
My response:
" Thank you very much for your help and advice. Can we determine why my on-board logs are malfuntioning?
The mechanic I am working with asked some very pointed questions regarding crank resolution in our discussion thread. Would you have any input regarding that?
http://forum.aempower.com/forum/index.php/topic,20518.15.html
Also, may I ask you about the feasability of some features I think people would like to see?
-Timing advance
-Target AFR
-Datalog playback
http://forum.aempower.com/forum/index.php/topic,20251.msg113648.html#msg113648
Again, thank you very much for your help."
" Thank you very much for your help and advice. Can we determine why my on-board logs are malfuntioning?
The mechanic I am working with asked some very pointed questions regarding crank resolution in our discussion thread. Would you have any input regarding that?
http://forum.aempower.com/forum/index.php/topic,20518.15.html
Also, may I ask you about the feasability of some features I think people would like to see?
-Timing advance
-Target AFR
-Datalog playback
http://forum.aempower.com/forum/index.php/topic,20251.msg113648.html#msg113648
Again, thank you very much for your help."
- :
- 92 & 16 Meyatas
thanks dan for keeping us up to date! you were missed last sat. by the way!!(drive)
I was curious to find out about what the double-pulsing fuel injectors was about.
Found some info here:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20070175438.html
"The double pulse injection strategy (i.e., one pulse before ignition and one pulse after ignition)"
I guess this is an emmissions reducing strategy, but I can't say I understand it.
Found some info here:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20070175438.html
"The double pulse injection strategy (i.e., one pulse before ignition and one pulse after ignition)"
I guess this is an emmissions reducing strategy, but I can't say I understand it.
not exactly the same thing for our engine....this is someone talking about direct injection, injecting fuel directly into the piston chamber/cylinder
ours, of course, inject the a/f mixture into the intake runners as close to the valve as possible, but before the chamber
pulsing the injector twice would allow for a richer mixture that would stay atomized and keep the fuel from pooling/puddling in the intake
(i believe the injectors are batch fired as well, not sequential, so i could see this strategy comming into play too)
From AEM Tech Support Engineering staff:
"I tested the Mazdaspeed Miata today: the car is double-firing the injectors, not exactly a batch fire strategy, but a long pulse (5ms) followed by a pause (2ms) and then a short pulse (2ms). The FIC is accurately reproducing the Miatas fuel pulses. When we received the car, it had a slight hiccup when the FIC was installed with zero corrections; we were able to rectify this by adjusting the MAF sensor voltage at certain RPM and load points (although adding or subtracting fuel didnt seem to help at all).
My recommendation to anyone tuning an FIC would be to update your firmware to z110.hex (I think I sent you a copy of this, I sent it to a few people last week) and use the newest FIC software so you can log wideband AFRs and get a better picture of what the car is doing when it feels wrong, because the butt-dyno just isnt accurate enough. "
"I tested the Mazdaspeed Miata today: the car is double-firing the injectors, not exactly a batch fire strategy, but a long pulse (5ms) followed by a pause (2ms) and then a short pulse (2ms). The FIC is accurately reproducing the Miatas fuel pulses. When we received the car, it had a slight hiccup when the FIC was installed with zero corrections; we were able to rectify this by adjusting the MAF sensor voltage at certain RPM and load points (although adding or subtracting fuel didnt seem to help at all).
My recommendation to anyone tuning an FIC would be to update your firmware to z110.hex (I think I sent you a copy of this, I sent it to a few people last week) and use the newest FIC software so you can log wideband AFRs and get a better picture of what the car is doing when it feels wrong, because the butt-dyno just isnt accurate enough. "
Last edited:
2.0t03speed
Member
- :
- 08.5 CWP Speed 3
nice glad to see you are getting support from aem. i hope you can get this to work because i would really like to use this to tune my fuel and timing when i drop my built motor in vs paying 1k and getting a microtech or a halltech
