ramses666

iTrader: (1)

Right.... What's the power steering computer do? Can I used it for something when I delete the PS setup for a manual rack? WTF is the extra computer thingy doing? Why did the factory bother with it? Can I use it for Ground Control Effects? Turn the Headlights with the Steering? or little Wing-Thingies? Control my LED wheel lights for color changes?

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

The simple answer to your question is probably not.

When you delete PS, you remove the switches that tell it to do it's job. That is all they are. There is not really many inputs that it relys on. Also, you said your car is an S4. I'm pretty sure you do not have speed sensitive steering or a PS computer.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

If you say so... Maybe it's just a warning light...

I'm pretty sure the EGR-Popcorn Popper will work though... Doing Flame-Thrower Donuts to make Jiffy Pop seems appropriately Obscure Enough to be Popular... The AC cooling unit just didn't seem efficient enough to make a good Gelato... Maybe an Espresso Machine Hook Up? That's pretty do-able...

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

The Technical Papers from the Power Steering section here:

http://foxed.ca/rx7manual/manuals/Tr...ing_System.pdf

Actually have some great detail about how it all works & is probably easily adapted for various uses related to Engine Speed/Vehicle Speed/Steering Angle and anything else you wanted to use it for...

Seemed completely Brilliant use of a Variable Hydraulic Torque Arm... Someone could totally use the Steering Computer for something other than an ash-tray or spud-gun target...

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

Right, but it begs the question. Why?

I have honestly checked your posted threads you have made and you have had some rather crazy ideas over the years. Good for you that you are curious and want to experiment. I have no issues with that, but the it still begs the question as to why.

I look at any modification or service item like this. What will this accomplish and will it make a difference while being simple and reliable. Bastardizing stock modules and repurposing them seems cool and all, but it still adds complexity and an unneeded element. This is my personal opinion. If there was a way to really get something useful out of these modules, cool. But you still are trying to accomplish a task with a primitive piece of equipment that often times a proper standalone engine management system can handle. And do so more elegantly.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

Sure... I get your point & Rightly So. Why? Why Not use Imagination to Innovate beyond the Simple & Easy. Why would someone take a telephone or a record player & teach it to be smart? Why does a Dog need a GPS Collar? Why Heat Food with a Radar Dish?

Why would I want a movie camera on a Police Officer? Who Needs A Lawyer anyway... I Know I'm Right so I'll Win... I'll keep paying for an Upside-down house because Bankruptcy is Dis-honorable & My Ego is More Important than My Family.

I'll Tolerate every Injustice Done to Others as long as my Ivory Tower has a Manicured Lawn & Rambo on Speed Dial...

Yeah... You're right... It's Silly to try to understand what you actually have & how it all works... No One Cares about any of that... It's Too Hard to Think when some one else will do it for me all the time... I need to go write a list of all the people I might have possibly offended by speaking my mind all these years... The Thought-Police have Pulled My Permit...

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

Woah dude, take a step back. I'm not trying to hate bash your ideas, on the contrary, I have been replying and trying to help give you insight.

You originally asked about upgrade options for just the stock PCM. It spiraled into where we are now. No need to drag a political strawman into this discussion. This thread was about options and upgrades to your FC.

You want to bring it down to this level, take it to the lounge.

You originally posted that you wanted to keep this as a street car, then it spiraled into using the PS computer to actuate active aero. That's cool and all, but don't act like an *** when I tell you that I PERSONALLY do not see the reason or benefit to monkey around with aging controllers, when you can install a single controller or a couple ad-ons to do all that you desire.

You wanted opinions and you've gotten a few. I come onto the forum to research and help and learn.

If I wanted a political jab, or a sarcastic comment about how much I did or did not want to learn and experience, I would have my father in law yell at me about how "Trump will fix America."

fc323

How about instead of brainstorming, you just try these things out..all the information is out there after all...you dont need everyones opinion or approval...i hope.


Also, judging by your last couple of posts, you get butthurt pretty fast. Calm down, its the internet. You can turn it off at any moment instead of accusing everyone that they are oppressing you

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

Someone begged the ? of Why Bother... It's a Legitimate Question. Same as "What difference does it make?"

It's a simple comparison & perhaps "Rotary Politics" does indeed Mirror our upside down current reality.

Why would Aaron Cake take on an RX5 Cosmo?

It's a Simple Answer - We Chose to Go Rotary - Not because it is Easy... But Because It Is Hard!

Some might not be very amused by my comparative analysis because their In-Laws Rant & Rave & Curse about Some Person or Other should be Jailed or what-not... That's strictly a personal problem & beyond my purvue in this Forum...

I'm just not very receptive to Promoting Ignorance or Just Throwing Things Away without understanding what I have & where I want to end up.

I think History & Perspective are Important & forgetting what you started out with mostly leads to faulty conclusions about your own identity. Might as well have Herbert Hoover organizing the Gay Pride Parade to take a Long March off a Short Pier.

I don't get Offended... Quite the Opposite... I get quite excited when someone asks me "Why Bother"... I believe It Is Important & Worthy of Discussion. Even if some Kindergarten Passive-Aggressive Displays are Required to make a Point against ignorance & mental laziness.

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

Promoting ignorance? We have came in here and gave our opinions on a good starting point. Your original post related to a stock replacement PCM. That is where this started. You originally said you wanted a street car.

It's tough for us to guess where you want to end up when you flippantly start talking about repurposing controllers and ports to make ice cream and popcorn. This is far outside usual experimentation and I feel you are not taking this seriously. Sure, you can future proof and come up with many different ways to do something, but "just throwing things away" has nothing to do with it. The RX7 stock controllers are very primitive. You can delete them and use a single controller to accomplish what Mazda took 5 controllers to do.

It's just an RX7. Nothing more. This is not the Starship Enterprise. We are not discovering the cure to cancer in our cars. We are fixing them up to enjoy them and drive them. If you want to do something bold and crazy, go for it. I'm not stopping you.

That attitude is not required at all. It's disrespectful of those who have been replying to you. You have no idea what I do for a living, or what I spend my time learning and researching. There is no point to be made against "mental laziness". This isn't a TedTalk, it's a thread on a website.

Asking the question, "why bother" in this case relates to the fact that you have been all over the map with your plans and ideas from the beginning, with no clear goal. There is no cookie cutter answer that will satisfy you, obviously, but when you want to experiment with controllers that have no programming ability and are simple I/O boxes, it does beg the question as to why. If something can be made of it, great!, but you could be more constructive with your time and get back to the original task at hand.

You wanted to upgrade to a standalone. A quality standalone can do all of the things you want to do and with the ability to program them. There, you can do the wild active aero, auto drift, popcorn maker, steering actuated headlamps, and more. That should make a well rounded street car for you.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

I agree... What Exactly does an ECU upgrade do when installed in a Stock Vehicle? Specifically, all the Stock Equipment. What has to be deleted? What factory systems are abandoned & which ones have to be modified?

There are many aspects of the Stock ECU & wiring an Upgrade Board into a Stock ECU Box & getting things sorted out. Especially when I'm not planning on changing the harness out for a new one.

Perhaps I should have posted this in the ECU Forum - for that I Apologize.

My thinking was that my question seems quite Basic in Nature & would have a Broader Appeal to Forum Members in the 2nd Gen Section.

I have the Time, Patience & Opportunity to make "Good Choices". If I was a "Know It All" I wouldn't bother to ask questions & make silly propositions - on the Contrary, I Desire Knowledge & Opinions from Others - I know what I think already...

I can be Serious & Silly... Lighten Up a Little... I'd like to at least provide something thought provoking for all the trouble other members go through just to read my "Drivel".

Turblown

iTrader: (12)

There will be an Adaptronic Modular FC3S PNP ecu available in the future;

https://blog.turbosource.com/2016/07...lar-unveiling/

This would be by far the most advanced PNP unit for your car.

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

Very valid questions.


It's a free forum, man. Post away.



If you can do something truly unique and different, I'm all ears and excited to see something new. I do get tired of seeing the same hacked up drift builds here, so something different may be cool.

I remember reading on Aaron's website about his PC-based room/home controller. It had the power to adjust lights, run fans, music, etc. I personally never had the drive, nor ambition to do that, but I respected his project. I should have used the same lens with your project. Even if I personally see it as a waste of time to reverse engineer a controller, that doesn't mean that you can do something useful with it.

I generally take things far too seriously, and I know that I probably should take a step back. I look at things in a far too "black and white" way. In my job, I get burned out from all of the experiments and case studies that I get forced to do, and I diagnose cars for a living. I usually am stuck deep inside a euro car of some kind, trying to figure out what the hell it's thinking and trying to do.

After researching all day just to create a test plan to diagnose a fiber optic network on a BMW, or diagnose a faulty CAN bus on a Mercedes; I usually pack it in when I get home to my car and try to keep things simple. With my project, I approached it as a car that I want reliable and simple. Simply because I spend so much time going over theory and operation on controllers all day, I couldn't care less about what Mazda was thinking with their aging controllers. The logic levels of them are so low that I see no real use for them outside their intended function.

That being said, no hard feelings. I felt like you started off with a very valid question, and continued to continue valid lines of thought. I just got a little derailed at the gelato and popcorn bit. I couldn't tell if you were serious or not, since the internet is a rather strange place.

If it were my car, which it's not, I would approach your objectives from a different angle. Instead of thinking about expansion now, look at the whole scope of the project and come up with an end goal. That way you don't get fussy over contingency. For example, you can delete the PS computer, the stock ECU, and whatever superfluous sensor the stock PCM relies on. This being the MAF, boost sensor (even NAs get a "boost sensor"), the AWS, the thermowax (a proper PCM can control the BAC well enough to maintain cold idle), and maybe a few I missed.

Some of the things to keep that could be useful are the steering angle input from the column to the PS CPU. That can be used as a directional yaw input, maybe for traction control, and you can also use the output from the cluster for a speed input.

These are at least two things that are very handy if implemented properly. Trying to modify a PS controller to turn on headlamps and stuff is an exercise in futility. YOu cant necessarily program the points of activation and are stuck with the onboard logic, but you can still try and figure something out. The tech manuals are out there.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

Wow! That is Very Helpful & in-line with my thoughts. Thank You.

The Adaptronics Debut seems to be Right Place & Right Time... I have the "Perfect Test Vehicle" for a Stock to "Whatever" Project.

An Un-molested & Functional '88 S4 GTU is a Good Place to Start at... I'm open to possibilities.

I'm a Willing Guinea Pig... I've hacked my way through this process once before & have a chance to do it over again correctly.

Perhaps Adaptronic has a need for a Proper Test Vehicle? I will Gladly Volunteer.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

While we wait... Has anyone fabricated a Grill & Pressure-cooker that hooks up to the exhaust tips? A temp sensor & cruise control cross-wire could give a good temp control & an extra high-rise exhaust stack from the add-on Grill Box might mitigate some of the Terror.

It might be popular at Cruise-ins & Tailgating activities.

My Father was something of a Practical Joker around his office back in the Day... In Light of My Lack of Complete Seriousness I'd recommend placing some Jiffy-Pop Popcorn on Someone Else's exhaust manifolds or pipes for some Proper Levity...

Outside the Engine Bay & under the car preferably... Unless someone is particularly Nasty... Then they get the Engine Bay Popcorn Bomb... Have a Fire Extinguisher HANDY... & a shop vac... The Horror!

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

Try this: :P

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

I am considering getting that same PCM. The modular nature is a big plus.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

This? Adaptronic Select Mazda RX-7 ECU

DC5Daniel

iTrader: (10)

That is not the modular, but a fine ECU for non popcorn maker/rocket launcher/ejector seat needs. I use that in my own car.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

This is why I'm trying to ask the correct questions...

Let me try again...

Is there an ECU that can "Plug right in" Stock & Grow with Me on a Varied Upgrade Path?

I can wire one into a stock box or not... Extra ports & modern interfaces are a good thing to have of course... & the Stock ECU Case may be a step backwards. Installing a New connector on the old harness is subject to the patience & skill level of the Technician & Not recommended by Me...

Even though I've plenty experience in this department in a different profession... The oxidation state of the old harness makes this process very tedious to complete properly under the Best Conditions.

A Jumper Connector from the New ECU Box to the Old Harness would seem to be Less Prone to Problems & Failures than the other options. The Old Harness Connector can be inspected and the contacts properly cleaned & some pro-active care can keep that old connection solid & less prone to noise or glitchy interference or creeping corrosion or moisture problems.

The cost of the Jumper Harness would be worth probably $200 pre-made, but you'll easily save that much in Time & Effort doing your own work - possibly more than once or twice to get it correct...

I used to do large multipin connectors as a Tag Team with my Elder Mentor acting as a Surgeon & myself as the Assisting Nurse in a Delicate Operation. Crimp Pins are Full of Fail on an Old Oxidized Wire... Doing this operation on the floor-board of your car is a recipe for disaster even for an expert.

You would need to "somehow" remove the corrosion around every individual strand of the twisted wire... Acid Flux not-withstanding... Soldering will fail miserably. Then there's heat shrink or potting the connector with epoxy or hot glue to keep the solder joints from stress cracking under vibration... Until it does... Then What? My God! Shoot Me Dead Now!

A New ECU Box & Short Jumper Cable for the Old Harness Connection would seem to be the Winning Move for a Product to be Easy & Reliable without the Head Aches of the other Methods.

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

The short answer is, there really is not a "plug in unit" that is for the NA RX7.

You can build one using megasquirt components, or you can buy an FD PowerFC with a Banzai jumper harness like this one.

APEXi Power FC Adapter Kit (86-88 RX-7)

If you are that concerned about oxidation in the harness connectors, which are usually in good condition since they are in the car, then look at wiring in a custom loom. I've torn apart quite a few cars in various makes and models. The PCM connectors that live inside the car are often in great shape with like-new wires. Once you get into the engine bay, the story changes. It's really easy to pull the engine loom through the bay to work on it.

You drop the blower case out and then pull the engine loom through the firewall and crimp the wires while working on the fender. The third connector inside the car is a bit tricky, but it's only one connector. I have never had a problem repinning a connector on a car where the connectors were inside the car. Under the hood and body are a different story.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

Good Answer... It depends on the conditions... I always thought the Stock harness & connectors were a strong point quality-wise.

I remember leaving the sun-roof open too many times while at the beach bar & getting showered more than once inside... but the Harness & ECU from my now-deceased base model S4 was in decent shape - though there was some corrosion on the case.

I'll err on the side of caution when I make a recommendation & your experience demonstrates that it "Doesn't have to be a Nightmare" & I'm just telling Scary Stories about the Boogey-Man to Scare Little Rotards when "It's Really Not So Bad" That's a Good Balance...

The Conditions Matter as well as Competence.

ramses666

iTrader: (1)

I looked at the PowerFC link with the adaptor & the actual ECU. How is it? It looked like what I'm searching for, but what's your experience?

The Price is in the ball park I guess... about the same as any other unless it's a kit-type...

Moding a Trailing Coil & Ignitor? I've got a few spares in the bone yard...

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

I personally do not have experience with the PowerFC. I know that many other users have loads of experience and really like them. The ECU is a bit outdated, since it was developed 10+ years ago. I know Howard Coleman ran one on his 500+WHP FD for a long time and liked it. It's a reliable and capable PCM, based on what other users seem to have been accomplishing.With a Datalogit, it's a well rounded unit that has aged rather gracefully. The PowerFC forum is where you would want to ask the heavy lifting questions. I did look at the PowerFC, but I wanted to replace my whole harness and go with a newer style of controller.

ACR_RX-7

iTrader: (1)

I just found this on a different post in the forum. Just stumbled into it, really...

Adaptronic Select Mazda RX-7 ECU


This is the thread that I found it in.

https://www.rx7club.com/single-turbo.../#post12045548