Yes! They went with a Maxcell MAX9926, a dedicated VR conditioner. Unlike the old circuit that looked at zero crossing with a manual hysteresis adjustment to shape the wave, the MAX9926 is a DSP (basically) which intelligent adapts. It works by comparing difference on the incoming signal between the + and - (one reason with the MS3-Pro you don't just ground one side of the VR) so it is much more robust and immune to noise. The MS3-Pro also comes with two 2 conductor shielded wires, so there is no need to modify the harness.

Really? In part 23 I built a bloody intake manifold! 22.5 was fun, but really just a way to tell people I'm still alive.

 

It's a shame the price went from $350 for a MS2/3 to $1000 for the pro...negates the advantage the MS had if you ask me.

 

Aaron that takes me back a year or a little more when I did the same basic thing to have the mazda LIM match the air box and carb mount for my bike . Actually for pot aluminum I thought it all welded up rather nice on my stuff. yea I was going to use 1/2 inch plate and the only reason I went to 3/8 was because I couldn't get the 1/2 without buying a large piece now I'm glad I went to the 3/8 anyway. I found it quite pleasing to get it all built and make things work ( And line up proper ) Maybe I find this more pleasing than some of the stuff because I've been there and know what is involved . I've never had a problem building things it's all the figuring and second guessing that gets me . In case you give a crap I used the lumbar support compressor from a chevy seat to open the ports it takes 1.5 seconds to fully open them both they are almost free at princess Auto and are tiny small .

 

Except that's not a direct comparison.

If you pick the cheapest way to get an MS3X, which is to assemble a V3 board then add the MS3 stuff, it comes to about:

$378 for V3 board with MS3 card
$90 for MS3X expander
$174 for both harnesses
$150 for real time clock and knock kits (built into MS3-Pro)

Then there's your time to assemble the board, troubleshoot, you'll probably want a Stim.

So it's not as great a price difference as it first appears. Plus consider the advantages of the MS3-Pro:

-redesigned circuit with better VR conditioners
-sealed case
-weather tight Delphi connectors (worlds better than the old DB37s)
-harness ready to go (no mods needed for more I/O)

But it's also important to consider the MS3-Pro is designed for a different market than the traditional MS kits. It's aimed at those people who would have bought a FAST, Haltech or other standalone. In that market, feature wise (the MS3/MS3-Pro even supports GPS track telemetry!), it is most competitive.

I remember seeing your original carb air box but I do have to admit that I have not been following your build as of late. Actually I've not really be following anyone, and have barely been on the forum. Busy, busy. I'll need to catch up soon. Yeah, welding on the cast isn't too bad but it's still dirty and kind of unpredictable.


I'll be opening my aux ports via boost pressure, since there is a handy compressor already strapped to the front of the engine.

 

Part 24 of my '76 Cosmo restoration is here! And I'm going to come right out and warn you; this is a long one. There is a lot of detail here, for you see, this episode covers in it's entirety the installation of the MegaSquirt MS3-Pro EFI system. Like the engine build in part 12, I decided to cover the entire process in a way that would help anyone performing a similar installation. And while this specifically covers the MS3-Pro, all the information is valid for any MegaSquirt installation and indeed, any other brand of standalone as well. In this episode you'll see from scratch the MS3-Pro installation from bare engine bay to fully wired and functional EFI system. Included is detailed coverage of making an ECU mounting panel, wiring in all the injectors and sensors, wiring up the 2nd gen RX-7 CAS and coils, boost solenoid, e-fan relays and other EFI related accessories. So pour yourself a big drink, get comfortable, and enjoy.

A huge thanks goes out to DIYAutoTune ( MegaSquirt | Engine Management System | Electronic Fuel Injection - DIYAutoTune.com ) for providing the MS3-Pro and other parts used in this installation.

Rotary MegaSquirt Links:
How To Megasquirt Your 2nd Gen RX-7
How to MegaSquirt your FC RX-7

 

squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel!!!!!!!!!!

 

Probably one of the best episodes yet!

I'm gonna be that guy and complain though. With all of that great hardware and things provided by DIYAutoTune - and they couldnt provide a crimp tool? That thing made life so much easier with two crimps to finish off one of those things properly.

This makes me want to re-check my car and MS2 and make sure I didnt miss a ground somewhere...

P.S. How can I check for electrical noise on the CAS circuit?

P.S.S Thank you for taking the time to make up these great videos. It's an inspiration.

 

I enjoyed the video. When I put together my ECU harness, I crimped using splice terminals and soldered using Kester 44 rosen core solder and finally covered using glue-wall-filled heatshrink tubiing. I didn't know about the flux remover though, so count me among those who made the mistake.

If you're looking for a cheap ratcheting crimp tool, I suggest the Eclipse Model: 300-054 Lunar ratcheting crimp frame at $24 US. It accepts various crimp dies made by MSD, including a weatherpac set and an AMP pin set that's compatible with the double-crimp terminals used on the various 1/4", .90" and .110" terminals used on various RX7 electrical connectors. The MSD die sets are $28 US, while Eclipse die sets are about $16 US. Uninsulated, insulated, Weatherpac and AMP will cover virtually all your crimping needs.

I've had mine for years and it has held up great. I got mine from Terminaltown.com, but the frame and die sets are available elsewhere.

 

Man, can't wait for the next few episodes now.

At first I was scared to death of wiring, but spending the entire 1hr 10min for this video, I think I'll be okay.

 

I actually didn't even think about a crimper when I was shopping for the MegaSquirt stuff. But, surprisingly, the little $6 crimper I used throughout the process worked very well. It has the dies in the front for the WeatherPack pins, though it doesn't have the die for the WeatherPack seal. There is a generic round die that handles the seal with a little practice. I think if I was doing this every day I'd invest in a proper crimper and cut the operation down to 3 seconds per crimp.

If you have the paid TunerStudio you can use the trigger logger to get a good idea of any noise. Or if you have a scope, you can always scope the signal. It should look like a fairly pure sine wave, with the other reluctor's signal slightly superimposed on top. What you don't want to see are massive random spikes or ramps in the wave.

I think my nearly empty spool of Kester 44 was visible several times in the video. Almost no one knows about flux remover anyway. Alcohol works well as a substitute and some fluxes even dissolve with water.

I just checked it out and it's definitely on hte list when I next go electronics shopping!

Glad I could help. See, it's not nearly as scary as people say to do a good wiring job.

 

When I was building up my gen 4 celica I was researching MS and you just sold me. It looks great can't wait for the next episode.

 

Glad to be the cause of another MegaSquirt installation out there.

 

Episode 25 of my '76 Mazda RX-5 Cosmo restoration is another long one, covering in its entirety the fabrication of the turbocharger manifold. Suddenly the engine bay started to look a little cramped when I began to position the GT3076R, so it took some plumbing to build the required manifold. Constructed out of 1.5" SCH40 304 stainless steel pipe, it was fully TIG welded with an argon back purge. Yes, this is another long episode because I wanted to show the manifold fabrication process in glorious detail so that this video would be a useful resource for anyone wanting to build a custom turbo manifold. So as I say, grab your favourite adult beverage, sit back, and enjoy. Included in this episode: fabricating a 13B exhaust flange, fabbing a merge collector, positioning a turbo in the engine bay, measuring, cutting and fitting stainless pipe and els, tacking in position, setting up a back purge, final welding, port matching, custom heat shields.

A huge thank you to ATP Turbo ( ATP TURBO - The Premiere Provider of Turbocharging Components ) for helping out with some of the parts used in this episode.

 

Wow, great job you did there! I honestly didn't think that holesaw would make it through that 1/2" stainless plate!, We use similar plates all day at work, and they are hell to work with! You do need to get a copper hammer though for beating on pipes, but you probably already figured that out yourself

 

I was quite surprised at how easily the hole saw went through the plate. Less than 5 minutes per hole and the saw survived quite well. The drilling was quite pleasant but the sawing was not. I shudder to think how many hours I burned on that. In retrospect I should have just sent the CAD drawings out to the laser cutter and paid $200 to have a bunch cut (funny how the price is the same for 1 as it is for 10). And the great irony is that there was a brass hammer not 10 feet away in my toolbox. Never occurred to me to actually use it.

 

Nice work, really like the video

 

nice nice work like always

 

great info thanks.

 

So, any updates on the next video? Maybe even a release date?

 

As the videos are being made real time with the work, the next one will be released when I am ready. Sadly the last few days in the shop have been unproductive.

 

Aaron I've been so busy is crazy every time at night I see your videos I don't sleep thinking tomorrow will be the day I start and I get busy ,, sucks called a shop to sand blast bottom of car but when they had opening I was traveling again .. Sucks I say sucks my rx3 is in pieces lol

 

With the turbo manifold finished and the turbocharger installed, it seemed logical to continue on that route and finish the rest of the exhaust. So in part 26 of my '76 Mazda Cosmo Restoration, I do just that. Starting with the downpipe, I build the full stainless steel exhaust piece by piece to include a catalytic converter, resonator, middle muffler and rear muffler. It was a bit of challenge to fit all that equipment under a car never designed to contain it, however I believe I have achieved my goal of an above OEM quality, long lasting and quiet exhaust system. In this episode you'll see me: build a downpipe, cut and fit tubing, weld to a v-band, build a midpipe with O2 sensor bung and flanges, position exhaust components, cut tubing bends to fit resonator and mufflers, loads of TIG welding, set up exhaust hangers.

 

Good detail video,, cant wait to hear this beast roar...

 

Sounds good by the way what were the angles you used to get around the axle?

 

Off hand I don't know what the angles were exactly as I just cut them to fit. Two 90s at the front coming off the muffler, then I believe the two that brought it down to the rear muffler were very close to 45 degrees.

I spent a lot of time pondering whether the pandard bar would be an issue at full compression with the way the rear pipe was positioned but ultimately decided there was plenty of clearance.