andybond

Massive kudos for what you are doing. Its way beyond me !

It reminds me a bit of Jackie Chans Starion in Canonball Run II

purplecivicturbo

Im sorry chaps, didnt realise i had replies!!

Thanks for your comments!!

Dont let the switches alarm you lol.. All the primary functions, such as the wing, fuel, ALS .etc are located on the main panel in the upper dash. The most switches are located in the lower dash panel.

I designed all the systems to have an "Auto" setting, so there is technically no need for the driver to make any changes. The reason for all the switches is just in case of a malfunction or a software glitch, and for example the cooling system needs overriding.

Ive made a little more progress.. I redesigned the drive by wire computer.. I finished it but excess noise was causing jitter, which I deemed unsafe.. I redesigned the system and implemented a suggestion to add a small amount of built in jitter - to prevent sticktion..

The new system utilises a secondary CPU with built in error checking using the original TPS. There is now an RS232 datalink between the two CPUs so there is absolutely no chance of noise.

Here is a little video;



Here is a short video where i used my function generator to emulate 0 - 100 - 0% throttle repeatedly for an hour. This simply tested the longevity of the PSU and servo.



The final computer;



For my side business I also bought a cheap (if you can call it cheap) chinese CNC milling machine.. Initially its rubbish but after re-designing it, modifying it and replacing some parts its now very good.. Very accurate and reliable.. Ill be using it to isolation mill PCB, engrave and cut plastic for dash panels and to mill billet ali (very slowly, but still in house)





Here you can see the power supply board for the VFD (Variable Frequency Driver) for the spindle. I moved it out of the case as the amount of noise it was chucking out was stupid! Also, the spindle was manually controlled which was a bit stupid plus also didnt offer a decent indication of when it was finished the operation. I built a small daughter board to sit internally in-line with the parallel port which allows signals to be extracted / added. It has a couple of relays on and one of which drives the spindle motor VFD. It is now fully automated, the only thing i have to do is tool changes, but sticking my head out and listening for the noise is a good indicator of whether its finished or not..

purplecivicturbo

I have had a small idea..

I am building a wind splitter onto the bottom of my new (not bought yet) CF spoon lip.. But based on aero theory, it really needs to be as close to the ground as possible, to limit the amount of air flowing under the floor. This will later be expanded by a custom rear diffuser..

I want to get the splitter done before the respray really so i dont damage anything whilst i do it.. But ive had a "clever" idea..

You need it as close as possible to the deck, but on the road and at low speeds when the car is manouvring it could foul the ground. An ingenious idea would be to electronically drop the splitter closer to the road when it isnt likely to foul and lift it at lower speed. An example of this is the Mitsubishi GTO, that had a "variable venturi" which dropped in the same way.

I have managed to obtain th electonic diagram of how it works, and managed to get the motor / mechanism cheaply. I am planning on modifying my rear wing computer to drive it too and mount a wind splitter and secondary (normally hidden behind spoon lip) airdam which the GTO mechanism will drop down at speeds above 70mph..

Its a little over the top, but since i need to make the mechanism to hold the splitter anyway, and since i got the mechanism for Ł15 delivered, i couldnt say no lol

doctor stavros

Awesome stuff

purplecivicturbo

I thought i would stop by for a small update..
I have finished what i can do with the wheel arches now, having layed up fibreglass onto the wing, fibreglassed the rear of the arches and bonded them both, the shape of the arches no matches the contour of the body.
Ive added filler to the edges to smooth them in but i want to ensure that they stay separate from the car, even after respray- i dont want a bit of damage to require the respray of the whole panel..




Also finished mounting up the front active aero, i decided to do it off the traction bar, this is great as the strength is massive. It sits in the unused space between the front bumper and the chassis.




On another note, i was actually asked to make a little gizmo.. This converts the signal from an OEM stereo control (steering wheel, stalk whatever) to control pretty much anything, in this case a Race Technology DASH2


Also started adding additional support to the boot lid. Its not finished yet as the bottom needs flattening and plating but the rain started.. These structural elements carry the load directly from 2 points on each rear wing support to the member running along the bottom of the boot lid. This should disperse any force exterted by the wing itself under airbrake and normal use.


And just a little pic of the CNC miller running off my own engine position / coil on plug / anti lag controller.. It took 3 hours to do it lol, but its done now.

NEEDFORSPEED

absolutely unreal as usual!!!!

purplecivicturbo

Thanks mate..

Here is a small update, whilst im here..





The other day i came down to find that my rear window had randomly shattered... A bit annoying since its not insured they want silly money for a new one..
So much so i have actually started a group buy for lexan windows on a forum im a trader on, now seemed like the time to get a set and theyve offered me a decent discount..

I took the chance to remove the rear glass and finish up the radiator mounts and rear wing substructure;







On another note, since im on a Ford forum.. Somebody asked me to produce a device which would allow a standard ford radio stalk to control anything, but in this case a Race-Technology dash.. Here it is, concept to handed over in 3 days.. not bad i feel lol





(LEDs in the video simulate the inputs to the dash)

purplecivicturbo

Ive been so busy recently I havnt really been able to look at the civic, but I set a few hours aside the other day to finish the drive by wire..
Im not sure whether I mentioned it but I have moved away from my own throttle body design and decided to look for an OEM alternative.
I found an Audi RS4 throttle body in the same diameter as my own (76mm), cheap too.. I bought it. With some small modification of the hole sizes, I managed to get it to fit my intake manifold. Albeit needing allen head bolts for clearance..
I then modified my drive by wire controller to drive it directly. This is the result of the efforts;



As you can see, the throttle plate is unacceptably jittery.. This is because the motor is trying to seek the position at full speed (100% duty).
I decided to take the “chip enable” pin of the h-bridge IC, and connect it to the spare PWM pin of the PIC. This would work as a “chopper” circuit. I then designed an algorithm which would run the motor at full duty cycle but reduce the duty cycle the closer it got to the intended target position. By doing it like this there is no overshoot.
There is a scaling factor in the software which I can adjust to get the best balance between speed and jitter. In the video below it was set to 5, but afterwards I adjusted it to 10, and that was too far and the jitter came back.
Im going to have another fettle and try to bring it back tonight..
I can pretty much declare it finished now. And im rather happy, plus im using the dual pots in the Audi throttle to continuously perform self tests as to whether the system is working and whether both the sensors agree..

fiestaturbo1984

iTrader: (3)

holy skillz batman. you sir have some brains on you. fair play to you, i agree with others about not keeping it looking standard. This car has some epic electronics so needs to look mad as can be.

LIMITLESS

Good work mate, certainly different

ozmk1cos

Im in awe of the gear you can take from idea to product. I hope to watch this through to completion.
Also a for doing something different, I didnt think this kind of thing would be posted buy someone with the name " purple civic turbo "

purplecivicturbo

Thanks alot chaps!

ahh you never can tell with screen names.. granted id have rather had an Escos and wish id never sold my capri but unfortunately i started this project young so in ended up with a civic.. lol

Dan j

Fantastic stuff what's next automatic suspension that raises and lowers the car for when its on a track and the surface is oh so smooth.

It's like a new age deloren minus the time travel bit. Keep it up

purplecivicturbo

Lol, funnily enough years ago after seeing the ferrari with a jacking mechanism on the front, i did think about it.. Decided against it though lol..

Finished the dbw tonight, did a bit of testing with the function generator..

Jumby

An insane rebuild, love the stainless dash fascia really looks nice well done!

purplecivicturbo

Thanks mate- i do like it.. I didnt know whether it would be a bit "in your face" so to speak lol..

It should show everything i need, i have to start developing the software soon but its an architecture im new to and its not arrived yet.. going to have to spend some time on it.. lol

Im currently working on a prototype water injection system which throttles the pump to acheive a flow rate as opposed to a pressure. This will be used in tandem with a boost sensor and fuel flow rate circuit...

NEEDFORSPEED

yes!!!

purplecivicturbo

lol was that in reaction to the water injection system lol

SMILER258

awesome project!!! What degree do you have?

purplecivicturbo

Thanks mate


I have a Beng (hons) in Aerospace Engineering.. Im trying to get my day job to pay for a phD because i cant afford to myself lol