Chapter 6: Running the car from a laptop.

Ok,
You’ve got a very basic grasp now of what goes into getting the car to a mappable scenario. All we gotta do now is hook our emulator into the setup and fire her up.

Heres the emulator, note how we have fitted a socket where the chip used to be, and then that socket is cabled across to the emulator.


And here you can see it connected to a Marelli Ecu:


So that brings us to “What the fook does an Emulator do Stu?”
Well,
Basically, as the ecu requires info, it access a lookup table in the control maps and then, based on various parameters, draws a result from the software and applies that result to the engine.

What we want to do, is change that result whilst its happening. That’s where the emulator comes in. It loads the software required into its very fast flash memory and addresses it correctly so that the Ecu thinks it is still a chip. Now whilst the Ecu needs info, its taking it from the same control maps, only its being taken from its storage area within my Emulator, and not from an Eprom as normal

“so why is this good?”

Ok,
This is good because now I have the ecu on one side of my Emulator, but I have my Laptop on the otherside doing two VERY usefull things:
1) Showing me what data the ecu is asking for and at what time.
2) Allowing me to change it

Remember at 6000rpm, the Ecu will access for the same data 50 times per second so its not like I will miss anything if that’s what you think

So:
Were hooked up now, the engines running, we will now get a screen something like these:




Note the difference between these and previous screenshots is the addition of a red box, covering 4 separate values? That is the live “trace” and its position, is the exact data the ecu is using to run the engine at that time.. so we can now alter the data in these boxes, whilst the engine is running.. at 200mph if we like.


To lighten the load a little, whilst I nip out and get all your mail order onb its way to you, someone asked earlier:
“Who drives whilst your mapping?”
Well, this varies: 90% Of the time, either Kenny or Myself will drive and the other will map.
In rare cases, we will allow you to drive us around.
In even rarer cases, this little beauty may drive for me.


What do you want as chapter 7? Have i missed any questions?