Idiots guide to installing a cheap EMS such as the MSII aka MS2 or Megasquirt2

[NathanUK]

Well, as the title suggests I am indeed an idiot and would like to know how I could install a MSII to my 930.

I am aware that the crank sensors seem to fail often compared to say the one used by my 3.2 carrera.

So, how can the MS be triggered without a pesky crank sensor?

http://www.megamanual.com/ms2/

[NathanUK]

Here is a quote from Goran.

You can run distibutorless ignition in two ways (actually three):

1. You use crank and cam position sensor and let EFI trigger each plug when it should..
2. You use crank sensor only and fire the plugs twice as often instead. Crank sensor doesn't know OD is in exchaust or compression phase, thus it needs to fire on every OD.
3. (This one is high-end) You use crank sensor only, fire plugs twice as often during cranking, let EFI detect ignition phase by ion-sensing and then kill unneeded phase.


MSII can be configured to use wastefire concept described above in case 1 to deliver completly distributorless ignition and fueling.

It can also be configured to work with ordinary dizzy, by recieving signal from distributor pickup and then triggering single coil.

So it's up to you.

Want to keep dizzy and coil? No problem, remove CDI box, hook the pickup into MSII, let it feed the coil and voilá, you got fully programmable ignition (and fueling, if you install injectors as well).

Want to go coilpack distributorless ignition? No problem, you remove dizzy, CDI and everything else that has with ignition to do. You let MSII feed 6-cylinder Ford EDIS wastefire coilpack.

Want distibutorless coilpack and twin plug? No problem. Buy extra Ford EDIS, connect module inputs in parallel and multiplex cables for wastefire twin-plug application.
__________________
Thank you for your time,
Goran

[NathanUK]

Ok, for simplicity I would like to know how I could have the dizzy trigger the MS and distribute the spark? May as well keep my current coil too.

TIA

[mb911]

my ms1 is triggered from the msd box which is driven from my dizzy. don't remember what color wire but I think it was the blue wire in the harness

[beepbeep]

MegaSquirt-IITM controllers can be triggered from the negative terminal of the coil, just like MS-I, as long as MS-IITM is not being used to control the ignition timing. However, if you are controlling the ignition timing, then the tach signal must be fixed with respect to the crank position (not vary with the advance timing like the coil signal).

http://www.megamanual.com/ms2/pickups.htm

[beepbeep]

More info about EDIS:

http://www.megamanual.com/ms2/EDIS.htm

[NathanUK]

Thanks Goran, I've read it a couple of times, I think I'm getting it.

I need to look inside a dizzy so I can see how it might be done properly without using a crank sensor.
However, I don't like the idea of wasted spark and am thinking the right way to do this is with a crank sensor and a cam sensor...
I suppose it's no big deal to carry a spare sensor and install it so it's easy to change with simple tools...
As for failure of the cam sensor would the ecu just revert back to waste spark itself? Or could it only be done with having a laptop with me?

[NathanUK]

I've been reading up on the MSII and I noted that both the ignition and fuel tables are only 12x12.

Is this average for an EMS? Seems low to me, but I'm an idiot

[TimT]

I don't like the idea of wasted spark

Why?

Waste spark is just a free spark.... does no harm...

Having a cam angle sensor gets you a more accurate idea where the engine is in its cycle. Dont know if there are any systems out there that continue to run well when one of the position sensors fail...

BTW we have use waste fire on our 935 clone... way over 800hp and starts and idles easily.

[NathanUK]

Thanks Tim for your input. I've watched that video you posted on these forums and that car sounds awesome when it's opened up!

Wasted spark - Yeah, I know the F1 teams use it and they rev to over double what I want my 930 to ever see. BUT. I just don't like the thought of the coil getting only half the time it could have to charge.

If I kept my current coil would that be OK to run in wasted spark mode with single plug?

[beepbeep]

Originally Posted by NathanUK

I just don't like the thought of the coil getting only half the time it could have to charge.

But you like the idea of single coil/dizzy getting 1/3:rd of time of wastespark coil to charge?? Liking or not, wastespark works and works well. It also eliminates dizzy and cam sensor.

Originally Posted by NathanUK

If I kept my current coil would that be OK to run in wasted spark mode with single plug?

You cannot run wasted spark with single coil/distributor.

[sand_man]

Nathan, I agree with Goran and TimT on the wasted spark issue. I'd be more concerned with sticking to a CDI ignition system of some sort. In your case, if you're still single plug, the cost for one of the more "high-end" systems from M&W is much better than if you were/are twin-plug. I wanted to run M&W CDI boxes with my new JB racing dizzy, but the money just wasn't there, so I went with MSD.

[GJF]

Just for thought....... Accel DFI sells a billet dizzy that provides a cam AND ignition signal in one dizzy. They use hall effect triggers, and if you ever decide to go twin plug JB has the program to convert the DFI dizzy to accept their 12 pin car and rotor. I think the dizzy from Accel is around $500. This would give you the ability to run full sequential. And if you ever wanted to go wasted spark or coil on plug the cap could be replaced with a billet cover and be used just for the triggers, that way you would have both signals still coming from one location.

[GJF]

Also DFI makes a digital CDI ignition module called the 300+. It is half the size of an MSD box and uses half the current but puts out more voltage. They also have built in rev control if anyone is interested, but on a EFI car the ECU controls the timing, therefore the built in rev control would be set to off. I run two of these with my DFI dizzy that has the JB 12 pin conversion.

[sand_man]

EXCELLENT info, GJF!

[GJF]

Here is a pic of the dizzy

[sand_man]

not to turn this into an ignition only thread, here are pictures of the JBR dizzy that utilzes external triggers:



http://www.jbracing.com/eng_porsche.php

[Noah Holcomb]

Ignore the knock sensor module, still working on that. The rest should be good.

[beepbeep]

Hell yeah Noah! That's the way to go!

I bet 2 x EDIS-6 + MSII combo cost less than a single 12-wire dizzy cap

P.S. How are you multiplexing the twin plug EDIS? You probably know this, but in case you don't:
When using dual six coil twin-plug ignition, HT-leads should be multiplexed so that each coil fires one plug in cylinder that should fire and other in cylinder that is in exhaust phase.

Thus, there will be two coils with two outputs each, firing total of four plugs at once. Coils should be wired in such way that each coil fires into plugs sitting in different cylinders. This way, energy usage will be maximized in plug that needs it most: the one that should fire.

[Noah Holcomb]

Yes it does cost much less.

You can pick up an EDIS module with it's associated harness and a crank wheel trigger sensor for $20 to $30 each. Used EDIS coil packs are about $5 to $25 each, a high performance coil pack from Accel is rough $80 new, but I don't know how much better they are than a stock spec coil pack.

A professionally assembled Mega Squirt with harness ready for splicing is about $250 to $300 used on *bay New assembled units are like $410, and a kit to assemble it yourself is roughly $240 I think.

I am going to use a terminal block with an integrated relay board for all of the wiring myself.