Wideband Toys

I installed my new gear from Innovate Motorsports yesterday. I got a wideband HO2S and controller (LC-1), their Aux-box (LMA-3), and their AFR gauge (XD-1). I chose the LMA-3 over the LM-1 because you can data log through it (with a beta firmware update) and it's got analog inputs plus a built in pressure transducer and an accelerometer. I also chose to replace my driver's side NB with the WB unit and use the controller's simulated NB output to feed the PCM.

The hardest part was figuring out what I needed to eliminate the NB sensor altogether. The Ford EEC-V, with four wire O2 sensors, performs a heater test at least once every drive cycle so I couldn't just drop the sensor completely. Some folks simply hang the old sensor under the car and leave it connected. I really didn't want do this, for no specific reason other than those things get kind of hot. It turns out that about a 12 Ohm, 15 Watt, power resistor is enough to fool the PCM. My plan was to use the connector from a spare NBO2 sensor (thanks Bill) and wire the resistor in to the heater lines. I also wanted to wire the simulated NB signal into the connector and then just plug this package in where the OEM sensor connects. Nice and clean and no cutting PCM wires.

It was all going really well until I realized that the power resistors I have on my bench are 120 Ohm, not 12 Ohm. These are not something Radio Shack carries and Electronic Parts is closed on the weekends. So I punted and ran to Checker and got a tail light socket and an 1156 bulb: around 20 Watts of power dissipation and about the right resistance when heated. The only thing is that it blinks under the car when PCM hits the circuit.

I got the package built, integrated it with the LC-1's analog output, and installed it. I got everything else installed as well except that I didn't realize that the LMA-3 needs to be mounted horizontally (within 3 dgrees) in order to use the accelerometer. It's got to be protected from the environment as well and I never did find a good spot in the front of my car. I may have to mount it under the rear seat but I moved on and just won't log g's for now.

Most everything is working just fine right now but there are some problems. The Logworks 2.01 software from Innovate does display and log real time data form the patched LMA-3 but it crashes when I try to modify the displays. I'm working on this issue.

The other issue is that the Predator is showing that the simulated output isn't working. When I log the O2S21 signal it's somewhere between 0 and 0.1 volts and it should be between 0 and 1.0 volts. I either muffed my wiring or a broke the LC-1.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Anyone getting the LC-1 needs to pay special attention to the analog outputs. They have no short circuit protection at all: this is positively confirmed by Innovate. So, touching an analog output wire to a ground while the unit is powered will fry the DAC for that output. It's possible that while I was setting it all up on my test bench I accidentally did this. I wasn't paying attention and I didn't learn this little gem until later during troubleshooting.

I tested the second analog output and it's OK so I have a backup, it's just a pain to rewire what I've already done if that's the problem. I have to rework the package to get rid of the light bulb anyway, so it's not really a big deal, other than the annoyance. Meanwhile, the PCM is going to throw some sensor switching codes periodically until I get it fixed.

Otherwise the setup is working great. The WB monitoring is cool and the gauge is super cool. Innovate really did an outstanding job making all this stuff modular and simple to string together. They use a serial protocol bus to communicate between the units and the cables connecting them use 2.5mm stereo plugs. It's a pretty slick setup and it was really easy to put together and program.

I played around a bit today and this is a sweet setup. It's going to be cool once I get the glitches worked through :).

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things
Reply to
Dan
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Cool!!!!

Depending on output driver needs, build a 'buffer' using Radio Shack components. Coul be as simple as current limiting resitors or as complicated as CMos buffer logic.

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

Ooops! ANALOG!! Cheap Op-amps set up for gain=1

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

I've been using the toys for about a week now and I think I have the kinks smoothed out. This is still a really nice setup. Just in daily use the gauge is handy to have. The gauge is really bright too and I can see the lights and the digits very well, even with the top down on and sun behind me, which was a situation that washed out the NB gauge I had previously.

It's actually more usefull under closed-loop as well. The value swings around stoichiometric because of the management of the PCM but it's much less dramatic under normal driving than the NB gauge was. The sweep on this system is typically quite narrow (+/- 0.5 AFR) and you can actually see the PCM targetting stoichiometric. I wonder if it's possible to deduce what's happening with the fuel trims from this? I'll have to do some experimenting, I guess :). Only dramatic throttle changes really make the thing sweep significantly.

I still am having an issue with the LogWorks 2.01 on my laptop. It crashes every time I try to edit the dials or the display. I'm working on this one.

I built a 12 Ohm, 25 watt resistor package to replace the light bulb I was using. I have this in place now and just have to drive a few more cycles to make sure the PCM stays happy. It liked the light bulb and never popped a heater related code last week. We'll see how it goes with the resistors.

I also straightened out my narrow band emulation. It turns out the LC-1 analog output was fine and I had just wired it up incorrectly. Once I got past that silliness and got it all hooked up again, the Predator is now showing that the PCM is getting voltages from O2S21 like it should. The voltages are a little higher, on average, than those coming from O2S11 and I'll have to wait a bit to see if the PCM decides it doesn't like this. But now I should just have to tweak the emulation curve to make it work :).

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things
Reply to
Dan

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