www.megasquirt.info/What you NEED to Install MegaSquirtMegaSquirt is a universal electronic fuel injection controller that can be made to work on any spark ignition internal combustion engine, with the right external parts. However, the success of your installation depends on YOU. In order to make the MegaSquirt controller work on YOUR car, boat, chainsaw, or whatever, you will need:
* Tools and ability to assemble and test an electronic printed circuit board,
* Additional parts to suit your installation, including:
o Coolant and air temperature sensors,
o Oxygen sensor and bung is highly recommended (either narrow-band or wide-band),
o Wiring and various connectors for the sensors, injectors, etc.,
o Injectors and bungs/manifold,
o Throttle body,
o High pressure fuel pump and supply/return lines, and a
o Fuel pressure regulator,
* Tools and ability to cut the aluminum case end-plates for connectors and LEDs,
* Knowledge and skills to install all of the necessary sensors and wiring,
* Knowledge and experience to be able install or adapt a complete high-pressure fuel system in your vehicle for MegaSquirt,
* Windows 95 (or better) laptop computer with a serial port to configure and tune your MegaSquirt, and
* Enough mechanical aptitude to know what to do to make the engine run right.
Installing the MegaSquirt controller in a vehicle that already has EFI means you will need to consider how you will run the ignition and any other devices the OEM ECU controls [such as the transmission, speedometer and other gauges, and emissions devices], how you will interface the MegaSquirt to your existing wiring harness, and whether you can reuse your existing sensors.
Do YOU have enough knowledge, skills, money, and energy to complete your installation? The MegaSquirt is the fuel injection controller only, and YOU will have to figure out everything else you need for your vehicle. This manual covers much of the specific information you need for the MegaSquirt controller, and general guidelines for things like fuel systems, etc.
Generic information about electronic fuel injection can be found on the web in many forms, including SDS and the DIY_EFI message list. A good book on OEM and aftermarket electronic fuel injection systems is Fuel Injection: Installation, Performance Tuning, Modifications by Jeff Hartman (1993). It is published by Motorbooks International [ISBN 0-87938-743-2]. Other references can be found here.
You will not be dealing with your MegaSquirt alone, however. Nearly a thousand MegaSquirt kits have shipped. There is a huge amount of collective experience and knowledge related to the assembly and installation of MegaSquirt in various vehicles available on the MegaSquirt Forums web site.
What You Do NOT Need
* Programming skills. The assembly language software is already written and loaded, and the tuning interface is through a straightforward Windows application. You can, of course, conceive, write and load you own code if you wish.
* PROM burner to make tuning changes. A serial port connection allows adjustment of all the tuning parameters. Software updates are up-loadable through the serial connection as well.
* Advanced electronic skills. If you can solder and follow directions, or are willing to learn, you should be able to successfully assemble MegaSquirt. You do not need to know what each and every component does, as there is a comprehensive assembly guide to walk you through the entire assembly and testing process.
* Latest laptop computer. In fact, newer computer often do not have the serial port that is needed to communicate with MegaSquirt (instead they have USB ports). USB/Serial adapters can be used, but an older laptop is very cheap, and often a better solution. You may want a faster computer for processing data logs with MSTweak3000, but these can be done separately on a faster desktop machine.
Q. What skills, parts, and tools do I need to assemble and install MegaSquirt? A. In order to make the MegaSquirt controller work on YOUR car, boat, chainsaw, or whatever, you will need a variety of tools, skills, and knowledge. You also need a number of fuel injection components, as MegaSquirt is the electronic controller only.
The actual assembly of MegaSquirt is somewhat tedious, but straight forward. There are comprehensive instructions for all phases of the assembly. You do need to be able to solder, and you do need to be able to follow written instructions. If either of these are a problem, you should consider purchasing an assembled MegaSquirt.
Installing the MegaSquirt controller in a vehicle that already has EFI means you will need to consider how you will run any other devices the OEM ECU controls [such as the transmission, speedometer and other gauges, and emissions devices], how you will interface the MegaSquirt to your existing wiring harness, and whether you can reuse your existing sensors.
Q. How does MegaSquirt work? A. MegaSquirt uses the Motorola 68HC908 microprocessor and a Motorola MAP sensor to provide electronic fuel control. The MegaSquirt assembly code for MegaSquirt is available on the MegaSquirt web site, for anyone who wishes to view or customize it. A freeware compiler is available too, so there are no extras to buy. MegaSquirt uses Windows9x/ME/XP-based MegaTune software for firmware reprogramming, engine monitoring, and tuning. The tuning software is freely available at no cost. Even without a computer connected, the three LEDs on the MegaSquirt case allow you to monitor injection pulses, warm-up enrichment, and acceleration enrichment at any time.
There's much more on how MegaSquirt works here: www.megasquirt.info/v22manual/mfuel.htmQ. What are the advantages and disadvantages of MegaSquirt? Has anyone done a feature comparison with other programmable ECUs?A. MegaSquirt has a number of differences from the other programmable electronic control units (ECUs) on the market: * MegaSquirt doesn't really have any direct competition in terms of price,
* MegaSquirt requires, and develops, a number skills that other aftermarket ECUs don't require. Some would see the as a bonus, others would see it as a detriment,
* The best things about MegaSquirt is the experience of building it yourself and being able to repair/modify it down the road. The learning you do with MegaSquirt is likely to be much more extensive than with other systems,
* The MegaSquirt Forums is one of the better things about MegaSquirt, it has drawn contributions from a huge base of people, and helped MegaSquirt hardware and software development,
* Many MegaSquirt users are not very interested in other ECUs. They have had different ones, and no longer consider them viable for their own use. The other ECU's specifications and design are largely guarded, and change without notice, making it difficult to understand, upgrade, and learn from them,
* When choosing between MegaSquirt and other programmable ECUs, there aren't standards for reporting ECU specifications, so it's sometimes hard to know what reported features are equivalent or better than someone else's,
* Many aftermarket ECU either come with, or recommend, specific fuel supply hardware. Obviously MegaSquirt doesn't do this, which makes an apples to apples comparison difficult. On the other hand, MegaSquirt is fully compatible with a 'junk yard', budget approach to sourcing components