[BIGLMIGUEL]

anyone here using microtech? ...its not as advanced as the nemesis or aem...offering only 1 aux input/output...however it seems to be very user/tuner friendly...you have the option of tunning with a handheld device or using a laptop. the laptop software seems intuitive and easy to follow.
http://www.microtech-efi.com/images/category/display_9_large.png

they have a demo of the software you can play with:

http://www.microtechefi.com/html/LTsoftware.htm

any opinions on this system?

 

[Smity]

g'day, i'm running a microtech LT8s on my 1uzfe at the moment. The 1uz is internally stock and tuned to 221 rwhp, 350 ft/lb.

The microtech is easy to install, and although i did'nt tune it myself, the software is easy to use and is a free download from their web page.

I think it's great, alot of shops here in australia that use nothing but microtech's. I dont know what you guys are paying for them, but since they are made here, the price cant be beaten.

In short i'm very happy, it does everything a standalone should.

 

[LaNcEGT4]

microtechs are good cheap computers, but lack of closed loop control, and u'll be chewing fuel faster then a V8.

Keep this in mind. If your just after power, then the microtech is excellent at what it does.

 

[Black_Betty]

why would this make you chew up more gas the a normal standalone???

 

[diabolical1]

why would this make you chew up more gas the a normal standalone???

i'm curious about this, too, because i'm thinking of getting one of the systems when the time comes. i consider it an alternative to Motec.

these systems seem to work quite well on turbo rotary-powered vehicles. i can't see why it wouldn't control the MR2. can someone shed some more light on the subject?

 

[LaNcEGT4]

Lack of closed loop O2 control. Microtech's in aussie are popular because they are cheap. Downside is that if you want to see any kind of economy, then look elsewhere.

 

[diabolical1]

200 HP 5SFE thread

 

[diabolical1]

Lack of closed loop O2 control.

this is the part that i want explained because i don't quite understand it. i figured it has something to do with O2 sensor inputs, but i don't get it.

sorry, i should have been more clear. if you could explain or if you have a link to somewhere that can, i'd be very thankful.

thanks.
1

 

[LaNcEGT4]

To put simply, when your off boost and just pootling around off throttle, you don't need your air/fuel ratios at 12:1 all the time. The whole idea behind closedloop O2 is to lean/richen the mixture to keep the mixture around stoich (14.7:1). Its what factory ecu setups do.

Thats the whole purpose of a O2 sensor in your system. Leans out the mixtures, and brings back your economy, and also emissions. The O2 sensor in these systems are often dubbed 'narrowband' as they are only good to attain a certain airfule mix which is 14.7:1

If you want a good example what the economy would be like with a tuned microtech. Get your car, disconnect the O2 sensor and go for a drive. See what your economy is like there after (short of the ECU throwing wacked out codes).

 

[diabolical1]

okay ... that makes sense to me. thanks for the explanation.

however, that leads me to this question: what does the Microtech use as a cue for setting fuel and ignition then?

 

[902]

that doesn't make sense...in closed loop, you can tune your fuel ratio to be what you want to be at a given RPM/boost level...so for off boost tuning, you could tune for lean air mixtures...

 

[LaNcEGT4]

diabolical1: the microtech still uses your typical load sensor, so map sensor.

xLusi0n: you've missed my point about closed loop. Wideband sensors give you the opportunity to set whatever air/fuel mix you want. Only ceratin ecu's allow that though. A simple use of closed loop control is as i've already stated. A more advace use is auto-tune which the motec/autronic and a few other support.

 

[902]

*scratches head...

but you tune the ecu with a wideband to begin with...you just don't run the O2 sensor afterwards right? So it could be tuned to a good lean mix for off boost driving?

 

[diabolical1]

diabolical1: the microtech still uses your typical load sensor, so map sensor.

okay ... last question (i hope):
if i understood what you said, then the Microtech is similar to the VPC that HKS used to offer then, right?

actually ... let me just ask one more because i don't want to sound like the "are-we-there-yet"-kid. can you refer me to a source where i can read up on the different types of ECU systems, something a bit more complicated than a basic glossary, but that i don't need an Engineering degree for ...

(and that request goes to anyone that knows of a site or book or something)

thanks

(and thanks for answering my questions thus far LanceGT4 )

 

[RickyB]

I did get a chance to tune a Microtech just recently (not on an MR2 but on a Mazda Protege). Overall, it is not a bad system, but it does have a few shortcomings one of which is the lack of closed loop support. The other is the lack of a true 3D ignition timing map. Basically, you do not have the ability to set advance by RPM and load point but you are given only two 2D maps, one which specifies a single advance value across the RPM range and another which specifies an offset to that advance based on load. While this is better than nothing, it does not allow you to dial in optimal torque across the entire operating range.

 

[mister3]

I did get a chance to tune a Microtech just recently (not on an MR2 but on a Mazda Protege). Overall, it is not a bad system, but it does have a few shortcomings one of which is the lack of closed loop support. The other is the lack of a true 3D ignition timing map. Basically, you do not have the ability to set advance by RPM and load point but you are given only two 2D maps, one which specifies a single advance value across the RPM range and another which specifies an offset to that advance based on load. While this is better than nothing, it does not allow you to dial in optimal torque across the entire operating range.

Ricky -- have you had the chance top play with the unichip yet? reason i ask is that i have a customer using one and in the process of geting it tuned and so far it seems to be doing fairly well for what it is.....

 

[RickyB]

No one has brought me a unichip system to tune yet.

 

[mister3]

guess i may need to bring you one to play with then

 

[patR1]

some pepople call them microquess, and some say they drink fuel like no 2morrow, but after doing some research, this chip dosn't look that bad. For exapmle i know this guy that owns a toyota starlet he put a microtech on it and says he gets better fuel consumption then he did with the stock computer- just shows its all about the tune and not the ems.