HellFire Status & release date annouced

[superlen]

The Zfuel thread was getting kinda long, so I thought I would start a fresh one along with the new update. The original thread is here: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/fuel-injection-s30/49964-zfuel.html

Well, today the HellFire ECU ran my Z quite nicely using 100% stock components (including cold start valve) & of course the stock AFM. It started and was very rich, which I did expect as I just had guesses in for AFM calibration. I tweaked the numbers and brought the pulsewidth down and the engine smoothed right up and purred around 800-900. I was able to track the CLT and IAT temps come up on the GUI and could tell I was having to lean up the fuel as it warmed up. Can I get a Woot Woot? I had the idle setup great, and if I slowly opened the throttle it would run ok at higher rpms (again nothing tuned up there), but if I snapped the throttle open off idle, it would stumble as i don't have any acceleration tables programmed. It was quite fun to see how it leaned out and fell on it's face without those tables & a snappy throttle opening event.

Sadly, I don't have any video as once it warmed up, I screwed up turned it off to get my camera and then couldn't get it to restart - I had flooded it. I swapped back and forth between stock ECU and HellFire a few times and was able to re-start and play a bit more, but it was having some issues. I suppose I screwed up something with my calibration numbers as I was playing with everything much like a kid in a candy store. I ran out of time to test any further so a bit bummed about that. Regardless, I am excited about the milestone and how well it ran when I had it dialed in.

With that success behind me and in an effort to light a fire under myself to finish the software, I'm announcing a release date for the HellFire Classic of May 15th. This should give me time to finish the needed tables and tune the system for a stock plug and play system. I of course will keep everyone posted on the progress via this thread. The price will be $495.

Len

[madkaw]

Thats awesome news for the Z community, and of course for you. I think will be a really attractive option for the FI guys. Hope they sell well and work well too.

I was thinking about the day I get the megasquirt to start my car and how exciting it will be, so I undersatnd your elation!!

[rcb280z]

Put me on the list Len. I will start pinching pennies.

[superlen]

Thanks Steve,

Yeah, it was pretty cool when I hit the starter and it jumped to life. Still lots to do & I'm coding in some cranking, cold start, and after start tables this evening. Not having them was irritating me quite a bit this afternoon during testing.

Len

[LeonV]

Any idea on compatibility with other cars, especially those running L-Jetronic?

[EuroDat]

Lenny, Grats with the test run. A brave man setting a release date while still in the middle of R&D. Keeps you focussed if anything else. Goodluck with development.

You can add me to your list of buyers.

Chas

[FastWoman]

Great news, Lenny!

Please check your PM inbox.

[superlen]

Leon,

Yes. The HellFire Classic will run any L-Jetronic system. The stock tune will be setup for the early Z's, but with a different tune downloaded it could run a Porsche, a Jag, a BWM, ect.

I know there are some slight pin out differences between some vehicles, so this particular revision of the board won't cover *every* L-Jet vehicle & I haven't even researched it enough to know which ones or how many match. I think VWs are a direct match. Maximas definitely are. I will do this after I get the Z car system wrapped up and make the necessary changes. The 79 and up Zx's are slightly different & that's the next one on the list.

You could even run a Ford truck if you wanted to add the harness from a L-Jet. At some point, I'll release a standalone version using a more modern ECU connector so harnesses will be easy to find/cheap, but for now, I'm focused on our early Z's.

@Chas

Yes. I set the date for the exact reason you mention. A deadline drives a timeline.

Len

[jonathanrussell]

I have been following your project closely. This is a great thing you are doing. Thank you. Count me in for at least one....will start with my 75 280z.

Question: How will you handle future software updates? I suppose it is useful to distinguish between true software updates (improvements to the capabilities of the system, user interface, possible data points, etc) and updates to the base / stock 280z tune data (which I bet you refine over time as more people buy the system and give you feedback).

Edited February 17, 2014 by jonathanrussell

[superlen]

Thanks for the question Jonathan.

Here's a quick overview. There are two pieces of software I'm writing. One is the Windows GUI for the laptop, the other is the firmware running on the ECU. Before I delve into this, I want to make sure that it's clear that you don't need the GUI at all if you're just going to run a stock L-series motor. Just plug and play. However, it sure it fun to play with so I do recommend everyone check it out even if they don't want to tweak something.

GUI Notes

- Runs on Windows XP, 7, & 8.

- Allows the user to change/tweak/configure/tune/monitor everything about your HellFire.

- One big .exe file. No install programs, no dlls, no fuss. Just download to your PC and run it.

- If desired, will check each time you run it to see if a new GUI and Firmware version have been released.

- Load/Saves the tune to the hard drive

- Reads/Write the tune to the HellFire ECU.

- Downloads firmware updates to the HellFire ECU.

- GUI is free, updates are free.

- I don't have a good name for the GUI software picked out yet...any ideas? I've thought of HellTune so unless someone comes up with a better name, that will probably be it.

Firmware Notes

- This is the software that actually runs on the ECU processor.

- It is not part of the "tune". Rather, it accepts the tune from the GUI and runs your car with it.

- Updates are done by using the GUI. Just select the new firmware file & hit download.

- Updates are free.

Notes about the "tune"

The "Tune" refers to the entire setup inside the HellFire. All the configuration data about your engine is in there, tables for AFRs, VEs, acceleration enrichments, calibration data for the AFM, CLT, MAF, MAP, ect. Everything is in here. The GUI allows you to tweak these numbers & download to the HellFire. The GUI also saves the tune to your hard drive as a simple text file with a .jet extension as in: "77-280.jet" or "bob.jet". It's just a simple human readable text file, not binary, so one can open it with Notepad and check it out without any annoying tags in it.

You can also share it with others by simply emailing it, or use the GUI to push it to the HellFire Cloud on my server so others can peruse them. For instance, lets say I have a 77 with a mild cam and headers & I spend a couple of days and get a real nice tune for it. Well it would be nice to post that up on the Cloud so if someone else has a similar setup, they could benefit from others prior experiences. I don't know how many people will really do this, but I want to provide the ability.

Here's a cut/paste from part of the default.jet file I'm currently using. I don't know if this will format correctly. (crosses fingers) Note how easy it is for humans to read. If you email it or post it on a forum asking for help on something, it's easy for someone to check it out instantly without having to first load it into the GUI.

-------------------------------------

Engine Parameters

Engine.Num_Cylinders, 6

Engine.Num_Injectors, 6

Engine.Bore, 86

Engine.Stroke, 79

Engine.Displacement, 2753

Engine.Degrees_Per_Cycle,720

-------------------------------------

FI System Parameters

FI.Injections_Per_Cycle, 2

FI.AirMass_Method, 0

FI.TPS_Method, 0

FI.Injection_Method, 0

FI.ColdStart_Method, 0

FI.AAR_Method, 0

FI.Fuel_Pump_Method, 1

FI.Fuel_Pump_Prime_Secs, 3

FI.Max_RPM, 8000

FI.Max_MAP, 250

FI.Array_Size, 16

FI.Rev_Limit, 0

FI.Warmup_Temp, 0

FI.FCAV, 45883

FI.FCAM, 536304

FI.FCPW, 8449

Well the spacing didn't work great. All the numbers should be aligned nicely. They are in notepad of course.

It's currently 353 lines long, but there are several more tables to add.

Ok, I think I answered the question, but as usual I may have over shared. As always, comments/suggestions/ideas are appreciated.

Len

[TomoHawk]

This really sucks.

Haha... Now I can't argue with "auto maintenance experts" about how the engine doesn't have the digital fuel injection control unit they expected to see. But at least you're not replacing the factory ECU with another worn-out unit, and it'll be what I call the "manufacturer and marque-approved replacement."

I'll set up a box for dollar bills somewhere and start filling it. Should it be a BIG box or a small one? :classic:

[LeonV]

Leon,

Yes. The HellFire Classic will run any L-Jetronic system. The stock tune will be setup for the early Z's, but with a different tune downloaded it could run a Porsche, a Jag, a BWM, ect.

I know there are some slight pin out differences between some vehicles, so this particular revision of the board won't cover *every* L-Jet vehicle & I haven't even researched it enough to know which ones or how many match. I think VWs are a direct match. Maximas definitely are. I will do this after I get the Z car system wrapped up and make the necessary changes. The 79 and up Zx's are slightly different & that's the next one on the list.

You could even run a Ford truck if you wanted to add the harness from a L-Jet. At some point, I'll release a standalone version using a more modern ECU connector so harnesses will be easy to find/cheap, but for now, I'm focused on our early Z's.

@Chas

Yes. I set the date for the exact reason you mention. A deadline drives a timeline.

Len

Excellent, thanks!