TT and engine build in progress...

Last thing I want to do is have timing advanced by accidentally moving the map selector to 0 via the remote switch or worse having a poor connection etc with the remote map switch plug (I'm paranoid I know).

Is there any software option to disable map 0 so that you cannot accidentally select a map that might blow the engine?

Thanks!

If this is not currently possible, Jermaine, do you think it could possibly be an option in the next firmware release?

 

Honestly,

If you went from UTEC tuned map to map 0 in the middle of a run. It wouldn't switch maps until the car was under 1500 rpms.

 

Yeah but you wouldn't know you were in map 0 when you step on the gas again. I mean if there was a big red LED indicator or something, it'd be different.

Just trying to protect my investment...

Hope you guys can come up with some kind of safety measure for this type of mishap...

 

Get the remote switch and put it somewhere where you can see it?

 

Don't use a remote switch at all? I can access the onboard map selector switch quickly and with no tools (besides the screwdriver needed to adjust it). If I ever need to change maps I'll do it that way. I too was worried about the map selector switch being changed without my knowledge (a curious friend or something like that) so I didn't get it. It may not be as convenient, but seriously how often are you going to change maps?

 

well I thought about a low and high boost map and the valet mode sounded like a nice option.

I installed it cleanly, tucked within the arm rest in my G. It'd be difficult to accidentally screw up unless you were trying to change it without looking and went the wrong way (from map 1 to map 0) or went 2 maps down instead of one without knowing (like map 2 to map 0).

There's no visual feedback realistically speaking if you change maps while driving (and be safe and not squint down to look at the tiny map selector display).

Does anyone know how the wiring works for that switch? How hard could it be to wire up a single LED numeral directly to the map switch? I have an old PC that I could tear out the "speed setting LED".

Somehow the map switch specifies 10 positions (0-9), so there would be at least 4 lines that alternate off/on to accomodate the different combinations required. Or is it not a simple digital device?

 

Pins 5,6,11, and 12 are for the map selection. I'm guessing its a simple binary setup.

Thinking about it, it would be very easy to eliminate the map switch all together and install a simple toggle switch to go between map 2 and map 3. Then, you could set map 2 for low boost and map 3 for high boost. You could then install a keyed 'valet' switch that when turned on forced the UTEC in to valet mode.

 

The WRX forums indicate a BCD format. Now which one is which bit?

hmmm... easy with a multitester (if I had my car). It must be connecting the ground signal to certain pins.

 

With only one possible number (0-9) there isn't a difference between binary and BCD.

I would guess you are right, simply grounding certain pins. If you get the wires installed correctly you can easily test it using the UTEC dashboard.

 

Though this is slightly off-topic, regarding a dash display for the UTEC there is one simpler solution than wiring a numeric LED... (Although that would be cool too!)

One option of course if to just get a barebones carpc (for this purpose you really do not need much). Then you can monitor the UTEC's enitre dashboard at all times.

Another alternative could be to use something like this:
http://www.crazypc.com/products/9070.html

We use this for sim racing and flight simming for a variety of purposes. It is customizable to some degree. If an interface app could be written to capture certain dashboard info then you could output it to this little guy and display only the info you need.


Of course, wiring in an LED is much cheaper in both cases... But I figure if you are going to grab UTEC dashboard output, then why not go for as much as you can (Knock Count would be nice too, right?).

I also like y'alls idea of building a switch to force and lock maps. In fact, you could build a lockable switch, probably even using TXS's map switch. that way you can be sure that what you set cannot be changed.

 

You would need a fairly big display to read the dashboard, as I don't believe its font is changable. I have a CarPC running on my OEM navi screen and I can't read anything at all from the dashboard. I need my laptop to do that.

The UTEC doesn't output the selected map output, so you would need a seperate hardware piece to supply that information, then you would need an ASCII export and import driver that would combine the UTEC log data with the hardware switch selection data. Lots of work.....

 

I have a carPC also with a 7 inch screen in the nav cubby area (digitalwheelz) and I can read the dashboard clearly (I can change font size and colors using "Reflections" - a much better terminal emulator than hyperterminal).

KP, I think the currently selected map is on the dashboard, but my main issue with this is that it takes about 30 secs for my PC to come out of standby when starting up. And it's not 100% reliable - it reboots now and then and that's 30 secs to 1 min of not knowing what's going with the UTEC.

SmokyTyrz > do you know of a true "dumb terminal" that is built into a small standalone LCD display (no PC required; ie an "always on" device)? If I could have access to the dashboard at all times that would be cool... Though now that I am thinking about it, the next version of the UTEC interface might not be terminal based (ie it will require a windows GUI).

 

Exactly why I stopped looking into terminal output solutions. I'm just waiting for the new GUI too. I think everyone is.

 

My thoughts on the delay are that my carpc boots up faster then my car warms up, so that isn't much of an issue. The map selection is on the dashboard, but the map selection is NOT sent out in the data log stream - meaning that the map selection value is an internal UTEC value, and that a 3rd party software package can't read it.