You know, I never realised I was a thicko... did alright at school etc. etc.

Last two weeks and most of today I've spent reading about Megasquirt... buggered if I know what the hell is going on!

Cheers,
Mr. Thicky

i just pay the guy that built mine to sort it out lol

You're not alone, most people start out like that. Just try and divide it up into smaller chunks, look at each external component in turn and assess them individually at first - what does it do, why does it do it (you could skip that), does my engine have one already and can I use it, or how can I provide it otherwise, and finally do I actually need it? The big picture will come together eventually. If you can also try and keep it simple to start with, go for plain ol' MS fuel only, get happy with that and then move on to the all singing all dancing -extra and spark control later. It's probably a bit more work in the long run but it'll likely save you hours of head-scratching at some point.

It really does get a whole load easier once you've got one in front of you and you start installing

I think you may make a good point about just doing the squirt with it for the moment.

I'll still build it with the extra coil driver etc. but leave the dizzy in place (assuming it'll fit! ).

How valuable/useful would you say the relay board is? I saw one on Geoff's car yesterday and thought it looked a good idea.
Does much need to be done to the v3 hardware to fit the relay board?

Cheers,
James

I've never used a relay board but then i'm not scared of making up looms. They do look pretty handy, gets the useful relays in one box and screwing wiring into the connection block is always easier than cutting and soldering. At the end of the day I reckon I can get a tidier install without one though. Seems a bit pointless in a seven, it's not like the ECU itself is ever going to be far from the engine bay so if you're going to bring all of the wiring back to one point it might as well be the ECU.

Shouldn't need any mods to the v3 to use a relay board, but the relay board will need some mods to use some of the features of extra (e.g. idle relay can only do on/off valves not PWM, and things need removing/jumpering for most spark options).

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Originally posted by martyn_16v
I've never used a relay board but then i'm not scared of making up looms.

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Originally posted by martyn_16v
Seems a bit pointless in a seven, it's not like the ECU itself is ever going to be far from the engine bay so if you're going to bring all of the wiring back to one point it might as well be the ECU.

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Originally posted by MikeRJ
You still need a loom even with the relay board, unless you buy one.

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But you still need to mount the relays and fuses somewhere! The relay board also has overcurrent protection for the ECU supply and the Vref output. It's certainly not a "must have", but personaly I think it's a useful addition to an MS installation.

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Like ALL electrical or electronic wiring or work, Break it into bite sized lumps.

Treat each circuit as a separate section, then it becomes easier to deal with.

The Manuals are Fearsome!
Bear in mind this is a ver very versatile unit and will interface with most systems, and parts, ie injectors, idle valves etc.
So the manual is HUGE to cover all the options and variants etc.

You will find that 80% of the manual probably doesnt apply to you. The Ignition section is classic!. You only need the sections that appertain to the setup you are using.
For example the 4 cylinder Ford wasted spark is about a page of reading.
I printed the manual out, then struk out the pages I didnt need with a Yellow highlighter pen, that made it a bit easier to read and work with.
Once you find the section you need, it becomes much easier.