Junk yard varity, are there any inexpensive coil pack ignition controllers? Looking to do the one coil for two plugs.

There is the pipedream of MegaSpark (offshoot of Megasquirt) but that is a year or two off.

 

Look for info marine "vortec" engines. They came with N* coil packs. Theres also some fiddling with the spark ref in the code too. This is something I am slowly getting info on too, just too busy with other projects.

BW

 

If you already run Megasquirt, look into running a version called Megasquirt-n-EDIS. It replaces the output for the fast idle solenoid with a spark advance output. This is tied into a Ford EDIS ignition module, which controls 2 coilpacks (for an 8cyl) for a DIS wasted-spark setup.

I used the coilpacks, plug wire ends (spliced onto msd wires) and a crank position sensor from a couple of 91-? ford escorts, and the module was from a crown vic/grand marquis.

I can probably dig up some wiring diagrams and install pics if you are interested.

 

OH please share!

 

Basically all you will need is a crankshaft/camshaft position sensor, edis-8 module and coilpacks if you are going that route, and to flash the megasquirt with the new code. I am using ford EDIS parts, but the setup can also be used with a distributor and a crank trigger, with different software.

These shots are from the first night it was running, so excuse the spaghetti wiring. Here is one of the coil pack, again from a 91-ish ford escort. A power wire and two trigger wires per pack, and they are grounded to the engine via the mount.


Heres the ign. module mounted on the firewall. The wiring looks much worse than it actually is. The module has inputs from the megasquirt for spark advance, +/- voltage from the crank trigger; and outputs for the 4 sets of coils and tach signal to megasquirt. That brown thing is just our oil pump drive


The crank trigger is just a VR sensor producing a sine wave from a toothed wheel (one tooth missing). We could find no effective way of mounting the stock ford trigger wheel, so I cut the pattern into the last lip of the crank pulley with a die grinder. It works just fine.


Heres the ford wheel for comparison:


This is the megasquirt ecm running the megasquirt-n-EDIS code, currently controlling the fuel and spark. The stock megasquirt need a couple slight hardware mods to interface to the EDIS module. The bundle of wires on the right is the entire wire harness, including the vacuum hose for the map sensor. So far it has been a pretty good system.


Megasquirtnspark yahoo group:http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/megasquirtnspark/

Hope thats enough to get you started. My brother, cfabe, is the brain behind all of this so he may have even more info.

 

Heres a good overview of the ignition system:


a site very specific to installing edis to megasquirt:
http://www.jsm-net.demon.co.uk/megasquirtnedis/

Everything you wanted to know and more about Ford EDIS:
http://www.dainst.com/info/edis/edis.html

Yahoo groups for background info on megasquirt/jolt:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/megasquirt/ http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/megajolt/

 

One additional thing, total cost for the engine control system: well under $200.

 

GREAT INFO. This almost looks too easy! Gotta READ, READ, READ!!!!!

Thanks slickrock55

 

Definately do your homework on it. Its not something you can just throw togther, you need to have some computers and electronics background to get it going. You have to be decent with through hold PCB soldering, you buy the bare PCB and built the ecm yourself.

I'm a senior Computer Engineering student, and it was pretty easy for me. Anyone with a little knowledge and a will to learn should be able to tackle it. One word of advice is be very careful about grounding, we had problems with poor grounds and elevated grounds. Basically, you need to make the engine block your refrence ground and ground everything else directly to it.

I gotta give major props to the ford engineers that designed the EDIS system. Its very well done and is an excellent example of a good distrubuted control system (ECM calculates the spark advance angle, EDIS module interfaces the crank sensor and decides when to spark each coil and calculates dwell.)

 

Hmmm... That looks veeeery interesting... Time for more reading!

 

Now my question is, can the edis be interfaced with a stock GM ecm?

 

My question is why would you want to? you could add the injectors and MAF and be done with it. If you want bigger injectors just get a MAF that is calibrated for them. The ECM on these things are adaptive enough that I have seen guys put stock or cobra 302 EEC IV's on blown 460's without any tuning other than the MAF. The 4.6 guys build strokers and do the same thing. MAF too restrictive for you? how does 90mm sound? They are that size and larger both available stock and aftermarket. I think the newer Lightnings (blown 5.4) run one that size (90mm) stock along with 42# injectors!

 

I'm going to say yes, but unfortunately I cant tell you how. A couple years ago I was surfing away, reading some 2.3T and JYTT stuff, and I stumbled across a guy that took the edis off of a ranger (same thing I own, 92 2.3 banger) and adapted it to a 302. He had pictures and a wiring diagram or two. He said it should work on anything, and by what I saw I believed it. Like a complete idiot, I didn't bookmark the site and I never did find it again. I even searched everything in my history. I've been looking every once in a while ever since, and I cannot find what I found that night. Sucks.

Maybe your luck will be better than mine.

 

What are you talking about? I don't see your point nore do I see how MAF has anything to do with this topic.
Madmax, I'll be on the lookout. I have a friend whom I can not name that might be interested in this project. I only wish the eDist from F.A.S.T. was a little more on the affordable side. For $300 it should come with coil packs but that's just me, I'm a cheap SOB .

 

The EDIS signals are not compatible with the GM ecms at all. If you built a converter I suppose you could do it but that converter box would be pretty complex, would have to have an embedded micro in it. The megasquirt is a pretty decent computer, the only thing it lacks is good idle control. But... that will be coming on the UltraMegaSquirt alogn with a crapload more cool features so stay tuned!