Where to start & how to get involved?

[AndreyB]

This forum is about an open source engine control unit. Hopefully by now you have seen the main page of this site with the video and a brief description of all this.

Hardware - base shopping list
Software - how to compile the code

Q: how do I make myself my rusEFI ECU?
Q; how can I help with the firmware?
Q; how can I help with the hardware?

Q: Do you guys know about MegaSquirt?
Q: Do you guys know about FreeEMS/diyefi?

[AndreyB]

Q: Do you guys know about MegaSquirt?

Yes, we know about MegaSquirt. MegaSquirt is a great commercial product, but on the picture below I see Megasquirt on the left.



We just want to build a more powerful, flexible and more open ECU.

Please note that with Megasquirt "source code of the firmware(s) are available to download for peer review and end-user modification, but the code and derivatives are only licensed for use on official Megasquirt hardware."

rusEfi on the contrary permits and encourages any changes to the hardware (see http://rusefi.com/wiki/index.php?title=License:general)

[AndreyB]

Q: Do you guys know about FreeEMS/diyefi?

Yes, FreeEMS is a great free & open ECU and we are still way behind. While FreeEMS is an amazing project, I do not agree with some sides of it and I hope it is allowed to not agree with the FreeEMS and yet not to be banned on the diyefi forum

To be more specific:
I am concerned that the source code is too couples with the hardware of choice, I believe there should be a more clear separation between HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) and the logic.
I am concerned that in order to start using FreeEMS you need a full-scale board from day one. With rusEFI approach of using a pre-assembled dev board, one can get a functional tachometer or start control only the IAC with way less soldering.

Just to reiterate, FreeEMS is a great project and rusEFI currently has only one engine which it has ever started. (20+ engines as of 06/2016)

Update: unfortunatelly there is drama between rusEfi and FreeEMS, see http://rusefi.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=673&p=21454#p21454

[AndreyB]

Q: how do I make myself my rusEFI ECU?

Get yourself the board. Choose your way of connecting to one of the position sensors - it could be a crankshaft position sensor or a camshaft position sensor or both. Get yourself a working tachometer.
There is a number of different approaches the whole harness thing. Maybe the simplest would be an over-wire connector like

A longer, but less invasive way would be to make a complete harness extension - something you would plug between the stock car harness and the stock ECU. That's my approach - I have made myself a 6 foot extension where I can plug or unplug each wire separately - so, I choose which wires go to the stock ECU, which wires go to my ECU and which are going to both with a T-connection. Obviously the end goal is disconnect the stock ECU completely, but while you are building yourself an ECU an extension could be a useful tool.

Here are some pics of my setup: my harness plugs to the stock harness


Here is the other end with some T connections. Stock ECU is on the left and rusEfi is on the right:


Second step could be soldering a solenoid driver to control your Idle Air Control (IAC) solenoid and using rusEFI to control your idle. If that does not sound cool enough, you can dive right in and start controlling your fuel injectors! They are just solenoids, too.

[AndreyB]

Q; how can I help with the firmware?

Read general Q&A on source code and check the list of open firmware issues on our Source Forge site. If you feel like implementing one of the needed change, just let me know and submit a patch for review when you are ready!

[AndreyB]

Q: how can I help with the hardware?

There is not tracker for hardware issues yet. The way it is now - in the Hardware section of the forum there are topics marked "Help Needed" - if the title still has it, help is still needed with that particular thing.

We use KiCad for our PCB designs.

[AndreyB]

Update: I am answering the "What about Megasquirt" question too often here, the "Newton vs iPhone" picture is the gist of my answer - see http://rusefi.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=239&p=1009#p1009

Does anyone have a Newton? I am looking for a picture of "Newton vs Android", I think it would be a more accurate answer.

[efihacker]

Update: I am answering the "What about Megasquirt" question too often here, the "Newton vs iPhone" picture is the gist of my answer - see http://rusefi.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=239&p=1009#p1009

Does anyone have a Newton? I am looking for a picture of "Newton vs Android", I think it would be a more accurate answer.

I had one, but i think the analogy is perfect. The newton worked but the iphone work's way better/newer.

Bonus points for acually knowing about a Newton i thought i was one of the few. Even when i worked at Apple SR tech's dident even know what they were.

[AndreyB]

Q: Do you guys know about Speeduino?

http://speeduino.com/ is another great open source project

[AndreyB]

New page about how to get involved - https://rusefi.com/s/howtocontribute