May 2020
31May
ECU how-to video
I've put a video together explaining how to make the ECU log data whilst the engine is stopped. I'd managed to set this mode last month when I was testing the wheel speed sensors and logging the data from them, but when I tried to make it work at the weekend, the ECU was logging a new file every 1/10th of a second. The video explains the sequence ;)30May
Snetterton and Lydden cancelled #sadface
Almost inevitably, Borough 19 came to the decision to cancel their Snetterton Sprint and Lydden Sprint in July. Which is a shame, but, the welfare of those involved is the most important aspect at the moment, and the club couldn't see how they could manage with the burden of guidelines placed upon them by MUK. And then yesterday the Midland Speed Championship also announced the cancellation of their championship, with registration fees being rolled over to 2021.
29May
BSC email says....
An email came out yesterday from the organisers, which doesnt really say a lot. As we've lost Snetterton and Lydden in July, they've suggested that the Snetterton round is rescheduled to another date. I know Borough 19 are meeting tonight to discuss whats going to happen to the event following the MUK Email on Tuesday saying there would be no championship rounds in July. They could continue to run it as a club meeting, rather than a national, so it could still go ahead, but there'd be no points for BSC drivers. And without a maximum entry, they're going to lose money, since Snetterton isnt cheap to hire for a weekend. The BSC is now hedging its bets on N.Ireland running at the start of August. But N.Ireland might not happen since there are travel restrictions in Scotland, and we still dont know whats happening regarding overnight camping. Besides I cant afford to go to N.Ireland. I'm without any income at the moment, since my contract finished on April 3rd, so I simply cannot justify the costs of travel and competition for a few points. If Knockhill is moved to September, and N.Ireland is cancelled, we end up with 6 rounds (Knockhill x2, Aintree, 3 Sisters, Anglesey x2) with the best 5 rounds counting.28May
MSUK says....
The governing body for motorsport in the UK sent an email out yesterday, stating that there would be no National or British Championship rounds taking place in July. That now means that the BSC rounds at Snetterton and Lydden in July will no longer be taking place. The Borough 19 Motor Club were still planning on running both events when I spoke to them on Tuesday evening, however, since they are no longer able to have the Sprint Leaders, BSC, or any other invited championship attend, I'm not sure how many people will enter, so the events might get scrubbed altogether. The next rounds of the BSC are in N.Ireland at the start of August, and Knockhill at the end. I doubt restrictions will be lifted in time for the event at Kirkistown, and the rumour is that Knockhill might be moved to September. Still no news on the championship itself. No communications. No emails. No phone calls. So we still dont know what the coordinators intentions are for abandoning or pressing on with the championship this year.I've sprayed and fitted the Tufnol strips. I used matt black spray, probably should have used gloss.
24May
Tufnol strips fitted
I've fitted a set of 50mm x 2mm Tufnol strips to the carbon floor, which sit 50mm above off the ground. They will be pop riveted to the floor once I've sprayed them black. I would have sprayed them over the weekend, but when I got to Halfords on Saturday, the queue of customers outside must have been an hour long, so I went home and ordered the paint on-line. It could have been a line of people wanting to buy bikes in the queue, they'd have been in the store for an hour LOL. Anyway the Tufnol is very light, hard wearing and I fully expect to replace sections as they touch the ground and wear.
While researching barge boards, I read a number of white papers on race car aerodynamics. This picture taken from one report, illustrates the wake without and with the boards fitted, and I'm hoping the Dallara boards I've fitted will divert the wake away from the rear wing, increasing downforce. Reference: Honda R&D Technical Review 2009, Aerodynamics Analysis of Formula One Vehicles
21May
Dash4pro firmware
I updated the firmware in the Dash4pro display yesterday, and I made a couple of slight changes to the two screens that I use. I've added the lift pump fuel pressure (fp1) to both screens. I also updated the shift lights, so they show green at 6000-6150-6300-6450rpm, red at 6600 and 6750, and flash red at 6800. The warning buzzer lets me know when I've reached 6400 rpm in every gear.
Small tweaks to the layout to display the fuel pressure from the lift pump (fp1) during tickover.
20May
Cracking article
16May
GPS board removed
I've removed the Life GPS PCB from inside the plastic casing, and it is now affixed directly to the chassis on top of insulating blocks. The plastic case is too big and bulky to fit in the space behind the front dampers, and despite cable tying it down, it would move and that would affect the offsets for latG and longG. As I discovered last week, when latG is greater than 0.1G the logic that produces the front wheel speeds, assumes that the car is turning, and ignores the inside wheel sensor as it assumes it is unloaded. So at rest, if latG wasnt zero, the speed sensors wouldnt report independantly the true wheel speeds. By removing the PCB from the case, the footprint of the GPS board is much reduced, and lighter, and easier to attach to the chassis. I've saved 140 grammes by removing the case. I've got a Deutsch 12 pin connector on order from RS, and I will remove the remainder of the plastic housing that surrounds the connector left on the PCB which will save more weight.
Removal of the PCB is easy enough, its just held in by a couple of plastic clips and slides out.
The PCB is attached directly to the chassis using cable ties, mounted on some firm insulation blocks to prevent electrical short circuits.
13May
Trigger disks replaced by sink drainers! Honest!
The front wheel trigger disks have been swapped for some heavier gauge ones, again with 20 slots. The ones I found on ebay were paper thin, and the sensors didnt appear to work very well using them. The new disks are from B&Q and were £5 each, but they're better quaility. This means I dont need to change the sensor at £60. I'm now reading the speed every 4th tooth, which averages the reading, and I'll drop this to every 2nd tooth when I get a chance to drive the car. I've now secured the tops of the carbon aero covers with M6 fasteners, to eliminate any chances of the covers from moving. If the covers move, then the gap between the sensor and the trigger disks would increase, which would prevent the sensors from working. I've had a few failures on the front left, which might have been caused by this. The ECU is set to fail a sensor after a set number of spikes, so when the ECU is power cycled or a length of time passes, the sensor would be re-enabled. So its not a permanent failure, but one that the ECU determined as a possible fault, hence the sensor is turned off.10May
Dallara barge boards
I've fitted the Dallara barge boards that I bought last year. They needed trimming and modifying, and I had to make a pair of aluminium brackets where they join the bodywork. Overall I'm very pleased with their appearance. Lets hope they make a difference to the wake from the front wheels, and remove the turbulance from spoiling the flow over the rear wing.
08May
ECU update
I've setup the ECU to log data without needing to have the engine running. I've always lacked data for testing, and the ECU was set to start logging when the engine speed was above 300rpm, and stop when it was below 100rpm. This makes diagnosing problems very difficult, since you dont want a noisey engine running when you're looking for problems on the chassis sensors. With the change made, and the ECU powered on, I was able to download speed data from the front wheel speed sensor, which can be seen in the picture below.With the front right sensor plugged in to the front left connector on the chassis loom, the noise is still present, so I'll swap the front right sensor out for a spare and see if it cures the noise.
The front right sensor plugged in to the front right speed sensor connector, and then the front left speed sensor connector.
07May
Noisey data
This is the noise I was talking about on the frspeed channel. The front right wheel hub is being turned using the electric drill, at around 120mph and the speed jumps rapidly to around 127mph. I'll swap the left and right sensors over on the loom and see if the front right sensor registers the same noise when connected to the front right channel on the ECU.06May
Sink drainers from ebay
The sink drainers have arrived, so I fitted them to each hub, and positioned the sensor to allow it to capture movement, and the results arent bad. Spinning the front wheels at 110mph using the Bosch power drill with the wheel nut attachement, the front left sensor works perfectly, and the front right is a little noisey, with 10mph spikes. That will need investigating.
02May
Spring cleaning
Both the Mygale front hubs have been removed from the car, and given a good clean on the bench. I've refitted them both, and replaced both the front pushrods with the freshly sprayed ones which have flats on the ends to assist with adjustments, and I'm now waiting for the replacement front wheel speed trigger disks to arrive in the post. The trigger disks on the front axle have just 8 holes drilled in them and I am looking for around 20 pulses per revolution. I made a 90mm diameter disk and cut out the slots in it to trigger the sensors, but it didnt work very well. So I had a good look on the internet for something I could maybe repurpose to do the job, when I came across a sink drainer plug. Yep, a plug, made from stainless steel, that is the right shape and size, and has 20 slots cut out in it. Its even dished to go over the nut in the centre of the hub. Perfect I hope. I tried the plug from my kitchen sink, against the inductive sensor, and it triggers the sensor alright. So I've ordered a pair of drainer plugs, for £3.95 inc postage, and when they arrive I'll remove the post from the centre, and screw them to the hubs and test them out.
The front hubs, cleaned and refitted
Sink drainer plugs, which will work as trigger disks for the front wheel speed sensors
