With a ton of other projects that have come to MotoIQ HQ, our Project S13 was sort of put on a minor back burner for a bit, but we are now back on it, finishing up the fabrication and getting it ready for paint. One of the major steps in getting the car done was selecting a supplier for the car’s electronic controls. Looking at how we were going to build the car, we selected Haltech as our electronics supplier, as we felt that their offerings would help us create an electric system that was as simple as possible yet had all the room for future feature expansion that we could dream of in the future.
For an ECU, we chose Haltech’s Nexus R5. What is revolutionary in our minds is that the Nexus series of Haltech ECUs combines the engine control function with controlling the vehicle’s electric system with its built-in PDM or Power Distribution Module.
PDMs were once only made by a few high-end motorsports electronic companies and were revolutionary, taking over a factory car’s banks of relays and fuses with a simple programmable solid-state controller. 12 volts in, and the output was whatever electrical systems needed to be powered. The power and use requirements could be programmed into the PDM with a laptop. PDM greatly simplified wiring and made everything safer and more reliable.
Only a few short years ago, PDMs were only avalible from high end pro motorsports sorts of companies like Motec, Pectel and Bosch but now just about every ECU manufacture has a PDM to compliment their ECUs Haltech has taken intergration and simplification another step forward and combined both engine control and electrical system contol in one unit with their Nexus series.
Since Christa is a new driver, I don’t particularly want to bring her up in an environment full of electronic aids. I want her to experience a more analog driving experience until she becomes a better driver, but adding aids not as nannies, but as performance-enhancing tools, after she learns how to drive properly without them first. Since I make my living staring at computers trackside, trying to eek out every bit of performance from race cars, I don’t particularly want to spend my weekends with her doing this either, until she gets to a level where she needs this sort of stuff anyway. With her kart racing experience, this might come pretty quickly, so it’s important that the system is able to expand as the driver’s skill increases.
As we stated, the Nexus R5 is Haltech’s flagship product, combining the functionality of a power distribution module, a data logger, a dual-channel wideband controller, and a state-of-the-art engine management system in one powerful device called, in Haltech speak, a VCU (Vehicle Control Unit). The R5’s capabilities include:
- 4 x 25A (continuous) push-pull PWM capable (5 kHz) outputs (for power to injectors/coils, transbrake, thermofan, fuel pump)
- 12 x 8A (continuous) high side outputs (low speed PWM, 200 Hz) outputs (power to sensors, NOS solenoids, etc)
- 18 x peak/hold injector drivers (can be used as low side drive outputs)
- 12 x low current ignition outputs (can be used as low side drive outputs)
- 8 x low-side drive outputs, PWM capable (DPOs)
- 4 x push-pull / h-bridge outputs (8A, PWM capable), eg for electronic throttle
- 23 x 0-5V analog inputs with redundancy for electronic throttle and switchable 5V pullup
- Trigger and home inputs with differential inputs, adjustable thresholds, and glitch filters
- 10 x synchronous pulsed inputs, zero crossing or adjustable thresholds – cam sensor inputs, frequency input,s or 0- 5V analog inputs
- 2 x onboard wideband controllers, supporting NTK and LSU4.9
- 3 x CAN ports with switchable termination
The R5 Features include:
- Controlled via NSP (Nexus Software Programmer)
- Long Term Learning
- Stepper Motor Control
- 4D Closed Loop Boost Control
- Closed Loop CO2 Control
- Rotational Idle
- Launch Control
- Traction Control
- Anti-Lag
- Dual Knock Control
- Trans Brake Control
- Race Timer
- Multi-Stage Fuel Injection
- Multi-level Engine Protection
- 6-Stage Nitrous Control
- 4-sensor variable cam control
- Intake Air Bleed Control
- Flat Shift Control
- Shock Travel & Ride Height Control
- Advanced Torque Management
- On-board Wi-Fi
Of course, were are not going to use all of these features at first, but we will be enabling them as needed.
