Project Miatabusa part 15: AEM Data Logging (and some RC plane parts)

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Project Miatabusa Mazda Miata Suzuki Hayabusa engine

Turns out there are a few other things that need to be connected to the plenum too, including the crankcase breather hose. We made a quick breather hose fitting by sacrificing a Sharpee. First, coat with mold release wax, 

Project Miatabusa Mazda Miata Suzuki Hayabusa engine

then wrap with resin-soaked carbon fiber, 

Project Miatabusa Mazda Miata Suzuki Hayabusa engine

and apply compressive force with some stretchy plastic wrap. 

Project Miatabusa Mazda Miata Suzuki Hayabusa engine

After a few hours of cure time, the bung can be finish shaped with this handy portable carbon fiber lathe. 

Project Miatabusa Mazda Miata Suzuki Hayabusa engine

Gluing the bung directly above the crankcase vent let us use the breather hose as a support bracket for the featherweight plenum.  

Project Miatabusa Mazda Miata Suzuki Hayabusa engine

The intake air temperature sensor originally threaded into a brass fitting that was moulded into the plasic Hayabusa air box. We fretted over how to mould in some kind of threaded boss before we finally woke up and realized all we needed was a nyloc nut to hold the sensor in place. This is another advantage of giant air filter hatch on the front of the plenum. You can easily reach your whole hand into the plenum to install things like this.

Yellow Bee!

Finally, we needed a small bung to connect a vacuum hose from the plenum to the barometric pressure sensor. Where do you find a small carbon fiber tube for something like that?

The Harbor Freight Yellow Bee is an amazing example of Chinese currency manipulation. For $30, they sell a complete, ready-to-fly RC plane complete with radio, battery and charger. Built on the other side of the planet, sent here on a boat, customs duties paid, marked up by retailers, and still only $30? Something is so wrong.

And yet so right…

Yellow Bees are quite tricky to fly. They have no control surfaces, just two motors with differential throttle control. Want to climb? Go faster. Want to come down? Wait. Turn right? Use the left motor. There's a hell of a learning curve on the Yellow Bee, and as a result, I have quite a collection of carbon tail booms in the garage. 

Project Miatabusa Mazda Miata Suzuki Hayabusa engine

Here's how this piece of carbon ended up in my plenum…

Project Miatabusa Mazda Miata Suzuki Hayabusa engine

And here's that tail boom now…

Dyno footage really soon, I swear!  

Sources:

AEM

Apex Speed Technology

Vibrant Performance

 

 

 

All the Miatabusa you can handle:

  

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