LocostUSA.com

I didn't see any schematics either. I think he is interested in selling completed circuit boards, rather than providing plans.

Bill

Hi Bill. Going with a five speed huh. Get better cruising gears. That will be nice. What kind of 5 speed are you going to use?

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Graham,
www.earleymotorsports.com

Hi Graham: The installation is already done. I'm using a Ford type 9 transmission out of probably an English Ford (Sierra???). The conversion parts are available for Spitfires, MG, etc. I sourced most of the parts separately, since the kit for whatever wouldn't fit my Locost.

The installation went pretty well, with no modifications required to get it to fit. The biggest issue was getting the clutch to release properly, but that worked out with a longer actuating push-rod and moving the slave cylinder forward.

I haven't driven it much since the install, but it seems to drop the cruising RPM at 55 from 35K down to about 28K so that should be better.

Bill

I knew those Spitfire engines turned fast for their times however:



That is in the jet engine speed catagory. Tower: "You are cleared for takeoff" cheers:

Just kiddin' Bill!

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

yeah, I guess that should be 3.5K and 2.8K respectively. That's what I get for answering e-mail before my coffee kicks in.

Bill

I've been doing some thinking about tuning and dynos and how to not cough up several hundred for a day of ignition timing tuning. Someone posted a link to a product that mounted to the driveshaft (or something like that) that calculated HP. I've been trying to think about an inexpensive way to do something like this with the MS3.

I started at Digikey and Mouser and everything was too small to solder by hand, too expensive, and/or not the correct range G (a high G accelerometer could result in too little sensitivity). After a little searching on the MS3 board, I found links to these two accelerometers:
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9652
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/DE-ACCM6G.htm

Realistically 0-1G would have been perfect for my goal but I haven't stumbled on one yet. I ordered the Sparkfun.com unit - 0-1.5G should be a small enough range and $12 seemed pretty reasonable.

My plan is to mount the unit somewhere near the COG, input one of the channels to the MS3 where I believe I can log this analog voltage input and RPM. The analog input should take the shape of a torque curve. From there I can take vehicle mass, back out contact patch thrust, torque, then crank HP.

The two issues I see are 1) road inclination resulting in differing HP levels and 2) wind drag causing low HP readings at higher RPM. I would like to think doing the runs on the same stretch of pavement and doing 2nd gear pulls from ~15-~50mph should minimize the effect of these two variables.

Thoughts?

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-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

If you do a run up, then down the road, and average them, you should end up with the correct reading. If it's flat they will measure the same, and if it's a hill, one way will be faster than the other.

I know there's some fancy math you can do measuring how quickly you lose speed while coasting that gives a rough estimate of aero and friction drag, which you can then correct the readings with. Don't know the specifics though.

Have you looked into MegalogViewer? Supposedly, if you know the weight of the car and the gear ratios etc, it can calculate HP and Torque from data logs from the MS. I haven't looked at it closely. Might want to check into it. You would need to know the weight of the car to use an accelerometer.

There are some i-Phone apps for this too if you've got one of those things.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

All it takes is a stopwatch and an accurate speedometer to measure Hp according to an old magazine I have.

Read all about it here,
(I always wanted to say that and not be standing on a street corner with a newspaper in my hand.)

http://dmr-architect.com/%7Elocouki/wheel-hp.htm

I think I'd have someone along with a GPS to take the readings though.
or
If you data log the TPS vs time you could suddenly lift the throttle when you reach the higher speed and read the data later.

No fair drafting someone to boost your hp readings.

_________________
"My junk is organized. At least is was when I put it wherever it is." -olrowdy
Completed building GSXR1000 CMC7, "Locouki"
Website: http://projekt.com/locouki/

My thoughts weren't so much aimed at coming up with a horsepower number but rather being able to generate an accurate torque curve that could be used to verify the fuel map and ignition timing without having to cough up money for a dyno.

Plus if I wanted to cheat I'd just get to the top of one of the big ole PA hills and do the run down hill, with the wind at my back, and with the speed brake...I mean windshield...removed. Its an average if I do both runs down two different hills right?

I haven't played with the MegalogViewer yet Chuck. I'll keep it in mind. *If* the accelerometer worked, it would be an interesting comparison. BBlue did some pretty cool stuff with the ECU and HP numbers - it shouldn't be hard to back something similar out.

_________________
-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

Andrew, have you checked out Bruce Bowling's Automotive Roadway Dynamometer program? The tuning software that came with my ECU prints out a complete line of data ever tenth of a second, which is what I used to load the dyno program. Lacking a print out, I think I'd have a helper video the tach and a stopwatch. AKA "Ghetto Data Logger".

I had a tough time finding a flat and level stretch of road. I mean, how can a person determine if a flat road is level? Finally remembered that the NOAA weather website maps are really contour maps. Used that to choose my road.

Bill

Would doing a run each way and averaging the results help cancel out a slight elevation change, or does it not work like that?

I am not a mathematician...

The problem with running a 0-60 timed run up and back is that you will get average HP. Not generate a torque/HP vs RPM curve. It won't tell you where in the VE & ignition tables you need corrections.

I looked at the on-line HP / Highway Dyno Calculator By Bowling. Entering several time vs speed points gets a few calculations, enough for a crude plot. You would have to calculate speed from RPM, time, wheel size etc from a MS log manually I think. However it won't work accurately for me as I can't enter a stroke length. My engine is a rotary. BTW, does anybody know the frontal area of a book Locost?

In order to activate the HP/Torque dyno curves in the Megalogviewer, it requires a nominal registration fee. In the basic eval version, this capability is blocked.

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

Sorry, I was replying to the previous post from BBlue that mentioned Bruce Bowling's Automotive Roadway Dynamometer program. If the road was FLAT but slightly elevated, the elevation could be cancelled out by doing a run in 2 directions, right?

Going up the hill, the curve would be lower across the RPM range and going back down it would be higher. Average the value for each RPM data point you have.

I guess this gets messy though as going uphill, you will gain less overall speed and thus less wind resistance at the higher end of the scale and vice-versa going down.

Best to find a flat an *level* road as you suggested BBlue

If you are looking at the curve, not absolute values, I think that any road with a steady grade would do.

While Bowling's calculator appears to give a rough plot, I have found it is not necessary to use his programmed speed intervals. When I did my calculations, I used 5 mph intervals. I think it may be possible to do one mph intervals, you'd simply have to run the program a few times.

Speaking of results, does anyone know why it is necessary to enter engine specs in a program that purports to calculate hp and torque from performance data?

Bill