Aldon Amethyst - anyone tried one ?
Discussion
Looks interesting http://www.aldonamethyst.co.uk/
simpler install than megajolt and of course does not claim to boost the spark but an option for better running maybe ?
simpler install than megajolt and of course does not claim to boost the spark but an option for better running maybe ?
was discussed here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I'm waiting for Blitz to be guinea pig and run it on his car before making a decision. Jamming the advance weights wide open doesn't appeal to me.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I'm waiting for Blitz to be guinea pig and run it on his car before making a decision. Jamming the advance weights wide open doesn't appeal to me.
OK- so at the Stoneleigh kit car show and up pops one "Stealth" mappable unit from Accuspark for a whole £100, but having parted with my cash it then turned out to be a basic rpm vs advance (2d) unit with no facility for throttle pot or vacuum input, so I think they have missed the trick here as MPG is going to suffer without vacuume advance. Fine for race use, but not road, so it went back.
http://www.accuspark.co.uk/Blackbox.htm
http://www.accuspark.co.uk/Blackbox.htm
Edited by blitzracing on Sunday 5th May 19:08
today i fitted a stealth blackbox: (should better say: i tried)
1. i had problems with the communication via usb on 2 laptops and therefore needed to install additional drivers to the windows/system32
2. software or box-firmware looks faulty: i programmed an advance curve, after writing ("storing") it to the box, the curve came-up totally shot with very "interesting" values:
programmed curve:
result after storing it to the box:
same happend using the manufacturer default curve.
as the mechanical advance of the dizzy needs to be locked, and i have done that before i tested the box sofware-wise, the car is more or less immobalized now....great!!! its weekend and no technical support available.
1. i had problems with the communication via usb on 2 laptops and therefore needed to install additional drivers to the windows/system32
2. software or box-firmware looks faulty: i programmed an advance curve, after writing ("storing") it to the box, the curve came-up totally shot with very "interesting" values:
programmed curve:
result after storing it to the box:
same happend using the manufacturer default curve.
as the mechanical advance of the dizzy needs to be locked, and i have done that before i tested the box sofware-wise, the car is more or less immobalized now....great!!! its weekend and no technical support available.
Edited by GinG15 on Sunday 9th June 19:25
Bit of a late reply but worth adding some more info - I've also been investigating this for a non-TVR application. The issue connecting latops shows the interface is not USB but "good" old RS232. Behind that unprotected USB connector in the box will be a USB-RS232 converter chip and these are unreliable in anything after XP. It was a problem the first ELM327 (OBD) devices had and shows age of the chipset. Software, wording, font, layout looks many years old as well - certainly with my "computer day job" hat on the solution doesn't inspire confidence.
The demo videos are convincing but is the risk of coil overheating on idle a problem that needs to be fixed ?
A bloke called Rob who plays with Minis summed it up very well with these words:
"Well if I've read it right (the web page is very lacking in real technical detail) first your £99 misses the fact it needs the points replacing with one of their electronic pickups, which they list at £28 - £42 depending on distributor model.
On the positive side, using an electronic pickup will remove the innaccuracy some of the really s
t systems create (those which retain the points as the trigger) as there is no fibre/plastic arm, or the points themselves to wear.
But you'll still have all the inaccuracies of backlash in the camchain and helical dizzy drive moving the timing around compared to what you think you have set. Not much maybe, but virtually non-existant on a system that uses a 36:1 wheel on the crank, especially if its attached inboard of the rubber damper.
And, by still using a single coil and a rotor inside the dizzy cap to generate and transmit the spark, the actual spark will be no better than the later standard electronic distributors. ie, nowhere near as good as a coilpack based system.
And you still have the complete dizzy wasting space and putting the HT leads in the standard rain soaked path.
But the "best" bit of the lot is the advance curve is only two dimensional, it has no load input (MAP or TPS), just RPM.
EXCEPT, in the video, after they've locked out the mechanical advance, they appear to re-hook the vacuum advance mechanism up.... so the load input is still there but you haven't a clue what it is and can't do anything about it.
Forget playing with dwell, unless you really know what you are doing you will just burn out coils and the fact they have provided that feature is no replacement for a programmable load input giving a three dimensional map that MJ and all full EMS systems use. "
DH
The demo videos are convincing but is the risk of coil overheating on idle a problem that needs to be fixed ?
A bloke called Rob who plays with Minis summed it up very well with these words:
"Well if I've read it right (the web page is very lacking in real technical detail) first your £99 misses the fact it needs the points replacing with one of their electronic pickups, which they list at £28 - £42 depending on distributor model.
On the positive side, using an electronic pickup will remove the innaccuracy some of the really s
t systems create (those which retain the points as the trigger) as there is no fibre/plastic arm, or the points themselves to wear. But you'll still have all the inaccuracies of backlash in the camchain and helical dizzy drive moving the timing around compared to what you think you have set. Not much maybe, but virtually non-existant on a system that uses a 36:1 wheel on the crank, especially if its attached inboard of the rubber damper.
And, by still using a single coil and a rotor inside the dizzy cap to generate and transmit the spark, the actual spark will be no better than the later standard electronic distributors. ie, nowhere near as good as a coilpack based system.
And you still have the complete dizzy wasting space and putting the HT leads in the standard rain soaked path.
But the "best" bit of the lot is the advance curve is only two dimensional, it has no load input (MAP or TPS), just RPM.
EXCEPT, in the video, after they've locked out the mechanical advance, they appear to re-hook the vacuum advance mechanism up.... so the load input is still there but you haven't a clue what it is and can't do anything about it.
Forget playing with dwell, unless you really know what you are doing you will just burn out coils and the fact they have provided that feature is no replacement for a programmable load input giving a three dimensional map that MJ and all full EMS systems use. "
DH
Just to confirm you are taking about the £100 Stealth 2d unit here, not the £200 Amethist, which is streets ahead far as I can see. On the TVR RV8 the electronc ignition trigger unit switches the coil in the same way as the points, so would interface directly without an additional unit.
Edited by blitzracing on Wednesday 31st July 12:25
Like you my engine is running well and revs freely to an indicated 6.4k ATM. . In a recent post I read that the 500 RV8 is easily damaged by pinking (anyone know the reason for this?) so I would want to be sure about getting a decent map whatever I was doing
A.
A.
Edited by Argent on Sunday 4th August 10:22
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