Data Logging

[plasmid2]

G'day to all,

I have a Ford Flash 2 and I downloaded all the necessary bits and pieces to be able to data log. Then I thought to my self what am I going to do with all this data? So I tried googling and searching on this site and haven't been able to find anything. The livelink software has some info. There is a section on it called 'Useful parameters to log'. It shows what to log to get air fuel ratios. However, it didn't really make any sense to a non-mechanic!!

I thought if I could do a data log now I would have something to compare to if the car started playing up. I also thought I could data log between the different tunes (factory, 8psi etc..). Once again what would I be looking for? What do the numbers mean? Does anyone have any experience or know where I could get some sort of tutorial on data logging? Or is it something that should be just left to the experts?

Appreciate your time.

Plasmid2

[SuckSqueezeBangBlow]

where do you download the software for datalogging?

[plasmid2]

try here.

SCT Automotive Performance Products

You need to download the software (livelink) and the drivers for the xcal so your computer can recognise it via USB. Once you download the software you have to make some changes to the software. From memory I think it gives you all the info you need.

There are some help hints and demos there as well.

However, I haven't tried it yet. So I don't know if it works. I know there is a thread on here from someone datalogging with an XCAL3 and they had some trouble.

There is also a forum entirely dedicated to the xcal and livelink. However I think it might be out of action.

Cheers.

[IH8TOADS]

For the average punter without the tuning software it's not really that useful. It can be if your xcal has been calibrated by the tuner to allow some parameter changes (timing etc).

For guys with the tuning software....it is unbelievably handy! When it comes to tuning what you put in is not always what you get out and logging makes it useful to analyse what the pcm is doing.

Logging timing, air & coolant temps, MAP/wastegate duty cycle/error etc (closed loop boost control), fuel trims (injector scaling), blah blah is very valuable to street tuners. You really need to use some stand alone gear to log AFR's though. I use an innovate LM2 and log to an SD card and analyse using innovate software.....works for me.

You can also email tunes to guys on the other side of the country and this is where logging is also valuable (apparently). A tuner may email a tune file for you to load onto the xcal and then get you to do some data logging to run some checks. This is more a US thing though and haven't heard of that happing in OZ yet.

The xcal3 is a piece of crap....never works for me lol. The xcal2 is the best ford flashed made

You don't need to be an expert....you just need to be willing to learn. Tuning is not hard, it's just time consuming and you need a dyno or some decent fuzz free space to stretch your cars legs! More people should be jumping onto the SCT Pro Tuner software IMO.

I'm not a mechanic and never will be but I love getting into the technical side of my hobbies. I surf and shape my own boards, fish and make my own rods and drive and tune my own car! I'd encourage people to give it a go as it's quite rewarding :-)

Edited 06/10/09 08:47 AM by IH8TOADS

[IH8TOADS]

Here's an example where logging is handy for tuners. I'm about to fit a PW surge tank and 044 as my AFR's start leaning regardless of what I command in the base fuel table (I'm assuming the walbro intank needs some help, hence the surge/044). See attached "AFR run"

Since I have modified the fuel system I need to adjust my base fuel table and will also try new injector scalars and then fine tune them for my car. I don't really need to use a dyno as I can log fuel trims with the xcal2 (and then adjust my scalars to suit the new fuel system) and tune the base fuel table with my AFR logger.

My previous nizpro scalars used a minimum pulse width that was similar to factory yet with a bigger injector you should really drop the minimum pulse width...in theory. So I have adjusted the scalars based on this principal. My fuel economy hasn't been the best with the Nizpro injectors (comapared to dekas) so im exploring reasons for this also.

You can see in the graphs that the long term fuel trim (LTFT) tells me my low slope is a little fat. I.e. the PCM is cleaning up fueling (pulling ut a bit of fuel) to achieve the AFR you see at idle ~14.82

In short data logging is awesome if you can use the data, whether to pass onto your tuner for analysis or to tune yourself.

[Robos F6]

I assume the 3rd graph is a 7 second power run??? Where it starts to run at 11.5 AFR how do you lean it off to get to around 12 AFR when you dont know the RPM & Load

Sorry im new to this!!!

[Ralph Wiggum]

In short data logging is awesome if you can use the data, whether to pass onto your tuner for analysis or to tune yourself.

Great post Brendan.....but that one line would have probably covered it.....

[IH8TOADS]

I assume the 3rd graph is a 7 second power run??? Where it starts to run at 11.5 AFR how do you lean it off to get to around 12 AFR when you dont know the RPM & Load

Sorry im new to this!!!

yeah seven second...3rd gear up a long hill. I know it should be full load, done enough logging to just 'know' (I hope lol). I can get all the displays up on the laptop as I drive rpm, load, afr etc but afr gets logged to an SD card and the rest to livelink. Logging AFR into the xcal2 via a analouge input is a waste of time I have been told.

At the moment I can't compare AFR perfectly to rpm, load etc but I can do a bodge job and get a passenger to hit the xcal2 logger at the same time I hit the AFR log button......gets close enough. The rpm breakpoints in the base fuel table are spaced at 500rpm upto 4500 and then at 1000rpm after that (in a BA) so the bodge job button synch is ok, but not ideal!

I do have enough dyno runs to know what's happening with my particular car anyway. It would be harder if I was starting from scratch with another car but that's not an issue.

I have a logger that does load, rpm and AFR all in one and does some nifty graphing.....but it won't work with the BA pcm. BF different :-(

[IH8TOADS]

Great post Brendan.....but that one line would have probably covered it.....

lol.....yeah too true buddy! Just giving guys out there some inspiration to learn this stuff

Need to encourage more tech talk :-)

[plasmid2]

As I am also new to this. Can you explain what the first graph means?

Difference between LTFT and STFT.

Cheers.