Any questions you have before you begin buying, building and installing.
#41937
Hello. I have been searching for and reading all the postings I can find regarding VVT control. I've read the majority of the related postings. I seems like closed loop VVT went dark about a year ago on the forum. Does it exist yet?
I have been researching in the Arduino forum for VVT control and didn't find what I am looking for/want/need.

I want to build/code a stand alone VVT controller that will allow me to put in a newer MY engine with VVT into an older model year car where its ECM doesn't support VVT. (A stand alone VVT controller that can be operated independently of the ECM, but in parallel.) I have looked at and/or purchased VVTuner and VVT Pro and neither company had any interest in working with me to adapt their controllers to work in my application.

I hope that anyone that reads this post will understand exactly what I want and be able to point me in the right direction.

Inputs to VVT controller:
- Crank timing gear / inductive trigger 36-1
- Camshaft trigger - Odd 4 tooth pattern. (More details later)
- TPS (throttle position sensor)
- Engine temperature - one input used to activate program that will control open/closed,
- Oil pressure - Second input used to activate VVT program

Output
- 12V PWM signal at 300 hertz - Open, Cloose - adjustable output to incrementally open solenoid.

Control and feedback using either a RPM table or perhaps algorithm.

It appears to me that sections of code have been created for the crank trigger, camshafts. TPS and sensors. PWM output exists as far as I can tell.
Would it be that difficult to put all these peices together to build a standalone VVT controller?
#41938
Noisymime has completed work on closed loop vvt for use on mx5/Miata .work is in progress to extend this application coverage.
The main difficulty is the huge variety of cam trigger wheels, and also of the actual operating strategies that each manufacturer has used, that even varies between individual engine models from each manufacturer too!!!!!

I assume you are not capable enough of a programmer to add such a feature to speeduino?
Regards a standalone, I would look to add /complete the work for speeduino and then strip it down as required to only be a vvt unit as doing so gives the whole project a huge head start. That is of course assuming you plan to make it open source....
#41944
Dazq. Thank you for a quick reply. You are the specific person I was hoping would chime in on my post. The engines I want to add remote VVT control are Jaguar AJ-V8 4.2 later model engines (supercharged versions 2005 onwards that have VVT.) I read that you worked on the AJ30 V6 engines, but couldn't find postings that you completed your VVT portion of project.
The V6 jaguar engines use the same pattern Camshaft trigger as on the AJ-V8 engines. (But the V6 trigger is on the front of the cam on the V6 and off the back of the camshafts on the V8 engines.) I figure that at some point in time you have worked with these trigger outputs on the Jaguar sensors.

Regarding my programming skills, I used to write some code in basic, C and C+, and programmed PLCs 10+ years ago. I am/was a mechanical engineer/manager/jack of all trades get it all done kind of person. I used to layout system leveI architecures / flow charts but always had staff that would write code for my projects. I used to have to read code and look for errors, and problems, but didn't need to learn all the commands. I am sure I am capable enough to write code, it is just how long the learning curve will be. (I've have been slowly reading about Speeduino code, and I can read/comprehend code that has been posted in the forum)

Regarding a standalone VVT controller, I know 5 people that would like this capability, and I would say another 10-20 would adopt over time. Open source is fine, I am not in the automotive business, and only have interest in this one VVT project. My friends are in the same boat wanting this capability.
#41945
Regarding the cam trigger, some V6 have front trigger wheels ( post 2002 iirc) and others have rear mounted, most of the X type were rear mounted and early type.
I did submit a pr to add position sense for the V6 (early type) but it was not merged as a plan had not been set on how the feature would be added generally and more universally to the speeduino project.
I have since been sidetracked with gpio , gears and adding canbus support to speedy so have not tried further. My engine is on a stand and I hope to be testing again soon (it is connected to my 5r55 gearbox which the gears project is destined for).
I would say, start by adding a decoder to read the cam position and get that added to the firmware, then look at a control strategy.
My Pr is still active so maybe you can get done code hints from that...
#41953
I will start reading all I can on this forum regarding programming.

Reagarding the Jaguar AJ-V6 series engines, all model year AJ30 engines have the timing trigger rings on the crankshaft damper side of the engine. This confituration was used because all X-type engines are transverse engines and the water pump was driven off of the back of the inlet/VVT camshaft. Jaguar kept this configuration for all AJ-V6 DAMB engines. Including S-types and Lincoln LS's Perhaps the Ford variations of the Duratec engines has them on the end of the camshaft.

I took one of my 4.2 camshaft timing rings and placed it on top of a X-type camshaft timing ring. They are both 4 tooth rings, but one of the 4 teeth is at a different angle between the 2. More work I suppose to accommodate both types.
#41956
Be careful not to get confused with the cam and crank trigger positions :-)
The crank trigger ,a 36-1 IS on the damper end of the crank inside the timing chain housing.
The cam triggers as I indicated before can be on the front or rear of the cam shafts.my early s type engine for example has rear triggers on the camshafts, but the mock-up engine is a later type with front ones.
My engine has a 6-2 trigger, that is what the decoder in my pr could read.below is an image of a similar wheel. Also the exploded view of the cams of a my2000 aj30/aj28. Not the rear trigger on the camshaft.
The early models also have simpler vvt , later ones used in the xf for example used proper fully variable vvt.
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#41965
Yes, you are correct. I forgot/didn't realize that 2000-2003 X-types initially had the simple On-off VVT. Glad all my X-types are later model cars. The same was true for the 4.0L V8s. They started out with simple on-off VVT and transitioned to fully variable VVT in the 4.2 engines. Since my focus is on the 4.2 engine, it has its 36-1 timing ring built into the flywheel base that holds the torque converter. I'll try to map all the different variations of the crank and timing ring combinations that Ford/Jaguar put on the various version of the engines.
Is it worth trying to come up with a more universal approach, or focus initially on the specific configuration one needs?
#42306
Hello Dazq

I am back onto researching Speeduino code. I downloaded the zip of the latest files and started reading the code to get a feel for how everything operates. Not too bad so far. Not rocket science at least.

I am coming out of an opioid based pain killer fog over the past 2 weeks after having my knee opened up to have a quadracept tendon sewn back together.

I am beginning to believe that Using a Speeduino board isn't necessary for my Stand alone VVT controller. I probably can get by using the Arduino mega 2560.
I can harvest basline code from the Crankmaths.ino, timers.ino, and several other of the .ino files to put together the sections of code I will need to accomplish the project.
The biggest challenge to me will be to figure out how to deal with unequally spaced teeth on the cam reluctor. In generall, I will look at trying to make the code flexible so that it can deal with different multi tooth configurations at non symmetrical positions. (Question to me is weather to focus only on my 0 degree, 90degree, 135 degree and 225 degree pattern, or add in fields where more or less teeth can be added and defined angles.)(Almost universal?) This code could be my contribution back to the Speeduino project.
My C coding is 10+ years in the past, but my brother was a math major/high level S/W engineer who says this type of coding is a piece of cake. (He used to work on avionic control systems and other highly mathematical programs he couldn't talk about.)
I'm hoping I can get him involved to help me out. (As many things go, he wrote code for his career and now that he is retired, has little interest in things he associates as work.

I am sure I will have questions in the coming weeks as my learing curve increases.
#42829
As time permits, I have been researching all I can in the Speeduino and Arduino Forums slowly getting up to speed on all of the boards and their capabilities. As it turn out, many of the engine sensor outputs I require as inputs to my project are outputted via CAN messages per OBDII J1979. I changed some of my focus to research using a CAN shield with either an Arduino Mega and/or the Speeduino. (I have read in many articles/postings that the Arduino Uno and Mega both work with CAN shields, and there is a lot of supporting hardware and software available.)
Unfortunately, after searching and reading for hours on this forum, I still don't understand if Speeduino works with a CAN shield and what CAN capability exists these days on Speeduino.
Can someone summarize CAN capabilities on Speeduino? This would really help. (Dazq?)
#42832
Summary
Mega2560
No native can support and a can shield(spi) is not compatible or viable.
There is a can interface coming soon that uses serial3 to connect.
Or you can use my gpio std project which gives dual can support.

Teensy3.5
Native can is in working order in current firmware but not activated.
I have a pr submission which will give obd2 type support from the teensy with a full interface for io to follow.

Stm32
Subject to further development this too could have /use its native can, but as of now not implemented.

Hope that helps

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