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The new K3 ECU is the most significant step forward for Emerald in over a decade of ECU design, development and manufacture. The new firmware and software packages take Emerald into a realm where it can stand comparison with systems costing up to three times as much. For example the K3 has a CAN bus (controller area network) and now links direct to the AIM dashboard. When you check out the new features that come as standard with the Emerald K3 ECU I think you will agree that you cannot find better value for money anywhere in the ECU market place. Considering the ability to upgrade our previous 32 bit M3Dk to the latest specification, it makes the decision to purchase an Emerald ECU a true performance investment: Emerald - here today and here tomorrow.
Using a simple, user configurable, voltage input you can now switch between three completely different maps held inside the ECU’s memory. This is not just a case of having different fuel or ignition maps. The Emerald K3 ECU holds the total map parameters in memory allowing you to conveniently switch between maps with different warm up values, rev limits, and boost control settings, etc, as well as fuel and ignition timing.
As an example you can set up one map for unleaded, another for high octane fuel and a third for the new E85 BioEthanol fuels. You can have different boost level settings on a turbo engine and switch between maps as you drive. You can even have different boost levels in different gears.
The ability to switch maps on the fly from the dashboard allows you to change fuel grades mid journey, lower the rev limit for a “guest” driver or run a slightly weaker mixture for motorway cruising - as opposed to a maximum attack track map where everything is set up for power and nothing else. Experience and imagination will undoubtedly find many other uses for this superb new triple map feature.
Fuelling learns as you drive
Currently standard production ECUs have a self learning system for the fuelling which ensures that the air to fuel ratio remains where the car manufacturer meant it to be. This has only been possible with the development of the wide band lambda sensor. Consequent mass production of wide band sensors has now made these affordable to car builders and modifiers working on a budget.
The new K3 software and firmware package includes an adaptive mapping system but unlike the OE systems our target maps are fully adjustable by you, the end user. The adaptive learning map exactly overlays the base fuelling map so you can have exactly the air to fuel ratio that YOU want anywhere in the speed and load range.
The target and correction maps are now colour coded so you can instantly identify rich or weak areas (red is rich and blue is weak). This is yet another example of Emerald’s hands-on approach to ECU software design; practical as well as pleasing to the eye.
Need more flexibility? You have a fourth adaptive mapping screen that allows you to switch from closed loop to open loop to adaptive mapping from one load cell to another (feed-back mode) – giving you total control at all times.
Taking a voltage input from 0 to 5 volts you can define the signal from any of the currently available aftermarket wide band readers. You can tell the ECU what to learn, when to learn it, by how much and how quickly. You get total control of the self mapping system and you can have different AFR values for all three different maps in the ECU. That’s real flexibility.
Boost control against engine rpm is an essential part of turbo control but the better systems have always had boost control against throttle position as well as rpm. This gives you the ability to back off the boost as you lift the throttle – giving much more control than the all-or-nothing approach of some systems.
Emerald has now added boost control functions input from the gear ratio. With input from a road wheel sensor the ECU calculates which gear you are in and therefore you can run different boost levels in different gears. There is also the facility to have the boost control over-ridden from a control knob on the dash giving the driver total control over the engine boost parameters. By adding this to the triple map switching facility we believe there has never been a more flexible system on the market at this price.
The K3 ECU can now trim cylinders on an individual basis allowing simple calibration of unmatched injectors or fuel and ignition trims to suit individual cylinder efficiencies. Each cylinder can be trimmed with positive or negative gains.
Closed loop on EGT for boost and fuelling
Exhaust gas temperature is a critical measurement for high performance engines. The new K3 software allows you to read-in exhaust gas temperature from a suitable thermocouple via the CAN bus. You can then set port temperature limits in the software to reduce turbo boost and/or add fuelling to safeguard the engine. You also get the EGT reading on the live mapping screen allowing you to monitor the engine during mapping. The system already contains the calibration for the Audi/VW EGT sensor making the new K3 a must for anyone using the VW Audi 1.8 Turbo engine as a transplant.
K3 now features full control of the Rover cam duration (VVC) engine or variable cam timing systems with algorithm for oil temperature. No more dash mounted on/off switches!