How practical is an emulator - really?

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daveinet
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How practical is an emulator - really?

Post by daveinet »

Ok, So I've been thinking about getting an emulator and have started to wonder how practical is an emulator? Although I realize the limits of making test runs and burning chips, I was thinking about getting set up with a EX/GX remote switcher instead. I'm just not sure, since I'm the only one driving, that trying to make changes while driving down the road could be hazardous, and it might be more practical to burn multiple set ups at once, and switch between those setups, to measure the results on the fly. I'm also wondering if tuning WOT, if I can switch programs while under acceleration, to get a more accurate butt meter analysis. I'm thinking it may be hard to make those kinds of changes with an emulator while accelerating. Any thoughts?
Dave
http://www.geocities.com/revconprince/index.html
502 Edelbrock/Howell MPFI Thorleys and Magnaflows - in a 13Klbs motorhome!

"There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't"
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Six_Shooter
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Post by Six_Shooter »

I tune my car by myself.

I use an emulator, simply because I can change a variable an infinate amount of times without the need to shut the car down and have to go through the start up procedure again.

You can also see the results almost instantly, especially at idle, where most of the work tends to be done, to get that smooth idle and smooth return to idle.

If I find one area that is a "problem" I can drive, and see the problenm area, pull over make a change upload to the emulator, then drive on, testing that change in a very short time. To do this with burning EEPROMs, even using multiple stacked bins would require you to foresee any problem areas make several changes in both directions (more or less) and test each one, all while keeping track of which bin had what changes, and then making notes as to which bin worked best or in what areas.

Emulator is the easiest and quickest way to make these changes.

Wlel worth the investment IMO, so much so, I am buying a second one to use on my test bench, for use on tuning other people's vehicles and just to have as spare, incase anything happens to the one I already have.
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daveinet
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Post by daveinet »

I guess I should maybe clarify. The engine runs pretty well and is dialed in pretty close. BLMs are all +/- 5, engine idles just fine. We spent nearly a day on it getting it this close. There are just a few things I would like to touch up. These are more planned experiments rather than trying to get it to run. Technically, the engine runs great, but just wanting to get that little edge better, assuming there is room for improvement.
Dave
http://www.geocities.com/revconprince/index.html
502 Edelbrock/Howell MPFI Thorleys and Magnaflows - in a 13Klbs motorhome!

"There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't"
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