UNICHIP Q – Universal Piggyback Computer

By Sylvester Lim

As drivers become more knowledgeable and demanding as well as the need to improve on emissions, the advancement of technology has made it more difficult for many small workshop operators to work on these cars and unless they keep up with the times, they will be rendered obsolete like the 386 or 486 PCs. Car manufacturers are now relying on automotive electronics automotive more than ever before to meet with the demands for better fuel consumption, more power and lower toxic emission.

The latest models have incorporated the OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics) standards on their ECU Electronic Control Unit which manages the electronics that operates the engine and ancillaries such as the Electronic Fuel Injection, airconditioner, anti-lock brakes, traction control, automatic transmission etc. This new standards makes it very difficult or almost impossible for third-party tuning companies other than the manufacturer to reprogram the ECU for better performance. However, some companies have developed Flash Programming for some popular cars to enhance the driveability of each model.

Now why would you need to reprogram the ECU you might ask? Didn’t the manufacturer do a good job? Most car manufacturers are conservative with their programming of the ECUs as they cater to different types of drivers ranging from the old gentlemen types to wannabe boy racers. A number of tuning companies have redesign programs for various types of ECUs to cater to the performance oriented driver and this involves the changing of a chip or EPROM Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory where the program resides.

A South African company, Dastek has designed a unique product called the UNICHIP Q or Universal Piggyback Computer that attempts to break this barrier of non-programmable ECUs. This is a programmable computer unit that literally sits on top of the existing ECU of any model of automobile, piggybacking on top of the standard ECU. An EFI Electronic Fuel Injection systems take in data from various sensors such as the MAP Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor or Air Flow Sensor, Air & Water Temperature sensor, TPS Throttle Position Sensor, Crank Position sensor, Lambda or Oxygen sensor, Knock sensor and others. We won’t go into the details on how an EFI system operates, UNICHIP Q basically intercepts the signals from these sensors and fools the standard ECU into changing the existing parameters for the timing and fueling maps.

Most, if not all ECUs have two maps which basically tells the engine how to operate, one map for the ignition timing (when to ignite the spark in the combustion chamber) and the other map for the fueling (how much fuel). On this electronic map, the engine is told at each rpm range and at closed, half or wide throttle, how much or little timing advance as well as fueling. The UNICHIP Q allows you to change these maps to suit the various modifications to your car. For example, if you have change to a performance camshaft and you are running leaning throughout the rpm range or your idling is poor, the UNICHIP Q permits the changing of the ignition and fueling maps to match the new performance camshaft.

Standard cars can even benefit from the UNICHIP Q as this can be used to overcome the car manufacturer’s conservative programming and obtain better performance and even improve fuel consumption. By obtaining better throttle response from the engine, essentially, the driver finds that he is softer on the throttle and thus get better fuel consumption. It also allows the modification of the VTEC/MIVEC second cam rpm changeover as well as removal or changing of the speed limiter on Japanese cars. The UNICHIP Q can also be upgraded with a Turbo module that caters to aftermarket turbo upgrades or even control a water injection system or additional fuel injectors, up to four of them. Because the UNICHIP Q does not change anything on the standard ECU, you can actually unplug the UNICHIP Q and operate your car as per normal which is great as you can transfer the UNICHIP Q to your new car or when you send your car to the agent for servicing. The functionality of the UNICHIP Q outclasses many of the existing products available in the market.

Unichip Q with installation for Normal Aspirated cars $850 nett.

Email: info@auto-consultants.com.sg or SMS 94553425

Technical Discussion on Unichip and Self Learn

Briefly, the Unichip is a separate programmable ECU which interfaces to the existing ECU and is used to optimise the fuel, ignition advance/retard and boost pressure across the entire RPM range and at all throttle positions.It does not alter cold start, knock sensors, temperature compensation, air conditioning or auto trans control etc.Unichip will drive a number of other items such as water spray and auxiliary injectors, delete speed limiter etc.

The construction of the Unichip is circuitry mounted inside an extruded aluminium casing and then resin filled. This ensures the highest reliability and resistance to vibration and heat.

Primary use for Unichip is to optimise the EFI strategy for the exact requirements of the that particular engine with whatever modifications made to it. Basically the optimum power and torque across the throttle range and at any point in the RPM range with the best possible throttle response and driveability along with the best fuel economy under cruise conditions.

Self Learn

1: The factory ECU is an intelligent self learning unit. Once the UniChip is tuned to the car, how does the Unichip cope with the learning characteristics of the factory ECU?

Modern ECUs employ a number of different mechanisms to optimize engine performance, emissions and engine durability.

Closed Loop – An O2 sensor is used to monitor the air/fuel ratio and is used primarily under cruise conditions at light throttle opening (generally below 25% throttle opening) to achieve air/fuel ratios within a predetermined window of values. Ideally lambda 1 (14.7:1 Air Fuel Ratio). The standard ECU trims injector duty cycle (amount of fuel) only and does not trim ignition advance in closed loop.

The Unichip promotes closed loop operation by running an optimum ignition map at part throttle in an effort to make it easier for the ECU to achieve lambda 1. This learning facility is necessary and enhances fuel economy and is mandatory for ADR/emission compliance.

One needs to understand that the standard O2 sensor is a narrow band sensor which reads mixtures from around 14:1 to 15.5:1. Outside this range, the O2 sensor does not operate and adjust the air fuel ratio.

Once the ECU is out of closed loop, it reverts to predetermined fuel and ignition tables. There is no or little learning facility in this mode. It is very easy for you to bring the ECU out of closed loop. A light stab on the throttle will bring the mixtures outside those able to be monitored by the O2 sensor.

If the knock sensor system activates (detonation) the ECU will reduce boost and ignition timing for the sake of engine durability). This takes some time to come back. The Unichip does not affect this function. We see it as an important safe guard for long-term engine durability. This function is also often confused as “self learn”.

Let’s take a step back and look at it in general terms and ask a fundamental question.

How does an ECU know if the engine is producing more power?

a. Boost pressure.

It is logical to assume that when a high boost signal is seen by the standard ECU, it will deduce that the engine is making high power. With an interceptor style ECU, the standard ECU will never see high boost (i.e. instead of say 5 Volts, it only sees 4 Volts). The ECU is satisfied and will not attempt to adjust boost or affect other functions.

b. Mass air flow meter

The standard ECU may see normal boost (when it is actually high) however the signal from the air mass meter may be very high. It is logical that the standard ECU may think that it is producing high power. Again with an interceptor ECU, the ECU may never see that high signal, so the ECU is again satisfied and will not attempt to affect other functions.

There is no facility for the standard ECU to say that at a particular RPM point and at a certain throttle position, it should see a certain air flow value. Otherwise the ECU would not cope with altitude changes etc.

In a nutshell, the standard ECU does not try to pull values back to predetermined levels. It tries to keep mixtures within limits at cruise and the ignition timing off the knock sensor circuit. Both good things to do.

2: How does the Unichip compensate for the factory ECU’s closed-loop system “tuning out” all the adjustments made?

In closed loop the ECU makes adjustments to air fuel ratios and not ignition timing. We generally do not alter air fuel ratios in closed loop. The only instance where we do alter closed loop fuel with Unichip is when say aggressive camshafts are used which push the air fuel ratios outside the O2 sensor’s narrow band. The Unichip is used to bring the air fuel ratios back within range so that closed loop will again operate correctly. The reason we do this is so that at cruise, the optimum air fuel ratios are achieved – good economy and throttle response.

Closed loop equals perfect air fuel ratios for cruise conditions. I’m not sure why anyone would want to run anything but the optimum air/fuel ratio at cruise – which is exactly what the ECU controls in closed loop. As I mentioned above, we tune engines to have optimum ignition timing when in closed loop to gain more torque, the best throttle response and optimum fuel economy.

3: Does the Unichip have to be retuned on a regular basis?

Once programmed the Unichip does not need attention or reprogramming unless some other modifications are made which change the EFI strategy requirements – such as poor quality fuel or a fuel pump begins to fail (low fuel rail pressure).

4: Assuming the airflow meter signal is being “controlled”, if adjustments for fuel are made does this affect the ignition timing as well? How about boost control?

The Unichip is used to adjust fuel, ignition advance/retard and boost pressure – not just fuel. On highly modified engines, items such as auxiliary injectors, water spray or injection, etc. can be controlled and accurately mapped. There is also a good deal of Boolean logic which can be programmed within the Unichip to make intelligent decisions for control of other devices.

The 3 primary parameters for engine performance are fuel, ignition advance/retard and boost pressure. The optimum values for these change markedly depending on the throttle position, engine RPM, temperature etc. etc.

Take boost pressure as an example, the optimum boost pressure at 3,500 rpm is different to that at 5,000 rpm. Rather than running a single boost pressure throughout the RPM range, the Unichip is used to set the boost pressure at each point in the RPM range. This means that aggressive boost pressures can be programmed where it is safe to do so (typically in the mid RPM range) and to pull boost pressure down at higher RPM. Of course, as the boost pressure is varied, the air fuel ratios and ignition advance must be corrected – A single ECU should perform this task.

By running the optimum safe boost pressure, fuel and ignition at each point in the RPM range, the engine will produce the maximum safe power and torque without having to sacrifice engine durability or performance. In other words, you do not have to run modest boost pressure across the RPM range to keep things safe up high.

5: Is there any way of INDEPENDENTLY adjusting fuel, ignition timing and boost pressure?

See 4 above. The Unichip controls the parameters independently. The Unichip tuner is presented with 3D ignition and fuel maps along with a boost vector. The ignition and fuel maps contain 17 RPM points times 12 throttle position load sites – 204 separate adjustments for air fuel ratios, 204 separate adjustments for ignition advance/retard and 8 separate boost values throughout the RPM range.

6: How many wires have to be cut and spliced? Can this be done by anyone with the appropriate instructions?

The Unichip *must* be installed and tuned in real time by a trained Unichip EFI specialist.

7. Can the Unichip product remove: – Speed cuts – boost cuts – RPM cuts?

The Unichip will remove speed cut (180 kph on the STI for example) and fuel cut under high boost situations. The Unichip rev limit module is currently undergoing testing and should be available early 2001.

8. If the intercepted signal is modified excessively, can this cause the factory ECU to flag the input as a fault and go into a limp-home mode?

In normal operation this is not an issue. You would have to do something very radical to have this happen.