MoTeC PLM User Manual
MoTeC PLM User’s Manual
Contents
Introduction ...................................................................... 3
Meter Operation................................................................ 4
PLM Connections ..........................................................................................................4
Connectors.............................................................................. 4
Analog Output ..........................................................................4
Digital inputs............................................................................ 5
Communications ...................................................................... 6
PLM Display....................................................................................................................6
Sensor Placement .........................................................................................................7
Sensor Warm-up...........................................................................................................9
Sensor Lifetime ..............................................................................................................9
Lambda.........................................................................................................................10
Engine Tuning..............................................................................................................10
Operating Tips..............................................................................................................11
PLM Setup Software.........................................................12
Computer requirements.............................................................................................12
Connecting to a PLM...................................................................................................12
Installing PLM Setup...................................................................................................12
Configurations ..............................................................................................................12
Managing Configurations.........................................................13
Changing Configurations .........................................................14
Sensor Calibration ...........................................................19
Introduction...................................................................................................................19
Calibration Methods....................................................................................................19
Use Measured Calibration Value ..............................................19
Enter Calibration Value...........................................................19
Calculate from O2 Concentration (Free Air) ...............................20
Enter Calibration Table............................................................21
PLM Communications.......................................................22
CAN Messages............................................................................................................22
Configuring Basic CAN with an ADL .........................................23
Configuring basic CAN with an M800........................................23
CAN Collect Functionality...........................................................................................24
Configuring the CAN collect master unit (PLM 1) .......................24
Configuring the CAN Collect slave units (PLM 2 to PLM
16)........................................................................................25
MoTeC PLM User’s Manual
CAN Unit Number Display.........................................................................................26
RS232 Messages........................................................................................................27
Specifications...................................................................28
Meter....................................................................................28
Appendices ......................................................................31
Appendix A – Lambda to Air Fuel Ratio Table........................................................31
Appendix B – PLM Display Codes............................................................................32
Appendix C – PLM CAN Diagnostic Codes ............................................................33
Appendix D – PLM Connector Details......................................................................34
Appendix E – Sensor Wiring Details........................................................................36
Bosch LSU 4 Sensor ..............................................................36
NTK – UEGO Sensor..............................................................38
Appendix F – PLM to ECU Wiring Details................................................................40
Analog Output ........................................................................40
CAN......................................................................................40
Appendix G – PLM to ADL Wiring Details................................................................41
Appendix H – General CAN Bus Wiring...................................................................42
Appendix I – PC Comms Wiring...............................................................................43
Appendix J – Analog Output Wiring..........................................................................44
Appendix K – Digital Input Wiring..............................................................................46
Typical wiring for switches .......................................................46
Typical wiring for RPM measurement .......................................46
Appendix L – Glossary................................................................................................47
Appendix M – CAN Messages Format.....................................................................48
Appendix N – RS232 Message Format...................................................................53
Appendix O – Recommended CAN Collect Configuration..................................54
Appendix P – Dimensions .........................................................................................57
Copyright – Motec Pty Ltd – 2001-2005
The information in this document is subject to change without notice.
While every effort is taken to ensure correctness, no responsibility will be taken for the consequences of any
inaccuracies or omissions in this manual.
23 June, 2005
MoTeC PLM Setup Software 3
Introduction
The M oTeC Professional Lambda Meter measures Lambda (or Air Fuel Ratio)
over a wide range of mixtures with fast response time.
The display may be set to Show Lambda, Air Fuel Ratio (for Petrol, Alcohol,
Gas, Diesel or ‘blend’ fuel), equivalence ratio or percentage oxygen.
The PLM provides a differential Analog Output Voltage proportional to Lambda
that may be connected to an Analog Meter or other measurement instrument
such as an ECU, Data Logger or dynamometer.
The PLM also supports RS232 and CAN data links to devices such as the
Motec Dash Logger or M800 ECU for transmission of sensor and diagnostic
data.
This manual covers the configuration and operation of the meter.
4 Meter Operation
Meter Operation
PLM Connections
Connectors
The PLM has a male and a female D-9 pin connector.
See Appendix D – PLM Connector Details for a description of the PLM pinout.
Male Connector
The loom supplied with the PLM is fitted to the male PLM connector, for
connection to the sensor and to a power supply. The Power supply must
provide enough current (up to 5 Amps at start up) for both the meter and the
sensor heater element. The vehicle battery is typically the most convenient
source of power.
It is not recommended that the power and sensor loom be extended by using a
standard serial cable. These are unable to supply the current required by the
sensor heater. If an extension is made, the wire must be at least 20 gauge.
Female Connector
The female PLM connector has pins for serial connection to a PC, CAN data
bus, 2 digital inputs and the analog voltage output.
The pinout is assigned to allow direct connection to a PC with a standard
(straight through) 9 pin serial cable. Note that the PC must have a serial
communications port (normally marked COM1). A custom cable is required to
use the other features on this connector.
Analog Output
The analog output provides a voltage proportional to Lambda. The scaling of the
analog output can be changed by using the PLM Setup software to configure
the device (see Setup | Analog Output in the PLM Setup Software section).
MoTeC Meter Operation 5
The analog output is provided as a differential voltage using two connector pins
(Analog Out+ and Analog Out -). For correct operation Analog Out- must be
connected to the ground reference on the monitoring system.
The analog output can be configured as a wide band sensor input into a MoTeC
ECU for tuning, as described below. See Appendix F – PLM to ECU Wiring
Details for wiring details.
M4/M48 ECU
PLM Configuration Output Function = ‘LA V1’ table
La = 0.000, Aout = 0.000V
La = 5.000, Aout = 5.000V
ECU Configuration Lambda Sensor Calibration = 1 (‘Narrow Band or
MoTeC AF Meter’)
M8/M800
PLM Configuration Output Function = ‘LA V1’ table
La = 0.500, Aout = 0.000V
La = 1.750, Aout = 5.000V
ECU Configuration Lambda Sensor Calibration = 39 (‘MoTeC Meter’ or
‘MoTeC AFM1 Meter’)
Digital inputs
Digital Input 1 can be enabled as a switch input or RPM input. If the input is
enabled, the PLM can be configured to operate based on the switch state
(active high or active low) or on a non-zero RPM reading. The RPM reading is
also transmitted in the CAN and RS232 data streams.
Digital Input 2 can be enabled as a switch input, and the PLM can be configured
to operate based on the switch state (active high or active low). This input can
also be configured to change the display units on the PLM display. For more
information, see Setup | Digital Inputs in the PLM Setup Software section.
The digital inputs have a 4.7k ohm pull-up resistor, and a switching threshold of
around 2.5volts.
6 Meter Operation
Communications
RS232 Int erface
The RS232 interface is used for configuring the PLM from a PC, and for
transmitting data to third party equipment.
For configuration from a PC, the PLM can be directly connected using a
standard (straight through) 9 pin serial cable.
See Appendix I – PC Comms Wiring for details on wiring to a PC.
CAN Interface
The CAN interface is used for transmitting data to MoTeC devices such as the
ADL (Advanced Dash Logger) or M800 ECU, or to third party equipment that
supports CAN.
The CAN communications can be configured to allow one PLM unit to collect
CAN data from up to 15 other PLM units, and then retransmit the data on a
single CAN address and on the RS232 interface.
For detailed information on communications interfaces, see the PLM
Communications section.
PLM Display
Start-up Display
On powerup, the PLM displays the current firmware version (eg. 1.1.0) for one
second, followed by a unit number based on the current CAN communications
configuration.
This unit number, displayed for one second, is useful for troubleshooting
networks of multiple PLM units. See the PLM Communications section for more
detail on displayed unit numbers.
Status Display
Whenever the sensor is not in control or is warming up, a series of displayed
codes describes the current status. A description of these codes is given in
Appendix B – PLM Display Codes .
MoTeC Meter Operation 7
If the PLM loses control of the sensor at any point, then the sensor warm-up
process is repeated and these codes are displayed again.
Sensor Readings
The displayed format of sensor readings can be configured to select the display
units, decimal places, update rates and filtering. For more information, see
Setup | Display in the PLM Setup Software section.
If the reading is too large to be displayed using the configured settings, the
display will only show ‘- -‘.
Backlighting
The backlight intensity is configurable from 0% to 100%.
Sensor Placement
The sensor should be fitted to the exhaust system with the sensor tip protruding
into the exhaust gas flow. The sensor placement should be on an angle of
between 10 and 90 degrees to the vertical, with the tip of the sensor pointing
down. This is to ensure that no condensed water builds up between the sensor
case and the sensor ceramic. It should not be placed vertically due to excess
heat soak in this position.
It is recommended that where possible the sensor be placed at least 1m from
the exhaust ports to avoid excessive heat and at least 1m from the open end of
the exhaust system to avoid incorrect readings due to outside oxygen. This is
however not mandatory, and where necessary for shorter exhaust systems the
sensor should be placed closer to the engine.
The placement of the sensor should be away from the flame front coming out of
the cylinder head and away from areas where one cylinder may have more
affect than another.
8 Meter Operation
Correct sensor placement
Incorrect sensor placement
MoTeC Meter Operation 9
Exhaust slip joint design to avoid incorrect lambda readings
Introduced a
ir No air i
ntroduced
Exhaust slip joints should be avoided near sensor placement as some designs
allow air to enter. Slip joints can be reversed to make them better for use near
sensors.
Exhaust flow
Sensor Warm -up
The internal heater in the LSU or NTK sensor is powerful enough to allow
accurate measurement when gas temperature is at room temperature. The
Bosch LSU will take ~20seconds to heat up, while the NTK ~30 seconds before
reading.
The maximum continuous operating temperature of the sensors is 850 degrees,
and sensors should not be used for a prolonged period at temperatures higher
than this. The sensor can be heated to 930 degrees for a short period (not
exceeding 10 minutes), but the accuracy may be reduced.
Sensor Lifetime
The sensor life time is dependant on the type of fuel being used and the volume
of gas flow over the sensor. The sens or can also be contaminated by exhaust
manifold sealants, so Exhaust Gas Sensor friendly sealants should be used.
Leaded fuel will reduce the sensor lifetime substantially due to lead
contamination of the sensor element. Typically, for high performance engines
the sensor should last at least 500 Hrs in unleaded fuel and 50 Hrs in leaded
fuel. Longer lifetimes can be expected for less demanding applications.
10 Meter Operation
At the end of its life the sensor becomes slow to respond and does not read
rich properly. The NTK and LSU are designed to be accurate for 50,000km of
operation in a road car, so the above figures are a conservative estimate.
Sensor lifetime will be reduced by contaminants such as lead, silicon, oil, etc.
Thermal cycling will also age the sensor more rapidly, along with exposure to
exhaust fumes without any heating control active (ie: not connected to the
PLM). Regular performance of the Free Air Calibration will maintain the
accuracy of the sensor over its lifetime.
Sensor Temperature
It is important to ensure that the sensor is not overheated due to incorrect
placement in the exhaust as this significantly reduces the sensor life. The
sensor impedance (Zp) is measured by the PLM, and this is a reasonable
indication of sensor temperature. Zp should be approximately 80 Ohms in
normal operation. If Zp is less than 60 the sensor is being overheated by the
exhaust and the sensor life will be reduced.
Lambda
Lambda gives a measure of Air Fuel Ratio that is independent of the type of fuel
being used.
Lambda 1.0 corresponds to the stoichiometric ratio i.e. when there is no excess
fuel and no excess air.
Lambda > 1.0 => Excess Air (Lean)
Lambda < 1.0 => Excess Fuel (Rich)
Lambda may be directly converted to Air Fuel Ratio for a specific fuel using a
multiplication factor. The PLM will display Air Fuel Ratio by loading the
appropriate configuration into one of the output tables. For more information,
see Setup | Display in the PLM Setup Software section.
A table to convert Lambda to Air Fuel Ratio for various fuels is given in Appendix
A – Lambda to Air Fuel Ratio Table.
Engine Tuning
The desired Air Fuel Ratio (or Lambda) is dependant on the tuning objective i.e.
Power, Economy or Emissions. Normally at full load the engine is tuned for
MoTeC Meter Operation 11
maximum power and at light loads the engine is tuned for emissions or
economy.
The following table gives a guide to the required Lambda values for different
tuning objectives.
Objective Lambda
Power 0.84 to 0.90
Economy 1.05
Emissions 1.00
Note: The exact requirements for a specific engine and fuel must be found by
experimentation.
Note: On Turbo Engines extra fuel may be desirable to reduce exhaust
temperatures and help avoid knock.
Note If the vehicle is fitted with a catalytic converter extra fuel may be required
to ensure the catalyst does not overheat when not operating at Lambda
1.00
Operating Tips
If the Engine misfires for any reason, including an over-rich mixture, the Meter
may falsely read Lean. This is due to excess air being present in the exhaust
gasses which is caused by incomplete combustion when the engine misfires.
Other areas that can give misleading readings include at high RPM, closed
throttle when the mixture won’t burn completely. Following overrun fuel cut the
sensor will become saturated with oxygen and can take up to several seconds
to resume accurate readings. Engine misfires include hitting the rev-limiter, be it
a fuel or ignition cut or a combination of both, and can give a similar result with
time being required to purge the sensor of excess oxygen or fuel.
Engines with high overlap camshafts running at low speed may pump air
through the engine resulting in a false lean reading, therefore the meter may
need to read leaner than would otherwise be expected.
12 PLM Setup Software
PLM Setup Software
The PLM Setup Software allows a PLM unit to be configured from a PC for a
particular target application. A new PLM unit must be configured before its initial
use in order to specify sensor type, display units etc. This section covers the
basic configuration of the PLM. Advanced functions are also covered in the PLM
Communications and Sensor Calibration sections.
Computer requirements
The PLM setup software runs under Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000 or XP
operating systems. The minimum recommended PC specification is a Pentium
90 with 16MB RAM and a serial port.
Connecting to a PLM
The PLM connects to the PC with a standard (straight -through) serial
communication cable from the PC serial port to the 9pin Female PLM
connector. During PC operations (sending or retrieving), the PLM should be
powered using the sensor loom.
Installing PLM Setup
The PLM Setup software can be installed either from the MoTeC Resource CD
supplied with the PLM, or from the MoTeC website (software.motec.com.au)
To start the program after installation, click on Start à Programs à MoTeC à
PLM Setup à PLM Setup
Configurations
The PLM configuration determines exactly how a unit will operates. The PLM
Setup software allows changes to be made to a configuration to change PLM
characteristics such as the sensor type, display units, analog output scaling,
backlight intensity etc.
MoTeC PLM Setup Software 13
Standard configuration templates for most common preferences are included
with the software.
Managing Configurations
When the PLM Setup software is started, a configuration file needs to loaded
before changes can be made, or before a configuration can be sent to the PLM.
This configuration can either be loaded from a file on disk, retrieved from the
PLM (using the serial cable), or created as a new configuration.
A loaded configuration can be saved to a file on disk, and then sent to the PLM
(using the serial cable). A modified configuration must be sent to the PLM for it
to take effect.
Creating a new configuration
To create a new configuration, select File | New from the main menu, and
choose a template to base the new configuration on.
Loading an existing configuration from disk
To open an existing configuration file, select File | Open from the main menu
and select the desired file. The most recently used files may be opened from
the list of files at the bottom of the File menu.
Retrieving an existing configuration from a PLM
To retrieve a configuration from a PLM, select Online | Get Configuration from
the main menu. To specify the serial port used for the connection to the PLM,
select Options | Communications Port from the main menu. The PC must be
connected to the powered PLM using the serial port specified.
It is advisable to retrieve the initial configuration from the PLM and save this
before making modifi cations.
Saving a configuration to disk
After a configuration has been created or modified it should be saved with a
meaningful name by selecting File | Save or File | Save As from the main menu.
Sending a configuration to a PLM
To send a configuration to a PLM, select Online | Send Configuration from the
main menu. To specify the serial port used for the connection to the PLM,
14 PLM Setup Software
select Options | Communications Port from the main menu. The PC must be
connected to the powered PLM using the serial port specified.
When a configuration file is sent to the PLM, any changes are automatically
saved to the current configuration file on the PC.
Changing Configurations
Once an existing configuration file has been opened or retrieved, or a new
configuration has been created, the configuration may be modified by choosing
the options under the Setup menu.
Setup | Sensor
Sensor:
The sensor type used with the PLM (NTK, Bosch LSU 4 or Bosch LSU
4.2) must be specified before a configuration can be sent to a PLM. It is
important to select the correct sensor type to prevent damage to the
sensor and ensure correct lambda measurements.
Calibration:
There are several options available for choosing the calibration method of
the sensor being used.
The default option, ‘Use measured calibration value’ allows the PLM to
determine the factory sensor calibration and can be used in most cases.
If the calibration value of the sensor is known then it can be entered by
selecting the option ‘Enter calibration value’. This value is engraved on
sensors supplied by MoTeC as an equivalent resistor calibration value.
Either of these two options will be sufficient in nearly all situations. The
more advanced calibration methods (‘Calculate from O2 concentration’
and ‘Enter calibration table’) are des cribed in the section Sensor
Calibration.
Heater Control:
This parameter allows the heater voltage to be set when using an NTK
sensor. For most situations this can be left at the default value of 10.5
volts. A value of 12 – 12.5 volts will give better results during cold start or
warm-up calibrations or during extensive periods of overrun fuel cut where
the sensor may become too cold for accurate measurement. Running the
MoTeC PLM Setup Software 15
heater at a sustained voltage above 10.5 volts will reduce the sensor
lifetime.
Sensor Timeout:
The option to ignore sensor errors is only recommended for very
specialised applications where extreme changes in lambda may cause a
short loss of sensor control. Enabling this option will disable the default
PLM behaviour of shutting down the sensor for a timeout period when
control is lost. This timeout is to protect the sensor as loss of control can
indicate a wiring fault.
Setup | Display
Output Tables:
The Output Table Setup dialog is displayed when the Output Tables
button is clicked. The Output Tables are used by the PLM to calculate
the displayed value. The PLM stores two tables that can be configured
with different calibrations for displaying lambda, air fuel ratio or
equivalence ratio.
In addition to a lambda calibration, there are a number of pre-defined
calibrations for air fuel ratio for different fuels. To display one of these, the
calibration must be loaded by clicking on the ‘Load’ button and choosing
the appropriate calibration from the list displayed.
Advanced users can generate their own calibration tables using the Ipn
(normalised sensor pump cell current) value measured by the meter.
These user calibrations can be saved for re-use by clicking the ‘Save As’
button.
Output to Display:
The default PLM display value can be selected as the result from one of
the two tables that are specified under the Output Tables setup.
Display Decimals Table 1 / Table 2:
This is the number of decimals used to display the values from Table 1
and Table 2 in the Output Tables setup. The display decimals are
specified for both tables as the PLM can be configured to swap the
display between the two tables using a digital input.
Normal use would be to 2 decimal places for lambda.
16 PLM Setup Software
Display Update Rate:
The update rate of the displayed value can be from 1 to 10 times per
second.
Filter Time:
The display data can be filtered so that it is more stable and easier to
read. This filtering is independent of the update rate. The filter time can
be specified in 0.1second units from 0 to 25 seconds.
Backlight Intensity:
Backlight intensity is configurable from 0 to 100%
Setup | Digital Inputs
Device Activation:
If digital inputs are not used for PLM activation, the ‘Run always ’ option
should be selected. The remaining four options allow the PLM to be
activated either while a digital input (1 or 2) remains active, or after a
digital input (1 or 2) first becomes active.
If one of digital input device activation modes is selected, the
corresponding digital input mode must be configured as Active Low,
Active High or Measure RPM. This allows the PLM to be configured to
operate only when measuring RPM, or when a switch is set.
Input 1 Mode:
‘Off’ – digital input 1 is disabled
‘Active High’ – digital input 1 is active when the input voltage is high
‘Active Low’ – digital input 1 is active when the input voltage is low
‘Measure RPM’ – digital input 1 is active when a non-zero RPM is
measured and the RPM value is transmitted in the CAN and RS232 data
streams (if configured under the communications setup).
RPM Pulses per Revolution:
If Input 1 Mode is ‘Measure RPM’ the number of pulses per engine
revolution must be specified here to calibrate the RPM measurement.
MoTeC PLM Setup Software 17
Input 2 Mode:
‘Off’ – digital input 2 is disabled
‘Active High’ – digital input 2 is active when the input voltage is high
‘Active Low’ – digital input 2 is active when the input voltage is low
‘Display Other Output Table When Low’ – the other output table is used
for the display value while digital input 2 is low. For example, if Output to
Display (in the Setup | Display menu) is table 2, then table 1 will be
displayed while digital input 2 is low.
Setup | CAN Messages
The configuration templates included with PLM Setup are all configured to send
CAN data to a MoTeC ADL (Advanced Dash Logger) or M800 ECU by default.
The Output to Transmit parameter specifies the output table to be used for
transmitted values.
The Output Table Setup dialog is displayed when the Output Tables button is
clicked.
Note that the two tables setup in this dialog are used for displayed values,
transmitted values and analog outputs, but each function can use either table 1
or table 2.
For use with MoTeC equipment (ADL or M800), the selected table must be
setup for Lambda with 3 decimal places. Other table setups should only be
used for interfacing with third party equipment.
For basic CAN communications with an ADL, the Address parameter for
Message 1 should match the address in the PLM CAN communications
template loaded in the ADL.
If multiple PLMs (up to six units) are connected to an ADL then eac h should be
given a different address. The addresses chosen must match those of the PLM
CAN communication templates provided with Dash Manager. For example, the
ADL template ‘PLM #1 (CAN ID 460)’ requires that the Message 1 Address be
460. Note that “CAN Collect” functionality is the preferred method for
communications from more than one PLM to an ADL.
For basic CAN communications with an M800 ECU, the Address parameter for
Message 1 should be 460 for the first PLM, 461 for second PLM etc.
Only advanced users should change the other CAN message settings, or
configure Collect Master functionality. CAN Messages are covered in more
detail in the PLM Communications section.
18 PLM Setup Software
Setup | Analog Output
Output Table:
The Output Table Setup dialog is displayed when the Output Tables
button is clicked.
Note that the two tables setup in this dialog are the same tables used for
displayed values, transmitted values and analog outputs, but each
function can use either table 1 or table 2.
Output Function:
This parameter spec ifies input to the analog output Calibration Table. The
‘Ip’ and ‘Ipn’ options are the raw and normalized sensor pump cell
currents (Ipn is normalized using the calibration method specified under
Setup | Sensor). The other options are the two tables that are specified
under the Output Tables setup.
Calibration Table:
The calibration table allows users to set the voltage output that
corresponds to the table input value. The table takes the input value and
translates it to an analog voltage (0 to 5 volts) by way of the calibration
table. The voltage is linearly interpolated between points in the table, so
at least two pairs of values must be entered in the table.
Once created, calibration tables can be saved (using the Save As
button), and reloaded (using the Load button) for use in other
configurations.
Default Output:
The analog output voltage is set to the Default Output voltage if the PLM
is not active or if the analog output is disabled.
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