Speeduino Latest Firmware
Piren Cobrin
This is the first fixes release (FP1) for the LTS 202402 firmware version. As with previous fix pack releases, this contains no new features but resolves a number of issues that have been found inline with the intended Long Term Support of the 202402 release.
As there are no new features or other major changes included in this release, it is strongly recommended for all users of the 202402 firmware to upgrade to this version. This release can be loaded through SpeedyLoader with no need to change your ini file in TunerStudio.
First release for the year and the focus for this one has been around stability and maturity. There were some regressions that popped up in the 202310 release around communications (Both CAN and secondary serial) and these lead to some much needed updating of those areas of the code. The hope is that this will become the next LTS supported version, however this will depend on whether any major issues are found with it.
With nearly every release I mention that it comes with a few performance and memory related improvements, but this month is notable for the size of these. As the code base matures, finding further optimisations becomes more and more difficult and it's been years since there was any low hanging fruit in this area, but despite that this release sees up to a 30% increase in mainloop speed on Mega2560 devices, which is absolutely huge. The exact improvement depends on configuration and state, but this has been the result of some very targeted work around the caching and maths functions that provides benefits across all platforms, but in particular to the AVR based systems. Huge thanks must go to @adbancroft for his relentless work in this area!
This is a fairly large update and brings a large number of under-the-hood changes alongside new features themselves. Whilst this version is recommended for all users, if you are happy with your current setup and only looking for bug fixes, the 202207.2 release may be preferable.
Note: The legacy serial mode is no longer an option within TunerStudio. It can still be used by other systems as an easy method for interacting with Speeduino, but TunerStudio itself will now always use the new protocol.
This is the 2nd Fix Pack release of the 202207 firmware version. Similarly to FP1, this contains no new features but resolves a number of issues that have been found and continues with the commitment to long term support of the 202207 release.
As there are no new features or other major changes included in this release, it is strongly recommended for all users of the 202207 firmware. This release can be loaded through SpeedyLoader with no need to change your ini file in TunerStudio.
This is the first Fix Pack release under the new LTS arrangement for firmware. As mentioned in the 202207 notes, there will be fixes provided for a minimum of 12 months against that release in order to provide stability for people who do not need or want new features that are included in the main releases.
In line with this, the 202207.1 release contains no new features, only the specific bug fixes mentioned below and is therefore recommended for all users currently on 202207. As there are no new features being introduced, there is no impact on your tune or calibrations etc, it can simply be loaded onto your ECU and you're good to go.
First release in a few months and one of the largest in the last few years. There's a couple of reasons for this (one being that it's got a whole bunch of great new stuff in it!) but also because it's going to be a slightly different style of release to what has taken place previously.
Based on feedback from a number of users and installers, this release will represent the first Long Term Support (LTS) firmware with support for 12 months. What this means is that whilst there will continue to be additional firmware released every few months that contain new features, any fixes that are implemented in those will also be backported. There will then be future incremental versions Eg: 202207.1, 202207.2 made available that include these fixes, but without any new features or other changes.
The upshot is that anyone who prefers to remain on a consistent firmware version, without worrying about tuning new features or having new bugs introduced, will therefore be able to load these incremental versions without this being a concern. The frequency and number of these bug fix only releases will of course depend on what is found throughout this 12 month period, but gives people more certainty around their updates, particularly if there isn't a specific new feature that is needed.
The below list is only covering the major new feature additions. There are many smaller ones also included in this release, but for the sake of keeping to a reasonable list only the main ones are shown:
Given the LTS nature of this, as well as the significant number of improvements, it is strongly recommended to consider updating to this release. It is available now from SpeedyLoader or can be compiled manually.
New year, new firmware! This new release has been a few months in the making, slightly longer than the normal dev cycle, but there's a whole heap of work that gone in to making this one of the biggest updates in the last few years.
Probably the biggest feature in this release is the addition of SD card logging on Teensy based units. This is something that will be expanded in the next release to allow things such as using an external switch for logging, but for now the basics are all in place. Alongside this comes support for the real-time clock on these boards for more useful time coding of log files.
In addition to this, there has also been a change to allow for 0.5% resolution for TPS load on 3D tables. This will be of particular use for Alpha-N based setups that are using TPS as their primary load source.
Where is 2021 going?! Has been a little longer between releases than I generally like and this time around this has partially been due to hardware work and partially just because of the number of things going into this.
First of all though a HUGE thanks to all the contributors who submitted PRs for this release. Once again the number of people adding code to the firmware continues to grow and the project along with it. A full list of contributors can be found below.
The Speeduino firmware is the code that powers the hardware and must be installed onto your board prior to using the ECU. New firmware releases are made regularly (Approximately every 2 months) that bring new features, bug fixes and performance improvements so staying up to date is highly recommended.
With the goal of maximum simplicity in mind, the process of compiling and installing the firmware is reasonably straightforward. Most users will use the SpeedyLoader method for installing the firmware
The simplest (and recommended) method of installing the Speeduino firmware onto a standard Arduino Mega 2560 or Teensy is with the SpeedyLoader utility. SpeedyLoader takes care of downloading the firmware and installing it onto an Arduino without the need to manually compile any of the code yourself. You can choose the newest firmware that has been released, or select from one of the older ones if preferred. SpeedyLoader will also download the INI file and optionally a base tune for the firmware you choose so it can be loaded into your TunerStudio project.
There is an option available for changing the compiler optimization level, which can improve . By default, the IDE uses the -Os compile option, which focuses on producing small binaries. As the size of the Speeduino code is not an issue but speed is a consideration, changing this to -O3 produces better results (Approximately 20% faster, with a 40% larger sketch size) To do this, you need to edit the platform.txt file:
Most official boards and many non-official versions use the ATMega16U2 or 8U2, whereas many of the Mega2560 clone boards utilize the CH340G IC. Both types work well. The serial chips can generally be identified by appearance:
Make sure all the files are contained within the same directory, then select File->Open and find the speeduino.ino file. If you have opened the project correctly, you should have multiple tabs along the top:
An alternative of manually compiling the Speeduino firmware is to use Platform IO. Using platform IO is usually easier than Arduino IDE as it allows automatic configuration of the project in the platformio.ini -file. Platform IO can also be used to easily build for other MCU types (Teensy, STM32).
Platform IO can be used to compile Firmware for other platforms too by selecting correct MCU option from the project tasks. Currently Teensy 3.5, Teensy 3.6 and STM32F407 are supported to run the Firmware on car.
Hi I did manage to get it somewhat working by selecting the Megasquirt ECU and selecting the latest speeduino ini file, The only guages I could see that werent working were the oil and fuel pressure guages.
I recently fell down a rabbit hole of car modding videos on YouTube. Most/all the videos I watch involve engine modifications, and there inevitably comes a time where the car gets a new tune on a Dyno in order to realize the potential afforded by the mods.
Tuning a modern car involves tweaking parameters in the engine management system, or engine control unity (ECU). Budget builds often make use of the OEM ECU that originally came with the engine (which may or may be the engine originally installed in the chassis) but the addition of forced induction via a turbo or supercharger to a normally aspirated engine usually calls for an aftermarket ECU.
Aftermarket ECUs offer another advantage for older vehicles; by using existing engine sensors, and perhaps adding a few more, a lot of engine control functions can be consolidated in the ECU, rendering various vacuum controls and mechanical linkages unnecessary. This can help clear space in a crowded engine bay, and also improve reliability, serviceability and, potentially performance, fuel economy and emissions.