hak

I plan on buying and installing an electronic boost controller and would appreciate hearing from other Forum members on their recommendation on which one to buy.

Thanks for your advice.

flash of red

I just replaced my old Blitz EBC with a Greddy Profec OLED Boost Controller. I like it so far. Its well made and easy to install and see. It doesnt do boost by gear or boost by speed but it does allow one to set all the needed parameters and to start controlling boost ramp up rate from low boost like 3 psi all the way up to whatever most of us here will boost to. I feel like my turbos ramp up in boost faster with this EBC.

5 Liter Eater

I have the TurboSmart EBoost II and I like it although I don't use a lot of the fancier features it has.

Turbo-Geist

I'm running the Boost Leash gear based controller. It's very easy to adjust settings but does not have over boost protection. You need to know what you're doing and remain vigilant. Boost by gear is nice to have on the street.

Shoaf85

Boost leash controller here as well. Works very well IMO

stevieturbo

You need to ask yourself, what do you want a controller to do for you ?

Then you can pick which one meets your needs.

As for overboost protection. NO external controller can give proper overboost protection simply because if there is a fault like a broken wire split hose or seized shut w/g, the controller will be able to do absolutely nothing about it other than perhaps flash some lights or buzzers.

The overboost protection they mention is simple a feature that can cut boost if a target is exceeded, but it still relies on the entire boost control system being functional.


Overboost protection in the true sense is protection when something goes badly wrong....not when it is working.

5 Liter Eater

Anyone know of any closed loop boost controllers? Not that my EBII has trouble controlling boost, it's just that when I started looking at controllers I kind of assumed you told it what boost you want and it did it which, isn't how any of them work. You just set a duty cycle and get whatever boost that nets you which will change depending on the ambient temp. I have heard of one that a P-Car buddy uses where he tells it what boost to hit and it adjusts accordingly but I can't remember what it was.

stevieturbo

E boost 2 and most others are closed loop. What you want is a controller that allows you to choose specific boost targets, as well as operating in closed loop to maintain that target.

5 Liter Eater

Mmmmm no offense but I disagree. The EBI and II just cycle the solenoid(s) at whatever duty cycle you specify, EG open loop). Now the EBII does allow you to ramp it in over time/RPM/etc and allow you to choose what boost to start cycling at, but it's not closed loop. It's not adjusting the duty cycle based on boost feedback with the exception of overboost where it just drops to gate pressure.

stevieturbo

No they do not. The duty you set manually is just the initial target duty. Once boost is reached, duty will be varied in order to maintain the boost target reached at that time ( within +/- thresholds same as any closed loop system ). But you cant actually specify a boost target.

It is always adjusting the duty of the solenoid once there is boost above set thresholds for each setpoint.

If it had no ability to correct, boost throughout the rpm range and on initial hit would not be anywhere near as stable as it is with the EBoost 2

If it hits the overboost you have set, it shuts off power to the solenoid and reverts to gate pressure only.
That's a different thing entirely though.

Very few EBC's operate fully open loop, only the cheapest of the cheap.

And even ones that allow you to specify targets will still likely require some base setup from the user.

Given how some rant about how good the AMS stuff is, I presume you can specify targets with their product.

Plex allows you to specify boost targets, as well as adjust boost vs speed, rpm, tps, gear if desired.

http://plex-tuning.com/products/pbc-...ost-controller

Very few, if any allow the user to simply plug it in, specify a target and it does everything for you. Almost all require basic setup for each individual vehicle, as they will all be different, and respond differently to settings.

Boost control sounds like a simple topic...reality just isnt so.

5 Liter Eater

Again I have to respectfully disagree, with respect to the EBII anyway. I don't see anything that says it's altering the duty cycle at all. From the manual it says, "The SP value determines the DUTY CYCLE the solenoid will operate at when the gate pressure is reached." It's simply interrupting the signal back to the wastegate according to the duty cycle you specify. The wastegate does a good job of keeping the boost constant throughout RPM assuming it's able to dump enough air; the boost controller is simply limiting the signal the wastegate sees. Fancier settings aside, on the EBII you set the duty cycle, gate pressure and sensitivity. The gate pressure only determines when the solenoid starts cycling, it has nothing to do with the desired boost pressure.

stevieturbo

You're welcome to, disagree, but it doesnt change that what I am telling you is correct.

It absolutely does not simply sit at a static duty cycle throughout the boost range.

And yes you are correct about gate pressure, but that still doesnt alter the fact the controller does operate in closed loop.

It may not operate in how you feel closed loop should be, or to the extremes many might want it to. But it does still adjust valve duty to maintain the boost pressure once max boost has been achieved for any given initial valve duty.

user_name

You guys are saying the same thing but disagreeing on what you perceive as closed loop. I agree with 5 liter eater here. Closed loop would mean it is intelligent enough to measure PSI and adjust duty cycle to achieve it. Just like a car that takes a wideband reading and adjusts fueling to hit commanded AFR. Closed loop unlike our cars. Our cars with use positive LTFT's from the narrowband readings seen outside of boost and add them under boost, but it's just a guess. Still open loop at WOT.

Turbo-Geist

I'm still trying to understand how the eboost2 fits the definition of a closed loop controller. Let's all agree on what a closed loop is before characterizing these products.

5 Liter Eater

Closed loop would imply that it's correcting the pulsewidth of the solenoid based on feedback from the actual boost obtained to achieve a flat boost curve (I think is what Stevie is saying). Like closed loop fueling uses feedback from the O2's to obtain stoich while not in PE. I content that the controller is operating in open loop; it's cycling at the duty cycle you tell it, which alters the pressure the wastegate(s) see(s) thus raising boost. Nothing more. It's performing much the same function a manul bost controller is but you can change boost with the push of a button.

stevieturbo

The above is correct up to where you say open loop again. If you have ever tuned boost control setups that are purely open loop and use a static duty throughout, you would know they almost never have a flat boost curve, unless you're almost sitting at base spring pressure in the first place.

Some will have boost fall off with rpm needing more duty, some will creep requiring less.

It's the closed loop correction in the E boost that means almost out of the box for most setups it will produce a very flat line.

But you want user defined boost targets, which would then try and be maintained via closed loop.

This sounds easy and how all controllers should do it, but as said, clearly it isn't that easy. As most controllers don't offer it in that way.

5 Liter Eater

The EBII has a COr (Boost correction) function that manually corrects for that. Manual because, again, it's not as fancy as you're giving it credit for.

"This function is use to reduce or eliminate boost drop off at high RPM. Switching this function on will display the boost correction menu

in the boost group menu. This function is best performed on a chassis dyno where the graph of the boost curve can be displayed and accurately interpreted.

The boost correction function requires 3 parameters to work; the START RPM, the END RPM and the correction factor."

But it requires you to determine the RPM's it falls off between and how much it falls off to determine a correction factor, because it doesn't know whats going on and not automatically correcting.

user_name

I've got an eb2 on a blower car with no wastegate. Obviously I know what I'm talking about.

narfdanarf

I have the Go Fast Bits GForce II boost controller. It's amazing. Closed loop correction, multiple settings, I have my WB02, Meth failsafe gauge and Meth kit wired into it to lower boost to wastegate pressure if there is an issue. It has 6 boost presets but I think you can only do 2 off of a switch and the others you have to use the display to actuate. I really like it, I have owned AEM, Eboost2, HKS EVC, Profec B, and a few others and it's by far my favorite.

http://www.gfb.com.au/products/boost...troller-by-gfb

stevieturbo

No, and as I've already explained. It has that feature because closed loop operates within limits. You can't simply give it unlimited range to try and correct.

Go get an oscilloscope and hook it up to the solenoid and record duty cycle and pulse width. And you'll see the valve is not run at a fixed setting.