MPGuino Hookup (WIP)

[squriellord]

I got my MPGuino yesterday, so today I went to radioshack and picked up a few things like wire and an RJ11/44 box



I saw the phone jack and an idea came: use a phone cable to run across the cabin! A raid of the electronics drawer netted a GE in-line connector (the little white box next to the Guino unit) and a length of phone cable.

This morning I messed around and exposed my car's ECU in the passenger footwell behind a steel plate which removed easily enough once I had the carpet peeled back. It's a bit cramped but there's enough area to work in and I have a clear view of the wires. (No pics, will come tomorrow as it's dark outside now.)

My current plan is to strip a portion of the VSS, Injector, and +12V wires, solder a radioshack wire and then electrical tape up the T-intersection. The ground would run to a vehicle ground. These wires would then be run to the RJ11/44, which would be stickypad'ed to the ECU. Then run the phone cable to the MPGuino, which will have a receiver made from half of the in-line connector.

Reasoning:
1) The phone line is durable and well-insulated
2) This setup ought to be very easy to remove and re-install, as the phone cable is removable by nature of design.
3) I'm assuming that it will be easier to secure a phone line through the cabin through hooks with adhesive pads (or some other phone-line anchoring product which surely exists.)

Is the whole strip/solder/cover thing okay? I'm assuming that's how other people have tapped their wires.
More pic's to come tomorrow.

-Squriellord.

[McTimson]

If you can use heatshrink, it'll be better than taping the connection. Electrical tape dries up after a while, and loses its' adhesiveness. You'd probably be better off cutting each wire, soldering the new wire in, and putting some heatshrink on it.

Other than that, sounds like a good plan!

[squriellord]

I've got the RJ box-adapter ready to solder to the Guino BUT

Which wire is which imput? (VSS, Injector, +12V, ground)



EDIT:
Based on the circuit diagram, I believe that it is from the top:
1) VSS
2)+12v
3)Injector
4)Ground

[dcb]

That looks right


Also note that I think it would be simplest to just solder a phone cord "pigtail" to the guino that is long enough to reach that jack installed under the dash somewhere, where it could still be unplugged if needed.

FYI, I'm considering moving to a pigtail arrangement just because A. these plugs are a pita to make by hand, and B. having a phone jack on the board will make the unit noticeably larger.

[squriellord]

Originally Posted by dcb

That looks right


Also note that I think it would be simplest to just solder a phone cord "pigtail" to the guino that is long enough to reach that jack installed under the dash somewhere, where it could still be unplugged if needed.

FYI, I'm considering moving to a pigtail arrangement just because A. these plugs are a pita to make by hand, and B. having a phone jack on the board will make the unit noticeably larger.

The little blue baggie with the second plastic hub and the plugs is missing. I left it on the counter with everything else but now I can't find it so I'm jut going to run the phone jack wires straight into the Guino.

Pics of progress, all ready to solder as soon as I cut another hole in the enclosure for the phone jack.

[squriellord]

Wires are cut and screwed into the RJ11/44. Solder had been applied to the tips of the phone jack mate in preparation for the final union of the Guino to the phone chord.

I still can't find the small plastic piece/metal plugs, and am very apprehensive about soldering directly to the Guino. Radioshack didn't have anything that small to replace it with.

I'm pretty sure that the plastic connector and plugs are gone forever. Where can I find a replacement without buying a whole new MPGuino kit? Spiffle.org doesn't sell those connectors.

[dcb]

if you have a desktop computer, see if you have a spare small power connector inside that you can dyke off with a pigtail, and hook everything straight up to that. It should plug right into the guino, and your desktop probably won't miss it.

it would look like the middle plug here:

[Clev]

That's what I was just thinking. That connector is usually used to power the floppy drive, which most computers don't have anymore.

[squriellord]

Originally Posted by dcb

if you have a desktop computer, see if you have a spare small power connector inside that you can dyke off with a pigtail, and hook everything straight up to that.

Crisis averted! The small blue bag with the pin and plugs had fallen into someone's backpack this morning Fortunatley the 'fallen off counter' theory was in full swing: A quick search later, we found it and....
I've been busy.





It looks weird, but the wires running to the jack are protected, and I finally found a use for those rebate cards with less than a dollar left on them.

[squriellord]

The deed is done! Except for calibaration.

I present my 1991 Acura Legend to hooked up to an MPGuino!

It's getting power. My first real 'wiring job', (aka unacceptably sloppy) it was simply tap a +12v, VSS, Injector, and then ground the fourth wire. Easier said than done with the carpet and the steel plate in the way, but everything's as back to normal as I can make it.
The housing...:hide: Form follows function, and it holds and protects the Guino.

Wiring reference:


Here's more photos I took:




That must be some type of GPS, right? Let's steal it!

-Squriellord.