Re: Trinoic Engine Management System

[garwillis@msn.com (Garfield Willis)]

On Tue, 09 May 2000 09:59:00 PDT, "Jeremy Gonyou" <jgonyou@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>I remember a few days ago, some people were talking about how cool it would 
>be to be able to monitor combustion properties with the spark plugs - a la 
>indy racing technology.
>
>Well, has anyone heard of Saab's Trinioc controls?  Apparently they've been 
>doing it since 1993.  From this month's Sport compact car:
>
>"...this engine management system measured the ionization potential of the 
>gases in the cylinder and could deduce the combustion conditions..."
>
>Btw, that was a mere blurb in an article about Saab's prototype variable 
>compression engine.  Maybe I'm on the wrong mailing list...

It's been discussed on DIY_EFI several times; and ionization technology
in general is being actively looked at by some on the EFI332, including
Bruce Bowling and others in particular, I've noticed.

I've mentioned on DIY a couple times that both the Saab service manuals
and even their patents on their ionization stuff are wonderfully
readable and unusually informative.

We've been working on a similar circuit we intend to sell in module
form, that will provide the same kind of ionization-based robust misfire
and knock detection. They will be called ION modules. Other companies
have attempted to advance the art (Saab themselves still only do misfire
and knock, not anything more, AFAIK) to include pressure and AFR
measurement, which we aren't pursuing. But there seems to be a real
place for good non-acoustic knock and misfire detection, and very
*affordable* modules to allow this is our goal with ION. Unfortunately,
like Saab's system, our modules will only work with a CDI ignition
system (short IGN firing window is necessary for ION to then peek in,
hence the CDI requirement). We'll probly be recommending some that are
available in kit form, to go along with the ION modules.

These modules are however several months off, in the least. We DO have
working hardware thankfully, so the design black-holes are hopefully
behind us, but the productization, packaging, and matching up to an
available CDI supplier and some widely available IGN coils, is still
underway. We think we have a trick solution to the supply of coils, but
I can't say more about that until later.

Gar


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