Tech facts:Split Second Programmable Signal Calibrator (PSC1)MSRP$339
Pertinent Info:Split Second has designed a programmable module to control fuel, and it piggybacks on the stock ECU. This allows stand-alone-style tuning, while retaining all of your factory sensors. The PSC1 comes with a software package named R4 that allows you to change the air/fuel ratio through a laptop computer. The unit will work on forced-induction or naturally aspirated applications, and it lets you fine-tune your modified engine.
Shameless Plug:Split Second, 949/863-1359, www.splitsec.com
We mounted the PSC1 inside the engine bay. As you can see, the only thing needed to interface with the module is a male/female DB9 serial cable.
Recently, Stan Chen of DTM Autohaus and Marc Amarandos from Split Second invited us to South Coast German Cars in Costa Mesa, California, to a dyno test-and-tune session using the Split Second Programmable Signal Calibrator (PSC1). The PSC1 was being used on Stan's highly modified 1.8T Audi A4 to correct a fueling problem. The car houses an AEB 1.8T and has been upgraded with a PES Stage III turbo kit. Stan has also had custom headwork performed, as well as having the fuel pump replaced and upgrading to 550cc injectors. The problem Stan was having in his air/fuel ratios was due to the modifications he performed after the PES kit was installed; the extensive headwork increased the amount of air he could push and pull. The simple fact of the matter was, with all of the modifications Stan had performed on top of the PES kit, there just wasn't enough fuel being delivered anymore. Such is the world of custom modifications.
Because Stan was only having fueling problems due to the increased airflow, he didn't believe it was reason enough to install a stand-alone engine management system. Instead, he chose the Split Second PSC1 as his solution. The PSC1 is a piggyback signal calibrator that allows you to make adjustments to your fuel control signals from a laptop computer. The module is placed in line of the MAF harness and manipulates the voltage sent from the factory unit to the ECU. This in turn "tricks" the ECU into feeding more fuel to the motor, and the amount of fuel is modified through the soft-ware, allowing you to tune your car in a stand-alone fashion without having to fork out the big bucks for stand-alone engine management.
After making a dyno run and monitoring the air/fuel ratio, we added some fuel through the R4 program.
Like we stated earlier, the PSC1 is controlled through a laptop computer and doesn't have front-panel adjustments on it. The PSC1 uses onboard memory to store the most recent calibration data. The interface for the unit is located under a cover and the connection is made using a standard male/female serial-port cable. That old serial cable extension you had for your mouse, back in the days before USB and wireless, will again become useful to you. (Now you can tell the girlfriend or wife that it was a good thing you kept that old Commodore 64 all those years.) The software the PSC1 uses is called R4 and is a Windows-based application, so all you Linux users out there will have to run an emulator to use the software and all you Mac guys are swingin' in the wind - but we're sure you're used to that by now.
As we stated before the Mac bashing, the software is Windows based and is compatible with the 95/98/2000/XP platforms. The R4 software allows you to create and store an unlimited number of files. Inside the files are 3-D maps with settings for fuel control delivery, ignition timing, and a number of other settings. The software also allows you to log data from multiple inputs in order to review and decide the adjustments you'd like to make. To calibrate some of the other settings in R4 you would need the additional programmable modules that Split Second offers; the PSC1 only controls fueling.