I intend to get the LCD display to first operate on the existing MIMA systems, with information about where the Setpoints are for ABC,PIMA, an actual display of battery and MPI temperature, and current and whatever else is worth displaying, then move to displaying the Battery parameters, but that may be better implemented by sharing Peters Battery monitor display for those that have the unit.
Lots of details to work out about where to take this, but support of the 160+ systems that are out there is my first priority.
The CL MIMAs will start with only the basic IMA control functions, and as things evolve, and we look at connecting into the OBDII data, many new possibilities will emerge, which will also be backwards compatible with all of the systems in place.
This is why the MIMA controller is on a socket. New code becomes available, I send you a new micro controller, you make any changes in connections, and off you go with the latest and greatest MIMA operating system.
We did a lot of that during the early days of MIMA.
Should be fun, and I hope to get more people involved in the development.
Of course the easiest existing MIMA systems to modify the hardware connections on will be the plug and play with the extra conductors, but the older systems will also be able to be modified.
The CL being the same hardware as all previous systems will always have the possibility of being brought to the same place as the other MIMA C systems, by simply making more connections to the car and populating that associated parts of the board.
You can look at the hardwired or pin replacement instructions for connection points, and the MIMA kit instructions for building up the rest of the board.
Many people have told me that they would be satisfied with a bare boned MIMA.
That's MIMA CL, and you can upgrade to the full system if you like, but are not forced to do so to experience the MIMA grin.
The downside of MIMA CL:
You don't have the automatic battery fan activation when it gets too hot.
A single wire run to the the battery fan connector in back, and you can turn on the fan manually.
You can use a cheap indoor outdoor thermometer with the outdoor probe in the pack to tell you how hot the pack is.
Not elegant, but it does the job.
The real time battery current meter becomes joystick requested assist/regen, but since I know the car so well, I can more or less tell how much actual regen or assist is happening, and the conditions where it does not happen, so I miss the information, but don't miss the current sensor wiring required to get the signal to the MIMA card.
No MAP or VSS signal acquisition on MIMA CL as presently configured eliminates PIMA and ABC.
I for one would miss this mode as I tend to use it on long highway runs over the rolling hills of New England, but may people have told me that they either can't get it adjusted to maintain a charge, or they can do better manually?
Only a few more connections at the ECM, some board components and we can retain PIMA and ABC?
Where do we draw the line. Ian suggested that we make the system incremental, so you can start with manual and build the system a bit at a time.
While this is great for the technically minded people, by requiring people to cut and tap wires, we are making it more difficult for non technical people to get The MIMA grin, but even that can be potentially solved with a plug and play solution that is limited to the ECM connector that carries the MIMA signals.
instead of the 220 connections passing through the plug and play adapters.
Once we get MIMA reading OBDII data (a lot of work as peter warns) , then MIMA will become very well informed about what else is going on in the car, and the differences between the older MIMA systems and the CL will become much less, and the I/O that is presently being used for acquiring the real time MAP and TPS signals could be used for other I/O task that we have not even thought of, like the Auto hot air mod adjustment that 3 wheeler spoke to me about, Auto AC turnoff when climbing hills, Ians overall efficiency meter, lots of un explored possibilities.
On the wheel mounted joystick, some form of wireless connection without the need to open the wheel for installation would be my design goal, but we will see where all of this goes.