How you want your MIMA

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

How many of you have heard of Heatkit?
I used to love building heatkits, and have built color tv's, digital FM recievers, metal detectors, oscilloscopes, signal generators, lab breadboards, model airplane digital proportional servos, reciever, and transmitter, digital clocks........
I always enjoyed that feeling of accomplishment and pride that only comes from building something from a bag of parts and some well written instructions.
I would like some feedback as to how you want your MIMA.

Option 1: Schematic, parts, programmed micro, and instructions, you build it, make the case's and feel the pride . Like a heathkit.

Option 2: I build the board and test it, you make the case's and feel some of the pride.
Option 3: Built tested board, case for the display, simple case for the joystick,or maybe some epoxy putty.
Option 4: Same as Option 3, but you come here, and I work with you to install it.

[LoNOx 1]

Heathkit #1.
Yes, I like the sense of accomplishment!
Supported by well written directions (with pictures

[jsnable]

"Heathkit style" would be great for me!

Jay
'2000

[figgy]

I used to make those kits, but now that I am less of a spring chicken, I guess I would vote for the assembled and tested.

My main reason being that if I mucked it up, it might hurt my Insight.

Building a stand-alone alarm clock, would be another matter -but this is directly impacting the car, so calls for more caution in my belief.

[james]

Mike,

Could you expand a bit on what's involved in "test it"? In my case that might be the problem: I can (and have) follow instruction to solder up things from flash-the-LED toys to PC boards. I can usually even manage to get the components the right way around. But my testing is limited to A) checking things with a $10 Radio Shack multimeter, or B) plugging it in, and sniffing for smoke

I don't mind doing B when it's a handful of components on a proto board, or even an old PC, you understand, but spare Insights are hard to come by. So if I chose to do option 1, what would I need to have to do type A testing on my work?

[bfivelover]

Option 4: My ability to do something like that is very limited

[Rick Reece]

Any of the options would be fine however I think I would lean toward option 4 mainly because I believe their are tips and techniques that are learned as one duplicates a task. In other words the first time is always the hardest. Have fun, Rick

[driveaninsight]

since i am not much on electrinic fabricator i would choose a combination of 2 and 4

2000 5 speed 85000 hybred smile mi

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

I will expand a little on the Heathkit concept.
All heathkits have a way to test and confirm proper operation, and I would design this "MIMAKIT" the same way. The only signals needed from the car to make the MIMA operate are the 2KHZ CMDPWR pulses. A $1 LM555 chip set up as an oscillator (Yves MIMA test circuit) can provide that pulse. Small potentiometers can simulate the TPS,MAP, analog signals. The two temperature probes operation can be tested with a meter. Brian bought a cute little digital volt ohm amp meter for $10 which can provide all the instrumentation needed to thoroughly test the MIMA before installing in the car, and provides a way to ring out the wires during instalation.
I am developing the test circuit and techniques to test MIMA off the car right now as I debug the proto board. I will post the results here so you can have a better picture of the test process.

[Calpod]

I would prefer kit #2, I wouldn't want to take a chance of messing something up, besides I would be up and running sooner.