Bigboat: What will that chip do for that moped? Just curious. Thanks Capt,n

If you set the timing soner, normal 32 degrees BTDC at high rpm - new 38 degrees, you can get a higer rpm / speed.
The engine runs also with less full.

Bigboat: Sounds good...thanks for the reply. Capt,n

Bigboat, I did that. I had set it to the 16f628a and to 4mhz. I had saved it as CDI Timer and still, the error said that there is a problem. In the editor window it says in a new tab cpp.err and in the window - c:0: warning: Unknown encoding: 1033. In the error window it says under line/column - 1:2, under message text - function main not defined.

Also, did anybody build the RCD Programmer that is linked from bigboat's page? I did it and it looks from the component's side identical, yet when i connect it the ground plane is positive and the plus part is negative. Should I program something on the computer to change it? I checked over and over and it is not a mistake on the board or my mesuring, that's how it comes out of my computer. Pin 3 Neg. Pin 5 Pos. Just the oposit of the plan.

Yoram

I'm thinking, my two mopeds, will they use less fuel with the CDI? I don't care much for higher speed since I NEVER run them fast. I sh*t my pants at 65km/h, which is about 40mil/h.[&o] Don't start flaming. Fly fast and drive slow. That's me.

Yoram

Well it should lower the fuel consumption if you do everything right. If the ignition timing settings are already perfect there isn't much to be done but that's hardly ever the case.

The timing is usually too late on mopeds, it slows them down and energy is lost. If you carefully adjust the timings for the whole RPM range, the engine will work with less fuel and also feel more responsive. Also, when the timing map is correct, the engine works at it's maximum efficiency in lower and higher rpms. I think that normally there are some sacrifices on lower RPMs when engines are set to perform their best at higher rpms.

I wonder how difficult it would be to make the spreadsheet make a hex file instead of heaving to copy it into mikroC and have it make a hex file.

Yoram

This is how micro-C must be set....and don't use the A-type

Thanks, Bigboat, that makes a whole lot of difference. I hadn't done any of what you show above. Didn't know what to do anyhow. Will change it now and we'll see.

What about the RCD Programmer. Did you, or anybody else, had the same problem too, the one where the pins are not as on the plan?

Yoram

Nope, didn't work. Still get the same error, 'Function main not defined'. I have no clue of what function it is talking about.

Somewhere into the program, you make changes and I don't mean the tabel.
It can be a { or '
Copy / paste the original sourcecode into micro-C and try again.

BTW, I have a few RDC-programmers and all work fine.
Check the PCB, maybe you make a mistake.......??

Copy and paste is what I did. I didn't change anything since I wouldn't know what I'm doing, so no use trying.

My PCB is identical. The problem is, as I stated, that the output from my computer to the RCD Board, when I measure on the cable, is that the plus and minus are differnt than on the plan. Pin 3 is negative on my cable and it should be positive according to the plan.

I hate it when these things happened. I think I'm going to go and jump out of the window. Never mind that I live on the ground floor.

Yoram.

BTW, I could try changing the PCB layout to reflect what comes out of the connection cable but I wonder what about the other pins. I can check plus and minus but wouldn't have a clue about the correctnes of the other pins. I guess I'll just have to try.

If you install the PCB-prog Layo1, you can download the pcb I use.
http://www.test.gompy.net/picprog1.zip

Thanks, bigboat, I'll look into it and compare. If push comes to shove, and I get the programmer to work, can you please post the hex file too so that I can use it and see if I get things to work. I can always go back to the mikroC program later if I want some changes.

Let me assure you that I do have some experience with building electronic devices. I've made a CDI many years ago and wanted to make a new one or two since the old board started to show age. When I saw this thread I thought it would be cool to have the timer too. I had also build, just this week, a charger that chargers eight different NiMH batteries at one time with up to 13 cells each. I also had build a Nicad charger in the past that I just trashed in favor of the new charger. What I'm trying to say with this rant is that I do know how to read a plan and I'm an electrician. I don't know how to design electronic circuits. That I leave to others.

Yoram

I just looked at you page and saw that you have the files posted there. I'll download them from there. We'll see how things will go from there.

Yoram

I got mikroC to work. I didn't realize I had to download from bigboat's page the c-file and paste into IT. I thought I had to do it into mikroC directly and hope for miracle. How was I supposed to know. Nobody told this fool. If I'll get the programmer to work, I'll make four chips and see how it goes.

Yoram

Bigboat, can you please post the Picprog1.pcb? Layo1 doesn't want to open the *.ply file.

Thans

Yoram

Tell Layo1 to open a *old* project, it will make a new project by him self.
You only have to safe the *new* project to get all files.

I'm sorry, Rob, but it doesn't work. I'm not sure what you mean with 'old' project. What I do is click on 'open' and look for the picprog1.ply and open it. A window pops up which says 'Import Layermap'. I click OK and an error message pops up 'Command failed'. Some times it says 'internal application error'. It happens to the other files that you have on your site too. I tried to make a .ply file but couldn't figure out how to. It looks like the .pcb file contains all the info that you have in the three files that you've posted.

Yoram

Try http://www.test.gompy.net/pcb.zip

Choose open a Layo1DOS.ply !

Nope, same error. I compared the second file that you've posted to the first one and they are identical. Same size, same time stamp and same attribute. Unfortunately also the same error. I tried both with the DOS thing.

I wonder if I'm the only one who has the problem with the RCD programmer and the pins being wrong or am I the only one who is building the CDI and the timer.

Yoram

BTW, just to make sure I uninstalled Layo1 and erased any mention of it or of Baas in the registry and reinstalled all to no avail.

I will create a Layo1(window) file for you, just one moment / few minutes
You can dowload it from my site http://www.test.gompy.net/newpcb.zip

AHAAA, SUCCESS. I got it. Tough birth but the baby is good looking, just like his parents. I'll look it over and will get back.

Yes, the pin layout is different than the RCD programmer. I think that pin 2 is the plus and that is what I thought it should be when I had checked things when It didn't work. I show 12V between pin 2+ and pin 17- which is what the schematic of the JDM shows. I really felt stupid but feel exonerated now. It is the schematic for the RCD and not me.

The question I have now is how do I know that mikroC is programming the chip. I had run it yesterday, just for the heck of it, without anything connected and it said that it wrote to the chip.

Yoram

Rob, are the two rows of five pads on the bottom right pins for test or something like that (like connecting to the timer board)?

Yoram