New ECU Design Features Electronic Fuel Injection For Small Engines

• ST microelectronics has published a new design of an automotive ECU called SPC5-L9177A-K02
• The design consists of different drivers that can driver injectors, a relay, a stepper motor and tachometer, and interface with variable reluctance sensors

Electronic control unit’s control of most aspects of modern engines. The ECU computer reads sensor inputs such as RPM, engine load, intake air temperature, amount of oxygen in the exhaust and more. It then uses these readings to calculate the optimum timing of the spark and amount of fuel required to keep your engine running optimally.

Can be used in industrial applications too

ST microelectronics has published a new design of automotive ECU Called SPC5-L9177A-K02. This ECU reference design is aimed at motorcycles, scooters, and three-wheelers. The device operates at 12V and has package dimensions of 100mm X 70mm.

It targets vehicles that satisfy Euro 5, Bharat Stage VI (BSVI), and China IV standards. According to the company, this design can also be used in generators, nautical engines and agricultural equipment.

Can drive multiple diverse modules 

The design consists of different drivers that can driver injectors, a relay, a stepper motor and tachometer, and interface with variable reluctance sensors. All these driver modules are protected against short circuit and over-temperature condition. The main supply line is connected through an automotive 48-pole connector.

Features thermal-shutdown protection

The key components of the module is a powerful microcontroller and a multi-module gate driver. This driver is suitable for driving actuators for engines with one or two cylinders. It is regulated through a 300mA 5V regulator. It features a thermal shut-down protection feature. It is also protected with short-to-battery protection. It can simultaneously run two fuel injector drivers, a driver for the engine, idle speed control stepper motor, an oxygen-sensor heater output and an on-board diagnostic module.

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Can be programmed using an external debugger

This reference design is specifically designed for meeting the needs of the present market. For serial programming and debugging, the device can be interfaced with SPC5Studio IDE (integrated development environment). This development platform includes low-level drivers, an SPC572L timer module configurator and libraries for engine crank position sensing and associated actuators.

A representative from ST recently talked about this new design saying,

“ To overcome the complex challenges associated with electronic fuel injection, basic application software developed in association with eMoticom helps users start and manage a single-cylinder engine. This appears for a single-cylinder 250cc 4-stroke with one injector and includes air temperature, water temperature and barometric pressure compensation. ”

Apart from automotive applications, this design can be interfaced with industrial applications that run on single or dual cylinder engines and requires precise control over the machine. As for the design, all the documents related to this reference can be downloaded here.