Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

This section is dedicated to discussion of DTA engine control units such as the DTA E48 EXP, P8 Pro, DTA S40, S60, S80, and S100, as well as all things ECU related.
KristerOlsson
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 2:43 pm
ECU Model: S60 Pro
Firmware Version: 79.02

Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by KristerOlsson »

I am Faculty Advisor for Lund University Formula Student Team i Sweden. Our team
have used DTA S60 together with Honda CB600RR and CFR450X engines the last 8
years. The opinion about S60 have been that software "could be better" but
hardware is "bullet proof". But there is an opinion that launch control and
traction control "does not work OK" and the manual is hard to understand about
this. Every new team inherit this opinion and does not try to use the built in
functions. I think this opinion started some years ago when we used the CFR450X
single cylinder. Is it hard to use launch control and traction control on a
single or was the firmware/software not "good" some years ago? This year we will
be using the 4 cylinder CBR600RR again and the students plan to fix launch
control using electronic throttle and homemade hardware/software for this. As
Faculty Advisor I can only advice and the students must not follow my tips but I
think they should look again at the built in options in the S60 before they
build something own. Is it so hard nowadays to get the settings right? It should
be no problem for them to install the sensors needed. What is the opinion of this Forum?
stevieturbo
Posts: 3577
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2011 12:08 pm
ECU Model: No ECU
Location: Norn Iron

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by stevieturbo »

I guess we would need to know exactly what the problem was, or what difficulties did they have previously ?

Launch control is a hard thing to define generically...and will require work to tailor it to each and every vehicle...including multiple traction levels. ie vehicle, tyres, surface etc.
And even then, few systems are fully idiot proof and still require some driver input.
KristerOlsson
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 2:43 pm
ECU Model: S60 Pro
Firmware Version: 79.02

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by KristerOlsson »

I was fishing after there have been some improvement the last years. The guys that started the rumour is no longer at the University.
Antral
Posts: 194
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:20 am

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by Antral »

The man who invented it used both Traction and Launch control with the S60 to great success so it works...........
Rob Stevens
Posts: 1247
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 4:10 am
ECU Model: S100 Pro
Distributor: None-Coil On Plug :)

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by Rob Stevens »

I've used both for years and think its great. However neither can make a car have traction, there is no magic bullet.
The launch system is much more than you get on most systems as it uses undriven wheel speed on top of the normal 2nd rpm limit.
Personally I'd like to see the ability to reduce rpm whilst underway automatically, currently I turn the launch rpm down once underway on the knob. This is the only feature missing in my opinion. Allan claimed this is available any way, it is but only time related for cars without undriven wheel speed.
Traction works just fine but I would like to see options related to speed and or gear.
If you can't make it work, there is either a fault or you don't understand what the settings do, I must say that some of the setting descriptions are very poor and misleading, i.e. target slip is just the minimum slip, not the target.
lumley32
Posts: 214
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 5:09 pm
ECU Model: S80 Pro
Firmware Version: 61

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by lumley32 »

i have never used traction or launch control with DTA, but it strikes me as odd that you would need it in a formula student car, after all you have what 80BHP and 250kg?
stevieturbo
Posts: 3577
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2011 12:08 pm
ECU Model: No ECU
Location: Norn Iron

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by stevieturbo »

I guess it depends on the driver and conditions they are racing in.

Some drivers are terrible and need all the help they can get lol. Or some races may be in the wet.

But it is a very good point, such low power and weight...should be fairly easy to drive
KristerOlsson
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 2:43 pm
ECU Model: S60 Pro
Firmware Version: 79.02

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by KristerOlsson »

I found one of the old students and learned that the main objection was that they think that they can not use launch AND shift cut. They had to choose one of them. Can this be true? They must have missed something in the manual?
Rob Stevens
Posts: 1247
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 4:10 am
ECU Model: S100 Pro
Distributor: None-Coil On Plug :)

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by Rob Stevens »

You can have both, look at the drawing.
KristerOlsson
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 2:43 pm
ECU Model: S60 Pro
Firmware Version: 79.02

Re: Launch Control on S60 hard to use?

Post by KristerOlsson »

I will start to do so! As Faculty Advisor I am supposed only to give general advice but the "young generation" seems to be unable to read manuals and more trust old rumours so I must start to give them some hints of where to read.
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