Pit Row Dyno: The Electronics

🚨 UPDATE: "PRO-TIER" DATA LOGGING NOW AVAILABLE

Stop guessing. Start tuning. We have unlocked the full potential of the Pit Row Dyno controller. You can now configure your electronics kit with the Tuning Data Expansion Pack.

The base kit gives you Torque, RPM, and Horsepower. That tells you what the engine is doing. The new sensors tell you why it’s doing it.

New Add-On Options:

1. EGT Integration (Exhaust Gas Temperature)

• The Hardware: Includes the industrial-grade MCP9600 Amplifier and a high-precision K-Type Thermocouple.

• The Benefit: Stop reading spark plugs like tea leaves. See exactly how hot your combustion is in real-time.

• The Tech: We use I2C digital communication for zero signal loss. Monitor temps up to 2000°F directly on the dyno screen.

• Why you need it: Catch a lean condition before you melt a piston.

2. Wideband AFR Input (Air/Fuel Ratio)

• The Hardware: We have added a 0-5V Analog Input specifically calibrated for wideband controllers, and the AFR package will ship with the controller, LSU 4.9 O2 sensor, and thread in bung.

• The Benefit: Overlay your Air/Fuel Ratio directly on top of your Torque curve.

• The Tech: The board now features a pre-installed precision voltage divider circuit. It takes the raw 0-5V signal from your wideband controller and scales it perfectly for the ESP32 processor.

• Why you need it: See exactly where your carburetor is running rich or lean throughout the entire RPM band.

• Note of caution: This requires an external 12v power source.

🏁 Just The Electronics: We know this is the part you're worried about

Completely competent in the shop, but maybe not so much on the electronics? Do you already have an old manual dyno you'd like to introduce to the 21st century? Either way, here's the Pit Row Dyno solution.  

Just the electronic parts of the Pit Row Dyno. 

⚙️ Versatility and Near Universal Adaptability

While this is the electronic part of the Pit Row Dyno, it is in no way limited to that use.

Basically any dyno design of the prony brake variety can be utilized with the electronics provided here. The default setup is for a direct drive of the shaft the brake acts against. reach out before ordering to discuss other options. Many people will have some reduction ratio to minimize rotational speed at the brake, and accommodations for that can be made in software before shipping out to facilitate painless setup. It will work with various brake setups, disk, band, hydraulic loads, etc. 

This package includes a 50 KG load cell, and the default is for testing up to 40 HP small engines. If you are uncertain if this will work for you, again, reach out and we can figure it out together. Any load cell range can be used, meaning the applications aren't limited to small engines. If you want some crazy load cell and wild graph number options, let me know, I can make that happen. 

There is approximately 8 feet of cable on the load cell and 3 feet on the hall effect sensor allowing for varied component locating schemes. Common Delphi Weather Pack connectors for dependability and expandability. Extension cords could be easily made with commonly available parts. Let me know ahead of time if you think you may need one.

The M3 screws that come with the it are slightly long, allowing you to mount the screen on any flat surface between 1/16"-3/16" thick.

Last but not least, there is always the open source nature of the product that allows you to expand the capabilities in ways limited only by your imagination.

💻 Interface and Testing Modes

The UI is intuitive and easy to navigate, designed for immediate and consistent results.

• 7" 800x480 Capacitive Touchscreen: The large high-res display makes interacting with the Pit Row Dyno a breeze. Even in direct sunlight, the screen is still visible enough to use the machine. The touchscreen and the UI combine to make a simple, easy to understand and navigate, yet powerful design. The real-time analog gauges look great and are easy to read and understand. Who doesn't like watching those needles move? The screen may look a little funky in the images. They all ship with the protective film from the factory still on the screen. I'll leave it up to you to leave it or remove it.

• Dyno Run Mode: A 10-second guided session that displays step-by-step instructions and times out at the end, ensuring consistent, repeatable pulls for accurate comparisons.

• Freestyle Mode: Stay there as long as you like, make several pulls, and the data is automatically captured and will fill in the chart using the peaks at each RPM point to create a more accurate picture of the power curve. This mode also allows you to spend some time with the machine and get a feel for how to use it. Repeatability really comes down to user error after a while; the more you use it, the more consistent your pulls will become and thereby the data you get from them. (The ugly spot in the one graph shown is where I stalled the engine during the run—you can still see the consistent results.)

Don't pay me, build it yourself: You can go to https://github.com/notforhire/Pit_Row_Dyno_Controller to see if that might be the approach that best suits you.