Smarty: Power on Demand
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Smarty: Power on Demand Part 1
Since the cat is already outta the bag, I'll try to provide you the informations about the new software from the "horse's mouth ".
Power on Demand
Foreword:
The most frequent request we've had from our cutomers over the years is to change the power level of our downloaders “on the fly”. Without the need to download a different software each time. We started the R&D of such systems back in 2005.
Yet, we were never completely satisfied with the outcome. We wanted to be able to really fine tune the engine operating parameters and at the same time the “system” had to be simple, reliable, safe and FAST enough to gain the status of “ on the fly “. Our staff researched a totally new power tuning concept for years. Fast forward to today...
Power on Demand, in short PoD.
There are two distinct concepts involved with the PoD.
First and and most important, provide the ability to select the power output the customer wants within seconds. With the PoD this can be done with the engine off ( key on ), at idle or while driving the truck. The customer simply needs to plug the Smarty into the OBD port, select the PoD menu and type in a # comprised between 01 and 99. Where “99” is the full power potential of the performance software loaded into the ECM and “ 01 “ is the lowest power setting possible. In other words, the PoD allows to REDUCE the power output of the engine in 99 fine steps. From full power to hardly able to move the truck in just seconds!
This brings us to the second concept with the PoD.
MILEAGE.
Let's start this section with a question. Do you really always need even the stock power from the engine?
The stock Hp of the 5.9L Cummins engine has been increased from 180Hp to 300+ in less than ten years. How were we able to drive and tow with only 180 Hp back then? In turn the engines with the lower Hp rating did get better MPG's. The automotive world used the new injection and combustion technologies, that have become availabel with the introduction of electronic engine controls, to increase the horsepower output of the engines rather than for better fuel economy.
The equation goes like this : less horsepower = less fuel.
Think about situations like stop and go traffic, cruising at 60 Mph.... With todays fuel prices, wouldn't it be good to be able to REDUCE the power of the engine to less than stock? Maintaining all the engine tuning parameters, and in turn get better mileage! Less horsepower, less stress on all the drivetrain components equals to increased longevity too.
With the PoD's ability to fine tune the power this becomes a reality!
Foreword:
The most frequent request we've had from our cutomers over the years is to change the power level of our downloaders “on the fly”. Without the need to download a different software each time. We started the R&D of such systems back in 2005.
Yet, we were never completely satisfied with the outcome. We wanted to be able to really fine tune the engine operating parameters and at the same time the “system” had to be simple, reliable, safe and FAST enough to gain the status of “ on the fly “. Our staff researched a totally new power tuning concept for years. Fast forward to today...
Power on Demand, in short PoD.
There are two distinct concepts involved with the PoD.
First and and most important, provide the ability to select the power output the customer wants within seconds. With the PoD this can be done with the engine off ( key on ), at idle or while driving the truck. The customer simply needs to plug the Smarty into the OBD port, select the PoD menu and type in a # comprised between 01 and 99. Where “99” is the full power potential of the performance software loaded into the ECM and “ 01 “ is the lowest power setting possible. In other words, the PoD allows to REDUCE the power output of the engine in 99 fine steps. From full power to hardly able to move the truck in just seconds!
This brings us to the second concept with the PoD.
MILEAGE.
Let's start this section with a question. Do you really always need even the stock power from the engine?
The stock Hp of the 5.9L Cummins engine has been increased from 180Hp to 300+ in less than ten years. How were we able to drive and tow with only 180 Hp back then? In turn the engines with the lower Hp rating did get better MPG's. The automotive world used the new injection and combustion technologies, that have become availabel with the introduction of electronic engine controls, to increase the horsepower output of the engines rather than for better fuel economy.
The equation goes like this : less horsepower = less fuel.
Think about situations like stop and go traffic, cruising at 60 Mph.... With todays fuel prices, wouldn't it be good to be able to REDUCE the power of the engine to less than stock? Maintaining all the engine tuning parameters, and in turn get better mileage! Less horsepower, less stress on all the drivetrain components equals to increased longevity too.
With the PoD's ability to fine tune the power this becomes a reality!
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 351
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From: Italy
Power on Demand Part 2
To help you understand more about the PoD here are the instructions for it.
Power on Demand Instructions
Foreword:
The PoD allows you to change the Hp output of the engine “on the fly”. That means that you can load the highest horsepower CaTCHER software you wish to use ( with all the usual REVO parameters ) and then with the PoD reduce the power from there.With the PoD this can be done with the engine off ( key on ), at idle or while driving the truck. You simply need to plug the Smarty into the OBD port, select the PoD menu and type in a # comprised between 00 and 99. Where “99” is the full power potential of the performance software loaded into the ECM and “ 00 “ is the lowest power setting.
How does it work?
Once you have updated your ECM with any of the performance softwares, Smarty becomes VIN # locked. The next time Smarty is pluged in the PoD menu will be dispalyed
Press key # 1 to enter the PoD menu section. The power selection page will appear.
You only need to type in any value from 99 down to 00. 99 is the full power of the CaTCHER software you have previously downloaded into the ECM, 00 is the lowest possible power setting. The # you have typed in will appear on the lower display line. After a short while it will then appear on the upper line. This confirms that the power level you have selected has been
sent correctly to the truck. Now you can unplug Smarty or with the “ < “ key return to the power selection menu and change the power value again.
When will the selected power become active?
This depends upon the operation of the engine! In order to make the power change process as safe as possible, different ways to activate the newly selected power level have been built in. There are three different ways to program the PoD
1)The Engine is off, the key is in the run position.
Program the PoD level you want.
The next time the engine is started it will start with your power selection.
2)The truck is coasting and no throttle is applied during the power level change.
Program the PoD level you want.
Press and release the throttle, the second time you press the throttle the power will be changed
3)The truck is driven with throttle applied.
Program the PoD level you want.
Press and release the throttle twice, the third time you press the throttle the power will be changed
A few hints about the How to?
Since the power reduction depends upon how much Hp the engine makes from the beginning ( injectors, turbo(s) , just to mention a few ). There's no such thing like a “magic number” that works for all. Each truck needs to be adjusted for it's own modifications! After all that was our goal! Deliver the right power for EACH truck!
The easiest way to find the right power level for your particular truck is to drive on a free road arround 55 / 60 Mph in the highest gear ( OD for the automatic transmission ). Now select any power level you wish and do a short WOT run in order to find the right power level you need in that moment.. The help of an Boost or EGT gauge will make it easier to determine how much less power the truck makes with the new setting .
Hint. The PoD is NOT designed to be “linear”. That means, then higher the load on the engine ( read higher gear...) then more power is delivered. Even when the power is severly reduced. This is done in order to allow you to find the lowest possible power level in the lower gears ( thus good mileage gains ifor n city driving ) and at the same time still to be able to drive on the highway without the need to change the power levels continously. You'll find your own magic number quickly.
An example: Our STOCK '06 test truck runs best with the PoD set to “40” with the CaTCHER # 9 loaded into the ECM.
Would we have loaded # 5 then we'd likely needed to set the PoD to 60 in order to get the same power. Would we have hugh injectors, twin turbos & what not then we likely would need to set the PoD to “30” or maybe even “20” or less...
Automatic Transmission.
Depending upon how much the power has been reduced, the automatic transmission will shift at higher Rpm's. ( You're pushing the throttle farther than with the stock power... ) That can come to the point where you need to release the throttle shortly in order to make the AT shift. This is perfectly normal! At first it may seem anoying, after a short while we actually LIKED it! The fuel savings that come with such reduced power may have contributed to liking it...
Mileage Gains.
We have found that the fuel savings are much more noticeable for in city driving rather than on the highway . This does not mean that you're not going to safe fuel with the PoD on the highway. It means that if the truck needs 80Hp to run 60 Mph that's 80 Hp with or without PoD. The PoD saves fuel on the AVERAGE daily driving! Not just on highway! Most trucks see many more miles driven in the slow city traffic rather then HWY only. AVERAGE is the main word!
Power on Demand Instructions
Foreword:
The PoD allows you to change the Hp output of the engine “on the fly”. That means that you can load the highest horsepower CaTCHER software you wish to use ( with all the usual REVO parameters ) and then with the PoD reduce the power from there.With the PoD this can be done with the engine off ( key on ), at idle or while driving the truck. You simply need to plug the Smarty into the OBD port, select the PoD menu and type in a # comprised between 00 and 99. Where “99” is the full power potential of the performance software loaded into the ECM and “ 00 “ is the lowest power setting.
How does it work?
Once you have updated your ECM with any of the performance softwares, Smarty becomes VIN # locked. The next time Smarty is pluged in the PoD menu will be dispalyed
Press key # 1 to enter the PoD menu section. The power selection page will appear.
You only need to type in any value from 99 down to 00. 99 is the full power of the CaTCHER software you have previously downloaded into the ECM, 00 is the lowest possible power setting. The # you have typed in will appear on the lower display line. After a short while it will then appear on the upper line. This confirms that the power level you have selected has been
sent correctly to the truck. Now you can unplug Smarty or with the “ < “ key return to the power selection menu and change the power value again.
When will the selected power become active?
This depends upon the operation of the engine! In order to make the power change process as safe as possible, different ways to activate the newly selected power level have been built in. There are three different ways to program the PoD
1)The Engine is off, the key is in the run position.
Program the PoD level you want.
The next time the engine is started it will start with your power selection.
2)The truck is coasting and no throttle is applied during the power level change.
Program the PoD level you want.
Press and release the throttle, the second time you press the throttle the power will be changed
3)The truck is driven with throttle applied.
Program the PoD level you want.
Press and release the throttle twice, the third time you press the throttle the power will be changed
A few hints about the How to?
Since the power reduction depends upon how much Hp the engine makes from the beginning ( injectors, turbo(s) , just to mention a few ). There's no such thing like a “magic number” that works for all. Each truck needs to be adjusted for it's own modifications! After all that was our goal! Deliver the right power for EACH truck!
The easiest way to find the right power level for your particular truck is to drive on a free road arround 55 / 60 Mph in the highest gear ( OD for the automatic transmission ). Now select any power level you wish and do a short WOT run in order to find the right power level you need in that moment.. The help of an Boost or EGT gauge will make it easier to determine how much less power the truck makes with the new setting .
Hint. The PoD is NOT designed to be “linear”. That means, then higher the load on the engine ( read higher gear...) then more power is delivered. Even when the power is severly reduced. This is done in order to allow you to find the lowest possible power level in the lower gears ( thus good mileage gains ifor n city driving ) and at the same time still to be able to drive on the highway without the need to change the power levels continously. You'll find your own magic number quickly.
An example: Our STOCK '06 test truck runs best with the PoD set to “40” with the CaTCHER # 9 loaded into the ECM.
Would we have loaded # 5 then we'd likely needed to set the PoD to 60 in order to get the same power. Would we have hugh injectors, twin turbos & what not then we likely would need to set the PoD to “30” or maybe even “20” or less...
Automatic Transmission.
Depending upon how much the power has been reduced, the automatic transmission will shift at higher Rpm's. ( You're pushing the throttle farther than with the stock power... ) That can come to the point where you need to release the throttle shortly in order to make the AT shift. This is perfectly normal! At first it may seem anoying, after a short while we actually LIKED it! The fuel savings that come with such reduced power may have contributed to liking it...
Mileage Gains.
We have found that the fuel savings are much more noticeable for in city driving rather than on the highway . This does not mean that you're not going to safe fuel with the PoD on the highway. It means that if the truck needs 80Hp to run 60 Mph that's 80 Hp with or without PoD. The PoD saves fuel on the AVERAGE daily driving! Not just on highway! Most trucks see many more miles driven in the slow city traffic rather then HWY only. AVERAGE is the main word!
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
From: Italy
Power on Demand Part 3. The not so good news...
You all know that we have provided several free updates over the years for our products. The last in time news was the REVOlution software. Completly free of charge, no questions asked...
When we first released the Smarty we did the best possible at that time to forsee what we could have possibly added in the future and did Smarty's firmware as "open" to news as possible. Already with the Revo SW we went beyond of the hardware possibilities. Where a lot of RAM would've been needed we did manage to do without! We also managed to remain within the firmware's limits!
The not so good news ...
We're not able to get the PoD to work with the actual firmaware! We need to do things for the PoD that we could not anticipate when we designed the Smarty . Believe me when I say, we did whatever we could but this time we've reached the limits.
The only way to get the PoD to work is a new firmware in the Smarty.
This is THE problem we're facing! Without getting too technical, we can not release a software update with the firmware in it. That would be like giving away all our hard work... I hope you understand.
So what do we do now?
For the new customers, we'll add a new product: the Smarty S-06PoD.
For the existing cutomers. For whomever feels the need for the PoD, we will provide exchange boards with the new firmware at the pure cost of the whole operation. The pricing is not yet set in stone, we still have to determine the exact costs involved. Right now it seems that we're in the 180 - 200 bucks range. PLEASE do not quote me on that! Maybe it's a little more maybe a little less....
Thanks for you patience reading all this!
Marco
When we first released the Smarty we did the best possible at that time to forsee what we could have possibly added in the future and did Smarty's firmware as "open" to news as possible. Already with the Revo SW we went beyond of the hardware possibilities. Where a lot of RAM would've been needed we did manage to do without! We also managed to remain within the firmware's limits!
The not so good news ...
We're not able to get the PoD to work with the actual firmaware! We need to do things for the PoD that we could not anticipate when we designed the Smarty . Believe me when I say, we did whatever we could but this time we've reached the limits.
The only way to get the PoD to work is a new firmware in the Smarty.
This is THE problem we're facing! Without getting too technical, we can not release a software update with the firmware in it. That would be like giving away all our hard work... I hope you understand.
So what do we do now?
For the new customers, we'll add a new product: the Smarty S-06PoD.
For the existing cutomers. For whomever feels the need for the PoD, we will provide exchange boards with the new firmware at the pure cost of the whole operation. The pricing is not yet set in stone, we still have to determine the exact costs involved. Right now it seems that we're in the 180 - 200 bucks range. PLEASE do not quote me on that! Maybe it's a little more maybe a little less....
Thanks for you patience reading all this!
Marco
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
From: Italy
A couple more things to add.
Remember, we're still in the beta testing stage! The final release date of the PoD depends upon what kind of problems we may run into during the beta tests! I'm confident that the PoD is already perfected but I've been prooven wrong before!....
The PoD for the Smarty Jr is also in the works. Release date for the first beta units should be in 2/3 weeks. We have the same firmware problem with the Jr as with the S-06.....
Marco
The PoD for the Smarty Jr is also in the works. Release date for the first beta units should be in 2/3 weeks. We have the same firmware problem with the Jr as with the S-06.....
Marco
