ECOTRONS ALM-BR4-4.3 User manual

ALM Board RS485
ALM-BR4-4.3
Accurate Lambda Meter (ALM-BR4-4.3)
–Mini Board Version
V1.0
COPYRIGHTS ECOTRONS LLC
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.ecotrons.com
Note: If you are not sure about any specific details,
please contact us at [email protected].

ALM-BR4-4.3 Manual
Check before you power on ALM-Board:
•The oxygen sensor is installed in the right way or it's left in the
free air. Make sure the environment is dry and it's not close to
the inflammable materials.
•The ALM-Board is correctly connected to DC power supply 12V
battery.
•GND-H and GND-R need to be connected with the negative
pole of power supply, so that ALM board can work properly.

Content
ALM Product Overview................................................................................................... 1
ALM-Board Technical Specifications............................................................................... 2
Appearance and Dimension............................................................................................ 3
3.1 Appearance picture ............................................................................................................... 3
3.2 Dimensions (Unit: mm).......................................................................................................... 4
Oxygen Sensor Protection .............................................................................................. 5
ALM-Board Operating Instructions................................................................................. 6
5.1 Pin Assignment ..................................................................................................................... 6
5.2 Communication Protocol for RS485 Bus .............................................................................. 7
How to Communicate to ALM GUI ............................................................................... 10
6.1 How to Flash the S19 File .............................................................................................. 11
6.2 ALM GUI for Modbus........................................................................................................... 12
DTC Table...................................................................................................................... 13

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ALM Product Overview
ALM (Accurate Lambda Meter) is an air-fuel-ratio (AFR) meter that uses the Bosch LSU
4.9 wideband oxygen sensor and Bosch semiconductor chip CJ125 to accurately
measure the AFR or lambda for variant combustion engines.
ALM-Board is a version of ALM that trims off the peripheral parts and keeps the
minimum set of electronics yet providing the core function of the wideband controller. It
is a mini-size board, 70.5mm*32mm*28mm, and it can be plugged into the main
controller board easily. The only thing that it needs from the mainboard is 12V power
supply. ALM-Board has the full control function for LSU 4.9 sensor. Same as our other
ALMs, it has a CJ125 chip built-in. It measures the O2 concentration accurately, and
converts it to either lambda or AFR, as you want. It controls the sensor temperature in a
close loop mode, accurately around 780oC degrees. ALM-Board communicates using
RS485.
ALM-Board is designed to fit into the OEM's controller case with a very small footprint. It
has its own LSU 4.9/ADV sensor connector and cable. It can be connected to the
mainboard via a mini connector. Or you can request a customized connection between
the ALM-Board and your mainboard. We do customization for small manufacturers.
All our ALMs have high accuracy and fast response characteristics, which are the root of
our design at the very beginning.
First, ALM uses the LSU 4.9 wideband sensor. And it can also use the LSU ADV sensor
by changing the configuration in the ALM GUI software.
Second, Bosch CJ125 chip is the integrated chip (IC) specifically designed for LSU 4.9
sensors. Bosch's own wideband controller, "Lambda Tronic", uses the CJ125 driver chip.
Essentially, Bosch uses this chip wherever an LSU sensor is used. The CJ125 and LSU
sensors are mated-pair by Bosch. Presumably, LSU sensors work the best with CJ125
chips.
Together, LSU 4.9 and CJ125 make our ALM a more accurate lambda meter in the
automotive market.

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ALM-Board Technical Specifications
Power supply
◆Input voltage range DC12V (typical value), DC 10V ~15V
◆Input current 60mA typical for the board; the heater current
directlyfrom 12V supply
Sensors
◆Standard configuration LSU 4.9
◆Also support LSU ADV (software configuration needed)
◆Number of Sensors One
◆Free air calibration No need
Accuracy
◆Range of measurement λ = 0.65 ~ ∞
◆Measurement accuracy ±0.008 @ λ=1.00
±0.01 @ λ=0.80
±0.05 @ λ=1.70
◆Air/Fuel Ratio Fuel dependent (see lambda range and accuracy)
◆Range of O2% -21% ~ 21%
Heater
◆Control Built-in PID control with CJ125
◆Current Typical 1A; Peak 3.5A
◆Heater return (H-) Separate wire from Ground
Output
◆Analog accuracy ±0.005V error with a 10-bit DAC chip
Communications
◆RS485 customer protocol
Main Processor
◆CPU Freescale MC9S12P128 16-bit micro-processor
(Automotive grade)
◆Frequency 32MHz
◆Memory 128k Flash, 6k RAM, 4k Data
Special features
◆On-Board-Diagnosis and error report
◆Self-learning of part-to-part variations, aging effect
◆Working with different types of fuels (gasoline, diesel, E85, etc)
General
◆Temperature range -40oC ~ 85oC
◆Dimensions 70.5mm*32mm*28mm

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Appearance and Dimension
3.1 Appearance picture

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3.2 Dimensions (Unit: mm)

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Oxygen Sensor Protection
Installation
The correct installation of the oxygen sensor is a must to avoid sensor damage. It
protects the oxygen sensor from condensations and gives the sensor a longer life. It can
also make the measurement more accurate. The sensor body should be perpendicular
to the exhaust gas flow, and it should also be tilted in the range of 10o~75ofrom the
horizontal line (see below figure). The typical tilt-angle is 30o. The sensor head should be
close to the center of the exhaust pipe.
After finding the right location on the exhaust pipe, drill a hole of 18mm in diameter.
Weld the sensor bung on it.
Note: do not weld the bung with the sensor in it.
Note, if your vehicle has a Bosch narrowband oxygen sensor (LSF) on your vehicle, you
can just un-plug the LSF, and plug-in the wideband LSU sensor into the same hole.
Bosch LSU and LSF have the same size of the thread.
More User Notes
LSU sensors are not designed to work with leaded gasoline. Using LSU sensor with
leaded gasoline will reduce the sensor life.
With the LSU sensor installed in the exhaust pipe, whenever the engine is running,
please also run ALM-Board, which controls the LSU heater. Otherwise, a long-time-
running engine with LSU sensor not heated can cause damage to the sensor.
LSU sensor is preferred to run within the temperature range of 500~900oC, the best
temperature is 780oC. Too high temperature (>1030oC) will cause damage to the
sensor.
Avoid heating the LSU sensor before the engine is running. At the engine start,
there may be condensations in the exhaust gas, which can cause damage to the
sensor if the sensor is heated. The preferred order: start the engine first, then
immediately turn on the ALM-Board, which will ramp up the heating power smoothly.

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ALM-Board Operating Instructions
5.1 Pin Assignment

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Connector
Pin #
Name
Description
Min
Max
Connector
A
1
RH
Wideband oxygen sensor input
—
—
2
UN
—
—
3
IA
—
—
4
IP
—
—
5
VM
—
—
6
VS
—
—
Connector
B
1
GND-H
Ground (Heater circuit ground)
0V
0V
2
+12V
+12V Power supply
9V
15V
3
GND-R
Ground (Reference ground)
0V
0V
Connector
C
A
RS-485 Communication
B
RS-485 Communication
GND
Ground (Reference ground)
0V
0V
5.2 Communication Protocol for RS485 Bus
RS485 communication is based on Modbus protocol. Ecotrons Modbus protocol uses
ASCII and RTU mode and supports PLC, DTC, etc.
More details refer to ALM Communication Protocol –SCI.doc
http://www.ecotrons.com/download/
RTU mode:
Upload O2%, Lambda, and LSU Temperature
PLC →ALM, PLC sends: "50 03 2000 0004 42 48"
ALM →PLC, PLC receives: "50 03 08 xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx"

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#
Upload
O2%,
Lambda,
and LSU
Temperature
PLC to ALM, PLC sends: "50 03
2000 0004 42 48"
Resolution
Units
Range
ALM to PLC, PLC receives: "50 03
08 xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx"
1
Registers
for sent
data
(sending
messages)
PLC to ALM
Request
Description
Data(byte)
ADR
50
CMD
03
Start Addr Hi
20
Start Addr
Lo
00
No. Bytes Hi
00
No. Bytes Lo
04
CRC CHK
Lo
42
CRC CHK
Hi
48
2
Registers
for received
data
(responding
messages)
ALM to PLC
Response
Description
Data(byte)
ADR
50
CMD
03
No. Data
08
O2% High 8-
bit
xx
O2% =((O2%
High 8-bit)
*256 + (O2%
Low 8-bit)) *
0.000514 –12
%
-21%
to
21%
O2% Low 8-
bit
xx
Lambda
High 8-bit
xx
Lambda =
((Lambda
High 8-bit)
*256+(Lambda
Low 8-bit)) *
0.5 to
16
Lambda Low
8-bit
xx

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0.000244
LSU
Temperature
High 8-bit
xx
LSU
Temperature =
((LSU
Temperature
High 8-
bit)*256 +
(LSU
Temperature
High 8-bit)) *
0.023438
Deg
K
840 to
1303
LSU
Temperature
Low 8-bit
xx
LSU Faults
High 8-bit
xx
LSU Sensor
faults = ((LSU
Faults High 8-
bit) *256+(LSU
Faults Low 8-
bit))
0 to
12
LSU Faults
Low 8-bit
xx
CRC CHK
Lo
xx
CRC CHK
Hi
xx

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How to Communicate to ALM GUI
The 3-pin connector in the picture above is only used for flashing the S19 file. And that is
RS232 bus.
The ModBUS or RS485 communication must be through the regular port “A” and “B”
showed in second picture above.
These two are different communication interfaces. The correct process is:
1) Flash the S19 file via the 3-pin connector on the board using EcoFlash software.
2) Connect the ALM-GUI-RS485 software tool to Port “A” and “B”, via RS485-USB
converter.
We have not combined the 2 communication interfaces in one software because the
flashing process requires the bootloader to be activated, which is not compatible with
RS485 / ModBUS.

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6.1 How to Flash the S19 File
In the above picture, part 1 is connected to the computer;
In the above picture, part 2 is connected to the 3-pin connector of the ALM board.
Note: The MAX 232 adapter and USB-RS232 converter are optional, and they are not
included in the standard ALM-Board kits.
Users can connect the ALM-Board to the computer using the MAX232 adapter and USB-
RS232 converter directly, as described above.
After connecting the power supply, you can start in EcoFlash as follows:

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Step 1: In the settings, set the communication mode to USB
Step 2: Click <Open file> to select and load the S19 file
Step 3: Click <Flash>
Step 4: You will see the alert on the bottom of the window to power off the ECU and then
power on. Please power off and power on as it says.
Note: When flashing S19, the connection between ALM borad and RS485 / ModBUS
must be disconnected. Otherwise, S19 cannot be flashed.
6.2 ALM GUI for Modbus
Default Configuration
Port Num
Please look it up in your computer
Baud Rate
19200
Protocol
RTU
New Address
Modify it when you need to
Address (Hex)
50
Step 1: Connect the power supply (DC12V). Note that both GND-H and GND-R need to
be connected with the negative pole of the power supply
Step 2: Connect the ALM-GUI-RS485 software tool to Port “A” and “B”, via RS485-USB
converter
Step 3: COM Settings according to the table above
Step 4: Click <Cycle Upload>

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DTC Table
Below is the Diagnostic Trouble Code table. ALM-Board has on-board-diagnostics
capability to detect most of the common errors. The first thing user should do when
ALM-Board is not working properly is to read DTCs.
Trouble Code
Description
Solutions
E1
Internal communication error
Contact the manufacturer
E2
Internal register error
Contact the manufacturer
E3
LSU yellow wire (VM) short to power
1. Check the harness for short-to-power
2. Change the LSU
E4
LSU yellow wire (VM) short to GND
1. Check the harness for short-to-ground
2. Change the LSU
E5
LSU black wire (UN) short to power
1. Check the harness for short-to-power
2. Change the LSU
E6
LSU black wire (UN) short to GND
1. Check the harness for short-to-ground
2. Change the LSU
E7
LSU green wire (IA) short to power
1. Check the harness for short-to-power
2. Change the LSU
E8
LSU green wire (IA) short to GND
1. Check the harness for short-to-ground
2. Change the LSU
E9
Operating voltage too low
Check the power supply
E10
Heater circuit damaged
Check the LSU connector
E11
Heater circuit short to power
Contact the manufacturer
E12
Heater circuit short to GND
1. Check the harness for short-to-ground
2. Change LSU
3. Contact the manufacturer