Old 486 Board for ECU? Why?

[Jim Tyler]

This topic sure seems to be using alot of bandwidth!

I have used PC motherboards on several embedded controller projects.
I don't think there is really a speed issue if you code in assembly or 
c/assembly and yes the development tools are great buuuuut,

on a practical note, think about what you would have when you were
finished:

1) A pc old motherboard 
2) an ISA card for IO, ADC's, current drivers, etc
3) another card ( or maybe physically part of the ISA) to 
do power conditioning, watchdog, etc., to try to get the PC to be
happy in the auto electric environment (i.e not reset every time junior
flips the power door locks)

Now you put it in a case the size of a small briefcase and try to ruggedize it.
(you could go the industrial route but the costs gets out of hand quick)

The motherboard just wasn't designed as an engine controller.  (It would make 
a good teller machine controller however)

A suggestion:

Why not take all that great JAVA pc development stuff and write a general 
purpose programmer for the most common and powerful GM ecm.  Sort of like
the SY/Ty editor but for something more common than the 749 ecm.

You could even start with a basic ground up general purpose ecm application,
specify number of cylinders, dis or hei ignition,turbo or non, map or maf 
etc.  Something pretty generic.

I realize someone would have to know HC11 code well to do this, but it would
be super useful to be able to go to any junkyard or parts place and get a
ecm (a 165 for example) and program it for whatever application you like.

At the end, we would have code of our own design on a ecm unit designed to be
a ecm, not a rigged up pc.

Jim
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