The Engine Management Module (EMM) is different than the traditional Electronic Control Unit (ECU) we know in older fuel-injected engines in that the EMM regulates operations for all of the engine’s operations, including rectifying and regulating the charging system. The water-cooled EMM monitors engine temperature, barometric pressure, RPM, throttle opening, and in the G2 E-TECs, automatic trim activation and adjusts steering effort at various speeds. While not an artificial intelligence type of computer, the EMM will monitor over twenty sensors on the engine during operation, handling about eight million calculations per minute. It all happens in that black box, without any other external components. The EMM is much more powerful and more technologically advanced than automotive and other marine versions of engine controllers.
In addition to managing optimal operation settings, the EMM is also used for diagnostics, and it will even protect the engine from damaging operating conditions. There are four-LEDs for self-diagnosis and a decal that illustrates what the lights mean when the key is turned to ON, when the engine is cranking over, and when the engine is running.
The E-TEC Engine Management Module is just that - it controls the electronic systems of the entire engine, not just the fuel system. It is a high-performance computer system that requires water cooling. |
This system will undoubtedly benefit from the rapid advances taking place in electronics. Sandstrom explains, “Most anything appears to be possible these days in the world of electronics. As you are well aware, electronic advances are so fast paced that it is difficult to imagine what is possible even one year from now. What BRP has learned is that connectivity and access to information are both becoming highly valued by boaters. I would expect to see further advancements in these areas moving forward for BRP.”
It is easy to see that while E-TEC and FICHT are distantly-related, they are in fact different engines. But it doesn’t take a wall of text to illustrate this – any FICHT owner that runs an E-TEC for the first time will immediately understand how different these two engines are. Putting aside the fact that the FICHT could never achieve the emissions compliance of the E-TEC, the E-TEC is a much quieter and smoother engine. Power delivery is very rapid and robust, yet refined. There is no smoke at all, but that two-stroke power delivery that we are all familiar with is still there, and it’s even better than ever. And that is what I really like about the E-TEC.
The E-TEC 250 H.O. powering Karl Sandstrom's Full Throttle Powerboats STV delivers the kind of power that used to be only the domain of race engines - and it does it with the same reliability, warranty, and maintenance schedule intervals (or, lack thereof) as all E-TEC engines. |
Capacitive Discharge Ignition delivers multiple spark strikes during the combustion cycle. This results in spark gaps between those strikes, and consequently, the potential for less-complete combustion. The Fast Rise Inductive system will produce one continuous arc of high current, and being a single, continuous event, there are no gaps in the spark.
Marine Technical Consultant Bill Grannis offers more details:
Complete combustion: E-TEC Fast Rise Inductive Ignition compared to Multi-Strike Capacitive Discharge Ignition. |
Utilizing electronically controlled coils, the inductive system used a frequency signal to trigger the spark. Three wires and a circuit board fastened inside the coil housing provided the technology for this new system. A steady 55 volts constantly powers the coil primary circuit and its ground circuit returns to the EMM. A third wire provides the firing control to the coil’s internal electronics. When the coil circuit board receives the EMM control signal, it momentarily halts the primary current flow through the windings. The surrounding magnetic field collapses, creating a very high voltage in the secondary windings which in turn generates an arc between the spark plug electrodes. The EMM varies the spark duration as needed according to the engine operating requirements."
Message