It's a DIY fuel consumption computer that interfaces to the vehicles VSS & Injector signals on my 96 3.0. I have almost finished building mine and hope be installing it this week. (Waiting on a few more parts to arrive) Some of you might be familiar with it, it is based on an open source general purpose microcontroller circuit called Ardunio and open source software to make it do it's job.

I plan on using a program called Advanced Serial Data Logger to log trip data from the MPGuino's serial port into a laptop. This software will recieve, sort, and log the data to a spreadsheet for me. I have experimented with this software on another project in the past and had pretty good success.

What I hope to end up with is data that can help me track performance, help me understand my driving habits and how they affect fuel consumption, and make modifications to my vehicle and be able to measure their affects on fuel consumption.

Here are some links to what I am talking about...

MPGuino MPGuino - EcoModder
Arduio Arduino - HomePage
Logging Software Data Logger. Advanced Serial Data Logger software - serial and RS232 port data collection and acquisition software | AGG Software



If anyone else has installed an MPGuino into their Aero then I would appreciate to hear your calibration settings so help me get a jumpstart on calibrating mine. My reasoning for going with this vs. the scangauge is that I was able to build the MPGuino for under $35, I plan on putting one in each of my vehicles.

Will keep you all posted on progress if interested.

 

great project...keep us posted

Ecomodder data for a OBDII mid 90s Ranger with 3L should get you a base point.
the VSS count/mile is listed somewhere in the Aero Ford SVC CD

since your '96 is OBDII, a scan device can be used to monitor and drive by short term fuel trim reading for best fuel mileage.

my PC now rides in the Dodge RAM monitoring all including talking GPS

i drive by my old school vacuum gauge Cliff built and designed EconoMeter. simplest easiest to hook up meter there is and the price is right for me, CHEAP. much like zen acupuncture feedback once a driver gets hooked on it.
absolute perfect real time feedback. NO digital delay.
eye to brain to right foot muscles.

fun to drive by to squeeze the last mile out of a drop of gas. saved me hundreds of dollars with high gas prices.

cliff

 

Ok, so I am confused by something. You have a '96 model, which means that it is OBD-II. So you could get a simple unit such as a Dynospan SPD or Scanguage or a similar unit that simply plugs into the OBD-II port to gather the same information and instead go with something that taps into the signals directly?

I would use something like this on a non-OBD-II system, but for '96 and newer it is just so much easier and cleaner to just plug it in. Plus the Dynoscan can read and interpret codes, look at live data, act as a tachometer, etc. And as its name implies, it can also take performance measurements and plot out HP and torque curves.

I mean I know the unit you got is so much cheaper, but it really isn't even nearly as good. For the basics it can do it, but it just seems that added features of a professional unit are more than worth it, because sooner or later you will use the other features.