Toucan

Toucan is an innovative touchscreen display unit that connects, via CAN bus, to Syvecs,  Life Racing, AlcaTek, SimTek, Link, Vi-PEC, MoTeC, Emtron, Haltech, EcuMaster or MBE engine management systems. It also supports the STACK protocol via RS232 serial data, used by ECUs such as the Pectel T6 etc.

It has 2 main functions:

  1. Easy naming and selection of Calibrations (or maps), in place of the standard rotary switch.
  2. Extensive gauge displays, complete with audible and visible alarms, as well as absolute and dynamic peak markers.

With thanks to Syvecs, the following video shows a Toucan installed in a Nissan GTR.

Each CAL position is provided with 2 lines of user-entered text, minimising the risk of selecting the wrong map. PIN protection can be enabled, so the vehicle may be parked with an immobiliser CAL enabled (with no fuel injected, for example) and/or a valet mode (with low rpm limits), with a PIN entry required before the CAL can be changed.

Gauges have a absolute peak marker (with reset button), plus a dynamic peak marker that holds the most recent peak for a configurable period of time before dropping back to the current value. A dynamic minimum marker is also available on many gauges, to show the lowest recent value.

Four main gauge pages are provided, and each page can by configured to show your preferred gauge selections. A quick touch on any small gauge causes a full-screen gauge to be displayed and the unit can also be set to immediately show the relevant large gauge when an alarm is triggered.

Alarms can be individually enabled for each parameter, with the alarm thresholds set as required. A low oil temperature warning can be enabled, especially important for turbocharged engines to avoid driving hard when the oil’s too cold. The audible alarm may be muted if wished.

When used with an AlcaTek, Link, Vi-PEC or MoTeC ecus, launch control and antilag can be turned on and off directly from the touchscreen, and the launch RPM may also be adjusted from the screen for AlcaTek and MoTeC ecus. For Syvecs the LC status is displayed, and ALS can be turned on/off.

The display is a full-colour TFT LCD with 320×240 pixels and a resistive touchscreen. Backlight dimming for night time use can be manually selected, and/or automatically enabled if the unit is wired to the vehicles “illumination” circuit.

Green, red and white colour schemes are provided to suit most vehicle dashboards.

Gauges and Alarms

Gauge scales can be display in either imperial, metric units or “USA” units, with road speed in mph or kph. Alarms can be enabled individually as required for each parameter.

Of course, gauges will only show valid data when appropriate sensors are wired to the ECU but gauges 1 through 9 below are generally available for most installations. Only full screen gauges for available sensors need be enabled, meaning “dead” gauges are not displayed.

1. Boost 2.5bar or 3.5bar
2. Air Charge Temperature 10-70C/50-150F
3. Coolant Temperature 60-120C/80-280F
4. Battery Volts 11-17V
5. Current Gear As determined by the ecu
6. RPM 0-10,000rpm
7. Wheel Speed 0-200 mph/0-300kph
8. Throttle Position 0-100%
9. Fuel Pressure (with selectable differential mode) 0-10 bar
10. Fuel Temperature 0-70C/50-150F
11. Exhaust Gas Temperature (x2) 200-1200C/300-2300F
12. Lambda (x2) Narrowband mode (Lean/Rich indication)Wideband (0.7-1.3λ)
13. Oil Pressure 0-10bar/0-150psi
14. Oil Temperature 50-150C/110-290F
15. Fuel composition (alcohol content) 0-100%
16. Fuel Level 0-100%
17. NOS Pressure
18. Turbo Speed

Additionally, warnings are provided when engine knock is detected by the ecu, if injector duty cycle exceeds a selectable value, or if a sensor connected to the ecu fails. Sensor failures are displayed, and a unique “lean lambda” alarm can be set to warn of lean running when on boost.

New alarms and gauges are added through regular updates, the most recent of which (V1.30) adds a “list” mode that shows all available parameters in a non-graphical table.

Wiring and Installation

Toucan is intended for semi-permanent installation. It is supplied with an AMPS universal mounting plate (common to many phone and satnav mounts) with a dual-T slot to suit Arkon mounts. A vent mount is supplied as standard.

A single latching connector on the rear of the unit attaches to the supplied cable harness, allowing occasional removal of the unit if required. The harness provides connections to vehicle power, the  ecu data connection and, for some ecus where CAL switching is not possible via the datalink, a CAL switch wire.”

Alternative mounts to fit this system are available online – search for “Arkon mount” and then look for “2-slot” variants that will then fit the adapter plate shown above.

Technical

Data Interface CAN 2.0B at 500kbit/s or 1Mbit/s with selectable termination, or RS232 at 9600 baud or 115.2kbaud
Expansion Connector RS232, CAN, Power Out and Ground. Allows connection of a shiftlight or other equipment.
Power 8-20V
CAL Voltage Adjustable via menus to match ECU configuration. Fail-safe monitoring of CAL voltage. 8 or 12 CAL “positions” selectable.
Memory Non-volatile storage of all parameters
Firmware Updates Via rear-panel USB connector, using PC programme.
Compliance Directives: 72/245/EEC, EN50498:2010
Warranty 1 year RTB
Dimensions 100x83x16mm
Weight 200g
Display 3.5” QVGA TFT, 320×240 pixels, 24 bit colour, with resistive touchscreen
Processing system 190MHz 32 bit ARM9, 8Mbytes Flash memory, 8Mbytes SDRAM
Package contents toucan unit, power/data cable harness, mount, installation guide
Accessories Shiftlight add-on

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