Before you can set yourself or a customer up with a product, you need to get some critical information from the engine. Firmware and hardware is designed as universal devices but it may require specific firmware of hardware attachments. The following items influences the product.

1. Engine Type: (e.g. Toyota 1UZ non VVTI)

Not critical but it may save you time if you need some information on the web or have done this type before.

2. Number of cylinders: (e.g. V8, Straight 6)

This will select the type of firmware.

3. Number and Type of coils: (e.g. 1 x Distributor, 2 x Distributor, 2 x W.S, 8 x COP)

This will indicate if the specific product can handle all the coils and will influence what group of firmware to select next.

4. Does the coil or coils have built in drivers or not?

Orion has up to 6 coil drivers while Mercury2 has none. It uses external coil drivers.

5. Crank Trigger Type and Pattern

(e.g. Standard Pulses Distributor with Hall Sensor, Crank Trigger 60-2 pattern with Wheel Magnetic Sensor, 24+TDC Distributor with magnetic sensors). This is very important as firmware are grouped according to crank trigger pattern.

6. Cam Trigger Type and Pattern: (e.g. 2 x Teeth with Magnetic Sensor, 1 x Teeth with Hall Sensor)

This does not necessary change the firmware and are adjustable in most cases. Some firmware may be developed for a specific engine which means it is preprogrammed.

7. Turbo or Normally aspirated and what is the maximum boost pressure.

This is important as units are shipped with a 2.5Bar sensor. If you require more than 1.5Bar boost, then you need the next level sensor.

8. Idle control and type (e.g. 2 pin idle valve, 4 pin GM stepper, 6 pin Toyota stepper)

Stepper motors require a separate module to be connected

9. VVT or VVTI Camshafts (e.g. 1 VVT cam, 2 VVTI cams with sensors, Vanos or V-Tech)

Cam control is done in open loop and can be done with GP2 or the cam blocks in the software.

10. Throttle by wire or a petrol cable (e.g. Cable, TxW)

TxW require an external device to control. It is not done by the engine ECU.

11. Automatic Transmission (e.g. 4 Speed 4L60E, 5 Speed 5HP24 or 4 Peed Jatco RE4R01A)

Transmissions also require and external device to control it. See the TCU part in the manual.

12. Does the installer know how to fit and Tune Spitronics Devices?

This point will indicate the level of support required by the customer and then ultimately the price to the customer.

Firmware File names

Now you can select the firmware. Below is a Typical firmware file name and the description of it. Notice that Mercury2 has HEX files and Orion has Firm files. This is due to Mercury2 that requires a programmer to load the files and Orion uses a boot loader which is imbedded in the Hyperspace software.

Mercury2 ECU Combo 28 60-2 4Cyl Ver 3.5E 16_04_2019.HEX
Orion ECU Combo 28 60-2 4Cyl Ver 3.5E 16_04_2019.Firm

Mercury2 / Orion – The firmware always starts with the product name and they cannot be mixed.
ECU / TCU / TxW – Description of the type of firmware.
Combo – The Class of the firmware. Combo means it will run on different hardware classes like Advance, Intermediate etc. but with limited features in the lower classes.
60-2 – Crank Trigger Pattern
Ver 3.5E – Version number. Note that on the GP layout version numbers are important as they may differ in wiring layout.
Date – Indication of file age. Some fixes may only change the date so make sure you always use the latest versions on our Website.