Sensor Integration and Data Acquisition for Engine Tuning

Abstract

Tuning an engine is the process of modifying engine parameters to optimize the performance. In order to accurately do so, sensors help describe the running conditions of the engine. This paper involves the integration of sensors onto an engine, along with a data acquisition system to read the sensors, in order to gather information to help tune an engine. The four sensors integrated are an oxygen sensor to measure oxygen concentration, a thermocouple to measure exhaust gas temperature, a rotary optical encoder to measure the crankshaft angle, and a magnetic pickup to measure spark timing. Together, these sensors give insight into how the engine operates, and if hooked up to a dynamometer to measure power, can show the relation of each of these measurements to the total power output of the engine.