Another DBW servo on the market

Does anybody have any experience with the Mega-Line DBW actuator? Or the Kinsler? My Jenveys seem to have a big problem with heat, and on an SR8, that's a problem. I'm looking for another actuator.

Here's the Mega-Line:

https://www.mega-line.de/megaline/images/products/img_additional_19_3_1024.png

https://www.mega-line.de/index.php/en/products/egas

Megaline stuff I've used as been top notch. Usually expensive. Have only used their shift actuators that directly worked with a XTrac gearbox.

The Kinsler is too cool from a packaging perspective, but I was stunned to find they were like $3000 ea!

I recently did a project using the BMW DBW Servo with a push-pull cable. You might consider that, then you could mount your actuator someone more comfortable.

David, as usual, many thanks for your suggestion. Do you happen to have any pictures of that project you could share?

Hi John,

What issues are you having with them?

Hi Stephen, the servos seem to be overheating. Either along pit road in queue to get on track, or after about 25 minutes on track. The M1 generates an Aim Tracking fault, and puts me in "limp home" mode. My theory is that the low airflow idling in queue causes the one problem and lots of high rpm heat causes the other.

Take the car back to the paddock, cool it down, power cycle the ECU, and the fault clears.

Unfortunately no good pictures to share -- on that project, we started trying to use the existing cable throttle, but the throttle return spring (and the drag in the cable) added too much force, and the motor couldn't pull the cable to 100 % throttle -- we maxed the duty cycle at 100% with only 60% throttle blade opening. Then we replaced the cable with a push-pull cable -- first, this had less drag, and second we could remove the main throttle return spring (ITB still have springs on each one).

Here is the BMW Servo:

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-16512-throttle-actuator-e46-m3-z3m-z4m-with-s54-engine/

John, have you considered/tried hooking up a 12V fan, directed at the servo? You can pick basic PC fans in a variety of sizes, and designs, for a few dollars.

David, thanks very much for that link. It's interesting to me how similar the MEGA-Line servo is to the BMW version. Makes me wonder if the same OEM does both.

Gord, yes. I hadn't considered a PC fan, but was going to get a 3" in-line fan directed at the problem. The hard part is getting fresh air to the servos.

Resurrecting this old thread, my first post here. I'm getting started on converting my old 911 to EFI. I'm using a Haltech R3 ECU/PDM. I'd like to use DBW and get rid of the old linkage. I bought the E46 throttle actuator referenced above and a BMW pedal, 6853175.

The Haltech, and other ECU's I've looked at, require two sensor inputs from the pedal and two sensor inputs from the throttle motor. The pedal has two sensors but the motor seems to have one two pin connector for power and one three pin connector for a single sensor. I believe I'm one sensor short on the throttle motor.

Can I make this work as is?

Or, would I need to either add a 6 wire sensor to the throttle motor arm or possibly swap out the sensor for a six wire unit?

Thanks

Dave

You should replace the sensor on the BMW servo with a dual output. The way BMW uses it, they have the actuator sensor and one on the throttle bodies, with only a short (2-3") straight linkage in-between. You will have much more success with the servo position directly monitored by a dual output non-contact sensor, such as a Penny & Giles TPS280DP style.

https://www.cw-industrial.com/sites/default/files/off-highway/construction/TPS280DP.pdf

Thanks David.