Portable Wideband Solution

Hi everyone looking for a solution for buying a portable wideband device to be used on customer cars to dial in. When i did my research %95 of the time everybody rooted for the Innovate's LM-2. From what i gathered they are either out of stock or dont do shipping to where i am from. So is there a any newer device or any alternative's that i can go ahead to ? Since most of my customer cars are on narrowband trying to figure out what to do.

Innovate doesn't control he heayer as well as some others,they tend to get less life from sensors as a result.

It depends how you'll interface the wideband with your logging device.

If your logging device is CAN capable, I'd use Link or Motec CAN lambda unit(s).

If your logger can only accept analog inputs, the Ballenger AFR500v2 is a great compromise of quality, accuracy and low cost.

This is just my opinion based on my experience with various units over the years, so others will likely have alternate suggestions.

A good non CAN unit, low cost, is Zeitronix.

Well i am after a non can unit. Dominic thanks for your feedback i've seen you talk about zeitronix a lot how's your experience with them ? Let's say i am going a head with Zeit. What do i get ? ZT-3 Or ZT-4 ? i think the jump is not that big so zt-4 would be the correct choice i guess. What about the Ballenger like Mike recommended had you have an experience with that unit as well ?

Or to Mike did you ever had an experience with Zeit products and how was it ?

Hi Emir

ZT3 vs ZT4 depends on your needs.

Ballenger I have no experience with.

The ZT plastic housing seems a bit cheaply made, but the unit works well and sensor life is good. It also comes with PC logging software.

I do recommend to also purchase this adapter in case of "quick and dirty" tail pipe mounting: https://www.innovatemotorsports.com/o2-sensor-exhaust-clamp.html

Do make sure the sensor is pointing upwards ALL THE TIME, especially when removing the adapter. Exhaust moisture can accumulate within and if the unit is rotated sideways or below, water will kill the sensor instantly.

I have made an extension tube, ca 300 mm long, to be used on large diameter end pipes. This improves leaner reading errors at low rpm slighty.

For what it's worth, Ballenger uses technology from ECM Co. originally created for NGK. ECM Co. is the benchmark in lambda meters.

No offense to Zeitronix and others like Innovate, I have experience with them and many others, but that level of consumer product is not comparable to something developed by ECM Co. To put things in perspective, a lab test of analyzers to see how well they function, would use control gasses and an ECM Co analyzer certified to accuracy levels beyond the others. The lab grade unit is about $3500, but for $315 you get most of that accuracy:

https://www.bmotorsports.com/shop/product_info.php/products_id/2337

NGK stopped using these components to reduce costs, but Ballenger continues to offer it at a reasonable cost. The Ballenger unit also has startup output of fixed low and high voltages so you can log them and verify potential offsets, then either fix wiring issues or offset your logs accordingly so your AFR data isn't lying to you. It has manual but easy to perform free air calibration to account for sensor aging, and a sensor ground circuit which if properly wired, decreases the error inherent in analog logging.

For a customer to have a gauge to look at and see ballpark values, absolutely I agree most basic units can offer this.

For a device you're going to calibrate many cars with, the extra 100ish dollars for something much better seems a no brainer to me.

I have customers get the Ballenger for permanent install too because I want to know I'm getting good data when I review logs after the tune.

No specific recommendations, especially after Dom's and Mike's post, but comments...

A big point is often the budget, but rather than taking a short term view look at is a a long term investment, which means considering the expected service life, maintenance costs and availability of parts. This means a 'less expensive" option can be a LOT more expensive in the longer term than a high(er) quality item.

Further, regarding the budget, I'd suggest you have a really good think on what you expect from the device, and what is/isn't acceptable. I've said this elsewhere but, IMO, a "cheap" purchase is going to be one of the most expensive you can make if it doesn't do what you want it to. I'd expand that further and suggest you carefully review the options at time of purchase as, often, devices cannot be expanded on after they're made or are considerable more expensive as retro-fits - for example, a compatable printer interface that can print reports for the owners is often a nice touch - but, if you KNOW you'll never use them, they're potentially expensive luxuries.

Anyway, back on topic, when you say "portable", I assume you mean self contained with internal battery, or a means of running off the vehicle's 12V electrics? Internal would be most convenient, and for the latter, there is a possible option of using a small 12V m/cycle battery if the vehicle's system isn't easy to access, or is 16 or 24V and outside the device's operating voltage. If you find something that hits all the boxes but is 110/220V, consider whether an inverter is practical - this may apply more for something to be used with a dyno', swapped between vehicles and rarely used on the road.

It looks like you have just the lambda, O₂, sensors in mind, but I'd suggest going for a 4/5 gas variant because it can give a LOT more data that may be useful - for instance, some countries have CO idle limits that you need to work with, HC can indicate a "lean" lambda is actually a misfire, NOx in conjunction with EGT can suggest combustion temperatures and efficiencies, etc.

Great points. Personally for quick portable use I have long leads with big alligator clips to connect to the vehicle's battery.