Richard Nedbal worked on the Electronic Fuel Injection research team that
was at Carnegie Mellon Institute from 1970 through 1976. He not only
helped design the system logic, but he also designed several of the integrated
circuits that were used in those early days. It was perfect job, blending
Richards nerdy electronic experience with engines and dynos.
It was at that time that Richard saw the need for EFI systems that used
wide band Lambda sensors for accurate A/F ratio control. They needed to be
faster too - but this was the 1970s and the semiconductor industry was in it's infancy.
Richard Left Carnegie when the R&D project was shutting down. He
came to California to manage the design of microprocessors and later he started
several software companies. When he was ready to semi retire and get back
into engine building and EFI, Richard looked at the then current state of the
art of the aftermarket EFI industry. There were several EFI companies that
had good products. So why FAST?
1) FAST has the faster ECUs
2) They use wide band O2 sensors for feedback
3) They are owned by a large stable company - Competition CAMs
4) They have an active R&D group This is very important because like everything else in high tech, things
change rapidly. What looks good today can be yesterdays garbage. The
company has to stay current!
5) They communicate well. I can't over emphasize how important it is to be able to call someone and
actually talk to them. And they care. And they get back to you. And
they ship product. Etc. Etc. 6) Their software GUI is well designed and follows common sense. I ran
two software companies, remember? I'm picky!
ALL SYSTEMS COME STANDARD WITH:
Built-in Wideband O2 (A/F ratios from 9:1 to 16:1) Fully sequential and/or bank-to-bank user selectable
Individual cylinder correction (when sequential)
Fan and fuel pump control
Dynamic scaling of both MAP and RPM for each 3D table (expand
critical areas)
Scaleable TPS and MAP calibrations (adjust for your motor)
1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 bar MAP sensors available
Spare user definable inputs/outputs or miscellaneous
functions such as: - Shift
light, Aux fans, EGTs, Torque conv lockup, fuel and oil pressures
Air conditioning idle bump-up
Air conditioning cutout at WOT
Turbo wastegate boost control
4 staged power adder (NOS) control
Multiple calibrations stored in ECU w/switching capability
L key function for easy steady-state table correction
On-board diagnostics
Software adjustable injector timing and sequencing
Software adjustable O2 signal filter
Multiple ignition strategies such as: HEI, DIS, COP, TFI,
FORD EDIS
Inductive or Hall effect crank and cam inputs
Flash software upgrades without removing the ECU.
And pre-designed Plug-and-Play configurations for your specific
OEM application, including the new 5.7 and 6.1 HEMIs.
I would say the aftermarket EFI industry falls into three segments:
1) The low end systems designed for the mass market ($1.5K to $3K). But I WANT
to use a lap top. I don't like small hand held boxes that shield me from
the stuff I want to get to. I also work with strange engine combinations
that the small "street level" systems just can't handle.
2) The middle market ($3K to $5K). This is where I put FAST. More
expensive but very powerful and flexible. I have programmed small Slant-6
engines to 1600 HP dual turbo outlaw motors with the same XFI box! Sequential
individual cylinder control with up to 16 injectors in real time, plus NOS and
power adder control, coil-on-plug support. Wow! I'm a bracket racer
too. The FAST system is perfect for the Muscle car/drag racer level of
user.
3) The high end market (>$5K). Yes, there are systems beyond what FAST
offers, but these systems are designed for the more exotic user. Greater than 8
cylinders, real time turbo waste gate control. multiple Lambdas, etc. Very
powerful, but very expensive.
