PE3 Series engine control unit

The PE3 Series is a family of stand-alone engine control units from Performance Electronics, Ltd., used to manage fuel injection and ignition on piston engines. A PE3 controller reads engine sensors, calculates fuel and spark, and drives injectors and ignition coils, so it replaces or supplements a carburetor and magneto arrangement on an engine that needs electronically mapped control.

The series comprises several models. The PE3-8400 versions support one to eight cylinders; the PE3-SP model is a smaller unit for one- and two-cylinder engines; and the PE3-8405 is intended for engines with smart coils. The units were developed for racing and performance engines.

Fuel control offers sequential, semi-sequential or staged injector firing, with saturated or peak-and-hold injector drivers; the 8400 series provides eight injector drivers. Individual cylinder trims and dual-sensor closed-loop oxygen control with adaptive learning are listed, and injection timing can be adjusted. Ignition can be coil-on-plug, wasted spark or distributor-based, and some models include four coil drivers with built-in igniters, so an external igniter is not needed.

For integration, the 8400 series is listed with 12 analog 0 to 5 V sensor inputs (up to four temperature inputs), 9 switched inputs (up to six frequency inputs) and 10 configurable on/off outputs, eight of which can be PWM. A dedicated CAN bus is built in, so the controller can exchange data with dashes, loggers and other devices. Tuning is done with PC software over an Ethernet connection that can be WiFi-capable. Data logging of up to 20 hours, map switching and failsafe functions are available, and a waterproof enclosure version is offered. The power for the controller is supplied through a relay switched by +12 V.

Typical applications are engine management for motorsport and performance engines, and for custom engine installations such as range-extender generators or experimental aircraft engines under the integrator's responsibility.