I'm a little confused about the role of a boost controller.
Can you change a boost setting on any wastegate?

I'm assuming that boost controllers only work for external wastegates, how exactly does this work?
I see some "dual solenoid" boost controllers. Does this apply to a dual solenoid wastegate?

sorry bout all the questions, curious about the whole turbo thing.

 

The wastegate is the standard method for limiting boost to a certain level in a turbo setup. It's mounted either to the exhaust manifold before the turbine housing (external) or to the turbine housing itself (internal). It has a vacuum line plumbed from the intake manifold, and a dump pipe that runs from the wastegate to the downpipe after the turbo (or sometimes out into the atmosphere, but this isn't emissions-legal). There's a spring inside the wastegate that gets pushed on by boost pressure inside the vacuum line. The spring is connected to a valve in the wastegate which routes some exhaust gasses around the turbocharger and prevents it from spooling any higher. The more boost you have, the more the valve opens. The pressure at which the wastegate opens all the way can be changed by changing the spring to either a stiffer one for more boost, or a softer one for less boost.

All boost controllers place some kind of restriction in the vacuum line between the intake manifold and the wastegate, which allows you to change the boost pressure at which the wastegate opens. Basically the boost controller (mechanical or electronic, doesn't matter which one) prevents the wastegate from seeing any boost. When the boost level you have picked is reached, the controller opens up the valve all the way which lets the wastegate see the full boost level all at once. Generally this is higher that whatever boost level the wastegate spring provides so the wastegate opens right up. This way, the wastegate stays closed all the time until you reach max boost instead of always bleeding off some exhaust gasses. This tends to help spool-up because the wastegate is forced to open in an on/off fashion rather than progressively opening depending on how much boost pressure there is.

 

Ahhhh... I see
Thats pretty cool actually, I always thought external wastegates open suddenly, didn't know that it could open gradually.

So if I wanted to have the option of running 0psi for say up to 3000 rpm, would a boost controller allow me to leave the wastegate open to bleed off all the boost? Basically, can an electronic boost controller let you control how much boost you want whenever you want? Do I have the option of bleeding off as much boost as the wastegate can handle for most of the time. Then when I hit the track, I just press a button and I'm closing her up and running on max boost?

I understand that there are programs and chips to modify ecus to compensate for extra air. Then you've got to hit the dyno and tune the A/F. Are these programs capable of recognizing less air and therefore dumping less fuel? Am I stuck with I boost setting permanently with these ECU modifications?

 

You can get an electronic boost controller that has different max boost levels for different rpm. What options exactly are available depends on the boost controller. I see no reason to have the boost controller keep the boost at 0 psi until 3000 rpm, that'll just make the turbo take too long to spool up. But yes, you can make a boost "curve" with different boost levels at different rpm.

The stock ECU isn't capable of reading a signal from the MAP sensor which indicates boost. There are a few ways of tuning the fuel, which one you use depends on a few factors. I would explain how exactly the Honda fuel injection system works but I've done it so many times before. Do a search for "duty cycle" and you should find a few posts on it.