Collegiate mechanical engineering curriculum typically requires each student to complete a senior design project. More often than not, these requisite projects are pursued with a level of enthusiasm comparable to that of getting a tooth pulled, and usually result in the design of a useless wheelchair mechanism or equally lame and overly kinematic drollery. That wasn't the case for one ambitious senior named John Meaney at Indiana's Valparaiso University in the fall of 1985. Meaney, a native of Monee, Illinois, was the prototypical "motorhead" mechanical engineering student with an insatiable appetite for performance and racing. Wasting time on stair-climbing wheelchairs was not for John, who wanted to utilize his senior design experience developing a new carburetor in hopes of boosting performance on his '69 Camaro. After pitching the idea to Valparaiso's Professor Gil Lehmann, his project adviser, Meaney was wisely encouraged to scrap the carb idea. Instead, Lehmann recommended developing a simple electronic fuel injection (EFI) system, something he thought was more consistent with current technologies. This fateful advisement would quickly prove to be John's most influential. Meaney, with the assistance of Lehmann and fellow Valpo E.E. Prof. Rodney Bohlman, successfully designed and built a basic analog electronic fuel injection system for his Camaro. At his senior design review, after some students proudly passed around what they thought were exciting wheelchair mechanism models built from glued together Popsicle sticks, Meaney lead fellow classmates to the parking lot for test rides in his custom EFI equipped Camaro-they were blown away, and Meaney was hooked on EFI.
John spent his first few years out of school working through the engineering ranks of a few automotive suppliers before ending up at Bosch, the fuel injection powerhouse. At Bosch, Meaney honed his craft developing both components and complete fuel injection systems for various OE customers. Capitalizing on his growing understanding of electronics and fuel injection, he found himself spending nights and weekends furthering development of his original senior design project EFI system. It was no longer a basic assembly of cobbled together analog potentiometers. Instead, it was redesigned around Motorola's flashy new 8-bit, 2 MHz 68HC11 microprocessor. With this 'digital' chip at the heart of Meaney's new system, he now had a truly digital electronic fuel injection system and was only limited by his imagination.
 You may not know who John...  You may not know who John Meaney is, but it's a safe bet you know the products he has been responsible for. Meaney is considered by many as the Godfather of modern aftermarket EFI systems. "Big," as his friends call him, would just assume to be known as another 'car guy' addicted to his hobby. Meaney's engine controllers are a popular choice for EFI-equipped racers such as Bo Butner, who runs a AA/SM Comp eliminator car. |  This gnarly looking science...  This gnarly looking science fair project is Meaney's first 'digital' controller. It features the original Hitachi micro with an EPROM strapped to its back, prior to integration of the Motorola 68HC11 chip. The basic system relied on a limited number of microchips, as shown. |  The backside of Meaney's digital...  The backside of Meaney's digital prototype shows tell-tale signs of being a hand-made prototype. The hand wire-wrapped, through-hole circuit board looks like chaos, yet proved to be the building block for further development. |