NC Adapter EVO – Product Information

Adapter EVO is built using a reclaimed OEM Mazda ECU enclosure.

The enclosure is:

• Fully epoxy potted for weather resistance
• Designed to mount in the factory ECU location
• Compatible with third-party ECU relocation brackets

This gives the adapter an OEM-style fit while protecting the internal electronics from moisture and normal environmental exposure.

Cosmetic Note
Adapter EVO is built using a reclaimed OEM Mazda ECU enclosure, so minor cosmetic wear may be visible. Each unit is carefully selected to ensure all critical connector locking and indexing features are intact and fully functional.

Inside the enclosure, Adapter EVO uses a printed circuit board (PCB) that connects directly to the factory Mazda ECU plugs on one side and Superseal 1.0 connectors on the other.

This design provides:

• A solid connection to the factory harness
• A cleaner connection point for your standalone ECU
• A more serviceable setup than a permanently fixed adapter or hardwired conversion

Because the patch harness connects through common Superseal 1.0 connectors, it is easier to service, replace, or revise later if your ECU setup changes.

Adapter EVO includes an internal ignition-activated relay control circuit.

This allows the adapter to use the factory ignition switch signal to control the:

• Main Relay
• Starter Relay

In practical terms, this helps the car retain the original keyed ignition behavior while reducing the number of ECU outputs needed for basic relay control.

This is especially helpful for ECUs with limited auxiliary outputs.

Adapter EVO is designed to account for the OEM engine management circuits commonly needed for standalone ECU integration on the NC chassis.

• Crankshaft Position
• Camshaft Position
• Knock Signal
• Knock Ground
• Mass Air Flow Sensor
• Manifold Pressure Sensor
• Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor
• Intake Air Temperature
• Throttle Position Sensor 1
• Throttle Position Sensor 2
• Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor 1
• Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor 2
• Brake Switch 1
• Brake Switch 2
• Clutch Switch
• Power Steering Pressure Switch
• Air Conditioning Request

Important: The factory narrowband oxygen sensor circuits are not included. Most standalone ECU installations are expected to use a wideband oxygen sensor instead.

Adapter EVO is designed to account for the OEM engine management circuits commonly needed for standalone ECU integration on the NC chassis.

• 4x Ignition Outputs
• 4x Injector Outputs
• Alternator Field Control
• Alternator Phase Feedback
• Variable Air Intake Solenoid
• Variable Cam Timing Oil Control Valve
• Air Conditioning Clutch
• Drive-by-Wire Motor 1
• Drive-by-Wire Motor 2
• Radiator Fan Relay 1
• Radiator Fan Relay 2
• Radiator Fan Relay 3
• Fuel Pump Relay
• Vehicle CAN High / CAN Low
• EVAP Leak Detection Pump
• EVAP Purge Solenoid
• EVAP Tank Solenoid
• DBW Relay Control (for ECUs that require a dedicated DBW power supply)

Adapter EVO is available as Adapter Only or with a Connector Kit if you plan to build your own harness solution. For the easiest installation, a dedicated patch harness is also available to connect Adapter EVO to your selected standalone ECU for a true plug-and-play experience.

Patch harnesses are available in multiple lengths to suit common ECU mounting locations.

Available lengths:

• 8 ft – for ECU mounted near the glovebox on left-hand drive vehicles
• 6 ft – for ECU mounted near the glovebox on right-hand drive vehicles
• 4 ft – for ECU mounted in engine bay

Important Notes:

• Mounting the ECU in the engine bay is not recommended for wet climates.
• 6ft and 8ft patch harness includes a pre-installed 55mm(~2") rubber grommet to protect the harness as it passes through the firewall.
• The installer must fabricate their own ECU mounting bracket(s)

Adapter EVO includes built-in shared connections for common ECU and sensor needs.

These shared resources include:

• 5V Sensor Supply
• Signal Ground
• ECU Ground
• Switched +12V from Main Relay (commonly used for ECU power and 12V sensor supply)

Additional dedicated power connections are also available for ECUs that require them:

• Constant +12V from Battery
• Switched +12V from DBW Relay

This helps reduce unnecessary splicing when configuring the patch harness and auxiliary devices.

Adapter EVO includes a dedicated auxiliary expansion connector to make future additions easier.

This is intended to provide an easily accessible connection point in the engine bay for:

• Auxiliary sensors (e.g. flex fuel, fuel pressure, oil temperature)
• Additional switched devices (e.g. oil cooler fan relay)
• PWM-controlled devices (e.g. boost control solenoid, water/meth injection)
• CAN routers or CAN expansion hardware

Connector C includes:

• 8 pass-through circuits from Connector A
• 5x Signal Ground
• 4x 5V Supply
• 3x Switched +12V from Main Relay
• 1x Constant +12V
• 1x Switched +12V from DBW Relay
• 2x ECU Ground
• Vehicle CAN High / CAN Low branch

Roadster WireWorks patch harnesses automatically pass any unused ECU I/O through the adapter to this connector. This makes future expansion easier by giving you access to spare inputs and outputs without reopening the main harness or adding new firewall penetrations.

Important: The CAN branch at Connector C provides convenient access to the vehicle CAN network to support easy CAN router connection for advanced users looking to reverse engineer the vehicle's CAN protocol.

The factory instrument cluster, ABS and PRHT operation depend upon proper ECU CAN integration. See ECU Compatibility Requirements for NC below.

The NC MX-5 uses a Mazda-specific CAN protocol for several factory functions. Mazda has not publicly released full documentation for this protocol, so support for factory integration depends on the ECU manufacturer’s own reverse engineering and development.

The pre-configured ECU options currently offered for Adapter EVO patch harneses were selected because they provide native support for the NC platform and its CAN communication with varying levels of factory integration.

Important: While Haltech, ECUMaster, and MaxxECU all offer native NC support, none should be considered a perfect 100% OEM replacement in every function or configuration. Factory feature support can vary by ECU platform, software version, and calibration strategy.

If you are supplying your own ECU, it must be capable of supporting the core requirements of the NC platform, including:

• Sequential 4-cylinder ignition and injection
• Drive-by-Wire (DBW) control
• Variable Cam Timing (VCT) control
• Native NC CAN support, or advanced User-Defined CAN capability sufficient for the factory functions you intend to retain
• Enough configurable inputs and outputs to support the factory sensors and control devices used by your specific setup

Without support for these core functions, the adapter cannot provide a complete standalone integration.

ECU selection guidance and integration support are not provided with Adapter Only or Connector Kit purchases. These options are intended for experienced DIY users who are comfortable validating ECU compatibility and integration requirements on their own.

Optional auxiliary sensors can be added to your order and supplied with pre-terminated leads at Connector C.

This allows those sensors to be pre-installed via the auxiliary expansion connection rather than requiring separate modification after delivery.

Available sensor options are shown during product configuration.

Important: Auxiliary sensors added during ordering are intended to reduce installation work and keep the finished setup cleaner. If you plan to add multiple auxiliary devices later, review your Connector C resources and ECU I/O strategy before finalizing your configuration.