StandaloneHQ exists because choosing a standalone ECU is usually done in the wrong order. People pick the brand a mate runs, or the one with the nicest dash, and then try to bend the build to fit it. Sometimes that works. Often it means an adaptor board that does not exist for your platform, or finding out during the wire-up that you are two outputs short for the cam control you need.
The better order is not complicated. Define the engine and how you are running it. Count the inputs and outputs that actually needs — types as well as totals, trigger inputs separate from digital inputs, 5V-reference and sensor-ground fan-out included. Then shortlist. Do the count properly and the shortlist tends to write itself.
What the planner is
The ECU Pinout Planner is that framework turned into a tool. You describe the build; it derives the required I/O; it scores wire-in and plug-in ECUs against that tally, names the shortfalls, and lays out a pin-by-pin connection sheet for the one you pick. The ECU profiles are transcribed from the manufacturers’ own manuals and pinout documents, one pin at a time, and the trigger, injector-driver and coil typing follows the same rules a good tuner would apply by hand.
What it is not
It is not a substitute for the manual, your tuner, or a multimeter. It is a planning tool: it gets you to a shortlist and a sheet faster than a napkin does, and it stops the classic mistakes — counting cam sensors as trigger inputs, forgetting that dumb coils want an igniter, running out of 5V reference before you run out of analogue inputs. The final say on any pin belongs to the manufacturer’s documentation for your specific ECU and revision.
Who runs it
StandaloneHQ is a small, independent project from the same garage as BoxSelector, the gearing and drivetrain planner. It is funded by the adverts around the tool, never inside it, and the planner itself stores nothing about you. If you spot a wrong pin or a missing ECU, say so — that is how the dataset gets better.
Always verify against the manufacturer’s manual and your tuner before wiring.