PCMTec Development Blog

[andy18]

Rolls, your tool will read a real binary or crypted like HP?

[rolls]

We have our own format similar to hpt.

[DarrylC]

Rolls, your tool will read a real binary or crypted like HP?

Like Rolls said about the format but we currently allow opening of binaries. You will still have to license them to allow editing.

[oldtinfords]

Rolls, your tool will read a real binary or crypted like HP?

Like Rolls said about the format but we currently allow opening of binaries. You will still have to license them to allow editing.

This might have been answered previously but I just want to confirm, will licensing be required before editing or will it be like HP where you can edit & save your work but to write the modified file it then has to be licenced?

[rolls]

Rolls, your tool will read a real binary or crypted like HP?

Like Rolls said about the format but we currently allow opening of binaries. You will still have to license them to allow editing.

This might have been answered previously but I just want to confirm, will licensing be required before editing or will it be like HP where you can edit & save your work but to write the modified file it then has to be licenced?

We have come up with a file format that allows you to edit other peoples files (eg ones you haven't licensed) and send them around, so you can get your mate to send you their tune, you can edit it and send it back to them without any cost or credential sharing on your side. You can't flash the changes without a license though. It is an improvement on HPT which doesn't let you save unlicensed files.

Currently if you read the file and don't want to license it, you can't view it. Though we will be adding something that will let you do this later on. Currently to view/edit a file someone has to have read then licensed and saved that car at some point, but it doesn't have to be you.

We've tried to hit a balance of not restricting what you can do, and also protecting the IP behind the product. To achieve this we have gone with a server/client model which means you need to be internet connected to license a vehicle. If you aren't internet connected you can still open/view/edit/flash existing files.

So similar to HPT you don't actually license a file, you license a PCM. That "license" is stored on the server. So anytime you open a file (or read a file) it will know if you are licensed to edit it, so you don't have to worry about losing dongles or cables. You also don't need to be internet connected as all this information is cached locally, internet connection is only required to add new licenses.

You can also read a car without internet, save the file, then license it at a later stage if you don't have internet. The file will just show up as empty/unlicensed until you do so. So if your dyno room is a bit of a faraday cage you won't have troubles.

Another item is "canned tunes". We have a provision in place for a tuner to send you a canned tune that you can't edit or view, but you can flash. So if you have a cable there is a cheap flash only license (1/3 the cost credit wise) that will allow you to flash remote tunes from your tuner if you are not interested in editing/tuning yourself. We hope to tie this into a handheld device at a later stage, either phone based or using something like the ngauge etc.

[oldtinfords]

Like Rolls said about the format but we currently allow opening of binaries. You will still have to license them to allow editing.

This might have been answered previously but I just want to confirm, will licensing be required before editing or will it be like HP where you can edit & save your work but to write the modified file it then has to be licenced?

We have come up with a file format that allows you to edit other peoples files (eg ones you haven't licensed) and send them around, so you can get your mate to send you their tune, you can edit it and send it back to them without any cost or credential sharing on your side. You can't flash the changes without a license though. It is an improvement on HPT which doesn't let you save unlicensed files.

Currently if you read the file and don't want to license it, you can't view it. Though we will be adding something that will let you do this later on. Currently to view/edit a file someone has to have read then licensed and saved that car at some point, but it doesn't have to be you.

We've tried to hit a balance of not restricting what you can do, and also protecting the IP behind the product. To achieve this we have gone with a server/client model which means you need to be internet connected to license a vehicle. If you aren't internet connected you can still open/view/edit/flash existing files.

So similar to HPT you don't actually license a file, you license a PCM. That "license" is stored on the server. So anytime you open a file (or read a file) it will know if you are licensed to edit it, so you don't have to worry about losing dongles or cables. You also don't need to be internet connected as all this information is cached locally, internet connection is only required to add new licenses.

You can also read a car without internet, save the file, then license it at a later stage if you don't have internet. The file will just show up as empty/unlicensed until you do so. So if your dyno room is a bit of a faraday cage you won't have troubles.

Another item is "canned tunes". We have a provision in place for a tuner to send you a canned tune that you can't edit or view, but you can flash. So if you have a cable there is a cheap flash only license (1/3 the cost credit wise) that will allow you to flash remote tunes from your tuner if you are not interested in editing/tuning yourself. We hope to tie this into a handheld device at a later stage, either phone based or using something like the ngauge etc.[/quote]

I like the idea that licences are stored on a server & cached locally so there’s a backup should something go wrong with a pc or dongle.

In your second paragraph you say “Currently if you read the file and don't want to license it, you can't view it“.

Like a lot of other people that I have been chatting with, I’ve found it to be beneficial to be able to view/compare settings & tables in 2 files with HP without having to licence both files. A mate has downloaded HP & is currently looking at purchasing it and is playing around with different files I’ve read & sent him to get an idea of the program. He can’t save the file without licensing it but he can learn the HP program.

I’d previously told him to hold off until this is released so he can compare the 2 programs, read files, make adjustments in tables etc like he is doing in HP before making the decision to purchase but if you can’t currently do this this with your program unless the vehicle is licensed he will probably get HP.

How long before you add the ability to view a file & play around with settings & tables before having to licence the vehicle?

[oldtinfords]

I like the idea that licences are stored on a server & cached locally so there’s a backup should something go wrong with a pc or dongle.
In your second paragraph you say “Currently if you read the file and don't want to license it, you can't view it“.
Like a lot of other people that I have been chatting with, I’ve found it to be beneficial to be able to view/compare settings & tables in 2 files with HP without having to licence both files. A mate has downloaded HP & is currently looking at purchasing it and is playing around with different files I’ve read & sent him to get an idea of the program. He can’t save the file without licensing it but he can learn the HP program.
I’d previously told him to hold off until this is released so he can compare the 2 programs, read files, make adjustments in tables etc like he is doing in HP before making the decision to purchase but if you can’t currently do this this with your program unless the vehicle is licensed he will probably get HP.
How long before you add the ability to view a file & play around with settings & tables before having to licence the vehicle?

[rolls]

I like the idea that licences are stored on a server & cached locally so there’s a backup should something go wrong with a pc or dongle.
In your second paragraph you say “Currently if you read the file and don't want to license it, you can't view it“.
Like a lot of other people that I have been chatting with, I’ve found it to be beneficial to be able to view/compare settings & tables in 2 files with HP without having to licence both files. A mate has downloaded HP & is currently looking at purchasing it and is playing around with different files I’ve read & sent him to get an idea of the program. He can’t save the file without licensing it but he can learn the HP program.
I’d previously told him to hold off until this is released so he can compare the 2 programs, read files, make adjustments in tables etc like he is doing in HP before making the decision to purchase but if you can’t currently do this this with your program unless the vehicle is licensed he will probably get HP.
How long before you add the ability to view a file & play around with settings & tables before having to licence the vehicle?

Not long. In the interim if people want to view a file they have read without licensing that car they can just send us the file to do manually. It will be automated eventually. If someone sends you a file they have licensed at some point this won't be necessary.

So you can already do most of what you mention providing someone licensed that car at some point.

Eg your mate reads his car, licenses his car (and hence the file) then sends it to you. You can open, edit and save the file without spending any credits. That all works currently. It is only in the case someone reads their car and does not ever want to license it, currently you'd need to send it to us to be able to view it. I imagine this would be unusual as why buy the software/cable if you don't want to license your vehicle at some point? Same with HPT, if you spend $1k on the software it would be odd to decide you don't want to license your vehicle.

We are also distributing some example files with the software so you can have a demo of the software, view other peoples files etc without having to spend any credits. This already works and is the best option if you want to trial the software out without spending any money.

We are still working on compare, combining TCM (ZF) & PCM into one file and some things like that but won't be long.

[oldtinfords]

I like the idea that licences are stored on a server & cached locally so there’s a backup should something go wrong with a pc or dongle.
In your second paragraph you say “Currently if you read the file and don't want to license it, you can't view it“.
Like a lot of other people that I have been chatting with, I’ve found it to be beneficial to be able to view/compare settings & tables in 2 files with HP without having to licence both files. A mate has downloaded HP & is currently looking at purchasing it and is playing around with different files I’ve read & sent him to get an idea of the program. He can’t save the file without licensing it but he can learn the HP program.
I’d previously told him to hold off until this is released so he can compare the 2 programs, read files, make adjustments in tables etc like he is doing in HP before making the decision to purchase but if you can’t currently do this this with your program unless the vehicle is licensed he will probably get HP.
How long before you add the ability to view a file & play around with settings & tables before having to licence the vehicle?

Not long. In the interim if people want to view a file they have read without licensing that car they can just send us the file to do manually. It will be automated eventually. If someone sends you a file they have licensed at some point this won't be necessary.

So you can already do most of what you mention providing someone licensed that car at some point.

Eg your mate reads his car, licenses his car (and hence the file) then sends it to you. You can open, edit and save the file without spending any credits. That all works currently. It is only in the case someone reads their car and does not ever want to license it, currently you'd need to send it to us to be able to view it. I imagine this would be unusual as why buy the software/cable if you don't want to license your vehicle at some point? Same with HPT, if you spend $1k on the software it would be odd to decide you don't want to license your vehicle.

We are also distributing some example files with the software so you can have a demo of the software, view other peoples files etc without having to spend any credits. This already works and is the best option if you want to trial the software out without spending any money.

We are still working on compare, combining TCM (ZF) & PCM into one file and some things like that but won't be long.

Thanks rolls, I’ve got HP & have used it to compare my licenced vehicle (bought as a wreck & used I n a conversion) which had an issue to a mates vehicle (original vehicle with a newer strategy) that wasn’t licensed but also didn’t have an issue. I managed to find the differences in the tables & copied them across without having to licence a second file. I’ve used it to compare & make changes for other conversions too ie auto/manual changes etc by comparing files. I have several licensed vehicles/files now that work by all by comparing files & adjusting.

I guess this is my main reason for wanting the ability to view & compare

[rolls]

I guess this is my main reason for wanting the ability to view & compare

Yeah so in that case we will definitely have support for that. There may be some edge cases we don't support currently (eg the one I described above) but those sort of everyday "must have" features we will do everything we can to add if they aren't already in the software.

Comparing and reverting to stock are things we hear from everyone as a must have as well as something I know I couldn't tune without.

Something else we are trying to make part of our brand is the software is fluid in that we will be building it based on the feedback we get from other tuners. So if something isn't available speak up and if there is demand we will add it. We will also go out of our way to add things with priority for paying workshop customers.

Darryl and I have just been talking and we might try and release a demo version before we go live as I believe that's what most people are interested in trying out.