Logging

[Jim Blackwood]

What's the best logging app for just tuning the ECM ('411)? I've been told PCMHammer can do it (haven't been able to figure out how) and I've seen some references to PCM Logger but nothing newer than 4 or 5 months and haven't yet found the download link. I want to read the logs using the TunerStudio MegaLogViewer which reads csv and a bunch of other file formats. I've used OBDwiz but it seems hard to understand, has a bunch of stuff I'll never use (turbo, transmission, etc) and not much that I do want. (basic engine parameters). I can use that but I just wonder if there is something better?

Jim

[Highlander]

By far the best logging app is EFILive. Nothing comes close.

[B52Bombardier1]

Hello,

Maybe my needs are simple but I use a Bluetooth OBD 2 adapter - a Konnwei or an OBDLink MX+ - to do my logging. This gets me all of the O2 sensor values, long & short term fuel trims and up to 25-ish other loggable PCM parameter ID items for my P01 and P59 PCM's. I'm using several different Android apps on my phone to do this - Torque Pro, Car Scanner, Motor Data, Dash Command, OBD Link or OBD Fusion. Some of these are free and others require small amounts of money to unlock more advanced features and parameter IDs. I think that knock reduction is the only thing I might want to see that is not supported but since I'm not running boost, a big cam or nitrous, knock reduction is not all that important.

And I believe that many of these apps are also available for an I-Phone. The beauty of acquiring an OBD Link MX+ (around $60 USD) is that it also supports writing an operating system to a PCM using another Android app called "LS Droid".

My needs are simple but maybe so are yours.

Rick

[antus]

The obdlink devices work with pcm hammer, too. They are the slowest interface, but they do the job.

[B52Bombardier1]

I thought the OBDLink MX+ device was not supported by PCM Hammer, only the LX device. At least the documentation seems to indicate that.

Rick

[antus]

Thats probably because none of us have one to try it. I didnt write that part of the docs. But I cant see why it would not, provided your laptop has BT and it looks like a com port to the app. Its still the STN chipset. If you try it and it does we can update the documentation.

[B52Bombardier1]

Hello,

I will give my MX+ a try and let you know. Many thanks.

Rick

[Gampy]

Clarified that MX is not supported. was added on March 7th ... I do not know why, and I don't know if that includes the MX+.

However, if someone with the MX and/or MX+ would do a "Read Entire PCM" and post the full debug log as an attachment that would be awesome and help clear this up.

[Jim Blackwood]

I downloaded EFILive to have a look at it. Is this the one that requires a $100-150 fee for every ECM you connect it to? No thanks. Not for an ECM that costs me $40 at the junkyard. I have 3 of them expressly so that I have backup units (redundancy) and there'
s just no way I'm paying another $300 to look inside them. Looks like nice software though, as it should for that kind of money. Definitely a tool for commercial use and high rollers but not at all applicable for what I'm doing.

Now one thing about PCMHammer is that it installs and launches like an old-school standalone application. This is fine, but a little inconvenient to search through your file manager to find the exe files to launch so the immediate default is to copy a shortcut to the desktop or launch bar. That works pretty well but gives rise to some odd situations. For instance, depending on permissions it's possible for it to not launch properly, (I've defaulted to installing it in a folder on the desktop for that reason) Also it isn't naturally intuitive to look for pcmlogger in the file manager as opposed to the pcmhammer interface. Small matters indeed but how hard is it to add an install option to create those shortcuts during install? Could be worth adding. Anyway I'm not complaining, just offering a suggestion.

Now I found my pcmlogger would not select my OBDLinkLX. This is the PCMHammer v.14 download. I think it should, since PCMHammer works fine with it but somehow it doesn't. I'm now trying to use my AllPro cable with it but my laptop has issues with usb devices, most likely IRQ conflicts, and I don't know how to cure that. It makes the touchpad really jerky so I plugged in a gaming mouse then went in and removed the touchpad in Device Manager. Even though the gaming mouse works smoothly I don't think that fixed the problem. When trying to test the AllPro cable on com5 there are huge and increasingly long lags between transmission and return in the debug log. Initially about 15 milliseconds but after 10 transmissions it stretched out to over 11 seconds and then stopped. Sounds like I still have a conflict. Had the same issue when I plugged in 2 Perytech scope modules (1 works fine) but not always. Apparently my laptop does not handle USB configuration well at all.

Which means, at present I'm probably going to have to use my android phone for datalogging unless I can find a cure. Or maybe a different laptop will work since USB has been around a long time. Record the file on a memory stick. Might be possible to use the old Kendle Fire.

"They" keep promising all this stuff is going to get easier. Wonder why it never actually happens?

Anyhoo, a little frustration bleeding through there but please don't take offense, I'd be much worse off without y'all's efforts and I know it. Eventually I'll get this worked out.

Jim

[Jim Blackwood]

Rick, is there one of those phone apps that will work with the OBDLinkLX and record EGT (for my wideband), along with STFT/LTFT, MAP, TPS, ECT, RPM and advance? That's really about all I need I think.

Jim