<Solved> Bricking P-01s with PCMhammer and Unable to Recover

[hotrod6657]

Hey all, just got activated on here and hoping that some help can come my way.

I'll link to another thread that's been trying to help me below so I don't have to retype everything but essentially I've "bricked" two P-01 PCM's trying to flash them with PCMhammer/UniversalPatcher (for edits) and I'm not sure what I've done wrong or what my steps to recovery are. I'm using the 2.00-Preview build that was the most current release when I started.

Here's the LS1tech thread link for some additional context since that post has been going for a few days (I hope cross posting is alright for this):

https://ls1tech.com/forums/pcm-diagnost ... puter.html

Essentially I have a pair of P01 LS PCM's and I'm trying to get VATS removed, segment swap to a 4l80e (motor and donor PCM's are 5.3L) and remove some unneeded stuff for an LS swap into a 60's vintage RV that's been in my family since basically new.

I have a bench harness and an OBDlinkSX and they read the PCM's just fine. I was able to download the .bin with no issue. The issues occurred when I've tried to write anything to the PCM.

The first one I attempted to OS swap because I couldn't find any suitable .bin files to use for the segment swap for the trans. That flash failed (every write was hitting it's max retries) so I ended up stopping it and getting another computer when I realize it wouldn't read or write anymore. That computer also read just fine and downloaded perfectly. I have original .bin files for both.

The second computer I tried to just remove VATS as a proof of concept that I could actually write to the PCM and it passed the test write with PCMhammer but failed apparently as I now get a no VIN found error just like the first one...

I've been trying to get into recovery mode on both of these with no luck minus 1 time when I got the second PCM (no vats only attempt) to acknowledge it could unlock before giving a kernel upload denied message.

I'm not sure if my timing on the recovery mode is off, or if I'm missing a step, or if I've just messed up and broken these computers...

I'm looking for any and all help on this as I'm really scratching my head and this type of car stuff is pretty new to me...

I've upgraded the PSU on my bench harness to something that should be more than adequate, the pot on the PSU is at around 13.8, but the "damage" all occurred with a cheap 1amp PSU on the amazon PSU I first got. I've verified the pinning on the bench harness and I think I'm good there. I'm starting to run out of options. Hoping the fine folks here can give me some new stuff to consider and help get me back on track.

Cheers and thank for the add to the community,

hotrod

[ironduke]

Power supply was probably too weak and bricked them. should be able to recover them by opening them up and shorting a pin out. There's a topic here somewhere with info.
here's a youtube link about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGeMK6LvQck

[hotrod6657]

Power supply was probably too weak and bricked them. should be able to recover them by opening them up and shorting a pin out. There's a topic here somewhere with info.
here's a youtube link about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGeMK6LvQck

I've been trying that but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong with the recovery mode timing. I've watched that video a half dozen times. One time I got a successful unlock after "bricking" them but I was only trying to write calibration and I think I need to write entire (clone), at least for the one that bricked while trying to change the OS...

It's my understanding that I only have like 15 seconds from the point when I ground the pin for PCMhammer to try to unlock it and that the grounding should be pretty quick, like a second or so.

Does the PCM need to be powered off first, then the pin grounded during startup? I've tried just about every combination of timings I can and I just can't seem to get it right...

I'm assuming I need to have PCMhammer basically ready to write, wait for the 10 second countdown or dismiss it and then immediately ground that pin, does that sound right?

I'm assuming I should be attempting all this while trying to clone to the original .bin I first downloaded from the computers right?

EDIT:

I guess the main question is a what specific step in the process should I ground that pin to have the best chance at PCMhammer getting access to recovery mode.

[ironduke]

I would try putting it back to stock just to get it back to life. You could try a read just to see what happened but ideally I would simply write what came out of it.
I do not mess with these older ones much at all, changing the OS could screw things up without performing a clone imo but not 100% on that.
It's been a couple years since I've done it, I believe I had the ecm powered up and just grounded the pin right before it tried unlocking.
Maybe someone else with more experience can chime in??

[hotrod6657]

I would try putting it back to stock just to get it back to life. You could try a read just to see what happened but ideally I would simply write what came out of it.
I do not mess with these older ones much at all, changing the OS could screw things up without performing a clone imo but not 100% on that.
It's been a couple years since I've done it, I believe I had the ecm powered up and just grounded the pin right before it tried unlocking.
Maybe someone else with more experience can chime in??

Okay, thank you for that.

I tried a few things, can't get the first one that bricked during the clone write to change the OS (I needed to because I couldn't find .bin files with the 4L80e or XDF files for the stock OS) to do recovery.

The "new" computer has successfully entered recovery mode 2 times now, seems like I need to ground the pin during that 10 second countdown, somewhere around mid way through, for a second and release a few seconds before PCMhammer starts the OS check.

The times it's entered recovery the unlock is still not successful.

I'll save my debug the next time it happens but I get:

Code: Select all

Checking for recovery mode...
PCM is in recovery mode.
File is P01 512KiB
Unlock was not successful

So that's a step in the right direction but I'm not sure why the unlock isn't successful.

EDIT: For clarity, the PCM is a P-01 512KiB, blue connector, computer so that output is correct.

[antus]

save and attach a debug log so we can see whats going on.

[hotrod6657]

save and attach a debug log so we can see whats going on.

Will do, as soon as I get home and give this another shot I'll save a debug log. Thanks for the reply!

[hotrod6657]

Okay, here are the logs from my attempt today. I got a successful recovery mode one other time but PCMhammer closed itself unexpectedly which was odd...

This was the cleanest attempt I've had. I had power cycled the PSU, attempted to do a full clone write with the .bin I had downloaded from the PSU originally, and grounded the pin basically as soon as the countdown timer popped up on the screen. Please let me know if these files shed any light on what's going on.

Thanks in advance,

hotrod

Debug:

Code: Select all

[11:01:30:698]  PCM Hammer 2.00-Preview
[11:01:30:698]  Wednesday, April 02 2025 @11:01:30:69
[11:01:30:713]  ElmDevice initialization starting.
[11:01:30:736]  TX: 
[11:01:30:745]  TX: AT Z
[11:01:30:902]  Unable to retrieve start.txt from network: HTTP NotFound.
[11:01:30:902]  Unable to retrieve credits.html from network: HTTP NotFound.
[11:01:30:936]  Unable to retrieve help.html from network: HTTP NotFound.
[11:01:31:608]  ELM327 v1.4b
[11:01:31:608]  Loaded start.txt from cache.
[11:01:31:608]  Loaded credits.html from cache.
[11:01:31:608]  Loaded help.html from cache.
[11:01:31:623]  TX: AT E0
[11:01:31:623]  Thanks for using PCM Hammer.
[11:01:31:781]  AT E0  OK
[11:01:31:781]  TX: AT S0
[11:01:31:796]  OK
[11:01:31:812]  TX: AT RV
[11:01:31:812]  Voltage: 13.9V
[11:01:31:827]  TX: AT I
[11:01:31:844]  Elm ID: ELM327 v1.4b
[11:01:31:844]  Initializing PcmHacking.AllProDeviceImplementation
[11:01:31:844]  TX: AT #1
[11:01:31:844]  This is not an AllPro device.
[11:01:31:859]  Determining whether PcmHacking.ScanToolDeviceImplementation is connected.
[11:01:31:859]  TX: ST I
[11:01:31:890]  ScanTool device ID: STN1130 v5.8.1
[11:01:31:890]  TX: STPTO 3000
[11:01:31:906]  OK
[11:01:31:907]  TX: AT AL
[11:01:31:922]  OK
[11:01:31:922]  TX: AT SP2
[11:01:31:938]  OK
[11:01:31:938]  TX: AT DP
[11:01:31:954]  SAE J1850 VPW
[11:01:31:954]  TX: AT AR
[11:01:31:970]  OK
[11:01:31:970]  TX: AT AT0
[11:01:31:986]  OK
[11:01:31:986]  TX: AT SR F0
[11:01:32:001]  OK
[11:01:32:001]  TX: AT H1
[11:01:32:017]  OK
[11:01:32:017]  TX: AT ST 20
[11:01:32:032]  OK
[11:01:52:959]  C:\Users\hotrod\Downloads\LS Programing\ebay computer\01 02 Silverado Tahoe 12200411 OS 12202088.bin
[11:01:52:973]  Identifying 512KiB file.
[11:01:52:973]  Trying E54 512KiB
[11:01:52:973]  Trying Vortec BlackBox 512KiB
[11:01:52:973]  Trying P01 512KiB
[11:01:52:973]  File is P01 512KiB.
[11:01:52:989]  File operating system ID: 12202088
[11:01:52:989]  Trying E54 512KiB
[11:01:52:989]  Trying Vortec BlackBox 512KiB
[11:01:52:989]  Trying P01 512KiB
[11:01:52:989]  File is P01 512KiB.
[11:01:52:989]  	Start	End	Stored	Needed	Verdict	Segment Name
[11:01:53:005]  	00000	7FFFD	3D37	3D37	Good	Operating system
[11:01:53:005]  	08002	13FFF	A39A	A39A	Good	Engine calibration
[11:01:53:005]  	14002	16DFF	FDFD	FDFD	Good	Engine diagnostics.
[11:01:53:020]  	16E02	1BDFF	81E0	81E0	Good	Transmission calibration
[11:01:53:020]  	1BE02	1C7FF	B4CC	B4CC	Good	Transmission diagnostics
[11:01:53:036]  	1C802	1E51F	77AE	77AE	Good	Fuel system
[11:01:53:036]  	1E522	1EE9F	51CA	51CA	Good	System
[11:01:53:051]  	1EEA2	1EF9F	2257	2257	Good	Speedometer
[11:01:53:067]  Requesting operating system ID...
[11:01:53:067]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:01:53:067]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:01:53:083]  OK
[11:01:53:083]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:3C0A
[11:01:54:230]  Timeout during receive.
[11:01:54:230]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:01:54:230]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:01:54:230]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:01:54:230]  OK
[11:01:54:230]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:01:54:245]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:01:54:245]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:01:54:245]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:01:54:261]  OK
[11:01:55:296]  Timeout during receive.
[11:01:55:296]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:01:55:296]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:01:55:296]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:01:55:311]  OK
[11:01:55:311]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:01:55:327]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:01:55:327]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:01:55:327]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:01:55:343]  OK
[11:01:56:378]  Timeout during receive.
[11:01:56:378]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:01:56:378]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:01:56:378]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:01:56:378]  OK
[11:01:56:378]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:01:56:394]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:01:56:394]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:01:56:394]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:01:56:409]  OK
[11:01:57:445]  Timeout during receive.
[11:01:57:445]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:01:57:445]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:01:57:445]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:01:57:445]  OK
[11:01:57:445]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:01:57:465]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:01:57:465]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:01:57:465]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:01:57:476]  OK
[11:01:58:511]  Timeout during receive.
[11:01:58:511]  Receive timed out. Attempt #5, Timeout #5.
[11:01:58:511]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:3C0A
[11:01:59:593]  Timeout during receive.
[11:01:59:593]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:01:59:593]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:01:59:593]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:01:59:593]  OK
[11:01:59:593]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:01:59:608]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:01:59:608]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:01:59:608]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:01:59:624]  OK
[11:02:00:659]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:00:659]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:02:00:659]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:02:00:659]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:02:00:675]  OK
[11:02:00:675]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:02:00:691]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:02:00:691]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:02:00:691]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:02:00:706]  OK
[11:02:01:742]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:01:742]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:02:01:742]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:02:01:742]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:02:01:742]  OK
[11:02:01:742]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:02:01:758]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:02:01:758]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:02:01:758]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:02:01:774]  OK
[11:02:02:810]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:02:810]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:02:02:810]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:02:02:810]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:02:02:810]  OK
[11:02:02:810]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:02:02:825]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:02:02:825]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:02:02:825]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:02:02:841]  OK
[11:02:03:876]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:03:876]  Receive timed out. Attempt #5, Timeout #5.
[11:02:03:877]  Operating system request failed, checking for a live kernel...
[11:02:03:877]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:3D00
[11:02:04:959]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:05:069]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:3D00
[11:02:06:134]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:06:244]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:3D00
[11:02:07:326]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:07:436]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:3D00
[11:02:08:504]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:08:613]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:3D00
[11:02:08:644]  RX: 6C F0 10 A2 01
[11:02:08:644]  Received: 6C F0 10 A2 01
[11:02:08:770]  Checking for recovery mode...
[11:02:08:770]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:62
[11:02:09:852]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:09:852]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:62
[11:02:10:921]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:10:921]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:62
[11:02:12:004]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:12:004]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:62
[11:02:13:073]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:13:073]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:62
[11:02:14:139]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:14:139]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:62
[11:02:15:222]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:15:222]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:62
[11:02:15:253]  RX: 6C F0 10 A2 01
[11:02:15:253]  Received: 6C F0 10 A2 01
[11:02:15:253]  PCM is in recovery mode.
[11:02:15:269]  Trying E54 512KiB
[11:02:15:269]  Trying Vortec BlackBox 512KiB
[11:02:15:269]  Trying P01 512KiB
[11:02:15:269]  File is P01 512KiB.
[11:02:15:295]  Suppressing VPW chatter.
[11:02:15:295]  TX: STPX H:6CFEF0, R:1, D:2800
[11:02:15:332]  Sending 'test device present' notification.
[11:02:15:332]  Setting timeout for Minimum, 0 ms.
[11:02:15:332]  TX: STPTO 0
[11:02:15:347]  OK
[11:02:15:347]  TX: STPX H:8CFEF0, R:0, D:3F
[11:02:15:363]  Empty response to STPX with data. OK.
[11:02:15:363]  Setting timeout for ReadProperty, 25 ms.
[11:02:15:363]  TX: STPTO 25
[11:02:15:379]  OK
[11:02:16:414]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:16:524]  Sending seed request.
[11:02:16:524]  TX: STPX H:6C10F0, R:1, D:2701
[11:02:17:607]  Timeout during receive.
[11:02:17:607]  No response to seed request.
[11:02:17:607]  Unlock was not successful.

User Log:

Code: Select all

[11:01:30:698]  PCM Hammer 2.00-Preview
[11:01:30:698]  Wednesday, April 02 2025 @11:01:30:69
[11:01:31:623]  Thanks for using PCM Hammer.
[11:01:31:812]  Voltage: 13.9V
[11:01:31:844]  Elm ID: ELM327 v1.4b
[11:01:31:890]  ScanTool device ID: STN1130 v5.8.1
[11:01:52:959]  C:\Users\hotrod\Downloads\LS Programing\ebay computer\01 02 Silverado Tahoe 12200411 OS 12202088.bin
[11:01:52:973]  Identifying 512KiB file.
[11:01:52:973]  File is P01 512KiB.
[11:01:52:989]  File operating system ID: 12202088
[11:01:52:989]  File is P01 512KiB.
[11:01:52:989]  	Start	End	Stored	Needed	Verdict	Segment Name
[11:01:53:005]  	00000	7FFFD	3D37	3D37	Good	Operating system
[11:01:53:005]  	08002	13FFF	A39A	A39A	Good	Engine calibration
[11:01:53:005]  	14002	16DFF	FDFD	FDFD	Good	Engine diagnostics.
[11:01:53:020]  	16E02	1BDFF	81E0	81E0	Good	Transmission calibration
[11:01:53:020]  	1BE02	1C7FF	B4CC	B4CC	Good	Transmission diagnostics
[11:01:53:036]  	1C802	1E51F	77AE	77AE	Good	Fuel system
[11:01:53:036]  	1E522	1EE9F	51CA	51CA	Good	System
[11:01:53:051]  	1EEA2	1EF9F	2257	2257	Good	Speedometer
[11:01:53:067]  Requesting operating system ID...
[11:02:03:877]  Operating system request failed, checking for a live kernel...
[11:02:08:770]  Checking for recovery mode...
[11:02:15:253]  PCM is in recovery mode.
[11:02:15:269]  File is P01 512KiB.
[11:02:17:607]  Unlock was not successful.

[hotrod6657]

Here are the .bin files that have been involved with this computer.

Stock is the file I read from the PCM, vatsRM is that same file with VTD set to 2 in universal patcher that I tried to write to the computer.

[antus]

Can you test pcmhammer official version and see if it works, all other things being equal?