History of PCM Hacking

[L67PSI]

Hi all,

Just wondering how PCM Hacking began? Who was involved? When did it start?

Thanks

[Gareth]

Launch time and date -

Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:34 pm

[vlad01]

I recall it being Ant, VL400, 202 and Delcowiz that first started the forum?

[antus]

Yeah thats right. I was working on 'antusprom' which emulated moates autoprom hardware with some serial loopback software and translated the emulation for kalmaker sp3 - see http://www.kalmaker.com.au/phpbb3/viewt ... ?f=2&t=786
This allowed tunerpro4 to work with sp3 hardware and with ADX and XDF files written by delcowizid. We could use windows and it allowed me to tune on a newer laptop than I could with my copy of SP3 which I paid more than $1K for. Happy times for SP3 users, I thought. Tunerpro 4 (actually tunerpro 4 + scannerpro at the same time - 2 apps!) did not have a plugin interface so it was a hack, but it worked. Tunerpro 5 gained the plugin interface for us as an alternative to my requests to support delco nvram hardware. Mark, the TP author preferred to do something which would allow anyone to use his software in new ways.

At the same time VL400 was working on OSE12S (S=standard, pro being an idea for the next generation). He was getting somewhere but could use testers and needed pc software. I met Delcowizid through the American code59 forums asking about how we could port code59 to run on the Aussie 808 (short: no chance, very different platform) but he introduced me to the others. Jayme and Holden202T were great testers for 12S, as was Delcowizid (who had also made XDFs for SP3) for tunerpro offline editing. All the pieces were there but had not yet come together.

The powers that on the other forums incorrectly assumed or suspected that it somehow enabled piracy (not at all true!) and pulled my thread and "sent a letter" (literally? not sure) to the sp3 author to see what he made of it and check it out. While weeks went by I spoke with the other forum originators here and we realised we could work together and build what we have since released and realised that there was a gap in internet and that forum like this could exist. Lots of people around wanting to share information but at the time a culture of secrecy in the mainstream. I had the linux skills and already ran some other forums so almost overnight pcmhacking (then delcohacking) was formed.

Eventually antusprom was given the all clear at the other forums and the thread restored, but, well, a bit late and here we are.

[L67PSI]

Wow, lot of background info there. I remember when it was delcohacking.net.

So Antus, did you design the hardware, eg NVRAM?

[vlad01]

You are saying like it was a long time ago. Only been pcmhacking a sort time relatively speaking.

[immortality]

LOL. I remember those early days as I was communicating with Delco before this forum was born.

At the time I was in the process of getting and setting up an old laptop to run sp3. Never really got that working because this forum came along

[antus]

VL400 designed and built the hardware originally. The OSE 'old school edit' name reflected the original idea that 12S (and later 12P) were not going to be real time software. Of course when we worked together realtime became possible and the norm. We also added ALDL write to factory PCM code viewtopic.php?f=27&t=613&p=7143 . It was simple to develop and did provide basic tuning options for people to put a cam in an ecotec etc but couldnt handle boost and had no additional features. The1 then joined with interest in the PCM operating systems and the skills to successfully patch the dual-banked binaries adding features and working around limits in the factory code

I also cant leave out Jayme/Holden202T/Delcowizid who put a lot of effort in the early days to creating and testing the ADX/XDF files which were very necessary to make the other developments usable.

Of course being a community a lot of other people have contributed when and where they can - I just wanted to credit the original couple of members who got things started. None the less thanks to everyone who is and has been involved.

[vlad01]

I started by getting Jason (greenfoam) to make me tunes (after getting burned by a TRX100 eprom) and I also remember talking to Dr Rob and Delcowiz back in the JC forum days until I had enough of that forums bs. I didn't participate in many posts or threads but just reading them was enough to give me the shits, reminds me of a tamer version of volkswagen forums.

Then I learned a lot on the MS (mega squirt) communities, Just lurking them and decided I wanted to tune myself but for the interim I went here asking if someone could make a basic tune before I went full MS conversion and people here just convinced me to try 12P and get the gear. I was hooked and like the say, the rest is history!

[MAGP]

At the same time VL400 was working on OSE12S (S=standard, pro being an idea for the next generation).

Lol I thought the P meant it was the 16th iteration, like Windows 95A B and C were the 1st 2nd and 3rd iterations of Windows 95.