PCM Hammer P01 and P59 flash tool v015

They go by many names, P01, P59, VPW, '0411 etc. Also covering E38 and newer here.
User avatar
NSFW
Posts: 679
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:13 pm

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by NSFW »

The main things PCM Hammer is missing, as compared to HPT / EFI Live:

- it's not yet able to reflash the whole PCM, to install a different operating system
- only a few operating systems have good definitions for use with Tuner Pro.
- no P59 support yet
- no real-time tuning
- no custom operating systems for forced induction

Full flashing for OS changes will be ready soon for 411 PCMs - Antus already has it working. When this is released, you'll be able to reflash any 411 with an OS that does have a good Tuner Pro definition, so the 2nd point above probably won't really matter. I suspect we'll standardize on one OS, or maybe one for manual transmissions and one for automatics. Then we can focus on improving the definition(s) for just that one / those two.

As for P59 support, Antus and I have both successfully flashed ours. But we also both have bricked P59s that we haven't fixed yet, so.... It's coming, but I wouldn't recommend it just yet. :)

Real time tuning isn't on my to-do list, maybe someone will step up and make it happen.

Forced induction support is something that I think we can do, but it's probably going to be quite a while. I've been looking into what would be required, and I think it's do-able, but I am not promising that I'll do it. (But hopefully someone will, because that'd be really cool.)

Also, PCM Hammer doesn't do data logging at all, but Tuner Pro RT does... I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know how it compares to HPT or EFI's data logging.

Bottom line... if you're in a hurry, get a commercial product. If you're not, well, I won't stop working on this stuff until it's good enough for naturally aspirated cars. :) And it might even be good enough already for lots of cases, including yours.
Please don't PM me with technical questions - start a thread instead, and send me a link to it. That way I can answer in public, and help other people who have the same question. Thanks!
Bob's91Vette
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2019 1:44 am

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by Bob's91Vette »

I suspect we'll standardize on one OS, or maybe one for manual transmissions and one for automatics. Then we can focus on improving the definition(s) for just that one / those two.
Would they have both drive-by-wire and drive-by-cable? Or would that make the 2 standard OSs into 4 standard OSs?
User avatar
NSFW
Posts: 679
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:13 pm

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by NSFW »

I don't know for sure, but it looks like DBW/DBC is something that you can configure. I think that's also true for transmissions... The settings certainly exist, I just don't know if anyone has tried changing them yet. We might even be able to use just one OS, if the 12593358 that I've already started disassembling will work with automatic transmissions and DBC cars. Won't know for sure until someone tries.
Please don't PM me with technical questions - start a thread instead, and send me a link to it. That way I can answer in public, and help other people who have the same question. Thanks!
160plus
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:00 pm

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by 160plus »

NSFW wrote:I don't know for sure, but it looks like DBW/DBC is something that you can configure. I think that's also true for transmissions... The settings certainly exist, I just don't know if anyone has tried changing them yet. We might even be able to use just one OS, if the 12593358 that I've already started disassembling will work with automatic transmissions and DBC cars. Won't know for sure until someone tries.
The only real "Universal" OS for the P01's is the 12212156. It supports DBW, DBC, manual trans, 4L60,4l80, PWM fuel gauge output and has vehicle segments for the F & Y bodys as well as the Silverado's,Express Vans S10 Pickup/Blazer and the Astro van. It also supports low resolution crank signal that are used on the 4.3 V6 in the S10/Blazers/Astro Vans or the SBC 5.7 used in the 02 Express van. It is also commonly used when upgrading a 96-2000 SBC vehicle(C/K truck) with the Vortec 5.0/5.7 that came with the black box pcm to a P01. It also has support for 4wd tables and all 4 forms of neutral safety switches that were used. There is no other OS for the P01 that comes close to supporting what this one OS is capable of :thumbup:

About the only thing the 12212156 can't do is flex fuel.

For the 1mb pcm's the equivalent OS would be the 12587603 and can do everything the 2156 OS does but it also supports flex fuel :punk:
brandonwh64
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2018 9:17 pm
cars: building a 1965 F100 with a 5.3L LS

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by brandonwh64 »

160plus wrote:The only real "Universal" OS for the P01's is the 12212156.......
Will it support 3 bar map?
Dylan
Posts: 3355
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 6:35 pm
cars: VR Commodore V8

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by Dylan »

Sounds like a great base for a custom OS
User avatar
Holden202T
Posts: 10311
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:05 pm
Location: Tenambit, NSW
Contact:

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by Holden202T »

I recently purchased an 02 blazer V6 PCM from the states for R&D and this is the results.

HP Tuners custom OS options for the 12212156 OS.
02 blazer.jpg
02 blazer.jpg (103.63 KiB) Viewed 6619 times
i didnt realise this was the OS on it nor than it was so good for what it can do but im sure glad its the one i got!

i got it mainly because i wanted an 0411 to play with and also because i wanted to see what the low res V6 stuff was setup like and will be what im going to use for some 6 Cylinder conversion testing when i get the time!
User avatar
NSFW
Posts: 679
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:13 pm

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by NSFW »

brandonwh64 wrote:
160plus wrote:The only real "Universal" OS for the P01's is the 12212156.......
Will it support 3 bar map?
Not from GM, no. An open-source equivalent is not out of the question, but it would take some work. I've been looking into it (see the 2-bar / 3-bar hack thread), but I've got my hands full with other projects already. Realistically it's probably not going to happen until / unless someone else steps up to do it.
Please don't PM me with technical questions - start a thread instead, and send me a link to it. That way I can answer in public, and help other people who have the same question. Thanks!
160plus
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:00 pm

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by 160plus »

NSFW wrote:
brandonwh64 wrote:
160plus wrote:The only real "Universal" OS for the P01's is the 12212156.......
Will it support 3 bar map?
Not from GM, no. An open-source equivalent is not out of the question, but it would take some work. I've been looking into it (see the 2-bar / 3-bar hack thread), but I've got my hands full with other projects already. Realistically it's probably not going to happen until / unless someone else steps up to do it.
This is were I start to disagree....

Let me pose 2 scenarios and why I don't think there is a need for a new custom OS.


Example 1) Car is taken to a GM dealership for a performance issue and the pcm is found to be at fault. A new GM computer is installed in the car and the pcm is flashed with the latest software for the vehicle from SPS. The new pcm fixes the issue and the owner comes down and picks up their vehicle. As the car is driven out of the dealership it's T-boned by another car that's going way too fast and wasn't able to stop in time. As a result of the crash the car is totaled and taken to Pick-A-Part-Yard where it will be parted out.

Example 2) Car is taken to a performance shop and they install a turbo kit. The pcm will be flashed with the most recent calibration avaible from SPS and then brand X's custom 2 bar OS upgrade will be applied to the pcm before it hits the dyno. The install and dyno tune go great and customer comes down and picks up their vehicle. As the owner of the car pulls out of the shops parking lot they decided to stand on the throttle and see what kind of power the car has with the new turbo. Unfortunately the car's bake system wasn't upgraded as well and when a car starts pulling out of a car dealer they can't stop because they are going too fast. They end up T-boning the car that pulled out in from of them and both vehicles are totaled. The car is then taken to Pick-A-Part-Yard where it will be parted out next to the car it hit.

Paul is a computer programmer who's neighbor Bill is going to help him install an LS into his classic car and in return Paul is going to write a tuning program so they can both tuner their LS swapped cars. They head out to the local Pick-A-part-yard and see two cars that are both wrecked but both have complete drive-lines still. Paul wants a stock engine while Bill is jumping up and down on the turbo engine so they buy them both and head back to the shop. Over the next several weeks Bill works on getting both motors installed in their cars so they are ready to run when Paul flashes the pcm's for them. Meanwhile Paul has written a program that will read and write both pcm's on his work bench. He starts by reading the source file from both pcm's and was surprised to find out both cars used a very similar OS. He spends the next several nights in IDA figuring out what does what in each engines bin file. Once he has everything mapped out he writes a couple of XDF's in Tuner Pro, one for his stock engine and one for Bills engine that has the turbo. He noticed that Bills pcm bin file had a much larger VE table but doesn't pay any attention to it and just assumes its due to the turbo. He flashes both pcm's with his custom software after making the necessary adjustments using the XDF's he made for Tuner Pro and both cars start and run perfect now.....
<The End>

This is where my issue lies with saying that an open source OS would be needed. The source files in the above examples both came from pcm's in the same place....a junkyard. The fact that one had a current GM calibration and the other had brand X's custom 2 bar OS doesn't change the fact that BOTH pcm's were sold in totaled vehicles by the owners to the salvage yard and the salvage yard then sold them to Paul and Bill. To say that the source code in one PCM is propitiatory but the other one is not is ludicrous. If you say well brand X has a copyright/patent on their COS..... then by that logic GM should be suing the pants off brand X for stealing the majority of the source code that is used in the COS they are claiming rights too.

There are a million ways you can spin this and all kinds of examples can be used but in the end... ownership of the pcm also means ownership of the code contained on that pcm.
User avatar
delcowizzid
Posts: 5493
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:38 pm
Location: Wellington NZ
Contact:

Re: PCM Hammer - new ls1 flash tool

Post by delcowizzid »

I pretty sure copywrite enfringememt is the whole reason its taken this long for any free flashing software cause antus and others couldn't legally use the gm upload routine or the likes of efilive or hp tuners or tunercats for that matter it would be illegal so they have spent the time and written there own to save any form of litigation due to copywrite issues
If Its Got Gas Or Ass Count Me In.if it cant be fixed with a hammer you have an electrical problem
Post Reply