The 'OMG Total Tuning Noob' Thread

[antus]

http://www.hptuners.com/forum/showthrea ... g-question

"You must be licensed for the file your writing to a pcm as well as the file in the pcm."

So if there is a COS on the pcm you are targeting and you want to overwrite it with a stock os, you have to license the tune you dont want, to overwrite it. It also seems if the tune you want to write has a different cars vin you also need to license that too. Although I'd have assumed you should be able to change the vin in a tune after you have loaded it. Perhaps the issue is that you cant save the updated tune. Im not sure of the details, but I know the gotchas are along those lines.

[Tre-Cool]

SCT is being used by the ford guys for better results etc. But they are doing it with the full blown software/xcal combo.

the other differences is efilive treats the late model cars with auto's as 2 different ecu's, so you can pull each tune out individually. the good news is that 1 license covers both the engine/trans ecu. i.e you buy 1 credit for $125usd this will cover 1 engine ecu & a trans for any car.

the same is similar for hpt but it combines both tunes read out into 1 file. This for me has been a good thing with guys who bring there cars to me with shit trans tunes (6L80), but locked engine ecu's (trans is unlocked). I fix the trans and get it shifting properly so it lasts, then they come and see me later to retune the engine and by using your "envious tool" I crack the code for the old ecu on my bench, unlock with efilive, then I can read tune out with hpt/efilive, marvel at the shit in the tune by so called "workshops" & then flash in a complete stock tune to start again or flash in my own baseline tunes.

[Tre-Cool]

Just as an FYI, there is a 3rd option for programming. I found a guy advertising hardware/software for all the GM stuff with unlimited licenses on a forum for around $1500 or 2500 usd and he had some tools that would convert to/from efilive & hpt formats.

Downside is it didn't really have any logging capability, his solution was to buy a scan only version of efilive for logging, tuning but your flashing with his cable.

This wasn't much use to me as I already have unlimited ls1 & e38 ecu licensing with efilive and 2014 e83 with hpt.

[j_ds_au]

So, does this all mean that you need lotsa $ to tune, you can't do it with TunerPro or the free version of EfiLive?

Joe.

Essential yeah to get all started.
Like Antus said, to tune an ECU, you need to develop your own custom code (Bootloader) which is executed in ram that allows reading/writing its memory. Bootloaders also cant just be copied, since they are all copyrighted
Literally dedicated teams need to be put onto reverse engineein ECUs and developing bootloaders, plus they need an unlimited supply of ecus or ability to recover bricked ones since no human is perfect, and mistakes in such a low level will result in problems.
Iv wanted to work on the LS2 ecus.. but the only one I have is the new VE SS.. so Im not to eager on breaking that.

OK, I presume here you're describing the post-LS1 situation, following on from antus' post.

For old ECU's with 27C512 or smaller memcal, the OSE Flash tool can read the bin. There's some bug in the stock firmware that gives a bugus value for the last byte, but if the bin is identified, the last byte is known. There may also be some checksum that can be used to deduce the last byte, not sure.

For old ECU/PCM's with larger ROM's, things are more complicated due to bank switching, so (as in my case) I'd have to pull the memcal and read it on a programmer (on my to-do list).

Then there's the intended Flash ECU/PCM's that the OSE Flash tool can read the bin as intended.

So from there, it can be $11P or $12P code (older ECU/PCM) which has the required support for NVRAM memcal, or stock code which requires the help of a programmer. For supported Flash ECU's, the OSE Flash tool can write the cal or the whole bin (more risky).

Putting post-LS1 aside, what I need to learn, is what happens between reading a bin and writing back the bin or cal, since I understand the reading and writing options for my PCM. Hopefully if The1's tutorial audio can be restored, that will help greatly.

Joe.

[Tazzi]

Yes I am awaiting the long lost audio as well. Very interesting in learning.

[VL400]

Then there's the intended Flash ECU/PCM's that the OSE Flash tool can read the bin as intended.

These are read/written using a custom bootloader uploaded to RAM via ALDL much like the process LS1 style PCMs are programmed. Other NVRAM based PCM and ECUs are read using the standard read code (and bug fixed in 12/11P) and written using a custom bit of code in the bin - allowing RT tuning as RAM uploaded code halts all engine/trans operation while reading/writing.

[Tazzi]

These are read/written using a custom bootloader uploaded to RAM via ALDL much like the process LS1 style PCMs are programmed. Other NVRAM based PCM and ECUs are read using the standard read code (and bug fixed in 12/11P) and written using a custom bit of code in the bin - allowing RT tuning as RAM uploaded code halts all engine/trans operation while reading/writing.

Oh really? I didnt realize it haults the operations. How does everything 'run' during that point? Or is the reading/writing extremely quick?

[VL400]

The bootloader code takes over everything, its all that executes and handles resetting the COP/watchdog. For the flash PCMs being RAM limited, I have a bit of code that always stays present handling comms and watchdog. Then upload various tasks - have read, write, checksum and cleanup code that gets uploaded at various times through the process. Its easier in later models as you can just upload everything needed rather than having to overwrite code for new tasks.

NVRAM write support is just a small bit of code added to the bin to create a new ALDL mode. The actual NVRAM write is really fast (its just RAM with a battey) so there is no impact to how the engine runs, and being code in the bin it just executes as required.

This thread has certainly gone a bit OT being now discussing the earlier PCMs....

[Tazzi]

And when dont my threads go on tangents? lol.
So far.. there hasnt actually been any tuning talk! But, there will be!

[Dylan]

Do you plan on retaining the MAF?
Understanding what volumetric efficiency is and how air density changes with temperature helped clear up a lot of things for me.