Tuning Files Catalog

[Gene Thompson]

screenshot-catalog.jpeg

# Feedback wanted: searchable tuning-file archive — useful, or does this already exist?

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Hi all — Working on a free, searchable archive of ECU/PCM calibration files and I'd like the community's input on two questions:

1. **Would a tool like this actually be useful?**
2. **Does something like this already exist somewhere?** (I don't want to rebuild what's already out there — link me if it does.)

## What it is

Right now, these files float around forums and scattered file-share links, but finding the one you need is mostly luck: no search, no metadata, no way to tell two similar-looking files apart. This project is an attempt to fix that — a **community archive of .bin calibrations, XDF definitions, tunes, and tools**. It's free and self-run: no ads, no company platform deciding what stays up, no walled garden — files are contributed by members, searchable by everyone, and the plan is to keep it that way.

## How it works

**[SCREENSHOT: the catalog page — search box on top, filterable table below, every file one row]**

Every file gets exactly one row, and every column is searchable. As the screenshot shows, you can:

- **Search everything at once** — file name, path, vehicle, engine, year, OS ID, CAL ID, tags, notes, even the author ("Phoenix" pulls up his XDF set). Multi-word search is ANDed, like `impala 3400`.
- **Filter by manufacturer and file type** (stock / tune / XDF / tool / doc), sort, and see at a glance what's well-documented vs what needs info.
- **Verify what you download** — every file shows its **SHA-256 checksum** with a copy button. If the file you downloaded starts `570059...`, you got what the archive has. This also catches the classic "same file posted 5 times with different names" problem: byte-identical duplicates are detected automatically and flagged as duplicates of the canonical copy.
- **Cross-linked files** — a bin links to its compatible XDF (⧉ chip), XDFs link to the checksum plugin they pair with (⛭ chip), and the reverse ("used by") is shown too.
- **Flagged-not-hidden problems** — if a file's claimed OS ID isn't actually embedded in the bin, it gets an `ID?` badge; known discrepancies (a post naming one OS, the file internally naming another) are spelled out in notes instead of silently ignored.
- **Submit directly on the site** — a submission form auto-checks each upload (checksum, duplicates, claimed OS IDs) before a maintainer reviews and publishes it. No raw file dumps quietly rotting in an inbox.

Everything on the site is plain static HTML + one JSON index — a small Python script rebuilds the catalog from a `files/` tree and a human-readable `metadata.yaml` whenever files are added. So it's cheap to host (any box with nginx), version-controllable, and won't die when a single person loses interest.

## Progress so far

Early build, roughly 59 files and ~54 MB so far: 2004–2005 GM stock bins, a batch of community XDF definitions (P01/P59 "complete" sets, 512K/1MB PCM), and the community checksum plugin, all attributed with the source (gearhead-efi.com downloads, pcmhacking.net posts) and author credit where known.

## Where I'd appreciate input

- **Usefulness**: is instant search + checksums + cross-linking what you'd actually want when hunting for a bin/XDF, or am I overbuilding? What's missing that would make you use it (or NOT use it)?
- **Prior art**: beyond the file sections pinned on various forums, is there an existing searchable archive out there I should contribute to instead of starting a new one? I'd rather help an existing project than fragment the community.
- **Domain structure**: the catalog is currently organized by manufacturer → ECU family → OS ID (e.g. `GM/P59/12605114/…`). Since GM OSs are year/platform-wide rather than vehicle-specific, OS-first seemed right, with vehicle/engine data living in the metadata. Does that match how you all think when you're looking for a file?
- **Hosting & scope**: the plan is to keep it free, ad-free, and community-fed via the submission queue. Honest question: would you donate/submit files to something like this, or does the ecosystem already have this covered?

Not asking anyone to do anything — genuinely asking whether this fills a gap or duplicates an existing one. All feedback welcome, including "this exists, go look at X."

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*Mod note if needed: happy to move this wherever it fits best*