I'm trying to get my laptop to communicate with my '90 GTA with a home made two-transistor ALDL cable and an old 486 laptop (the only machine I have with a serial port that wants to work properly with my cable). Freescan will connect and show data streaming only if I use the "GM 410B" vehicle and hit the force data button two or three times, none of the other definitions want to work.

The problem is that I get a lot of odd readings. Sitting with the engine off the speedometer on the laptop is pegged and with the engine idling it bounces all over the place. It's showing -40 for the coolant temp, and 170ish for the IAT. RPM looks correct as does the throttle position percentage, but I don't know what I can trust and what I cannot.

Being a 7730 (I think) WinALDL won't work and Freescan is the only other software I've found that will run on this machine. EFILive craps out and there's no point in even trying Tunerpro on a 486.

So that's where I am right now. Any suggestions, or am I stuck trying to find a better laptop that'll run newer software?

 

Try TTs Datamaster. http://www.ttspowersystems.com/DataM...ownloads2.html

 

there is also Moates ecm852. That works with Windows 98.

 

Datamaster's system requirements are too high for the ol' 486 and I didn't have any luck with ecm852, it would stay in offline mode. I'll have to try that one again though, I must be missung something...

 

I just tried another laptop with a working serial port and both Freescan and EFILive. Same results with Freescan, some plausible readings and a lot of gibberish, and EFILive wouldn't connect at all. Could it possibly be my cable? I might just bite the bullet and buy a USB cable.

 

buy another cable and try TTS Datamaster.

 

took two tried building a cable to get it right and used winaldl just fine.

seems as if you can over heat the parts, I was much quicker at soldering the 2nd time.