Finally lol Its only taken me a mth to get it set up, installed and a computer that has enuff juice to run it :-)

Only got to play with it for a few minutes this evening but definitely looks like it will be a great aid in tuning once i get a lil more comfy balancing 2 laptops at a time :-) (looking for a drvr lol)

Goofed around with the constants some...Seems it doesnt appreciate making big changes really quick to stuff like the IC ........whoops... Just trying to figure out how much i can get away with and what will or wont work on the fly........ Fastest item to change i found while playing seemed to be the VE tables, out of everything that got almost instantaneous results..

Like everyone who has one is saying the constants do seem to take a few moments to register...

Just happy its no longer a paper weight, i swear i think i can make a car run halfway right faster than i can make all this hard/software work :-)
Later
Jeremy

 

Remember the code is just a series of loops, and the least used routines, just aren't run as often as say a fueling change.

Ain't it neat?.......

 

Read my topics on the problems I had with mine. In case you run into any of them. I don't want to see anyone be down for as long as I was because of something stupid. The lastest posting appears to be a simple and effective fix.

I burned some chips last night. WAPITA! That little box pays for itself instantly. I got my blms all back on to ~128 in no time at all. I would drive down the road, watch the other laptop's blms. Pull into a safe location. Make a change to the inj const, pull back out...drive/watch , pull in make another change....repeated the process for about 1 hr till they nearly ever cell help at 127, with one or two straglers at 133.

Again tuned the starting tables so it fires nearly instantly.

All this was done without ever getting out of my seat. LOL

Pretty slick I must say. About the next best thing they could come out with is something that would tune the car for you. But heck that wouldn't be any fun.

:lala:

 

Im definitely liking it lol Now i just need the time to get to sit there and play with it in a worthwhile manner :-) Got to admit it is a serious pia getting into car with 2 laptops and then setting them up so u can see them lol fun fun fun or is it a little sadomashochistic?(i spell that right) either way i think we're all a little off in the head to be doing all this :-) but it is a great grin factor when it actually works and runs , least kinda right for a start :-) lol

So planning on getting some time in t'row nite or sunday got to map out my attack plan for cold starting and get that cleaned up.....for the most part my blm are in the 128's or very close to it, so i think its more of a cold enrichment and timing issue there, its ok after about minute or so, but it will get there..........

Later
Jeremy

 

That, and the romulator updates with an "invisible write" wherever possible, which requires a window where the ECM isn't accessing the ROM. Sometimes it just takes a bit of time for the window to open up. ;-)

 

May be no need for 2 laptops (or actually 2 serial ports). I spoke to a gentleman at Xtronics (didn't write down his name - is everyone there really nice, or am I just lucky?), who told me that the Romulator wouldn't have a problem running through an A/B box, so long as it was one that switched all the lines. He said that the controlling program (RTTunercat) *may* need to be shut down for the switch-over, he wasn't sure. I know for sure that WinALDL doesn't mind being unplugged for a few moments while running, and if the Romulator doesn't care, just plug 'em both in and switch back & forth. I have an A/B but it's a cheap one, only does four or five lines, I'll pick up a higher quality one after the Romulator comes in.

 

You guys make it sound like its alot more fun than burning chips. Time for me to do some searches.

 

I recently got my Romulator up and running. Tuning the old way works but it just isn't practical anymore.

Granted, there is a time and place for it. Roughing in an engine and working on variables that take alot of tweaking, its just a no brainer, fighting heat soak and chip pulling/burning is a pain and a waste of gas.

 

Just as a heads up...I posted in one of my own posts the problems I had surrounding the romulator and its been confirned by another vette guy. Maybe its more prevalent in vettes. But just so if any of you have a problem. Here is what we did to cure it.

We were both getting intermittant cutting out of the car when the romulator was attached.

On a whim and a last ditch effort after speaking with Xtronics at length etc. And no suggestions they had working. I wrapped the ribbon cable with aluminum foil. Bingo the inference stopped and all was good! It works great now.

The other vette guy had the same exact problem and I suggest the same thing. Although he built an aluminum hat also to ward off the voices also, that is not necessary. The foil alone on the ribbon cable saved him as well.

Hopefully you guys will be fine. But in the event that you do have intermittant problems. Be sure to try it.

Good luck!

 

How would those of us dealing with a non-memcal EPROM holder/adapter (me) make the Xtronics part fit into the EPROM holder in the ECM? Must I remove it and solder in a ZIF setup? Or is there an easier way?

 

I've not had good luck with installing ZIFs on the 2732 prom'd ecms. The traces lift rather easily.

What I have done, is cut the window out of a 2732.
Then checked there weren't any shorts between any on the pins.
The soldered a 24 pin ZIP to the top of the prom.
The cut out enough of the prom holder so I could insert the prom/zif from the top side of the holder, and then epoxied it all together. PITA, for sure.

 

Realisitcally speaking your going to have to A. solder in a ZIF socket or the like or B. get the moates adapter board with all the above

I recommend B, because i soldered one of my memcals, while it works it takes short of forever and is frustrating for half blind folks such as myself.

LAstly I havent touched the ROmulaotr since i posted last :-( between prior engagements and sorting thru a cutting out engine in the formula(just got it fixed the 4th) i havent had time and the weather has been absolutely attrocious here in the chicago area,,,,,,,,,,,,90's+ and/or rain with 80%+ humidity everyday.. working outside as amechanic(well open shop) i've been a little bit brutalized by the weather and head for AC wheni get home :-)

Later this week i will be doing some hardcore RT with the Romulaotr long as i can wrankge a friend for a driver :-)

Bye for now
Jeremy
PS RT is about as good as u can get for our apps really opens your eyes when u want to see what changes make short of a ecm test bench, which im trying to figure out too and the wideband to make my life oh so easy lol

 

Grumpy, I don't understand. What is this window you speak of? And when you say the traces lift, do you mean they actually break and lift off the PCB?

3.8, isn't the Moates adapter simply a 28-pin ZIF socket (for purposes of going with the 512k Atmel flash chip)? I still have to solder it onto my ECM right?

 

The gremlin of plastic cars.... RFI.

BW

 

Hoping to spend some time with Grumpy shooting aliens with the Malibu....