is the stock ecm worth the money of putting in a prominator and where are these 50 dollar laptops that are spoken of in the tech articles. also what are the system requirements for a prominator/datalogging computer?

 

I don't believe the stock '8063 or the '8746 is worth putting a Prominator into. They just are not set up for performance use. Too many restrictions in the code. If serious about performance check out this thread:

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=270266

It has to do with upgrading to a newer PCM. Much better code. Still not perfect, but years ahead of the f-body TBI code. Can also control an E transmission.

As for inexpensive laptops, can try that online auction place. And even better is to ask around, friends, family, friends of friends, co-workers. It is surprising what folks have in the back of their closets.

System requirements, need to see Bill's website for that. Off-hand don't know what it is. Try www.prominator.com, or Google it, should come up.

RBob.

 

thanks alott, very helpfull

 

errrrr,,, k looked at that thread.. headache.
so i thought before that being able to tune it through a laptop meant that i would be looking at a screen alott like the one at the beggining of that thread and just , adding and subtracting variables that i could see on a 3d graph. what im seeing there is that you merely monitor the car through that screen and then you actually have to go into the code of the friggen ecm and change it but its in a "language" that has nothing to do with actuall car things? is that correct? because im lacking the hardware as it is and im not a big computer person anyways. determining cost vs reward here

 

Hmm, yes, there is a learning curve. However, no need to code the ECM in any strange language. There are basically two pieces of the puzzle. First is data logging. This is where the laptop is used to capture data from the ECM. This data shows what the ECM is doing at what point in time, along with what the engine is doing at that point in time.

Stuff like MPH, RPM, injector PW, commanded AFR, is all output via the ALDL link to be data logged.

The second part is the calibration. This can be done is several ways. Easiest is to use a bin editor (TunerCat, TunerPro, PromEdit, . .) to change the calibration items such as the spark advance, when the ECM enters PE mode, how much AE (pump shot) there is.

The bin editors show the data is human form. It is easy to change the values and read the current values.

If you understand the aspect of tuning an engine, that knowledge can be applied to doing it with an ECM. Instead if changing distributor springs to change the advance curve, the actual timing values are entered into the calibration.

Instead of changing jets, the VE, MAF tables, and/or the commanded AFR is changed.

RBob.

 

I feel you....

Cost shouldn't be a factor, because what you will be learning is honestly priceless in the end. Absorb what RBob is sharing with you. The goal here is perfection, and you're reward will be knowledge.

 

whoa, we're getting pretty jedi here...

okay ill read that thread again...

 

confused.....you are....

 

lol..
wish i could get into this stuff, the car was quick allready last summer and i think ive got a tenth or two waiting for me in initial tuning. money is kind of an issue as it seems nothing else on the car is in good repair either. brakes have run me nearly 200 dollars and i now need flex lines and new tires,,, looks like chip tuning might have to wait for winter time.. blahh..

 

Moved

 

For cheap laptops, try craigslist.org for sale section for your city.

 

I've been a blessed person here. I met some very smart, helpful and encouraging people here. I consider them friends as well as my tuning meotrs you could say.

I went from tuning idiot to idiot moderator of this board since I got into tuning :-) (insert jokes here!)

Learning curve isnt horrific if u take the time to read and familarize yourself with what you are trying to do and the programs you will be using to get u there. The more u know ahead of time, the less suprises u get down the line. Also make very very sure, before tuning even starts that the vehicle is mechanically/electrically sound or you willl waste considerable time chasing your own tail. Everyone on this board has done it at least once and we have all felt foolish over it.

U dont have to have a prominator to tune your car. Blank chips and a socket work just fine too. This would cut down on your intitial costs as well.

U could more than likely be tuning your car for under $200 if u shop smart and buy/beg/steal what u can.

Laptop doesnt have to be fancy either , just capable of supporting what u need it for(well documented in tuning guidebook in stickies above)

Investigate all your possibilites and options and pick the pieces that work for what u r trying to do, just your own car, or several different models, etc.....

later
Jeremy

 

Here is a link to the laptop I bought. The important thing to note is that you MUST have a serial port. Most al older laptops have them, barely any newer ones have them. If I bought another one I would buy one with a serial port AND USB. Those units are typically 200mhz and faster too.

Anyway, back to mine. It was advertised as 166mhz, bt when I got it the demo says 120mhz. The seller said it says 166 in the bios, I havent checked. For the price I wasnt going to argue. What I got is a Toshiba Satellite pro. Its in good to excellent working condition. The battery lasts almost three hours!. It has a CD rom, and a charging cable. No modem at all. The trouble I had was getting my files transferred to it- I had to burn CD's on my Compaq laptop (no serial port) and read them with the Toshiba. I finally bought a 3.5"floppy drive and that problem is solved. The screen has since lost two horizontal lines- no biggy- its still very readable and useable. How much did I pay? $35 !!! plus shipping of roughly $15 (I cant remember) for a total oof $50 shipped. Here is a link to my actual auction so you can see these deals do exist;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6767103495

Check ebay OFTEN if you want a deal like this. Auctions that end during work hours usually have lower prices, as well as auctions that end in the wee hours of the morning. Good Luck!!

 

If you have a USB, those flash memory sticks are pretty handy, and getting cheap.

 

Yeah, yet another reason to get a laptop with a USB port. Unfortunately mine doesnt have one. I thought about a pcmia(?) card to get a USB port, but I will probably upgrade to another laptop before I go that route. I did get the 3.5 floppy for $7 though! Its an interal hot swap floppy drive, with an external case and cord so I can run both if I want.

So far, the 120mhz isnt too bad. When I run the Zeitronix WB I can tell it collects- or a least displays- the data a little slow. Like I said, 200 mhz should really be the minimum for the current software. I will make due with what I have for a while though.