Guys,
I will be updating the PROM article over the course of this week. I will mainly be replacing the pics with the pics I took a couple months back (at http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...45&uid=96398). Is there any information that you would like to see in there BESIDES how to actually adjust tables, constants, etc. That is another article in and of itself.
Tim
------------------
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org
I will be updating the PROM article over the course of this week. I will mainly be replacing the pics with the pics I took a couple months back (at http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...45&uid=96398). Is there any information that you would like to see in there BESIDES how to actually adjust tables, constants, etc. That is another article in and of itself.
Tim
------------------
- Program your own PROMs!. Read my article to get started!
- Research and Experiment before asking questions.
- This is not a chip store. Go to the classifieds if you want someone to sell you a chip or give you a BIN.
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org
TGO Supporter
Tim, that is a darn hard article to improve; it is that good. When I think back to the first time I read it and the questions that still lingered in my mind, the following comes to mind:
1) A little more info on using the 34 Pin connector, the slight changes necessary with a dremel, and the placing of the modified connector in the Pocket Programmer and with the memcal. Those pictures you have in your "Gallery" gave me the info I need, but I think a bit of an explanation may clarify it a little more for the "newbies".
Also, on the question of erasing/burning a memcal. I would suggest that unless someone has a "piggy back" chip with a ZIF socket, that re-writing to the GM memcal first is a good route to go. If you have a "piggy back" but it does not have a ZIF socket, re-write onto it first. I like getting my first 50-100 re-burns "free" on the eprom on the "piggy back" or GM memcal first, and then (after the "one erase too many") modify either the "piggy back" or the GM memcal with a ZIF socket. Just another thought.
2) Erasing with the GM memcal in the Datarase II. I cut my "door" just above second "slot" wall, so I could slip one half of the door against the "enable" safety switch, then slip the GM memcal in, and then slide the other half of the door against the GM memcal to make a nice seal (little UV light escapes) and triggers the safety switch.
If you later use 28 pin eproms by themselves, the doors close well enough to still work and have little light escape. Of course, you can do what I did, and I contacted the manufacturer of Datarase (some place in AZ) and asked for another door/lid.
3) A slight clarification on TunerCat that they ONLY give you the 42.TDF, and you need a corresponding truck BIN from www.diy_efi.org , or you need to get the correct TDF from TunerCat and then you can read your own BIN. I know a few people have contacted TunerCat about getting their correct BIN during their 30 day evaluation, and TunerCat has been quite helpful in giving them one.
TunerCat WANTS people to make an honest evaluation of their software and will help you out. There is no need to start "wheeling dealing" in pirated software/tdfs etc, especially when TunerCat is so accomodating to you during the 30 day evaluation.
4) Some more useful links and explanations of what to expect at those links. Possibly at the end of the article.
Other than that, I cannot think of too much more. Yes, a second article focused on different methods of "tuning" would be very useful. Explanation of what some of the tables mean (and do) would also be of interest. But, besides being an onerous task, it also will lead to other problems like, do you talk about ALL versions of cars? With a Speed Density car, a scan tool like Diacom is extremely useful. But for an older, slower ecm with limited information displayed on Diacom, it does not have the same usefulness. Other means of tuning would also be a useful topic, because I am a firm believer in "confirming" my "adjustments" with as many possible alternate methods as possible, like checking your spark plugs, listening to the sound of your motor, feeling your car, smoothness of idle, smoothness of operation, etc.
I LOVE using my Diacom and use it very much, but sometimes I ignore what Diacom says, and rely on my own personal experience and preferences. If my idle isn't smooth, I don't care that Diacom is saying "128/128".
I would like to discuss this whole area of tuning with further, possibly on a new post to "brain storm" with the other members.
1) A little more info on using the 34 Pin connector, the slight changes necessary with a dremel, and the placing of the modified connector in the Pocket Programmer and with the memcal. Those pictures you have in your "Gallery" gave me the info I need, but I think a bit of an explanation may clarify it a little more for the "newbies".
Also, on the question of erasing/burning a memcal. I would suggest that unless someone has a "piggy back" chip with a ZIF socket, that re-writing to the GM memcal first is a good route to go. If you have a "piggy back" but it does not have a ZIF socket, re-write onto it first. I like getting my first 50-100 re-burns "free" on the eprom on the "piggy back" or GM memcal first, and then (after the "one erase too many") modify either the "piggy back" or the GM memcal with a ZIF socket. Just another thought.
2) Erasing with the GM memcal in the Datarase II. I cut my "door" just above second "slot" wall, so I could slip one half of the door against the "enable" safety switch, then slip the GM memcal in, and then slide the other half of the door against the GM memcal to make a nice seal (little UV light escapes) and triggers the safety switch.
If you later use 28 pin eproms by themselves, the doors close well enough to still work and have little light escape. Of course, you can do what I did, and I contacted the manufacturer of Datarase (some place in AZ) and asked for another door/lid.
3) A slight clarification on TunerCat that they ONLY give you the 42.TDF, and you need a corresponding truck BIN from www.diy_efi.org , or you need to get the correct TDF from TunerCat and then you can read your own BIN. I know a few people have contacted TunerCat about getting their correct BIN during their 30 day evaluation, and TunerCat has been quite helpful in giving them one.
TunerCat WANTS people to make an honest evaluation of their software and will help you out. There is no need to start "wheeling dealing" in pirated software/tdfs etc, especially when TunerCat is so accomodating to you during the 30 day evaluation.
4) Some more useful links and explanations of what to expect at those links. Possibly at the end of the article.
Other than that, I cannot think of too much more. Yes, a second article focused on different methods of "tuning" would be very useful. Explanation of what some of the tables mean (and do) would also be of interest. But, besides being an onerous task, it also will lead to other problems like, do you talk about ALL versions of cars? With a Speed Density car, a scan tool like Diacom is extremely useful. But for an older, slower ecm with limited information displayed on Diacom, it does not have the same usefulness. Other means of tuning would also be a useful topic, because I am a firm believer in "confirming" my "adjustments" with as many possible alternate methods as possible, like checking your spark plugs, listening to the sound of your motor, feeling your car, smoothness of idle, smoothness of operation, etc.
I LOVE using my Diacom and use it very much, but sometimes I ignore what Diacom says, and rely on my own personal experience and preferences. If my idle isn't smooth, I don't care that Diacom is saying "128/128".
I would like to discuss this whole area of tuning with further, possibly on a new post to "brain storm" with the other members.
Glenn,
Excellent points. I think that I will also include a small section on 'Getting Comfortable' or something like that. This section will explain 'Flags', 'Constants', and 'Tables' so that the newbie gets an idea as to what type of information is contained in the PROM. This also serves as a really nice way to 'get comfortable' because you can start with flags and move on to constants and then tables.
Tim
------------------
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org
Excellent points. I think that I will also include a small section on 'Getting Comfortable' or something like that. This section will explain 'Flags', 'Constants', and 'Tables' so that the newbie gets an idea as to what type of information is contained in the PROM. This also serves as a really nice way to 'get comfortable' because you can start with flags and move on to constants and then tables.
Tim
------------------
- Program your own PROMs!. Read my article to get started!
- Research and Experiment before asking questions.
- This is not a chip store. Go to the classifieds if you want someone to sell you a chip or give you a BIN.
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org
Junior Member
TRAXION:COULD you maybe show how to set up your Bins in TC so DOS will pick up on programer I know I'am lost in DOS I have been
reading about 4 months on programing
Thanks Dale
Guys,
I will be updating the PROM article over the course of this week. I will mainly be replacing the pics with the pics I took a couple months back (at http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...45&uid=96398). Is there any information that you would like to see in there BESIDES how to actually adjust tables, constants, etc. That is another article in and of itself.
Tim
[/QUOTE]
reading about 4 months on programing
Thanks Dale
Guys,
I will be updating the PROM article over the course of this week. I will mainly be replacing the pics with the pics I took a couple months back (at http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...45&uid=96398). Is there any information that you would like to see in there BESIDES how to actually adjust tables, constants, etc. That is another article in and of itself.
Tim
[/QUOTE]
TGO Supporter
Mr.HP, if you are meaning how to move the BINS around, I suggest the following:
1) I have a separate BINS directory on my Harddrive with the EPROM directory for my "Pocket Programmer" (ie the "burner"). I do all move my storing of BINS from eproms and loading of BINS to eproms from this directory.
2) With TunerCat I maintain a second BINS directory within "My Documents". This is where I modify the BINS with TunerCat. I then move any modified BINS that I want to burn from this directory in "My Documents" to the directory in "C:\EPROM\BINS\". I also give each of my BINS a sequence number like GM01.BIN, GM02.BIN and so forth. This way if I find out a modification did not exactly work like I expected or there turns out to be some problem and I have to determine what caused it (bad modification, poor erasing/burning technique, software...whatever), I can go back and try to find out the actual source. ANYTHING can happen when you are dealing with computers, including "Operator Error".
Tim, I have other "ideas" but I will bounce them off your privately. And though they might be great to incorporate in this or a future article, unfortunately, when you are trying to juggle a job, a family, your OWN personal mods to your car, etc; there just isn't enough time. But I just wanted to say "thank you" for all the time and effort you put into this so far, as I am aware of the effort involved. And a thanks to Grumpy for his knowledge too. Sure wish I had come across you guys 10 years ago.
1) I have a separate BINS directory on my Harddrive with the EPROM directory for my "Pocket Programmer" (ie the "burner"). I do all move my storing of BINS from eproms and loading of BINS to eproms from this directory.
2) With TunerCat I maintain a second BINS directory within "My Documents". This is where I modify the BINS with TunerCat. I then move any modified BINS that I want to burn from this directory in "My Documents" to the directory in "C:\EPROM\BINS\". I also give each of my BINS a sequence number like GM01.BIN, GM02.BIN and so forth. This way if I find out a modification did not exactly work like I expected or there turns out to be some problem and I have to determine what caused it (bad modification, poor erasing/burning technique, software...whatever), I can go back and try to find out the actual source. ANYTHING can happen when you are dealing with computers, including "Operator Error".
Tim, I have other "ideas" but I will bounce them off your privately. And though they might be great to incorporate in this or a future article, unfortunately, when you are trying to juggle a job, a family, your OWN personal mods to your car, etc; there just isn't enough time. But I just wanted to say "thank you" for all the time and effort you put into this so far, as I am aware of the effort involved. And a thanks to Grumpy for his knowledge too. Sure wish I had come across you guys 10 years ago.