Just kind of daydreaming.... Supposing that one could build a hardware interface between the computer hookups in the car (yes, the main ECM for the f-body) and a laptop computer, do you think it would be an impossible task to somehow devise a program that emulates a real computer?

This would be like DIACOM but on steriods, you could potentially change anything about how the car is "thinking" and operating. Any ideas? Does anyone here know how complicated the functions of the standard ECM are?


Robert

 

People write emulators all the time. The only problem is going to be hooking up all the freakin wires! I'm sure some brainiac out there could make a plug in card (PCMCIA?) for the laptop to attach all the wires. Taht would be a cool idea. Then you could take it one step further. Have an in-dash LCD screen that displayed system diagnostics all the time! That would be sweet.

 

An easier way than PCMCIA would be a serial port since there are a thousand books telling how to interface serial ports with home-made devices, etc. Maybe I will get into this. Sounds like fun.

 

I had toyed with the idea of using an industrial PLC system instead of the stock ECM. I can't see any technical limitation why this wouldn't work, but as a practical matter most PLCs like to operate near 24VDC or 120VAC. I'm sure someone makes one that interfaces nicely to low voltage DC, though!

 

The only reason I said PCMCIA is because of the amount of wires being connected. Some type a circuit board would have to be made to connect it to a serial port. The number of wires going into the ECM far outnumbers the number of outputs/inputs in a serial cable. Some kind of conversion protocol would have to be made to translate the inputs into something the serial port could understand.