I posted this a few weeks ago. Last year I purchased a new lappy. Had no interrupt issues. Flawless. This year for resopons unk I am seeing an interrupt or a lock up of program. Not sure if the lock is occurring in the datalogging program or the Learn as both are running.

RBob, you said lappy might be vibrating(harddrive) causing the interrupt and shut down as a precaution. I believed that was the case as or roads here took a beating with harsh winter but now I see it happening while parked just idleing. When I blip the throttle prior to engaging clutch the interrupt occured this morn. Come to think of it it often occurs while cruising and I accellerate briskly. Occurs sometimes 5 min into log or 10 or 30 seconds. I did pull the ECU out from under dash and inspected the EBL cable and all look quite well. I have EBL cable secured to ECU case with electrical tape so that it cannot be pulled at soldered joints. I am using a serial to USB and did blow out connections with a PC duster but it seems very clean. Moving the usb in its socket does not cause an interrupt. Occurs with either lappy usb port.

Any tips to test ?

 

A couple of questions:

Does the WUD display show the port open or closed? (upper left side)

What do you need to do to have the WUD continue to display the data?

Can you re-select the port and it continues?
Do you need to close & re-open the WUD?
Do you need to re-boot the laptop?

RBob.

 

I did another datalog and VELearn this morning. Same result. about 5 minutes into log it stopped(cruise on x way at 60 mph/steady throttle). before I drove vehicle I moved the cables to see if I could cause an interrupt. I was unable to effect that. cables and connections seem good and clean. I kept my eye on log to see if a bump in road could be attributed. bumps no effect. interrupt occurred on highway that is reasonably smooth.

WUD shows open COM6 which is one of two USB. They match up on port.
Occurs on either COM port the other being COM7.

When logging WU shows COMPort 6- "Open" and that is the one I generally use on laptop.

Display data? I just connect the serial to USB adapter to laptop. Start up lappy. Select WU program on desktop. begin datalog. I use 0728(todays date) for log ID. Learn from 062808.bin which is one car is running on. It creates a new one. Key on I see the TPS functional. Start car and log is running fine.

I never reselect port as it is set to 6 in lappy and same for WU. If I use other port then yes I will change WU to 7. Is that a test that you want me to perform as log is running? Or BEFORE log should I unplug the cable and reset the Comport in WU and move to other laptop USB port while WU program is running but not datalogging?

Once it locks I need to stop datalog-stop VE-L -exit WU. Then I can restart WU.

Reboot laptop? Occasionally 1 out of 10 learns when it interrupts it will corrupt(?) my .bin and CE flashes faintly and quickly and it runs off the calpack. I believe it sets a MALF for prom as well in log. Then I need to shut down laptop completely. Restart laptop. Reload known good .bin with Prominator that was in ECU that moment. All is then well. I dont understand how a VE-L can set off a CE and/or affect .bin? How could it see the bin to do so?

 

Interesting set of events. To clarify some of my questions.

Once the logging stops (interrupts), does the port still show Open on the WUD?

Once the logging stops, can you just re-select the same COM port for the logging to continue?

Trying to narrow down where the issue is. You state closing the WUD and re-opening allows the logging to continue. Next time try re-selecting the COM port, the same one. This basically closes then re-opens the port. See if it opens and the logging continues. If this works it sounds like a USB driver problem. Can try re-installing the driver.


The issue with the Prominator being corrupted (about 1 out of 10 times) is a sign that there is something in the laptop that isn't correct. The WUD doesn't go anywhere near the parallel port.


It may be worthwhile re-installing the O/S. I think you need to boot from the XP install disk, then select an install without changing the registry. Then follow up with SP2.

RBob.

 

Question #1. I will determine and respond tomorrow.

#2 I need to close WP datalogg and VE-L and exit program. Then I reopen program. I will double check that however.

#3 I need to close down program and start over

#4 I need to close WU entirely upon interrupt and then I start all new datalog and redo VE-L fresh using .bin in ECU. I have not been successful getting a VE-L past 10 attempts so I continue to learn off 06302008.bin as that is the one running car. I will however reselect the comport 6 when I start an fresh attempt this PM.

#5 When this occurs the prominator is not connected to laptop(PCMIA/parallel). I did not think VE-L could corrupt my bin but it is setting the CE and causing limp mode(my guess) and barely runs. Reloading .bin(same one) corrects that.

#6 Reinstall OS? Not sure if I know how to do that. What is SP2?

For a while one of two of my USB ports was not functioning. I used the other for a while. Now it appears they are both working.

 

Reintall O/S: I know with NT4.0 you could boot from the install CD and have the system files re-installed. It was an option that was provided when the install program found that O/S already installed. You could do this with or without having it update the registry.

SP2 is service pack 2. IIRC you are running XP. If so you should have this installed.

If the O/S is badly corrupted it is worth while to wipe the HDD (first save files you want to a flash drive or CD), the install a fresh copy of XP and SP2. Then install any software that you need along with the saved files.

For a while one of two of my USB ports was not functioning. I used the other for a while. Now it appears they are both working.

This is the kind of stuff that makes me wonder about the integrity of the O/S. Then again, is the Prominator cable still connected to it? It may be noise picked up by the cables. They are only 0-5 signal levels.

Another thought, what does the vehicle have for an igntion setup? By this I mean are the wires suppression core? Are the plugs resistor type? Is the cap & rotor in decent condition? Is there any arcing in any part of the secondary of the ignition?

Note that a fiberglass body provides no shielding from RFI & EMI. Where a steel body does (insert your favorite Ironman joke here).

RBob.

 

Update.

#1 last night I had an interrupt on first log-VEL. Screen shows port used open. Program locked up. When I close datalog and VE-L port shows closed and will not reopen. I exit program. Reopen program and port is still not functional. Close WU program again. Log off laptop. Start over. Second log and VE-L is successful. I log for 20 minutes create a new bin. This AM the .bin loads into Prominator nicely and off I go. After a short ride I broing up WU and datalog and VE-L and all is well. Five minutes into log it interrupts. Does it seem odd to you interrupt would take 5 minutes to manifest itself?

During log the Prominator lead is detached from laptop laying on floor of car and the PCMIA card is removed also but attached to Prominator parallel cable. Noise from detached Promminator cable? This was not a problem last year. but the Prom cable is right next to EBL-WU cable? Infact they are possibly touching each other. Should I wrap Prominator cable and EBL with aluminum foil? I remember Romulator needing that. Again not needed last year.

Ignition is upgraded to Accel in cap super coil and module. Wires are standard Mallory. No interfearance on my stock radio? Plugs I believe are resistor. I could be wrong on that. they are the plugs Edelbrock references with their heads. Again all this was same last year. Seems issues began about 30 days ago.

Looks like I will need to reinstall OS.

Should I reninstal the USB drivers first? Is that the driver for cable or the laptop port?

 

Try re-installing the USB drivers. Or check the 'net for newer drivers. Drivers are usually based on the chipset used for the adapter cable.

The driver is what allows the USB-to-serial adapter to be a serial port to the O/S. Otherwise the adapter cable will be an unkown device plugged into a USB port. Without the driver the O/S can't do anyhting with it.

RBob.

 

Update. I uninstalled drivers for serial/USB cable. I reinstalled with download off manufacturers website. I loaded Bin created from successful VE Learn last week and uploaded with Prominator. Shut down Prominator program and detached the Prominator connection to lappy. All is well. Drove a few miles and pulled over. Turned off car. Opened WU program select Com 6(even though was on open 6) and set up datalog and Learn. OK. Drove about 2 miles and WU locked up. That even took car out of overdrive which alerted me to issue. CE flickering dimly and quickly. A/F on WB controller goes rich( running on calpack?). I pull over and notice that WU shows port 6 open. Once I close datalog/Learn I believe the port said closed. Opened Prom program again and loaded same Bin. All is well and drove 25 miles to work.

Now I cant say it is WU is causing issue as same thing(CE) happened a couple days earlier without WU log and VE -L running. Then I chose to move the Bin selector switch to position just prior as another Bin(car off ign on) and restart car and all is well. Drove another 30 miles turned off car. Restart car CE issue reappears after a couple miles. Same story went to another Bin selection on switch and all is well.

Now I am wondering if CE event is something else(ECU connection?) that is interupting WU and not vice versa. Something is triggering the CE?

I really dont want to uninstall XP and start from scratch as it seems lappy otherwise runs well. But will if I have to. Any ideas?

 

With you being able to close the data log and stop the VE Learn, the WUD isn't locked-up. What you are seeing is that the data is no longer changing. Which is consistent with going into limp mode.

With the CEL appearing without the laptop connected to the ECM I would look into Prominator issues while the cable connected to it. Burn a BIN into every location, even if the same one. Then remove the cable from the Prominator. Don't even connect the WUD comm cable to the laptop (no logging, ve learns, etc).

Then see if the same issue occurs.

RBob.

 

Thank you for that info.

Update. I looked at the datalogs to determine when the issue appeared. I see failure first June 25. I had suspicions it was USER ERROR. I had the ECU out from under the dash about a month ago checking/confirming the IAT was in the proper location in ECU. At that time I did the following. I reattacted the plate over the prom opening. I wrapped the bin switcher cable with electrical tape so as not to pinch it and it was snug under plate on housing but not to damage it. The Prominator cable was no issue but I did tape it to ECU housing so as not to allow it to be damaged as it slid into the prescribed frame ECU sits in under dash. Taped datalogging cable to housing. Keep in mind the cables end up toward the top of dash rather than toward floor of car. Wire harness enters ECU at floor side. I removed the ECU from its location removed the tape and allowed the cables to exit straight out from "top" away from housing without touching anything. Note ECU is laying on floor in "preferrred" tuning location.

I ran succesfully this morn on a fresh bin download and logged 35 minutes of data. Maybe that was a fluke? But I feel a whole lot better about my situation.

 

What else have you changed between yesterday and this morning.

RBob.

 

I have about the same problem but I use Tuner Pro. I never have a problem connecting with my Flash n Burn but there are times when the laptop don't see my ALDL is connected. I can even run a ALDL test that is independent from Tuner Pro and it tell me " no com port selected", as soon as it detects which com port is in use the test is passed.

There are times when I'm datalogging that it just stops getting new info, still shows to be connect to the ecm but nothing happens.

Nothing has to change for these problem to happen, car can be running in the drive or going down the road. I do think its something to do with my old laptop but I never thought about the usb drivers.

If I could spend as much time tuning as I do getting my laptop to see it has something connected I could have had my 4" maf sensor tuned in a couple hours instead of 2 weeks.

 

I changed noting other that remove ECU from dash and untape the Prominator ribbon cable from ECU housing and bin switcher(that was routed prior under the removable prom cover) and untape the EBL datalogging cable from ECU housing. Now it is all on floor of car again!
Update.
This morning ran another datalog and VE-L successful no issues. Is it possible the cables in close proximity to ECU housing was somehow causing issue. Or possibly the harness wires to ECU being squished under dash caused a intermittant connection? I read there is a service bulletin out by GM on early 80's cars having harness failures at this point in time. My car was always kept in garage by me and prior owner. Hope that is not the case.