I have 2 cars and 4 trucks with tbi motors in them. 2 95 models, 3 earlier tbi small blocks, and 1 tbi 454. If you guys were to be starting from scratch given todays equipment and software what would you buy. would you stick with the factory eprom style or go to the eeprom. In time probably all of these will end up with slightly more performance cams and increased displacement and compression. Looking to get started in tuning but want to make the right decisions the first time.

 

dynamicefi.com

 

http://www.moates.net/g2-memory-adap...cing-p-36.html
http://www.moates.net/apu1-autoprom-...sion-p-54.html

 

This^^^

With many vehicles to tune, it is more cost effective to get something like the AutoProm and use EEPROMs in each vehicle.

There really is no question anymore, EEPROM is the way to go, no need for an UV erasure, just flash the EEPROM and go. The SST 27SF512 is a drop in replacement for many of the GM ECMs, though some, like ones that use the 24 pin EPROMs need a special adapter.

You can also start with one item, such as the AutoProm for tuning and if you want to leave emulators in each of the cars for ease of making a quick change, you can keep an eye out for people selling off their equipment they are not using, this is how I've ended up with an AutoProm, 3 Ostriches, and a bunch of other tuning equipment. I've bought much of it new, but the used deals can sometimes be too good to pass up.

 

I greatly appreciate the input guys. One other question. Is the information in the stickies still the best way to go about getting into tuning. I have printed out several pages from them and have been reading them over and over. I'm hoping once I start doing instead of just reading things start to make a little more sense. It is a ton of info all at once.

 

A lot of the stickies are pretty outdated, but read them anyway. As already stated, EPROMS are pretty much not even available, and the smaller capacity EEPROMS are hard to find as well. 27sf512 is available from plenty of electronics vendors and its cheap.

 

27sf512 are on their way out. You can use current production SST39SF010/20/40 instead. I'm running an 020 in an 8746 right now. I just run a bare jumper wire around the pins that hang off the socket to the +5v pin and I duplicate the 4K BIN 64 times in a row in the image I burn to it. The 2mbit 020 version costs a whole $1.68 from Mouser.

I'm working on a open-source hardware/software C3/P4 ECM flash/datalogging project. I use these SST chips for that and they work great although they are a little harder to program than the 27sf if you are rolling your own programmer, as I am. I have a thread w/ more info on this project over on Gearhead EFI, only because it seemed to gain a lot more traction over there than it did here. Essentially this project will offer bluetooth wireless ALDL datalogging and Android tuning/flashing capabilities. The software will be free and open-source, and I'll probably offer inexpensive PCBs or you can roll your own PCBs or just use a breadboard to burn chips since the design will be open to encourage sharing and experimentation. This is all Arduino based, so the hardware cost is south of $50 for everything.

 

Being able to tune and datalog wirelessly would be nice but how hard is the ecm/chip install going to be. If this is something someone that does not have a degree from MIT can do I might hold out.

 

It will involve desoldering the PROM carrier socket and soldering in a normal DIP24 socket. Pretty much the same as any other option out there. For Bluetooth ALDL you'll have to solder another wire or two to some pins inside the unit depending on your ECM model.

This is still very much WIP and I'm doing this in my spare time so if you are looking for something soon I would suggest Moates stuff. I like the EBL 10x better but it just isn't financially practical (at least for me) for 6 vehicles. If I had six vehicles I'd maybe pick my favorite one and EBL that, or get them all on the same ECM so I could swap the EBL ECM around.

 

now if only the BURN2 would write them.

i need to pick up a more versatile burner anyways, lot of non-automotive stuff i want to play with.