I am in need of some basic help or advice. Background: I have 2 running TPI conversions. A ’69 Corvette and an ’83 K20 pickup. Both have been running fine for over 20 years now. Both have bone stock ’90 and ’91 Corvette engines. Both running 7730 ECMs/speed density. One has a Howell harness and the other has a Fuel Injection Specialties (FIS) harness with their respective PROM programming. Over time, I have been bothered by two things on both that I didn’t know mattered 20 years ago 1) the converter lockup speed and 2) the fan temperatures. Both conversions use C4 Corvette dual fans that are ECM controlled. So 2 years ago I bought an APU1 Moates kit and 2 chips to add the piggyback to the PROM to adjust those parameters. I downloaded the software and then got frustrated because I don’t quite understand what to do next. I reached out to Moates asking if there is anyone near me that might could give me a boost, but they didn’t have anybody to suggest. So I just sat it aside and went on with life but now I see that Moates is no longer in business.

So:

1-What options do I have now that Moates is out of business? Since I already have downloaded software is that enough to make these piggyback chips?

2a-If it will, is there anyone in a radius of Chattanooga TN that would be willing to help me? I can come to Atlanta, Knoxville, Nashville, Huntsville, etc.-or even a ZOOM meeting. I am not computer illiterate, but the instructions at the time did not jibe with what I was seeing on the computer screen. I’m sure it’s quite simple once you have done it, but I don’t understand what I need to do to make it work.

2b-If it won’t work anymore, what is a good source to make a piggyback chip to do a few simple things? I really like TPI. It’s not as powerful as an LS but nothing beats the look of a TPI IMHO. I have parts to do another conversion and may do one some day so I would like to be able to be able to do a piggyback chip so I could use a stock PROM and get around VATS. I have done several C10 truck TPI conversions for others but they always had their own PROMs.

3-Or should I just give up on piggyback chips and find someone who can reburn my PROM? I do have 1 more PROM that came from FIS but there is something wrong with it. I think it ran but had a constant SES lamp. I don’t remember the exact issue, as I said it’s been 20 years now. So I don’t know if that one is salvageable or not. Any suggestions on that?

Appreciate any help or a push in the right direction. Thanks!

PS-Yes the 2010 join date is accurate. I joined to list a pair of heads.

 

Do you have a header to read the old memcals ?
red devil river has piggybacks if you need one and Boostednw has sst27sf512 eeproms.
you will want tuner cat or tuner pro $8d adx to edit the binary before you do a chip burn. Or if uv erasable stock memcals Batronix burner works well and a uv eraser but might as well use what you have.

 

I bought the APU1 kit so as I recall I have a thing that plugs into the computer, 2 piggyback chips, and an adapter that goes between the thing that plugs in and the chips. I downloaded the software to a laptop and now I am lost as to what to do next. I know it is probably so simple a baby can do it and I'm sure it is once you do it once but I need some help getting to the next step. Do I need to have it read my PROM somehow? Do I just load a generic program and change what parameters I want then load that to the piggyback? I just don't understand the process. I feel like I'm so close I can taste it, but can't get moving forward because I don't know what to do next-or if I even can anymore since Moats is gone. Thanks for any push in the right direction.

 

If the prom that is running off now is soldered into the memcal use a header to put under the memcal and insert into the burner. Do a chip read flash n burn program as a 27c256 chipset. You might need to set chip address offsets the start and stop of the chip. Here’s the adapter needed
https://boostednw.com/hdr1-memcal-ad...er?search=Hdr1
once read you can edit in tuner pro rt $8d xdf is needed or tunercat .
then use a sst eeprom in the apu1, erase,burn, verify and your set.
the notch in the new chip faces the nearest outside edge on the g1 piggyback.

 

Both (really all 3) PROMs that I have do not currently have piggyback chips. They just plug right into the ECM like original. I read about the program and making piggyback chips and thought it would be an easy way to do what I need.

The one in the Corvette was burned by Howell in 2001 as remove VATS and Canister Purge (should have left it). It is set as a manual transmission but as I understand it now that is not really a thing. It has a 700R4 trans with the awkward vacuum lockup. I would like to change parameters so that the ECM could control it. But the thing that bothers me most is the high fan temps.

The one in the truck and the bad "spare" were burned by FIS in 2003 as an automatic-700R4 also-and only remove VATS. It runs fine but if you are going around 40 the converter locks and unlocks a lot. I would like to tweak that and the fan temps.

They all left the fuel maps alone and I don't need to change that.

 

Once you get the header this is how it installs. If you have issues reading let me know might have to enter in offsets in flash and burn program.

 

Here is a photo of what I have



So the PROMs I have look like this in the bottom photo. This one (my "spare" from FIS) has a sticker that says 90-92, 5.7/350CID, no VATS.

The stuff I got from Moates is in the top photo. If I understand you correctly "A" in the photo plugs into the laptop using cords "E" and/or "F". I put my PROM on the piggyback adapter "G" and extract some data into the computer. Then using chip adapter "C" in "A" I can make chips "D" (and maybe "H" is the same too?) that will change the parameters that I need to change. I will put the newly burned chip onto the piggyback adapter and along with the original PROM put that in my ECM. Is that the high level process? I really appreciate the help.

 

To use the burner you will hook A to E to a windows based pc.
use flash and burn program and read the existing chip that’s in the memcal with a header adapter. After file is read , edit it . Burn to chip D and install on a G, g1 and marry to the memcal. Then install the assembly into the ecm.

 

That is most helpful!! Thank you! All I have is what is in the photo. So I don't think I have a header adapter? You mentioned one in an earlier post. So I need to get one of those first from red devil river? I can't use the piggyback adapter to do that?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12202987242...mis&media=COPY

or

https://boostednw.com/hdr1-memcal-ad...?search=Header

 

Ordered one off Ebay. I'll be back when it comes in. Thank you very much!

 

Hard to tell in this photo, how many open spaces are there from the handle?

 

First 28 pins are used out of 32 iirc