Memory dump of ECU

[TomsSVX]

Well I got the pins in today, I am in the midst of another project so it will wait till Wed. that I will be able to order the compontents needed to build the regulator. I will stop hijacking Phil's thread though

Tom

[Numbchux]

Alright, been reading through this thread....sooooo much information!!


unfortunately, all the acronyms and numbers and such have my eyes spinning in my head. also, the project I'm looking to undertake is not related to the ECU, but the TCU, so I'm having a hard time sorting out all this information. So I'm hoping someone would be willing to spoon-feed me a bit of info to get me off on the right start.


for starters, I was inspired to take on this project by a guy over on USMB who reprogrammed a legacy TCU to run the 4EAT in his GL-10, and then continued to reprogram to add paddle shifters and a "DCCD" knob.
The thread here on svx.net
his thread on USMB, with way more information, and me asking a bunch of questions

As mentioned by my posts in that thread, I would like to do this with my XT6. But I'm not sure if a legacy or SVX TCU would work better (working on harness modifications in my free time, I have access to both, in quantity), so some experimentation will be required.


Phil...positively awesome website!!! I don't think I would have been so confidant in taking on a project like this without the information you have compiled there. Thanks!



alright...questions.

first, how do you download the rom file from the TCU? through the PC->select monitor adapter? what program? I see the Alcyone program listed on Phil's site, but I don't have a computer running linux (and very little experience using it...). other options? or should I look into installing linux on one of my machines.

also, what would it take to communicate with the TCU out of the car? would it be possible to use a relay, 12v power source, and a little wiring to test things here in my living room?



I hope I'm not being too n00bish with my basic questions. and I know I've got a lot of reading and research to do before I can really take on this project....but I'm hoping you guys can get me off on the right foot.

Thanks!

[b3lha]

Originally Posted by Numbchux

Alright, been reading through this thread....sooooo much information!!


unfortunately, all the acronyms and numbers and such have my eyes spinning in my head. also, the project I'm looking to undertake is not related to the ECU, but the TCU, so I'm having a hard time sorting out all this information. So I'm hoping someone would be willing to spoon-feed me a bit of info to get me off on the right start.


for starters, I was inspired to take on this project by a guy over on USMB who reprogrammed a legacy TCU to run the 4EAT in his GL-10, and then continued to reprogram to add paddle shifters and a "DCCD" knob.
The thread here on svx.net
his thread on USMB, with way more information, and me asking a bunch of questions

Thanks for the link to USMB. The work Ryan did is really very impressive.

Originally Posted by Numbchux

As mentioned by my posts in that thread, I would like to do this with my XT6. But I'm not sure if a legacy or SVX TCU would work better (working on harness modifications in my free time, I have access to both, in quantity), so some experimentation will be required.

I would suggest using whatever TCU is the closest match to your transmission. The gear and diff ratios are factored into the calculations in the firmware. The less things you have to change, the more chance of it working properly.

Originally Posted by Numbchux

Phil...positively awesome website!!! I don't think I would have been so confidant in taking on a project like this without the information you have compiled there. Thanks!

Thanks. I'm glad it's useful. The whole reason I published it was to help with cool projects like yours.

Originally Posted by Numbchux

first, how do you download the rom file from the TCU? through the PC->select monitor adapter? what program? I see the Alcyone program listed on Phil's site, but I don't have a computer running linux (and very little experience using it...). other options? or should I look into installing linux on one of my machines.

At present, the only software that can read the TCU is my linux tcudump program. It talks to the TCU through the select monitor adapter.

You don't need to install linux, you can use a knoppix or ubuntu boot cd. If you have ever used the MSDOS command line, then you should have no problem learning a few simple linux commands.

If you know how to program for windows, it wouldn't be too hard to port my program across or write your own from scratch.

Longassname has another way of doing it (see "gearshift maps" thread). Unsolder the surface mount rom, solder some pins to it and slot it into your eprom burner. Personally I would not attempt this as I find it impossible to remove the rom without damaging it.

Originally Posted by Numbchux

also, what would it take to communicate with the TCU out of the car? would it be possible to use a relay, 12v power source, and a little wiring to test things here in my living room?

I see no reason why it wouldn't work. But I've never tried it myself. Just connect the power and grounds as necessary. Connect the select monitor communication lines to your adapter.

But it's probably easier to just download the rom file with the TCU in a car because everything is already connected properly.

Originally Posted by Numbchux

I hope I'm not being too n00bish with my basic questions. and I know I've got a lot of reading and research to do before I can really take on this project....but I'm hoping you guys can get me off on the right foot.
Thanks!

No problem. That's what this thread is here for.

Good luck with your project.

Phil.

[Numbchux]

Thanks a ton for the info! that's exactly the jump start I needed!


I need to dig through my FSMs and double check gear ratios. I'm not sure if I have a list for the SVXs. would be cool to use download the shift maps from the FWD Legacy TCU I have, and load it into an AWD one (FWD legacies use 100% identical gear ratios to my XT6 4EAT). my main concern, however, is using a TCU programmed for a 4-cyl with the 6-cyl, as the rpm signal will be calibrated differently. The code that Ryan posted is for a Legacy TCU, but a legacy TCU (unless modified....which sounds like it may be a possibility) will think it's hit redline when the engine is really at like 4200. which is why I'm looking into SVX stuff.

anyway, got a lot of work to do, but hoping to have this up and running sometime this summer.

[TomsSVX]

Hey Phil, do you still need/want an OBDII ECU to disect?? I just dug one out while doing some organizing

Tom

[b3lha]

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

Hey Phil, do you still need/want an OBDII ECU to disect?? I just dug one out while doing some organizing

Tom

Yes please Tom!

If you're happy to lend it to me for a while then let me know the shipping cost to England and I'll paypal you.

On second thoughts: Will it plug into my OBD1 car, or are the plugs completely different? If different then maybe it's better for you to look at it with my help. There are no OBD2 SVXes on this side of the atlantic where I could plug it in and download the data.

[b3lha]

It was my birthday a few months ago and Belha bought me some components to build a USB to SSM cable. She knows what I like.

I recently got around to building the cable and I've written up some instructions for anyone else who wants to try it. The howto describes two types of cable:

1) A simple cable, similar to the one you can buy from Evoscan.

2) An improved cable, incorporating Calum's comparator circuit to fix the 92 problem. This is the one I am using and it works great even on the problem cars.

[longassname]

Phil,

What I had aluded to before about the signal you guys are trying to modify with a comparator is that it is not supposed to be ttl. Check the datasheet for the processor and you will see that the serial lines are designed to match up with a different generation of driver with greater separation between vih and vil. The buffer gates are still available and very inexpensive. 54hc125

[longassname]

Phil,

I get legacy guys asking me to do their ecu's from time to time. The NA's all use the JECS ecu's some of which have daughter boards and others don't. My current memory adaptors were made to fit all of them but I don't want to invest the time doing the tuning. As long as you are on a mission to hack every suby ecu you can get into...want me to point them to you? I'll add the memory adaptors to my website and let them do their own tuning if you want to get them up and running on it.

[b3lha]

Originally Posted by longassname

Phil,

What I had aluded to before about the signal you guys are trying to modify with a comparator is that it is not supposed to be ttl. Check the datasheet for the processor and you will see that the serial lines are designed to match up with a different generation of driver with greater separation between vih and vil. The buffer gates are still available and very inexpensive. 54hc125

I understand what you are saying, but there is something that doesn't make sense to me. If the CPU is using a greater logic separation than TTL, then surely the problem would occur on signals from the adapter to the CPU? But in fact, we were seeing the reverse problem, bad signal from the CPU to the adapter.

In any case, the comparator circuit solves our problem completely by converting whatever signal the ECU sends to a good TTL signal with a user-adjustable threshold.

I've been meaning to take an oscilloscope trace of the signal to help me understand the problem better.

[longassname]

Because the buffer gates are designed specifically to avoid the problems you have seen. They accept a much higher vil to allow for noise. They then output a VERY close to true 0 vil and very close to true vcc vih.

[longassname]

using that buffer gate will give you a better signal, remove the need to fiddle with adjusting, and cost less.

[longassname]

Originally Posted by b3lha

I understand what you are saying, but there is something that doesn't make sense to me. If the CPU is using a greater logic separation than TTL, then surely the problem would occur on signals from the adapter to the CPU? But in fact, we were seeing the reverse problem, bad signal from the CPU to the adapter.

Sorry, that's cause I said the wrong thing....the separation isn't greater..it's smaller to the same but with a higher vil to account for noise. at 5v you're looking at a vil around 1.5v and vih around 3.3v

[b3lha]

OK That makes more sense.

I know that the two designs that I have work 100% because I can download the whole 32K ECU rom and the checksums calculate correctly. 262144 bits without a single error can't be a bad thing.

I'm not planning to build any more adapters at present. But if you post a circuit diagram of your proposed design then I'll give a try next time I build one.

[b3lha]

Originally Posted by longassname

Phil,
I get legacy guys asking me to do their ecu's from time to time. The NA's all use the JECS ecu's some of which have daughter boards and others don't. My current memory adaptors were made to fit all of them but I don't want to invest the time doing the tuning. As long as you are on a mission to hack every suby ecu you can get into...want me to point them to you? I'll add the memory adaptors to my website and let them do their own tuning if you want to get them up and running on it.

I'm happy for you to point people to my website. Whether I'll be able to help them much is another matter. I know nothing about tuning and most of the maps in the ECU are still a mystery to me. Probably the best I can do is to disassemble the code for them and tell them to go learn assembler.

I think selling the blank adapters is a good idea. I just sold one of mine to a guy who is building a wrx rally car.

I noticed that my Legacy ECU doesn't have a socket, but it does have a 2x14 row of solder dots where I could presumably attach a ribbon cable to a daughterboard. Not that I have any plan to do so at the moment.