PDA

View Full Version : VR-4 ECU on bench harness



Kenneth
04-12-2007, 09:12 PM
Cant see much detail as I used a cellphone camera, but the fact that the right hand panel is green tells you that EvoScan has successfully connected to the ECU and thinks it is data logging :)

Now hopefully we can get EcuFlash flashing support for the ECUs!

Still not sure why I cannot download the ROM, probably a faulty cable :(

/edit: doctored the picture and added it again. Can see the ECU and cabling easier now

TAR
04-12-2007, 09:20 PM
I've got no idea what you saying, but it sure looks good !! :happy:

I guess it means that you will be able to reprogram the standard ECU to get a better map?

Kenneth
04-12-2007, 09:26 PM
I've got no idea what you saying, but it sure looks good !! :happy:

I guess it means that you will be able to reprogram the standard ECU to get a better map?

Hopefully... once we get a program that can re-flash the ECUs.

What the bench harness means is that I can play with ECUs, downolad ROMS etc without having to trundle out to the car.

Mark 4
04-12-2007, 10:37 PM
Nice work Ken. /notworthy /notworthy

Kieran
04-12-2007, 10:57 PM
How have you managed it Ken? Just took a complete spare loom and connected to 12v, or have you wired it up yourself?

Kenneth
04-12-2007, 11:18 PM
How have you managed it Ken? Just took a complete spare loom and connected to 12v, or have you wired it up yourself?

I first hoped to remove the loom complete and hook it up to 12V... :thinking: My efforts along that route were in vain however. I would not advise trying this method.

In the end after blisters trying to remove parts of the loom, cut others with crappy side cutters I got annoyed and just cut the male Loom -> ECU plugs off as well as the ODBII connector and reflash connector.

The time consuming bit then is working out which wires connect to which ECU pin, wiring it up and then testing. I used an inductive (Telecom diagnostic tool... ) line tester to find out around about where each of the wires from the ODBII port connected to the ECU, then used the continuity tester on the multimeter to verify.

A bit of soldering, a dodgy connection to my running PC's power supply (for 12V) and viola :)

Wouter
05-12-2007, 08:28 AM
Nice work Ken!! Have bit a rep!

Turbo_Steve
05-12-2007, 09:06 AM
Tasty Fish! Nice one.
Given the expense of aftermarket units, this really is the way forward for us, especially given the marked improvements that later ECUs are supposed to deliver, there is obviously a fair bit of room for improvement!

Given the amount of effort, it may have been easier just to fit a PC in the car ;)

Kenneth
05-12-2007, 09:31 PM
Given the amount of effort, it may have been easier just to fit a PC in the car ;)

Yep, but that means you still have to go out into the car to play with the ECU. which is a bit crappy when it is raining and said car does not have a windscreen, so one has to crawl under the tarpaulin and sit uncomfortably in the dark :P

Turbo_Steve
05-12-2007, 10:38 PM
Goodness me, no! You wire the "accessory" line from your car alarm to a relay to turn on the PC in the car, and ensure it defaults to connecting to your wireless network in your house, and that it's running some good remote control software (though in fact the stuff XP has built in will be more than sufficient!).

This also means you can download / rip a whole bunch of music / dvds / whatever and then just press your alarm keyfob and up it comes and syncronises automatically.

I live in good old england, where rain is a universal constant!

In fairness, I don't doubt for a minute that what you have done is a lot more sensible really. I did the whole wireless PC thing in a previous car and it worked really well. The catch is, that all the little bits you need to make it work tend to result in quite a lot of expense!

-sigh- I can dream.

I think if you crack the ECU flashing stuff, you're going to be a very popular man!

Kenneth
06-12-2007, 12:28 AM
Yeah, the expense cannot really be justified at this time.

Also, the car has no power due to the battery being disconnected (it is idle too long and will drain the battery right out otherwise) so I would need to leave a power cable running to the car, which is something I do not want to do.

d i c k i e s
06-12-2007, 01:22 AM
same here... dont know what it means yet, but looks very cool.

snickells
06-12-2007, 02:20 AM
Oh yea, this sounds awesome! Rep points commin at cha'. Please please please keep us posted on your progress mate.

zentac
13-12-2007, 11:03 PM
I was under the impression that the ECU didnt have a flashable eprom, I thought it had a rom in it.

Kenneth
13-12-2007, 11:50 PM
I was under the impression that the ECU didnt have a flashable eprom, I thought it had a rom in it.

It doesn't have an external EEPROM if thats what you mean, so it isn't as easy to get at the memory.
The processor has a certain amount of program memory (probably some EEPROM there too) which can be programmed, you just need to know the protocol used to do so.

zentac
13-12-2007, 11:55 PM
Ah, ok, I was under the impression it was the same as the FTO and only had volitile memory that could be written to not non-voilitle, so it looses all settings when powered off. I know MINES actually replace a chip and re-program the new chip for the FTO.

Kenneth
14-12-2007, 12:08 AM
Ah, ok, I was under the impression it was the same as the FTO and only had volitile memory that could be written to not non-voilitle, so it looses all settings when powered off. I know MINES actually replace a chip and re-program the new chip for the FTO.

To be honest, I cant really comment on that as I don't know anything about the FTO ECU or what has been tried on it.

Turbo_Steve
15-12-2007, 11:22 PM
Kieren, have you opened the ECU at all? Just wondering if you'd seen which CPU it had? (I'm assuming this is a "spare" ECU rather than the one in your daily driver? :) )

Kenneth
16-12-2007, 09:07 PM
Kieren, have you opened the ECU at all? Just wondering if you'd seen which CPU it had? (I'm assuming this is a "spare" ECU rather than the one in your daily driver? :) )

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24469