ECU flashing tools

wild willy

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Aug 4, 2003
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yellowperil said:
Big companys like APR and Custom-Code are going to have used encoded software so i cant see this working but dont take my word for it. I VAG software is also encoded but its been cracked by the hardware companys
I can understand that if someone tried to read an encoded code it would not make much sense, but all i wish to do is copy it back and fourth my own ecu. The data (programs) would be no good on anyone elses ecu of the same car type anyway since the imobilser codes won't match.
 

muddyboots

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Oct 16, 2002
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So how does the "encoding" work then, how do tuning companies "encode" their maps, surely a map has to be in a specific format and location in the ECU - how can they stop this being downloaded and copied onto another ECU ?
 

P-torque.co.uk

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muddyboots said:
So how does the "encoding" work then, how do tuning companies "encode" their maps, surely a map has to be in a specific format and location in the ECU - how can they stop this being downloaded and copied onto another ECU ?


By using a scrambler, otherwise every competitor could steal mapping techinques from other programmers.
 

muddyboots

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But the map in the ECU's memory can't be scrambled, as the ECU wouldn't be able to read the maps :confused:
 

m0rk

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May 19, 2001
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P-torque.co.uk said:
By using a scrambler, otherwise every competitor could steal mapping techinques from other programmers.

You sure you've not seen that? :cartman: I have......
 

muddyboots

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The ECU must expect to read maps from specific memory addresses, yes ?
And the data must be in a format the ECU can read (ie unscrambled) ?

So I don't understand how you can prevent the maps from being read off, if one knew what addresses to read from :confused:
 

micky 32

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muddyboots said:
The ECU must expect to read maps from specific memory addresses, yes ?
And the data must be in a format the ECU can read (ie unscrambled) ?

So I don't understand how you can prevent the maps from being read off, if one knew what addresses to read from :confused:

Im quite sure they can be read, Cant see them being scrambled because a tuner i know scanned a car that was tuned by some other very popular respected tuner and he could read the map no problem and commented there was room for improvement.:p(not with this tool though)
Also another tuner who im not going to name is tweaking my map to reduce a bit of smoke and maybe add a few more bhp and he has asked me if i can get hold of one those flashers and read my already mapped ecu by someone else and send him the data so he can tweak it, so it must be readable.

If this is the case , the kit on ebay would be very useful in the following way, say you have a standard PD130 and your mate has a remapped PD130. You hook the tool up to his car and read his ecu and then you rewrite your own map to the same parameters by copying it and then you upload it:funk: thats of course if its true that it reads and rewrites ecu this should be very possible?
 

PiRoMaNiA

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micky 32 said:
Im quite sure they can be read, Cant see them being scrambled because a tuner i know scanned a car that was tuned by some other very popular respected tuner and he could read the map no problem and commented there was room for improvement.:p(not with this tool though)
Also another tuner who im not going to name is tweaking my map to reduce a bit of smoke and maybe add a few more bhp and he has asked me if i can get hold of one those flashers and read my already mapped ecu by someone else and send him the data so he can tweak it, so it must be readable.

If this is the case , the kit on ebay would be very useful in the following way, say you have a standard PD130 and your mate has a remapped PD130. You hook the tool up to his car and read his ecu and then you rewrite your own map to the same parameters by copying it and then you upload it:funk: thats of course if its true that it reads and rewrites ecu this should be very possible?


Wouldnt that **** around with immobiliser codes etc meaning his and yours were identical? Is the immobiliser function not stored within the ECU chip?
 

muddyboots

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Oct 16, 2002
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micky 32 said:
Im quite sure they can be read, Cant see them being scrambled because a tuner i know scanned a car that was tuned by some other very popular respected tuner and he could read the map no problem and commented there was room for improvement.:p(not with this tool though)
Also another tuner who im not going to name is tweaking my map to reduce a bit of smoke and maybe add a few more bhp and he has asked me if i can get hold of one those flashers and read my already mapped ecu by someone else and send him the data so he can tweak it, so it must be readable.

If this is the case , the kit on ebay would be very useful in the following way, say you have a standard PD130 and your mate has a remapped PD130. You hook the tool up to his car and read his ecu and then you rewrite your own map to the same parameters by copying it and then you upload it:funk: thats of course if its true that it reads and rewrites ecu this should be very possible?
That's exactly what I was thinking...
 

muddyboots

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Oct 16, 2002
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PiRoMaNiA said:
Wouldnt that **** around with immobiliser codes etc meaning his and yours were identical? Is the immobiliser function not stored within the ECU chip?
I guess it depends on whether you read/write the whole memory area, or if you can specify specific address ranges.

If you can only read/write the whole memory area, then rather than just uploading data from another ECU, you could read off your own ECU, edit the relevant map areas to match those off the other ECU, then upload ?
 
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P-torque.co.uk

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Hi guys,

The file used is coded to a certain tool (if the original programme is anygood) meaning that the tuned data can only be re-written by the same tool.

This is unless you have access to a master tool which can de-code the file. They are referred to as 'open' or 'closed' files.

Very few amateur tuners or guys trying it as a hobby will have this though, as a master is in the region of £4000

Regards
 

micky 32

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It was a professional tuner that told me it can read the software. His exact words were:
"Yes, these devices are capable or reading and writing ECU memory in the same way that professional chiptuner devices do. In fact these are pirated clones of professional devices, therefore as I said - illegal"

Also i meant not really just copy the map and just upload to another, i meant download it and study it and change the parameters of your own file to the same values of the remapped car.
 

Saul

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May 21, 2001
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micky 32 said:
Im quite sure they can be read, Cant see them being scrambled because a tuner i know scanned a car that was tuned by some other very popular respected tuner and he could read the map no problem and commented there was room for improvement.:p(not with this tool though)
Also another tuner who im not going to name is tweaking my map to reduce a bit of smoke and maybe add a few more bhp and he has asked me if i can get hold of one those flashers and read my already mapped ecu by someone else and send him the data so he can tweak it, so it must be readable.

If this is the case , the kit on ebay would be very useful in the following way, say you have a standard PD130 and your mate has a remapped PD130. You hook the tool up to his car and read his ecu and then you rewrite your own map to the same parameters by copying it and then you upload it:funk: thats of course if its true that it reads and rewrites ecu this should be very possible?

that is highly illegal also and could land you in jail if you were found out as it is theft and copyright fraud

id keep it off the boards if i were you
 
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micky 32

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Here is the definative answer on the subject:

" Files are protected by checksums so you cannot change anything in a file if you don't know how to calculate checksum.
Of course if two cars have the same ECU with exactly the same software inside it is possible to read from one and upload to another, but hopefully there are so many ECUs and software versions that it doesn't happen too often
So with the cloned tool you can read and write files but cannot change them in any way. You need special software that only chiptuners have to change files"

Still raises the question though about how do those 30,000 files can upload if you cant change the files, but im guessing there is a map for every known software version included.
 
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yellowperil

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May 17, 2005
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You can't use any 130 PD software on any car! Its that simple. Hardware numbers and software versions should match although you dont always have to match software revisions.

Even though a car is the same engine and year it can have dozens of software versions available.

As for imob codes these are not a problem to a decent tuner as on your EDC15 ECU's the code is help on a seperate chip, nothing is changed during the remap. However as said before checksums should be corrected.

If your after tuning newer EDC16 cars and the 1.8T's you need the byteshooter and you need to know how to use it!

So if your fancying doing your own tuning the bottom line is its at your own risk and whatever else you do atleast buy a tuned file from a reliable person who knows his product.
 

TDCupra

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Mar 4, 2004
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yellowperil said:
As for imob codes these are not a problem to a decent tuner as on your EDC15 ECU's the code is help on a seperate chip, nothing is changed during the remap. However as said before checksums should be corrected.

If your after tuning newer EDC16 cars and the 1.8T's you need the byteshooter and you need to know how to use it!
So is that why the KWP2000 can only tune the VAG diesels then? And is that why there are tuners on ebay that will only do the diesels?
 
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