Help with Hondata 4b Emulation!!

[Turismo]

OK any of you 4B Hondata guru's.

I finally got around to TRYING to hook up the emulator and am a bit confused.

I am not much of a PC wizz and am a little cornfused.

The emulator came with 2 floppy discs, one marked "The Pocket Programmer from Intronics, INC" and the other has an identical label but with a check next to the selection "Rom Emulator" on the bottom of the label.

Which one do I use for setup? or both? And there seem to be changes in the software from what I'm seeing on my PC and what I see in the possibly outdated, and vague downloaded ROM editor instruction book.

There is also a completely different "Initial setup" section in the book that was shipped with the unit and the downloaded copy. Which is more current?

Also, key file names it states to use ( fileprom.exe) are either not there or have been renamed (rom.exe is what I got) so if anyone out there could PLEASE explain in laymens terms what software to use and maybe a little in-depth instruction on how to burn a chip from a file would be sweeeeet.

ALSO, Is there a feature that will let me access the contents of the chip as is before I reprogram it and save it to another file so I can keep it in case I want to go back to it? If so what am I looking for here.

This is the only topic not much discussed on the Hondata website and is a little confusing to a somewhat computer deprived individual like myself.

Any help greatly appreciated!!

[Sonnyballs]

The file that you'll want to use under Windows is called "Win_prog.exe". I have the necessary files installed into the directory:

C:\programmer on my laptop. There are 3 files in this directory: win_prog.exe, win_prog.cfg, and win_prog.txt.

When you start the program, you will see a screen that looks like this:


The options are pretty easy to figure out, but let's say, for example, that you've been given a chip and that you want the program out of it so that you can use it while emulating with ROM Editor.

You need to do the following:

1) Select the proper device. On the screen above, you see the button that says AT29C256. This is the flash chip that is reusable over and over again and I'll assume that you will be using this chip. You will need to select this chip only once because the program will "remember" it by storing it in its configuration file.

2) Now that you've selected the device, you want to read the contents of it into a file so that you can use it with ROM Editor. Click on the Move Device button. That will copy the contents of the chip into memory.

3) The contents of the chip are now in memory and must be written to a file. Click on the Save Buffer button to save the memory to a .BIN file. Hondata ROM Editor can read this file with no trouble.

Ok, so now you've got the program out of the chip and onto disk. Note that if you already had the program in a .BIN file (ie, it was one that you created or someone emailed to you), you would not need to do the above steps. I listed them just to cover all bases.

Now you wanna be able to drive around and make changes, so we will use the emulator for that in conjunction with ROM Editor.

In order for this to work, you must supply a constant source of power to the programmer. The cigarette lighter in the car will not work for this because the power gets cut when the key is turned. If the emulator/programmer loses power at any time, the contents of what is currently stored in the emulator will be lost. I chose to wire in a secondary cigarette lighter in the glovebox.



The power for this outlet comes straight from the fuse panel. You just need to to find an open fuse socket that reads 12 volts when the car is off and the socket must also not lose power when the key is turned.

If you wire up everything nicely, you'll have a setup that looks like this:



That's the pocket programmer on the floor. It receives power from the socket in the glovebox and it is controlled by the ribbon cable going back to the PC. The emulator is the little green circuit board that is plugged into the programmer and the emulator's ribbon cable has a connector on the end that inserts into the ECU. Use the ZIF socket (the one with the lever arm) in the ECU and then plug the emulator connector into that for quick removal/installation.

Ok, now you're ready to drive around and make some changes.

Before you start the car, you must be sure that the emulator has power and that it contains a valid image. The first step is easy...just make sure that the programmer is wired to a constant power source.

Next, fire up the Hondata ROM Editor and Open the file that we extracted at the start of this message (or one that you may have already had).

Next download the file to the emulator by using the option pictured below:


This should take about 7-10 seconds max.

Now turn key on, but do not start the car. If you did everything right, the Check Engine Light will turn off.

Start the car and drive. Use the F10 button inside ROM Editor to connect to the ECU and begin map-tracing:



You can tweak ignition/fuel as much as you like. After you make your changes, use the following option:



If you make changes to the fuel and/or ignition only you do not need to download the entire ROM. Downloading just the tables takes a fraction of a second. While it is happening, the car will momentarily run rough and the Check Engine Light may flicker, but the download for just the tables is very fast.

You can theoretically drive the car around for hours and even days, turning it on and off, while running on the emulator. The only requirement is that the emulator must have a constant source of power.

Once you are done, Save your updated file. Fire up the "win_prog.exe" that we saw above and verify that the device is correct. Program the chip, install it, and you're done. As I said before, if you use a flash chip (AT29C256), you only need 1 chip since it can be used over and over.

This may sound like a lot of steps and a lot of work, but I am being very detailed in this message and you'll find that once you do this once or twice, the process is very fast and easy.

Sonny

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Sonny Van Hook ([email protected])
2000 JRSC'd Civic Si @ 6psi (Powered by Hondata)
1999 Tonykart/Honda 125cc Shifter (in the works)


[This message has been edited by Sonnyballs (edited October 02, 2001).]

[Turismo]

THANKS SONNY!!!

The PICS make it real nice also as I now understand exactly how everything gets hooked up.

Hondata should ask for your permission to put that response on their website

Only question, Did you get two disks with the ROM Emulator and is one of theese where you got the win_prog.exe file? And if so whick one? And if not, where?

TIA!


[This message has been edited by Turismo (edited October 02, 2001).]

[Sonnyballs]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Turismo:
THANKS SONNY!!!

The PICS make it real nice also as I now understand exactly how everything gets hooked up.

Hondata should ask for your permission to put that response on their website

Only question, Did you get two disks with the ROM Emulator and is one of theese where you got the win_prog.exe file? And if so whick one? And if not, where?

TIA!


[This message has been edited by Turismo (edited October 02, 2001).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Turismo:

Yes, I did get two disks with the pocket programmer/emulator. I don't know what I did with them though. If I remember correctly, one contains the program for burning chips, and the other contained the information on how to use the emulator.

Just on both of them for the 3 files I listed above and you should be set.

Sonny

------------------
Sonny Van Hook ([email protected])
2000 JRSC'd Civic Si @ 6psi (Powered by Hondata)
1999 Tonykart/Honda 125cc Shifter (in the works)

[Turismo]

OK. Found the program.

Although on mine (Version 1.02) it is named "Win_Prg_2".

Im about 5 minutes from burning my first chip. OH JOY!

[JRCivic]

I got both discs and Doug told me to use the one with the PINK highlighted line on it... it was an updated version of the software.

Sonny,

I just got my 12v plug from Doug... I want to start "Emulating" while the car is running... give me a call on Thursday if you can so I can clarify a few things with you. Wednesday may be a bit busy... I have a '99 Si that needs alot of suspension love... but if this is better for you, call me anyway and I will make time for you babee.

Thanx

------------------



'93 Civic Si H/B with B18C1, JRSC @ 8psi
Best 1320: 12.68 at 110 mph

[Sonnyballs]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JRCivic:
I got both discs and Doug told me to use the one with the PINK highlighted line on it... it was an updated version of the software.

Sonny,

I just got my 12v plug from Doug... I want to start "Emulating" while the car is running... give me a call on Thursday if you can so I can clarify a few things with you. Wednesday may be a bit busy... I have a '99 Si that needs alot of suspension love... but if this is better for you, call me anyway and I will make time for you babee.

Thanx

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thursday it is, Jim. Anything for you and that sexy phone voice!

Sonny




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Sonny Van Hook ([email protected])
2000 JRSC'd Civic Si @ 6psi (Powered by Hondata)
1999 Tonykart/Honda 125cc Shifter (in the works)

[Turismo]

HAHA!!

I'm always hearing about his sexy voice

Well I just burnt my first EEPROM and drove with it a few minutes ago and as Sonny stated it's really pretty painless once you find the program and read the previous post.

I have yet to hook up a constant power source so I will be working on that in the next week. So I'm not "emulating" yet, sounds sick.

When "emulating" do you just leave the cover off the ECU and leave it mounted or just have it flopping around all over gods creation while your working with it?

Also, do you have to turn the ignition off to download changes to the map or just to save it or what?

[Sonnyballs]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Turismo:
HAHA!!

I'm always hearing about his sexy voice

Well I just burnt my first EEPROM and drove with it a few minutes ago and as Sonny stated it's really pretty painless once you find the program and read the previous post.

I have yet to hook up a constant power source so I will be working on that in the next week. So I'm not "emulating" yet, sounds sick.

When "emulating" do you just leave the cover off the ECU and leave it mounted or just have it flopping around all over gods creation while your working with it?

Also, do you have to turn the ignition off to download changes to the map or just to save it or what?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You do not need to turn the ignition off to download the changes. While the changes are being download, the car will run rough and the CEL will flash, but it will stay running.

My ECU is mounted up in the ECU tray and folded out of the way. The pic above that shows the laptop on my passenger seat is exactly how I drive the car while I'm using the emulator.

Sonny

------------------
Sonny Van Hook ([email protected])
2000 JRSC'd Civic Si @ 6psi (Powered by Hondata)
1999 Tonykart/Honda 125cc Shifter (in the works)