ECUflash tutorial for beginners
May 15, 2006, 02:23 AM
#1
ECUflash tutorial for beginners
This is a beginners tutorial I wrote to help people get started on ECUflash. Please feel free to correct me if you see any blatent mistakes.
Here's a picture of the ECUFLASH cable.
One end is usb which goes into your computer, and at the other end the big black plug goes into your obd2 port, the little white plug next to it goes into the small port right beside the obd2 port.
This is your target of interest right here. plugging the cable into the ports mentioned above give you access to the stock ECU. These ports are located on your right hand side under the driver dash, if you've looked under your dash before you might have easily missed it before, but now with ECUFLASH this is going to be your new best friend.
Before actually connecting to your car and DL its rom, you should familiarize yourself with the ECUFlash program and how efi systems work in general. First DL ECUFlash from OpenECU.org and purchase an OpenECU cable.
Next you download the 05' EVO Rom here below and save it to your desktop. We will use this as a demo in this tutorial.
http://www.evolutionmr.net/img/image...8%20JM9693.hex
To open up the rom run the ECUFlash program and click the folder button as shown in the following picture.
a pop up screen will follow and direct it to the desktop where you saved the 05' EVO rom.
load that rom and the metatables will appear. these are preconfigured "definitions" (memory addresses used to control various parameters). The red arrow is pointing to the fuel map parameters, clicking the boxes will bring them up. We are going to learn about the fuel map first.
This is the high octane fuel map. The fuel map is a 3d table with rpm on the Y axis and load on the X axis. The computer references the fuel map table under open loop (no o2 sensor feedback) conditions. This table tells the ECU how much fuel to add under what conditions as a function of rpm and load.
The X axis is easy enough to understand it is simply RPM. The load however is just lightly more complicated. It is quantified in the metric system in kilopascals (kpa). 100 kpa is 0 vacuum. 200 kpa or 1 bar of boost is ~14.7 psi. Anything below 100 kpa is vacuum.
*edit just talked with Jason@mynes and he said that the load isn't in KPA but is a caculated load from multiple sensors but this is a quick short cut to think about it until we can get a definitive answer*
Under light cruise conditions the computer references the yellow region on conjunction with the 02 sensor long and short term fuel trims. i.e., Freeway driving.
The green path is an imaginary overlay running clockwise of your engine traveling under light acceleration. Lets say leaving a stop light, ect.
The black path is an imaginary overlay running clockwise of your engine under WOT. For example, when you are being a ricer and want to hear your exhaust scream :P
By changing the numbers inside the fuel map either up or down you affect the engines a/f ratio.
Now that you are a little bit familiar with how the fuel map goes. Let's talk about edititing the fuel table. By clicking the edit button (red arrow) you can manipulate any highlighted cell or cells (green arrow). This works much like an excel table.
That much is simple enough. However, the numbers in the fuel table are a bit more tricky. These correspond to the target a/f ratio you want, but only for a stock car.
Once a vehicle has been modified this a/f targets are off, and these numbers just become data which you move up and down to achieve your target a/f measured by a high accuracy wideband.
The tricky part is bigger numbers = leaner, smaller numbers = richer
This differs from traditional EFI systems that control injector pulse width directly.
Click the low octane and high octane map in the metatables as indicated by the red arrows. This will bring up the screen above.
As you might already know the EVO ecu has dual fuel maps. Which map the ECU
runs on depends on knock sensor activity. When knock sensor activity reaches a predetermined threshold, the ECU looks up the low octane map to protect the engine.
The low octane map is set richer than the high octane map in efforts to mitigate what the ECU detects as knock. When knock activity has decreased the ECU reverts back to the high octane map which is leaner for more performance.
You've likely see the effects of this when you dynoed your car and had a dip in your tq curve. The ECU sensed what it thought to be knock thru the knock sensor and richened the mixture to protect your engine accordingly.
Editing the timing table is much the same as editing to fuel table. The numbers in the timing map correspond to at what degrees of crank shaft rotation to fire the spark plug. These are measured in degrees before top dead center (BTDC).
Again like the dual fuel maps, the evo has dual ignition maps for both high and low knock sensor activity. This is again to protect your engine.
When high knock activity is detected the ECU retards ignition timing by reading the low octane map. Once knock level activity has ceased to a predetermined threshold by the ECU it reverts back to the high octane map with advanced timing for more power.
*edit just talked with Jason@mynes and he said that the load isn't in KPA but is a caculated load from multiple sensors but this is a quick short cut to think about it until we can get a definitive answer*
To conclude our beginner tutorial of EcuFlash for the EVO, we will look at the limiting systems built into the ECU.
Click Speed Limit, Stationary Rev Limit, Rev Limit, and Boost Limit in the metatables to bring up the screen above.
The speed limit is the vss governor
Stationary rev limit is mitsubishi's way of keeping our trannies together, but now that its under our control its the newest member of the EVO bowling league.
Primary rev limiter is self explanitory, it keeps you from reving your engine out like you did on your old integra gsr for good reason, it doesn't need to rev that high.
Boost limit is the dreaded boost cut we periodically run into at night on the freeway... The first time I bumped into it, I thought I blew up my motor, thru time I just learned to ignore it... But now i can set it as crazy as I want! :P
So everyone... be sure to find your favorite vendor and pick up a wide band with some sort of logging capability before you even think of attempting to modify your engine's fuel injection maps.
Modify at your own risk, there's still tons of stuff out there to know, this is just the tip of the iceberg but I hope I've accelerated your path into getting more enjoyment from your car by freeing your ECU!
But before we go we need to learn how to save maps...
When saving a file, the program doesn't automatically append the file type to the end of the save file, so if you don't type .hex or .bin to the end of the file you wont be able to see your saved rom when you try and open it up with ECUflash.
So be sure to add .hex or .bin!
Thanks to everyone involved who made this program. ECUflash is awesome!!!
Here's a picture of the ECUFLASH cable.
One end is usb which goes into your computer, and at the other end the big black plug goes into your obd2 port, the little white plug next to it goes into the small port right beside the obd2 port.
This is your target of interest right here. plugging the cable into the ports mentioned above give you access to the stock ECU. These ports are located on your right hand side under the driver dash, if you've looked under your dash before you might have easily missed it before, but now with ECUFLASH this is going to be your new best friend.
Before actually connecting to your car and DL its rom, you should familiarize yourself with the ECUFlash program and how efi systems work in general. First DL ECUFlash from OpenECU.org and purchase an OpenECU cable.
Next you download the 05' EVO Rom here below and save it to your desktop. We will use this as a demo in this tutorial.
http://www.evolutionmr.net/img/image...8%20JM9693.hex
To open up the rom run the ECUFlash program and click the folder button as shown in the following picture.
a pop up screen will follow and direct it to the desktop where you saved the 05' EVO rom.
load that rom and the metatables will appear. these are preconfigured "definitions" (memory addresses used to control various parameters). The red arrow is pointing to the fuel map parameters, clicking the boxes will bring them up. We are going to learn about the fuel map first.
This is the high octane fuel map. The fuel map is a 3d table with rpm on the Y axis and load on the X axis. The computer references the fuel map table under open loop (no o2 sensor feedback) conditions. This table tells the ECU how much fuel to add under what conditions as a function of rpm and load.
The X axis is easy enough to understand it is simply RPM. The load however is just lightly more complicated. It is quantified in the metric system in kilopascals (kpa). 100 kpa is 0 vacuum. 200 kpa or 1 bar of boost is ~14.7 psi. Anything below 100 kpa is vacuum.
*edit just talked with Jason@mynes and he said that the load isn't in KPA but is a caculated load from multiple sensors but this is a quick short cut to think about it until we can get a definitive answer*
Under light cruise conditions the computer references the yellow region on conjunction with the 02 sensor long and short term fuel trims. i.e., Freeway driving.
The green path is an imaginary overlay running clockwise of your engine traveling under light acceleration. Lets say leaving a stop light, ect.
The black path is an imaginary overlay running clockwise of your engine under WOT. For example, when you are being a ricer and want to hear your exhaust scream :P
By changing the numbers inside the fuel map either up or down you affect the engines a/f ratio.
Now that you are a little bit familiar with how the fuel map goes. Let's talk about edititing the fuel table. By clicking the edit button (red arrow) you can manipulate any highlighted cell or cells (green arrow). This works much like an excel table.
That much is simple enough. However, the numbers in the fuel table are a bit more tricky. These correspond to the target a/f ratio you want, but only for a stock car.
Once a vehicle has been modified this a/f targets are off, and these numbers just become data which you move up and down to achieve your target a/f measured by a high accuracy wideband.
The tricky part is bigger numbers = leaner, smaller numbers = richer
This differs from traditional EFI systems that control injector pulse width directly.
Click the low octane and high octane map in the metatables as indicated by the red arrows. This will bring up the screen above.
As you might already know the EVO ecu has dual fuel maps. Which map the ECU
runs on depends on knock sensor activity. When knock sensor activity reaches a predetermined threshold, the ECU looks up the low octane map to protect the engine.
The low octane map is set richer than the high octane map in efforts to mitigate what the ECU detects as knock. When knock activity has decreased the ECU reverts back to the high octane map which is leaner for more performance.
You've likely see the effects of this when you dynoed your car and had a dip in your tq curve. The ECU sensed what it thought to be knock thru the knock sensor and richened the mixture to protect your engine accordingly.
Editing the timing table is much the same as editing to fuel table. The numbers in the timing map correspond to at what degrees of crank shaft rotation to fire the spark plug. These are measured in degrees before top dead center (BTDC).
Again like the dual fuel maps, the evo has dual ignition maps for both high and low knock sensor activity. This is again to protect your engine.
When high knock activity is detected the ECU retards ignition timing by reading the low octane map. Once knock level activity has ceased to a predetermined threshold by the ECU it reverts back to the high octane map with advanced timing for more power.
*edit just talked with Jason@mynes and he said that the load isn't in KPA but is a caculated load from multiple sensors but this is a quick short cut to think about it until we can get a definitive answer*
To conclude our beginner tutorial of EcuFlash for the EVO, we will look at the limiting systems built into the ECU.
Click Speed Limit, Stationary Rev Limit, Rev Limit, and Boost Limit in the metatables to bring up the screen above.
The speed limit is the vss governor
Stationary rev limit is mitsubishi's way of keeping our trannies together, but now that its under our control its the newest member of the EVO bowling league.
Primary rev limiter is self explanitory, it keeps you from reving your engine out like you did on your old integra gsr for good reason, it doesn't need to rev that high.
Boost limit is the dreaded boost cut we periodically run into at night on the freeway... The first time I bumped into it, I thought I blew up my motor, thru time I just learned to ignore it... But now i can set it as crazy as I want! :P
So everyone... be sure to find your favorite vendor and pick up a wide band with some sort of logging capability before you even think of attempting to modify your engine's fuel injection maps.
Modify at your own risk, there's still tons of stuff out there to know, this is just the tip of the iceberg but I hope I've accelerated your path into getting more enjoyment from your car by freeing your ECU!
But before we go we need to learn how to save maps...
When saving a file, the program doesn't automatically append the file type to the end of the save file, so if you don't type .hex or .bin to the end of the file you wont be able to see your saved rom when you try and open it up with ECUflash.
So be sure to add .hex or .bin!
Thanks to everyone involved who made this program. ECUflash is awesome!!!
Last edited by EFIxMR; Sep 5, 2006 at 11:59 AM.
May 15, 2006, 03:28 AM
#2
Sticky!!! Very Nice Write Up.
But also I have 2 questions, is there an injector mulitplier for bigger injectors or do you just have to mess around with fuel map, also when you modify the maps doesnt the ecu correct what your settings are eventually or does it let you adjust the timing and fuel map to optimal settings and only correct a certain percentage from those settings you put in the maps??
But also I have 2 questions, is there an injector mulitplier for bigger injectors or do you just have to mess around with fuel map, also when you modify the maps doesnt the ecu correct what your settings are eventually or does it let you adjust the timing and fuel map to optimal settings and only correct a certain percentage from those settings you put in the maps??
Last edited by mchuang; May 15, 2006 at 04:20 AM.
May 15, 2006, 07:13 AM
#4
Originally Posted by mchuang
Sticky!!! Very Nice Write Up.
But also I have 2 questions, is there an injector mulitplier for bigger injectors or do you just have to mess around with fuel map, also when you modify the maps doesnt the ecu correct what your settings are eventually or does it let you adjust the timing and fuel map to optimal settings and only correct a certain percentage from those settings you put in the maps??
But also I have 2 questions, is there an injector mulitplier for bigger injectors or do you just have to mess around with fuel map, also when you modify the maps doesnt the ecu correct what your settings are eventually or does it let you adjust the timing and fuel map to optimal settings and only correct a certain percentage from those settings you put in the maps??
I'm not quite sure what you mean by the ECU correcting your settings. But, the setting that you change will not be changed. I believe the ECU still has algorithms that will pull timing, according to knock, coolant temps, etc.
Eric
Last edited by l2r99gst; May 15, 2006 at 08:37 AM.
Trending Topics
May 15, 2006, 11:02 AM
#10
How wise is it to make the low and High octane the same. Knowing me I get the same gas everytime and use a very realiable source for Methanol, should I lock in both(Hi and Low) fuel AND timing maps the same?
And thanks OP and MalibuJack. You guys are gonna make me sell my piggyback for this :}
And thanks OP and MalibuJack. You guys are gonna make me sell my piggyback for this :}
May 15, 2006, 11:11 AM
#11
Evolved Member
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CT
Posts: 1,338
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Ev0ikon
How wise is it to make the low and High octane the same. Knowing me I get the same gas everytime and use a very realiable source for Methanol, should I lock in both(Hi and Low) fuel AND timing maps the same?
And thanks OP and MalibuJack. You guys are gonna make me sell my piggyback for this :}
And thanks OP and MalibuJack. You guys are gonna make me sell my piggyback for this :}
Check out this thread: https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=201013
Originally Posted by MalibuJack
Most good tuners spend a majority of their time working on a cars drivability under variable loads, not just slap a bunch of numbers together to make a dyno sheet look good.. I'd be suspect of anyone who just does that.. Don't get me wrong, razor sharp tunes have their place, but most of us drive our cars every day, and what good is it if the daily drive and majority of the load sites (which aren't at WOT all the time) don't feel all that great..
Good tuners like to work with a safety net, you build your good base tune, something safe enough to use as a stock high-det map.. You put that in the low octane map, then you do your high-octane tune.. This way you have a safety margin, you'd be surprised how many tunes I've seen that remove that safety margin to make the tune stay consistent, well, honestly, if it doesnt stay consistent, then the ECU is telling you something!
Good tuners like to work with a safety net, you build your good base tune, something safe enough to use as a stock high-det map.. You put that in the low octane map, then you do your high-octane tune.. This way you have a safety margin, you'd be surprised how many tunes I've seen that remove that safety margin to make the tune stay consistent, well, honestly, if it doesnt stay consistent, then the ECU is telling you something!
Last edited by fsugatorbait; May 15, 2006 at 11:13 AM.
May 15, 2006, 11:12 AM
#12
I would love to put this up on Open ECU's Wiki, just wondering what Colby and other designers of the softwate think about having my company logo on the tutorial. In respect to their work, I have no problems taking it out (logo) and offering it on Wiki, as I do believe having it on their would be against the spirit of ECUflash.
As soon as I figure out a good way of presenting the material I will post a more advanced tutorial.
As soon as I figure out a good way of presenting the material I will post a more advanced tutorial.
The following users liked this post:
Donram (Aug 18, 2023)
May 15, 2006, 11:36 AM
#14
I want to add, you should add to your writeup that they should back up their stock ECU map, in at least 2 locations, its too easy to overwrite a stock map without renaming it, I'd request that there be an incremental save feature so you can't overwrite an old map unless you specifically want to.
Also, once the new definitions are available, there will be a metatable for the Immobilizer code, save that, write it down, keep it somewhere.. If you are playing with other peoples maps and write something to your car, you won't be able to start it without putting the right immobilizer code back in..
Also, once the new definitions are available, there will be a metatable for the Immobilizer code, save that, write it down, keep it somewhere.. If you are playing with other peoples maps and write something to your car, you won't be able to start it without putting the right immobilizer code back in..
May 15, 2006, 11:57 AM
#15
Originally Posted by MalibuJack
I want to add, you should add to your writeup that they should back up their stock ECU map, in at least 2 locations, its too easy to overwrite a stock map without renaming it, I'd request that there be an incremental save feature so you can't overwrite an old map unless you specifically want to.
Also, once the new definitions are available, there will be a metatable for the Immobilizer code, save that, write it down, keep it somewhere.. If you are playing with other peoples maps and write something to your car, you won't be able to start it without putting the right immobilizer code back in..
Also, once the new definitions are available, there will be a metatable for the Immobilizer code, save that, write it down, keep it somewhere.. If you are playing with other peoples maps and write something to your car, you won't be able to start it without putting the right immobilizer code back in..
d
