You guys know you can flash with a VAG COM cable...right?
 

Not sure everyone is aware of this, but the chinabay VAG COM cables can be used to flash the EVO 7/8/9 ecu, without any mods. The read/write protocol is the same as VW/Audi's (KWP2000), and the cable is really just a pass-through device. I do it all the time on my 1G/Evo ecu swap. It's been working like this since Dec 2012 for me.

1) Connect vag com cable
2) Connect 12v to pin 79 (evo ECU)
3) Fire up Evoscan's freebie flashing utility, follow instructions.
4) Done.

The only difference between the 1.3 family of cables and the chinabay vag com is that the 1.3 has a nice little voltage stabilizing circuit to keep everything smooth. If the battery in your car is less than 12v, it will error out. The closer to 12v you can get, the better. It sometimes takes a few tries, but once the voltage is above 12v, it's all good.

Just thought I'd throw that out there...

**NOTE** It HAS to be an FTDI-based cable. NO OTHER STYLE WILL WORK. If you hunt ebay for one, make sure to use the word "FTDI" in your search terms. If you already use one to log your car, then that one will work fine, since only the FTDI cables will connect to the ecu. All you need to do is send 12v to the flash pin and you're good to go.

Do you know if it works vice-versa somehow?

As in, can I use my 1.3 cable on my VW?

That I don't know.

If you check out the Nefmoto forums, there is a freebie read/write utility that uses the chinabay vag cables for access to the 1.8T ecus, so maybe the 1.3 will work for that too, since it's almost the same cable really.

I tried my OP2.0 with the ross-tech VAG COM software, but it wouldn't work. I suspect that has more to do with the drivers than anything though. The 1.3 is a much simpler device.

I would think the voltage stablizing circuit is important, no? I didn't look at the price difference but would not want to risk it with my ECU.
Thanks for the headsup though. :)

Also, anyone out there with the 1.3D cable, that's supposed to be 'datalog only', can also flash their ecus the same way. 12v to pin 79, done. As long as the laptop can communicate with the ecu, it doesn't care what cable you use. If it can send commands and receive data...it can flash.

Unless your car puts out waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than 12v, it's fine. I've done it with 12-14v and had no issues at all. The flash pin has a decent buffer for voltage spikes.

When I do it, I have my car connected to a battery charger, and the battery puts out a steady 13.5v. It flashes fine, and no damage.

It's cake to run a diode in the flash line, if anyone is concerned. It's a very low amp system, so anything that caps the voltage at 13v (number chosen at random, it can take much more) would keep it safe. That's another investment of $1, lol.

A bunch of us have been flashing this way since 2012 and there have been no burned ecus. I do understand the concern though. This is just another option, for those folks who are a bit more DIY :).

As far as price difference...well...$5 for the chinabay cable with free shipping, or $150 for the 1.3U, plus shipping....

pin 79 is what the white plug on the 1.3u is for, right?

My old 1.3u is starting to show its age. May just snag one of these and wire a switch to pin 79 or just leave it hard wired and unplug when not flashing.

Yessir! That's the one :).

Due to the voltage not being as stable, the first couple of tries always seems to be trouble. Mainly, Evoscan's flash utility can't seem to connect unless it's stable-ish between 12-13v. Now it connects right away for me though, since my battery is healthy :).

The subaru guys have been using the VAG COM to flash their cars for years. They never purchase anything else it seems, going by a quick search on their forums. The ecus are the same processors as mitsubishi too. They use ECUflash 1.29, although I never tried that. That version is old enough that it doesn't have the cable ID stuff built in, which is why it works I guess.

If you can stand the embarassing voiceover, I'm on Youtube under the same name and have a video showing the VAG COM reading a 3G eclipse ecu, which is identical to the EVO 8 one, minus the boost control. I can't access youtube at work, otherwise I'd post the vid myself. It's a shot of my laptop, a car battery, and my workbench, lol.

*edit* I think the above link will work.

So I take it that this vag cable wont work on a newer version of ecuflash?

Will the evoscan flash utility properly flash custom roms?

Yeah, the VAG cable won't work with any ecuflash beyond 1.29, I assume. I've never used it with the vag cable though, so I can't confirm. I always use Evoscan's flash utility. The subaru guys use 1.29 though.

The evoscan flash will work with any file you have to use. I edit all my stuff in ecuflash 1.44, save it as a hex file, and then flash it with evoscan :).

Ah a fellow Nefmoto guy :). yeah if using ecuflash any version above 1.29 it will not work since it checks for the serial ID of the cable. Evoscan no problems at all using that software. As long as the cable is the KKL, and has the FT232R chip since it supports FTDI and FTDI ChipID feature (which means if you want to be savvy you can Change the ID of the cable) it will work.

KII-USB cable is not recommended because it does not support proper dumb mode pass through of data.

Ha, yep! I've yet to get a hold of someone's 20v to play with, but I will one day ;).

Thanks for this bit of info.

Anytime Wreckleford! Always great to be able to share the knowledge I've in my noggin :P

i i have a vag com and already read the post hace ecu unlocker and get this any cal help?

[01:15:07.352] Version 1.28.716
[01:15:07.352] 8 memory models read.
[01:15:08.179] 72 ROM metadata models read.
[01:15:08.179] checksum module "subarudbw" loaded.
[01:15:08.179] flashing tool "wrx02" loaded.
[01:15:08.179] flashing tool "wrx04" loaded.
[01:15:08.179] flashing tool "sti04" loaded.
[01:15:08.179] flashing tool "sti05" loaded.
[01:15:08.179] flashing tool "mitsukernel" loaded.
[01:15:08.179] flashing tool "mitsukernelocp" loaded.
[01:15:08.179] flashing tool "mitsubootloader" loaded.
[01:15:14.434] This vehicle interface does not support needed features.
[01:15:14.434] unable to connect to vehicle interface.

my car is
Mirage 1999
swap to 4g64 Dohc N/a
with MD.. ECU for reflash