Hijacking OEM hardware

[Tom Cloud]

        [ snip ]

>Still seems to me that we could identify a likely victim, and
>force it to divulge it's secrets. These secrets would then become
>a sub-board here - analogous to the '332 area.
>
>On the subject of the likely victim. Seems like Ford has been
>tried, and it was the engineer who was "Found On Road Dead". GM
>is a good candidate, but in the interest of not stepping on
>Steve's toes, I think I'll pass here too. Currently, I'm looking
>at Subaru, and Tom Cloud's stuff.
>
>Anyway, Input for the project is solicited.

 first -- none of the stuff I offered, and subsequently posted
to Greg Parmer's ftp site, is "mine".  It is all stuff others
worked hard to get and freely gave to me -- that's why I share it
with you (only work I did was in collecting it).

 second - It is my sincere hope that none of those folks get upset
with me for sharing with you what they shared with me.  I felt that
what I did was in the same spirit that it was given to me.

 third - I put this stuff on Greg's ftp site because there were
so many that wanted it and it would've been a 2.5 meg attachment
to the e-mail.

IF ANYONE THAT GENERATED ANY OF THAT DATA DOESN'T WANT IT ON THE FTP
SITE, PLEASE CONTACT GREG OR ME AND I'M SURE GREG WILL REMOVE IT.

{I did not identify the people who did the work disassembling the
oem systems as I didn't know if they'd want me to do that.}

   Greg's e-mail:
        Gregory Parmer <gparmer at acesag.auburn.edu>

   the ftp address for the data:
        ftp.acesag.auburn.edu/pub/users/gparmer

as for the EEC stuff, most of it can be found on Joe Aubertin's
web page
        http://www.iaw.com/~aubertin/88mgt/eec-iv/eec-iv.htm


and new stuff is posted to the eec list -- and, if it's I that
posts it, I *usually* post it to the diy-efi list also


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for eec-iv info, check out:

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        "Matt @ APE" <GoAPE at tiac.net>

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 - the use of an existing oem box with all the doo-dads
already there might be a godsend or it might actually tie our hands
if it causes problems adding needed or deleting unneeded functions, etc

 - I'm curious about the 332 project  ..... I looked into it sometime
back and the buys had been done -- but, even if they hadn't, I didn't
have the development time to write code, etc (nor the tools .... )

 - as far as the Ford eec ..... it is beginning to look
pretty bleak -- their use of *extremely* non-standard, custom chips
makes replacing the memory on the board (or re-programming it) seem
rather remote

 - as far as stepping on anyone's toes ????  where does that
come from ??  GM and Ford and VW and Porsche could say we're stepping
on their toes, but how can an individual ??  ....  unless we've taken
something from them?  How can anyone feel that they should stay away
from a particular platform just because someone else has worked, or is
working on it?

 - for example, the GM binary code (chevystuff) on the ftp site, submitted
by Vance Rose ..... I'll bet Vance would be tickled if someone could
disassemble and comment the code -- I know I would  8^)

 - I've spoken to several on this list over the last year or so who
claim to have adapted the GM controller to control various vehicles.
It causes me some consternation when I hear that some are just using
pots and op-amps to fool it, but I've never been told enough to know
what they're really doing.  I don't mind the pots and op-amps thing,
I'd just hope we could do better -- i.e. develop some real, working
software to plug into the thing !!  and come up with the techniques
to interface it to different platforms (probably pots and op-amps  8^)

 - looks like there is a real opportunity for someone to make some
money (capitalism) offering to help others out.  If we had an oem
box, say eec or gm, and it could be adapted, both in hardware and
software, there are many of us that'd gladly pay someone else a
reasonable fee to program an eeprom or make a cable or .....
I don't for a moment believe that, if **ALL** the information were
made public, that the movers in the aftermarket business would be
hurt at all -- most of us are either just collectors of information,
or don't have the time, or the ability, or the knowledge or the
facilities to do it.  And those of us that do are not going to
pose a threat to the income of those that want to market what they
do.

 ... heck, consider Mike Wesley.  He's made himself, at the same instant,
both a revered and despised icon by offering a product that lots and
lots of folks would pay almost anything for -- and then not being able
to deliver it.  He could be fabulously wealthy if he could.  What is that product?  Why, it's just what I said above .... a device that plugs into
the ford eec and allows the user to re-program it -- and it even allows
the serious shade tree to collect data for analysis ..... and I'll be
one to tell you that if I could get one I'd probably not be on this
list.  But, alas, it doesn't seem to be ..... (and Mike, if you're
reading this, I'd still help if I could, but I suspect that you've got
all the help you need with George, et al).

So, to recap ... we're all here because we don't want carburetors!
We want to be able to get the last ounce of performance out of our
expensive toys -- and right now, the bottleneck is the danged efi
controllers.  Clearly, many have resolved their problems, but there
as yet doth not appear to be a universal solution -- and there 'ought'
to be  ;-)

Tom Cloud

      Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your kids!