Newbie needs advice

[Dan Plaskett]

Been there,doing that.  I have an 86 Vette TPI and am currently doing what
you want to do.  I have a new 406 that I just built and a 61 Vette with a 91
TPI intake system and my brother is working on a 1980 Vette with a speed
density system so I decided to learn what I could about the programs,
burning proms and diagnostics.  First you need to realize that you will
probably end up spending much more doing this than you would ever spend
having a custom chip programmed.  You have to want to do this, and spend
some substantial time learning about what makes the systems work or as Bruce
says in Tuning 101 you may end up playing the China Syndrome with your
engine.  That said,  you can get a prom burner off of E-bay, search "eprom"
or from a number of commercial sellers.  http://www.needhams.com/ makes the
PB10 that will suffice.  Also check Xtronics http://xtronics.com/ for the
pocket programmer.  I got a Data I/O 201 like the one on e-bay but had to
get a binary translation program and the software to run it from my
computer.  I spent an eternity trying to figure it out, building a cable and
getting it to communicate, but I learned a lot in the process.  To make it
easy you should be sure the software supports binary format.  Again it
depends what you are trying to do, just make a simple modification to your
chip or understand why and how this all works.  I would not recommend the
e-prom eraser that the pocket programmer markets, too small so you can't put
the entire chip module in for erasing.  I've got a fairly large unit from
Logical Devices.  Got it off e-bay for $40

For reprogramming the chip the TunerCat software seems to be very user
friendly.  You will need the software ($69.95) and the $32 hex address
($19.95) calibration to work on your 87.  If you want to use the 1989
calibration the file you'll need is $6E.

For diagnostics Diacom is your best bet http://www.rinda.com.  There are
some other diagnostic software packages out there, ie.
http://www.andywhittaker.com/ecu/protocols.htm or
http://www.ece.udel.edu/~davis/z28/gme.html but you will end up having to
make cables http://www.andywhittaker.com/ecu/aldl_hardware.htm plus 86-89
TPIs used a special adapter to take information off of pin E on the ALDL
connector.  For the Tech 1 scanner it is called an E-pin adapter, Diacom
calls it GM Special TPI part # 91006.  Anyway I'm not sure if any of the
shareware or freeware programs incorporate that.  Autoxray is also a
possibility.  It is a hand held scanner available for about $170 for the GM
version.

This is a good site to get some starting BIN (binary) files and for
information regarding TPI system modifications in general
http://www.ece.udel.edu/~davis/z28/

Lots more out there to learn.  Don't want to overwhelm you at once.  Let me
know if you need more help or advise.  God knows I've gotten plenty from
this list so far.

Good luck

Dan Plaskett
86 Corvette 406 Convertible Kaminari
61 Corvette 355 TPI T-56 Six Speed

BTW who am I talking to?


----- Original Message -----
From: <akallotte at juno.com>
To: <gmecm at diy-efi.org>; <diy_efi at diy-efi.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2000 12:27 PM
Subject: Newbie needs advice


> I am rebuilding my '87 Vette (TPI) with an aggressive cam.  I'd like to
> try tuning my own eeprom instead of buying one that may or may not
> utilize the engine's full potential.
>
> I'd like to get into this without spending too much money.  I know I'll
> need a burner, eraser, chips, a tuner program, and a diagnostic tool of
> some sort.  What hardware should I consider, where should I get it, and
> how much should it cost?  Which tuner programs should I use and how much
> do they cost?  What diagnostic tool should I look into?  Are there any
> shareware/freeware diagnostics out there that'll perform like a Diacom?
>
> Thanks for the info.  So far, most of the discussions have been over my
> head, but I am learning fast.
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