ECU Chipping and Tuning FAQ** READ BEFORE POSTING**

[d112crzy]

This isnt expensive and you can end up making money off of it.

[d112crzy]

Bump because I've been getting a lot of pm's lately concerning ecu chipping. I'm tired of typing the same answer over and over.

[KeeleDesign]

have you ever heard of DSM link.?

Well i just bought a new car and need your help with tuning solutions.
Can i tune just driving down the road, because their are no AWD dyno's anywhere close to me.

[Accord R33]

Bump because I've been getting a lot of pm's lately concerning ecu chipping. I'm tired of typing the same answer over and over.

common', how hard is it to type "Search you #&^!@ n00b!!"??

[d112crzy]

I'd do that, but then I wouldn't have any customers

and way to bump an old post. noob.

[westsideaccord]

anyone using megasquirt? I will be doing this next year. My brother has done this with his 69 roadrunner with a 440bb with a custom fuel injection setup, four throttle bodies and 16 injectors!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=974YsInWxhQ

http://www.supersoda.com/detail.php?id=00000000121

[F20A CB7]

Q. Why should I/do I need to chip my ecu?

A. Stock ECU's can only do so much after mods have been added. When you chip an ecu, there is software you can use to customize fuel and ignition maps to your engines liking and make the most power out of it.

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Q. What do I need to chip my ECU?

A. 1.A chippable ECU(I'll give a list of chippable ecu's later)
2. Ability to burn (e)eproms. You need an EPROM programmer or a friend with one. If you'd like your very own I recommend the Moates Burn1 ( http://moates.net/ ) or a willem chip burner(you can get those on ebay) and some (e)eproms.
3. A calibrated wide band o2 sensor with a gauge(I like to have a gauge, you don't need one if you have a laptop)
4. If you will be datalogging, you need a laptop(1.8GHz min.) and a serial or usb datalogging cable
5. A dyno<<its not 100% necessary, especially when you dont have many mods. But for boosted cars with lots of boost or high compression cammed out NA cars, I would def. recommend dyno time.

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Q. How do I chip an ECU?

A. It is a lot simpler than it sounds or looks. All you need are a good soldering iron(even those cheap craftsman solder guns work), solder wick or desoldering station.

The parts you need are as listed and can be purchase from www.digikey.com:
Qty 2: 0.1uF Capacitors
Qty 1: 1k ohm Resistor
Qty 1: 28pin DIP socket
Qty 1: 74HC373 (make sure you get a 20pin DIP version, not SIP)

for more info on how to chip the ECU, go here:
http://www.pgmfi.org/twiki/bin/view/...nToECUChipping

If you don't want to source down all the parts, www.xenocron.com and www.moates.net sell chipping kits and (e)eproms. everything you need comes in a package. Both have great prices and great customer service.

Ive purchased from both these guys various times and have always been happy.

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Q. Ok, sounds cool. So...which ECU's are chippable?

A. First off, Accord/Prelude ECU's are chippable, but you can only edit timing. You can also remove a few things you dont want. So, it's pointless to chip them b/c teg/civic ecu's are fully programmable.

But, the following ECU's will work for ANY OBD1 application with the proper tuning.

1. P05 - non-VTEC, 1-wire O2 sensor, no IAB. This ECU is found on 1992-1995 Honda Civic CX models.
2. P06 - non-VTEC, 4-wire O2 sensor, no IAB. This ECU is found on 1992-1995 Honda Civic DX/LX models.
3. P28 - VTEC, 4-wire O2 sensor, no IAB. This ECU is found on 1992-1995 Honda Civic Si/EX models.
4. P30 - VTEC, 4-wire O2 sensor, no IAB, knock sensor equipped. This ECU is found on B16A Del sol's (pretty rare ECU).
5. P72 - VTEC, 4 wire O2 sensor, IAB, knock sensor equipped. This ECU is found on B18C Integra GSR models.
6. P75 - non-VTEC, 4-wire O2 sensor, no IAB. This ECU is found on B18B Integra RS/LS/GS models.

You can chip any ECU to be the equivalent of any other ECU. For example:
I have a p06 and one of my customers needs a p28 or an equivalent. I can convert it to vtec. I can also add IAB's and a knock sensor.

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Q. YAY! I can chip an ECU now, but what ROM tuning software can I use?
A. I'll give the two most popular freeware that people use: Crome and Uberdata.

Crome Pros:
- FREE!!
- VERY user friendly (I think thats why so many people 'like' it)
- First editor to feature scripting (allowing the end-user to enhance the editors functionality)
- Generally stable releases only... usually no 'surprises'

Crome Cons:
- Seems to be irregularly updated these days.
- While it was the first to incorporate scripting, its limited and can't assemble ROM's at this time
- Support is pretty much limited to the pgmfi.org community/forum

Uberdata Pros:
- FREE!!
- The original OBD-I boost editor
- Quick to release updates & fixes
- Now scriptable, and very powerful in that you can actually snap-in graphical pieces to the editor to make it LOOK like it was originally there. Also it can assemble ROM's on the fly, not just pump a bunch of hex into a ROM like most other editors.
- A whole forum of Uberdata success stories & users waiting to help you! http://uberdata.pgmfi.org

Uberdata Cons:
- A lot of people dislike Uberdata... I think mostly because of the perceived image of its author... Blake Warner. He has little tolerance for people too lazy to open their eyes and READ.
- Somewhat visually unappealing to most 'Windows' users type of folk.
- Blake likes to get his code out quick, in doing so he's been known to make mistakes (we all do though). People like to give him shit for having 'poor quality control', and if you were paying him 900.00 like Hondata you might have a leg to stand on... however hes doing this in his spare time for free.

Other software:
-Crome Pro(same as crome, except it has data logging capabilities and tons more features. costs 150)
-Hondata
-AEM EMS
-Haltech
-Neptune
-Mega Squirt
-eManage

Good shit man! Thanks for the informative Thread, i have learned something today. All my questions, ANSWERED! This is a good Thread for beginners as myself and others on the forum who wanna learn more about their ecu's.

[d112crzy]

anyone using megasquirt? I will be doing this next year. My brother has done this with his 69 roadrunner with a 440bb with a custom fuel injection setup, four throttle bodies and 16 injectors!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=974YsInWxhQ

http://www.supersoda.com/detail.php?id=00000000121

I'd love to tune with it, just not set one up!LOL!!

I suck at wiring diagrams and anything else. Just tell me where and what to solder and I'll do it!

[F20A CB7]

I'd love to tune with it, just not set one up!LOL!!

I suck at wiring diagrams and anything else. Just tell me where and what to solder and I'll do it!

Thats the easy part, a blind man can solder

[d112crzy]

I know!! I hate wires!

[UrDoneSRH]

this post built my confidence some in chippin an ecu. i know i can do it, these links are gonna help me get through it. great thread

[Shay91Racer]

im guessing this will be the best place to ask this...

i'm going for an f22/h23 headswap. with my only mods being intake and exhaust. I plan to run it with a chipped P06... whats the best map for this setup?

[d112crzy]

A map tuned for your setup

When anyone buys a chipped p06 with a map or "tune" on it already, it's only a basemap. Meant, it should only be used for driving to your tuner, if it should be driving in the first place.

A lot of times, a map that worked for someone won't always work for someone else.

A good example would be something that is a problem for me right now. I chipped an ecu for 90cb7sleeper when he had his h23/f22 setup. I recently sent that same map to 91cb7h23 and his won't even start. It's the exact same map for both setups.

The best thing for anyone to do is get in touch with a tuner and get tuned, or tune yourself. A BASEmap won't always work. What you're really buying is the chipped ecu, and the map is something that comes with it.

[deevergote]

A basemap is made to get the car running. It's a starting point. So many people treat them as "I'll drive on this for now" maps. If it runs, great. A basemap SHOULD get a car running. It's only by datalogging a running engine that you can determine what needs to be adjusted when tuning, so the basemap is necessary. To drive on a basemap is like trying to drink from a lump of clay... sure, a cup can be made from the clay, but until it's made into a proper tool for the application, it won't work properly.

When I convert to OBD1 on my 3rd gen, I'll be running a P06 with an Integra map as a basemap. That thing isn't moving from my driveway until I make some tweaks! Then I'll work at it bit by bit until I feel comfortable with the tune!


Sorry for the rant... I know I really didn't do much but rephrase what Jose said...

[Shay91Racer]

ok. i understand. in my case tho, i like to see what stuff does like different things, well data logging. I want to try a hand at tuning but before I just go with it, I'm gonna take it to the local tuner.... which isn't THAT local.... but yeah.. I think you get the picture. But with every car being different, I understand that, is there any way for me to get a .bin for this?