Getting Started


This page is intended to outline the basic concepts in using the ECMLink application.

Serial Port and Device Management

You configure the internal device manager using the Configure connection... button on the main information tab.  Here you tell the device manager which type of device it should try to connect with (2G V1, 1G V2, V3, etc. ), which port to try first and whether to scan for new ports or not.  If you're having trouble connecting, this is the dialog you're most likely to use.

Connection Settings dialog

The main item you'll want to configure is the Device type.  Simply check to make sure this matches the device you're actually trying to connect to.

Connecting

First, you need to confirm that the application can see your datalog cable.  Resist the temptation to simply assume it's all OK.  Click on the Configure connection... button on the main tab and then click on the blue Configure ports... label in the connection settings dialog.  You should now see the Serial port configuration dialog below.

Serial Port Configuration dialog

Make sure the Scan for new/removed ports checkbox is checked. Now, simply plug and unplug your ECMLink cable into the laptop and watch for changes to the All ports list.  Be sure to wait a few seconds for the list to update.

If you do not see a new port come and go as you insert and remove the datalogging cable, then something's wrong and you'll need to debug this.  Unfortunately, that can be a complicated process that varies from one system to the next.  Our recommendation is to start by confirming you have the device drivers installed properly and that the COM port is showing up in Device Manager properly.

LINUX NOTE: Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a way to programmatically monitor serial port activity under Linux.  You're going to have to track this yourself by checking the /dev directory for new ttyUSB devices as you insert and remove the cable.  Some day we may code up something to watch the directory for you, but for now, that does not exist.

MAC OS X NOTE: This has not been tested to work exactly as described here under Mac OS X.  It should, but it simply hasn't been confirmed.

Once that's done, you're ready to connect.  Hit the Connect button on the main tab and watch for Device Status updates.  You should see the Connection status change from NOT CONNECTED to CONNECTED and you should see a number of informational messages scroll by in the message area.  You're now ready to use the application.

Basic Configuration

At this point, you should be ready to try a few things out.  The ECU config... button on the main tab brings up the basic ECMLink settings tab.  This is where you'll find the most common adjustments.  Things like RPM limits, TPS adjustments, basic fuel and timing adjustments, etc.  The most important sub-tabs on the ECMLink settings tab are Fuel and MAF Comp.  These two tabs define how the ECU responds to the incoming airflow signal and how it controls the injectors.  Please check these to confirm for sure that they are configured to match your setup.

If you click on ECU direct access... on the main tab, you'll see a set of tabs that correspond to more low-level functions inside the ECU.  Don't be too intimidated by these, but do adjust with care and remember that you can always revert back to stock if you need to.

Basic Datalogging

The ECU maintains a list of values it's going to datalog.  You configure that list using Captured values... in the ECU menu.  PLEASE, PLEASE understand that you can not display values in the Display Values dialog that were not captured by the ECU.  You MUST tell the ECU to capture new values first before they'll appear in the Display Values dialog.  That means if you go to the Display Values dialog and don't see an item you'd like to display, you must first go to the Captured Values dialog and add that item to the ECU and then grab a new datalog with that new item.  THEN you'll see it in the Display Values dialog box.

When you're ready to start a datalog, use the Start stream or Start capture items in the ECU menu (or hit F11/F12, respectively).  That tells the ECU to start sending data.  Use the same menu items and/or function keys to stop the data stream.  You can change which values are displayed on the graph using the Display Values dialog. Just keep in mind the restriction mentioned above that you can only display items that were originally captured by the ECU.

In addition, you can configure several display properties associated with each display item.  If you right click on an item in the graph legend, you'll get a list of things you can do.  If you double click on a graph item, you'll get a item preferences dialog where you can configure specific details about that item in particular.  These details include basic configuration stuff like graph line color and min/max scaling properties, but also converter-specific data like your altitude to use for the display of certain boost items.

You can also right click in the graph area to get a slightly different list of actions to take.  You can configure various aspects of the graph display itself using the Graph preferences dialog.