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As questions are asked of us, we'll try to put the more common ones on this page. This not only reduces our load answering e-mail, but it also gets you the answers to your questions quicker. - How does DSMLink work and what are the basic
components? - How does DSMLink work and what are the basic components? Basically, we take your factory EPROM ECU, socket the chip, and reprogram it. Our laptop software then talks to this ECU through the standard diagnostic port located under your dash using our provided cable. We do not use the factory protocol, though. We have our own communication scheme entirely. The factory interface simply does not provide any of the features of DSMLink. So the basic components are an EPROM chip, a cable, and some laptop software. The 1G version also includes an add-on memory board. The adapter cable included with DSMLink is specially made for this application and incorporates features not found in other adapters. - What does "socket the chip" mean? In order to replace the factory EPROM with our own, we have to desolder the existing chip and install a "socket". A socket allows you to more easily replace a chip on a circuit board. You can basically pull a chip out of a socket and insert a new one without having to deal with any de/soldering issues. Installing a socket is a service we offer with the purchase of DSMLink. If your ECU has already been reprogrammed by someone else, or if you're handy with a soldering iron and install your own socket, then we offer a discount on the full purchase price. This isn't a process that we recommend doing on your own, though, if you are not really familiar with electronics. If you have to wonder whether you can do it or not, then don't. - What are the requirements for running DSMLink in my car? You need a turbo model DSM with an EPROM ECU. In addition, of course, you need a laptop with a serial port (RS232, DB9 port), running at least Windows 98. If your laptop doesn't have a serial port, see here. For a full description of what's involved, check here. NOTE: Many versions of Windows 95 seem to cause problems. We have at least one user running fine with '95, but three other installs have failed. It seems there are more versions of '95 that fail than work...your mileage may vary. - Do I always have to have the laptop in the car? No, the laptop is only used to make changes to your ECU's configuration or to datalog. The ECU will automatically remember the changes you've made. With the current 2G offering these changes will, however, be lost if battery power to the ECU is lost. If you remove the battery or the battery dies, the ECU will revert to its set of predefined chip defaults you selected at the time of ordering. The memory module provides for persistent retention of data, but this is currently only available in the 1G offering. - My laptop doesn't have a serial port. What can I do? If your laptop is missing a compatible DB9 serial port, you can find good USB to DB9 serial port converters on the net fairly cheap. These seem to work well from the reports we've gotten from our users. The only one we've tried is the Keyspan adapter P/N USA-19HS, which worked flawlessly in our testing and should be available from your local CompUSA or equivalent. - Can I use DSMLink with a PDA? This question is a little tricky. Yes, you can, but only due to the generosity of one of our more active users, Hal Landry. He has devoted a good bit of his personal time to develop a version of the DSMLink client that runs on a Palm device (true Palm, no Visors or anything like that). The requirements include Palm OS 3.5 or later with color being highly recommended. The original software was written using a Palm IIIc, which can be had these days pretty cheaply off E-bay. This question is a little tricky because we don't want to suggest that the Palm is a fully supported platform. It's not. Hal doesn't have to do any of this. It's great that he does, but don't buy DSMLink assuming you can get all your questions answered related to the Palm interface. Hal makes the Palm software and updates downloadable for registered DSMLink users via the user's group forum. - How can I use the 2G version of DSMLink in my '96+ model DSM? Unfortunately, you'll have to locate a '95 EPROM ECU somewhere. They do show up on various parts traders from time to time and there are junkyards online that sell 'em too. Expect to pay about $150-$300 for one. Several of our users have reported good finds on http://car-part.com/, not to be confused with www.carparts.com. - How can I tell if I have an EPROM ECU in my car? Well, first, the only 2G DSMs with EPROM ECUs from the factory are the '95 models. We have seen a few '95 ECUs without EPROMs, but it's very unusual. You can be sure that if you have a '96+ model, you do not have an EPROM from the factory. To check your '95 ECU for an EPROM, go here. 1G ECUs are a little more difficult in that parts seem to have been swapped around in a number of 1G ECUs we've seen. Some have the original case and part numbers, some don't. To check for sure, you'll need to open up the case and have a look. See here for a description. - Can I use DSMLink in my non-turbo DSM? No. DSMLink is currently only compatible with the turbocharged Eclipses and Talons from '95-'99. We have looked at the non-turbo (Chrysler) ECUs, but have not determined that they are easily reflashable yet. Maybe some day, in the long, distant future, we'll be able to consider that target. It won't be anytime soon, though. - What does CAS inversion mean? For 1G DSMLink, nothing. For the 2G guys, the '95-'96 style Cam Angle Sensor (CAS) sends out a signal that's electrically "inverted" from other DSM cam sensors (1G or '97+ style). When you put a '95 ECU into a car with a non-95 CAS, the ECU ends up swapping the firing order of the injectors. In most cases, this produces very little noticeable difference in drive quality. But we offer the option to invert the CAS signal anyway just in case. You can selectively invert this signal with the DSMLink software as you wish. You will still need to swap your spark wires, though. We can't control spark firing order in the EPROM at crank time. So even with CAS inversion, you still have to swap plug wire 1 with 2 and 3 with 4. - Does FWD/AWD matter when locating an ECU? No. Any turbo model DSM EPROM ECU will work identically for purposes of running DSMLink. You do not need to concern yourself with whether the ECU came from AWD, FWD, automatic, or manual transmission car. - Will my OBDI/II logger still work? Yes. It was decided to maintain OBDI/II compatibility so that a typical auto repair shop could still diagnose the car. There is a minor catch, though. Once the ECU is in "DSMLink mode", OBDI/II mode will not function until the ECU is restarted (the key turned off for more than 5 seconds, then back on). - What happens when the battery is disconnected from the car? For the 1G version of DSMLink, nothing. All the changes you made prior to disconnecting the battery will still be remembered. For the current 2G offering, without the memory board, it works like this. When you order DSMLink, we'll ask which injectors you have. We then burn a chip with default settings for those injectors. So if you loose power to the ECU, DSMLink will still function properly. It won't "forget" anything necessary to run your engine. The things lost will include the adjustments you made to the stock timing and WOT fuel tables. The stock values are still there. You'll simply revert back to those values when the ECU powers back up. - How does DSMLink compare to other units like the AEM, PMS or Haltech? Those systems are either complete standalone ECU replacements or they alter the inputs to the ECU to the point that you spend most of your time just trying to get the thing to baseline properly. DSMLink eliminates these problems by keeping the factory ECU in the loop. Standalone systems need to provide all sorts of complex adjustments because you need them to "simulate" the code that already exists in the factory ECU. Granted, those complex features can be useful when tuning for more complicated driving scenarios like running a road course, but for drag strip performance, you really don't need to get too complicated. DSMLink is intended to provide all the "useful" features of a standalone without any of the unnecessary fuss. - Does DSMLink use the clutch wire for stutterbox operation? Yes and no. DSMLink V2 does support the use of the clutch wire mod for shift limit, but it's not used at launch time. We've found that triggering off the "top" clutch switch (located at the top of the clutch pedal throw) provides smoother shifting operation. But paying attention only to that switch will lengthen the time it takes for a launch stutterbox to deactivate while slipping the clutch. You might well want the stutterbox deactivated before the clutch pedal reaches the top of its throw. So, with that said, we do support the use of the clutch wire mod for shift limit, but not really for stutterbox operation at launch time. For that, we pay attention to the speed sensor and the cutoff point defined by the user. - What do you mean by "DSMLink automatically creates the 3-dimensional mapping used internally by the ECU" when referring to the fuel adjustment feature? Many people like to think of an ECU as being a pretty simple device. It just calculates fuel for a given airflow, right? Well, not quite. The table it uses to calculate enrichment values is a little more complicated. It doesn't actually use airflow per second, which is what most people talk about, it uses airflow per revolution of the motor. It's sort of the same, but a little different too. It also uses the current engine RPM to lookup values in what is effectively a 3-dimensional table. To complicate matters even more, several such tables exist in the ECU for different purposes/conditions. This is why aftermarket piggyback controllers like an AFC or PMS have such a hard time dealing with the ECU. They are trying to work outside the ECU where they have no access to what's really being used and why. DSMLink, however, does. It automatically scales the more simplistic view of fuel control (i.e., simple RPM based adjustments) according to the airflow and RPM values that were actually used by the ECU to do its own lookup. This makes for a very smooth and consistent adjustment procedure unseen before in any other aftermarket controller. - Does DSMLink work with a hacked MAF? DSMLink V2 provides excellent compensation features for dealing with hacked MAFs and/or bypass tubes. With proper compensation in place, we often find ourselves checking the parts bin to see if our honeycombs are in or out because we just can't tell while driving. - How fast have you gone with DSMLink? Our own shop car has run a mild 11.3. But several of our users are running 10s, 9s and even 8s, the fastest of which is François Villeneuve and Serge Turcotte running 8.7s with traps over 160mph! The fact that they're doing this through an automatic transmission really illustrates the power they're putting down. |
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