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      07-27-2015, 07:44 PM   #1
torchmedia
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Z4M ECU hard to work with?

I've been having troubles trying to communicate with my ECU despite my best efforts and many attempts. Here are my symptons:

1. I have a k+dcan cable and an NCSExpert setup (which has all been tested and verified by people much more in-the-know than me) which is also not able to read the ECU properly. It's giving data-transmission errors and faulty VIN errors, etc.

2. I have the enthusiast Bavarian Technic kit. Does not automatically identify car, and also is not giving me any proper data when I try to data log.

If I had just one or the other happening to me I wouldn't be so nervous, but combined I'm wondering if there's is something locked down, or wrong with my ECU?

I've also contact VF who supplied my supercharger tune, and they confirmed that their tune doesn't lock down any communication with the ECU.

So --- has anyone else had a similar experience, or can you suggest anything I should look for, test for?

Thanks.
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      07-28-2015, 01:12 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by torchmedia View Post
I've been having troubles trying to communicate with my ECU despite my best efforts and many attempts. Here are my symptons:

1. I have a k+dcan cable and an NCSExpert setup (which has all been tested and verified by people much more in-the-know than me) which is also not able to read the ECU properly. It's giving data-transmission errors and faulty VIN errors, etc.

2. I have the enthusiast Bavarian Technic kit. Does not automatically identify car, and also is not giving me any proper data when I try to data log.

If I had just one or the other happening to me I wouldn't be so nervous, but combined I'm wondering if there's is something locked down, or wrong with my ECU?

I've also contact VF who supplied my supercharger tune, and they confirmed that their tune doesn't lock down any communication with the ECU.

So --- has anyone else had a similar experience, or can you suggest anything I should look for, test for?

Thanks.
Couple of things to consider:
  • If NCS Expert is giving you error codes when attempting to read from the car, a quick search of that error code might help.
  • Have you tried Revtor's profile for NCS Expert? It will establish communication with your car very effectively.
  • Is your car in ACC mode when you attempt to read from it?
  • Is your cable configured to the correct COM port and speed?
  • Is your cable compatible with your car? I bought one online and it didn't work until I bridged two of the pins with solder.

The software can be quite stubborn to get working. I hope you find this helpful.
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      07-28-2015, 08:30 AM   #3
torchmedia
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I've tried the car on ACC and with the engine running. The person I bought the cable from tested it before shipping and said that it should have a switch built into the cable to auto-connect pins 7 & 8, however today I am going to bridge them manually anyway to see if that could be the problem.

I do have the COM port setup correctly and the right NCS profile I'll report back after my pin test.
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      07-28-2015, 08:57 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by torchmedia View Post
I've tried the car on ACC and with the engine running. The person I bought the cable from tested it before shipping and said that it should have a switch built into the cable to auto-connect pins 7 & 8, however today I am going to bridge them manually anyway to see if that could be the problem.

I do have the COM port setup correctly and the right NCS profile I'll report back after my pin test.
Another thing I forgot to mention is that--in my personal experience--NCS Expert works only when INPA is run first. I have to run INPA, ensure I see the two black circles indicating it's connected, close INPA, then open up NCS Expert. You shouldn't need to turn your car on all the way; ACC mode is fine.

Also, I connect the cable as soon as I need to do anything. It tends to time-out if I leave it connected to USB with no activity.

Have you also checked the fuse for the OBD port?

Before bridging pins 7 & 8 manually, test the pins to ensure the switch works.

And if you get it working, don't forget to try NCS Dummy.
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      07-28-2015, 05:50 PM   #5
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When you run INPA, it spawns EDIBAS, which I think is a lower layer protocol required for the cable to work.
When you close INPA, EDIBAS stays running. You'll see it in the task bar.
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      07-28-2015, 09:12 PM   #6
torchmedia
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After bridging pins 7 & 8 I had the same results today. I'm now going to try a different laptop while I wait for a new cable to arrive.
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      07-29-2015, 08:37 AM   #7
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After bridging pins 7 & 8 I had the same results today. I'm now going to try a different laptop while I wait for a new cable to arrive.
Are you running your software on a VM?
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      07-29-2015, 08:54 AM   #8
torchmedia
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No, it is a Dell laptop with Windows 7 on it. I setup a VM on my Macbook last night and can't get it to install drivers at all for the cable -- doesn't recognize it. So I might be doing something wrong there.
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      07-29-2015, 09:17 AM   #9
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Regarding the BavTechnic Enthusiast Kit not automatically identifying the car, it doesn't unfortunately. I got the Enthusiast Kit for Christmas last year and really have had nothing but trouble with it. It has come in handy for a couple off the wall things but I have yet to be able to reset a service interval.
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