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Tuning with t7suite - a complete guide

65K views 105 replies 28 participants last post by  smyg 
#1 · (Edited)
I wanted to create this new post so it does not get lost in the shuffle of the other one.

I am by no means an expert on tuning with t7suite, but here have been many people here asking about t7suite, how it works, and how to get it to work.

There is a ton of information to be had by reading through the forum posts at ecuproject.com. I started out by reading pretty much every post on their forums over the course of a month or so and basically knew how to do everything (regarding connecting ECU and burning files) before actually buying anything.


There are a few routes to go and you have to decide which one you want. I decided to go the BDM route as it was the cheapest and also the risk of damaging an ECU is pretty much nil. If you were to go the can-usb route, and something got disconnected or it locked up during tuning, the only way to save the ECU is to use BDM.



My parts list:
a spare T7 ECU $45
BDM interface $15
Parallel port card + cable $20
2.54mm Pin headers (at least 20) $5
A pair of hemostats –already had
Soldering gun with needle tip
Solder
Spare USB jump drive
6 alligator clips


I purchased my ECU from ebay, ANY T7 ecu will work, any year, any model (including v6). The BDM interface can be found on ebay.de and occasionally on ebay.com. If your motherboard does NOT have a parallel port on it, you can purchase one on newegg.com, if you need to purchase one as I did, ENSURE that it WORKS in DOS and has drivers available. The 2.54mm pin headers can also be found on ebay quite cheap. I removed the pins from the plastic spacer as it was just easier to solder in that way. A pair of hemostats or some sort of needle nose pliers are very helpful in soldering in the pins. What ever type of soldering gun you decide to use, it needs to have a needle tip to make the process easier. The spare USB jump drive is necessary to hold the win 98 boot files and the bd32 program in which you actually do your burning with.



So, all your parts have arrived and now you need to install your pin headers into your ECU.


The ECU in a 9-5 is located behind the firewall, under the plastic shield. It IS possible to remove the ECU without removing the aquarium cover. You simply bend back the plastic housing (this is on RH side of car – passengers side in the US) There is a large black plastic/rubber cover, remove the 4 (10mm I believe) nuts to expose the ECU, then you have two more 10mm nuts holding the ECU in. Use a magnet so you don’t lose the nuts – if they fall, you can usually get them by knocking the passengers kick panel/carpet (INSIDE the car).


Use these pictures to help you install the pin headers after you have removed the board from the metal case: [courtesy of drew on ecuproject.com forums] – there are 10 of them. When I installed my pins, if you go in the exact center of the solder, the pins will actually GO THROUGH the board – this helps with stability – if you push them too far in, it’s quite simple to melt the solder again and pull them back out slightly. If you have access to ecuproject forums, the post where I got these pictures from is located here







Now you have everything you need to start your reading/writing/erasing of your t7 ecu! Here is a very rough picture I made a while ago on how you connect everything






Here is another picture on the CORRECT orientation of the connector from the BDM to the ECU. The red strip is not really necessary (some BDM devices are shipped with cables that do NOT have the red stripe) Pay attention to how the connector goes into the bdm and how the connector goes into the ECU.





Next you need to get your USB key ready so that you can use the bd32 program to read, write, and erase the files on your ECU.




The post at ecuproject.com forums that I used to assist me in this process can be found here

”matthewm at ecuproject forums said:
You need
FlashT7 1.1 http://www.xendus.se/bdm/flasht7_1.1.zip
bd32 software http://www.xendus.se/bdm/bd32-122.zip
USB Key (any size)
Win98 boot files http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=196
HP USB key format utility http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197

Install the HP utility. Format the USB key with it, selecting the folder containing the extracted Win98 boot files and ticking the "Create a DOS startup disk" box.

Copy the extracted BD32 files to the newly formatted usb key along with the extracted initialization commands found in "flashT71.1.zip" reboot with the key inserted and don't forget to edit your bd32 config ("BD32.cfg") file found in the root of the USB key, changing the Delay and choosing the correct parallel port (Delay of 2500 worked for me)

Ok, so now you have the bd32 program working – as in you can boot into dos, and start the bd32 program.

Now let’s power up the ECU. I used an adapter that I had lying around the house. The output MUST be DC and most people say for it to work that you’ll need at least 14-16 volts (don’t go higher than 16) and 1 amp. I simply cut the connector at the end of the adapter cable off to expose my positive and negative wires. I stripped the wires about 3/4 of an inch and clip my three alligator clips to each wire.


Here is a nice picture of where to hook your positive and negative alligator clips. Save this picture to your computer and PRINT IT OUT (just in case you forget to hook the cables up before restarting into DOS) In this picture, there are 2 neg and 2 pos on the left and 1 neg and 1 pos on the right (look closer if you don’t see them). Also, with the BDM, IGNORE the can low can high connections.






OK, so by now, you have successfully connected your computer to your BDM device, and your BDM to your ECU. Here is a quick guide on using BD32:

”matthewm from ecuproject.com forums” said:
Mini Flashing guide

Restart with USB key inserted (don't forget to modify boot priority and enable the parallel port in BIOS)

Tune BD32 with this guide http://www.xendus.se/index.php?opti...m-category&id=48:howto-install-bd32&Itemid=44

Should look like this output if connected correctly. (except full screen... DOS Style)
”matthewm from ecuproject.com forums” said:



Image Copied from xendus.se (Can I use this image?)

At the flashing prompt type "BD32"
Power up the ECU and connect the BDM

IMPORTANT! You must prepare the ECU once before Reading and Writing...
This Enables registers, Disables the watchdog and allows writing to the ECU
Type do "prept7.do"

BD32 Should confirm that ECU is ready to program and that it is "STOPPED" with the following.
"ECU is now prepared for flash programming or erasing."





To Dump Flash (as in copy to your USB key) type "dumpt7 filename.bin" [filename.bin can be named ANYTHING_YOU_WANT.bin]
This process should take about 20 minutes... [you will see a scrolling “…….” Across the screen]
Restart into windows and copy the original bin file to your hard disk, in-case the USB key gets corrupted.

To Erase flash
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY BACKED UP FLASH FIRST!
The erasing step should not be [USUALLY IS!] necessary, but if you experience errors in the flashing stage, come back and try this.

Type "do eraset7.do"
Then type "md 0x0 128". This is done to verify that the flash is erased.
You should read 0xFFFF on every address from 0x0 to 0x80000. [After erasing the flash, it may take 5 seconds for it to read “0xFFFF” in the addresses – if it does not read that the first time you give the command “md 0x0 128,” wait 10 seconds and try again]

Restart into windows and edit the "Original.bin" however you like [using t7suite], ensuring you make a backup of the original, only ever edit a copy of the file. If you wish to change VIN and IMMOBILIZER numbers use the freeware T7tool http://xendus.se/t7tool/T7Tool.1.0.0.17.rar
[YOU CAN DO THIS IN t7suite!!!!]


You must convert your edited bin file to a Motorola "src" file to flash it back to the ECU
Use bin2srec in a windows command prompt to convert to the src format
Type "bin2srec modified.bin > output.src"

[This program can be found here . The windows command prompt is accessed by going to start > run > “cmd” You will see a black box pop up and you should be in the directory “C:\documents and settings\Your computer name” or something similar. For you to convert a file using bin2srec, the bin2screc.exe MUST be located in the same place that the command prompt is pointing to as well as the .bin file that you are converting. The output (src) file will also be placed in that directory, the conversion from .bin to .src takes about 3 seconds.]

To Write flash
Restart again using the flash key you created previously (with the previously created "output.src" copied to its root directory) and type

"do prept7.do" To prepare the ECU for writing.
"flasht7 output.src" To flash the ECU

This will take approx three times as long as reading the flash did. You will see a series of dots increasing in number, until completed.

If you run into problem when you are flashing try this:

- Double the delay parameter.
- If you didn't erase the flash - do it, and then try flashing again.
- The bottom field in BD32 should report "MCU: STOPPED" while you are using flashT7. If you for some reason have given the reset command you need to run the prept7.do script again in order to setup the registers and stop the MCU.
- You can ignore a "2: Type of S-Record is invalid" error as the ECU will still function.

There are many bin files on ecuproject.com for you to use or to compare in making your own custom tune, even a biopower file for the 9-5! (thanks mackan)


I hope this guide has helped you guys understand this process and that I made it simple enough to understand. I may have made a few mistakes but I will be glad to edit anything that is pointed out to me.
 
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#5 ·
That is a very good post, part of the reason I waited and did not T Suite is the lack of really good information a few monthes back.

Then I got an Abbott Stage 1 to 220BHP for cheap money so it made sense just to have it done.

Must say Abbott did a good job, maybe better than me for no hassle thanks to Weston.
 
#9 ·
Does anyone know if its possible to get immobiliser code from a 9-5 without reading the current ECU with a bdm?

If possible, I'd rather not touch/modify the standard ECU, but of course I need the immobiliser code and VIN (which I can get of the vehicle anyway) to get a tuned ECU to work in the car.
 
#22 ·
cool, let us know how this works out.

If you used my guide, please add anything that I may have missed or did not explain fully. I'd like this to be as thorough a guide as possible. Having been so long since I did this myself (for the first time) i may have overlooked or failed to explain in enough detail certain aspects for someone trying this for the first time.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Well, good and bad :)

I thought* everything was working okay, seemed to dump fine. Erased fine. Seemed to flash fine. Sadly the car didn't start.

Went back and took a closer inspection of my dumped file (only skimmed through it originally) and it was very incomplete, missing footer, etc. Messed with this thing for many many hours trying to flash any file with no success.

At some point I randomly unplugged my power supply from the extension chord and plugged it directly into my surge protector. Everything has worked since then with no issues flashing 4-5 times.

Tragic that I don't have my original MY04 ARC map anymore but I see you posted one on ecuporject. Will probably have to try using that as a base as the tuned maps I have tried on ecuproject have all led to the Christmas tree being lit up -- and I happen to like ESP and ABS and would like them working :D.

I guess beware of crappy extension chords, otherwise the guide was simple to follow.

edit: thanks for posting that 04 ARC bin on europroject ski. Solved my issues.
 

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#26 ·
They should - if they are on when your car is first started after a fresh burn, I don't believe they will go off after a few minutes, I believe they would go off right away.

If you are using petrol version with maps transferred, compare them to THIS file.

If you have an AUTOMATIC, DONT use this file as I don't believe I updated the auto maps.

This is the 04 arc bin i posted on ecuproject updated with the TUNING maps from Mackan's biopower file. I HAND transferred all the numbers. If you want to see the maps I changed, find my 02 aero stage 1 bin that i posted in the modified bin files at ecuproject.

My brother runs this exact file on his 04 arc without issue, no esp/abs lights etc.
 
#32 · (Edited)
They should - if they are on when your car is first started after a fresh burn, I don't believe they will go off after a few minutes, I believe they would go off right away.

If you are using petrol version with maps transferred, compare them to THIS file.

If you have an AUTOMATIC, DONT use this file as I don't believe I updated the auto maps.

This is the 04 arc bin i posted on ecuproject updated with the TUNING maps from Mackan's biopower file. I HAND transferred all the numbers. If you want to see the maps I changed, find my 02 aero stage 1 bin that i posted in the modified bin files at ecuproject.

My brother runs this exact file on his 04 arc without issue, no esp/abs lights etc.
bored at work atm and comparing my bin to yours. Any chance that you were transfering off of an earlier version of mackans petrol tune? Comparatively the bin you posted vs. the bin I made transferring mackan's petrol version 4 maps seem pretty different in many places.

If anything your bin is more agressive looking.

For example TorqueCal.M_OverBoostTab in yours is set to 400 across the board where in mine its more of a bell curve.

I plan on comparing the original petrol rev 4 from mackan and compare it to mine to see, but am walking out of the office now and though I might as well post something while I'm thinking about it.

In the next couple days I'll be editing the file I'm currently using to detect knocks/cylinder etc to see how its running and then begin editing for my uses after that. I live here in Denver so I'm at high altitude with only 91 octane gas as an option (well besides a few E85 stations here and there). Undoubtedly there is some tweaking (although I'm not sure what yet) I'll need to do to get things running appropriately here. Will be spending plenty of time reading and testing more :D
 
#28 ·
i did... at the time when I was looking at it, there was a work around for the 02 aero where the esp and abs lights would be on but it did not work for me so i reverted back to just putting the tuning type addresses in my stock bin to the power/torque of mackan's biopower. I also don't have ethanol available in very many spots around me/was too scared to ever actually put it in my car - the cost savings (if any) are very minimal so i didnt see any benefit in taking the risk
 
#29 ·
Ski, no need for workarounds anymore, we solved that some time ago. Give me a PM if you'd like another go, you will need a file that is not posted for it wo work. Also have a file for B235L cars if needed.

Please post your guide in other places as well if you have the time :)
 
#30 ·
I knew you had fixed the issue but did not know that there was another required file :)

Thanks mackan... I will let you know... the idea of pumping my car full of e85 still scares me though :)

What percentage are people using, its true that you cannot use 100% e85 in the cars not made for it??
 
#33 ·
The values that I have set should be the same for the following maps - as these are the only ones I transferred:

AirCtrlCal.m_MaxAirTab
BoostCal.P_LimTab
BoostCal.RegMap
BstKnkCal.MaxAirmass
BstKnkCal.MaxAirmassAu
FCutCal.m_AirInletLimit
PedalMapCal.m_RequestMap
TorqueCal.M_ManGearLim
TorqueCal.M_NominalMap
TorqueCal.m_AirTorqMap
TorqueCal.M_EngMaxTab
TorqueCal.M_EngMaxAutTab
TorqueCal.M_5GearLimitTab
MaxVehicCal.v_MaxSpeed
TorqueCal.m_AirXSP
TorqueCal.m_PedYSP
TorqueCal.M_EngXSP

BTW - overboost in this file is basically non existent/not used as I have the peak set in "TorqueCal.M_ManGearLim" to 400 which is the map that is always running. Overboost in essence is disabled
 
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