CeddyMod or DSMLink

[wird06DSM]

Well The motor is finally built and its time to come up with my tuning software and ECU. I was originally going to go with dsmlink v3 in my 96 gst, but due to the broken collar bone and a lot of bordem on dsmtuners I ran across the CeddyMod. I have used DSMlink v2 on a few vehicle and comfortable with it but I like the options on the Ceddymod ( mainly the speed density). Im shooting for a 500hp car ( mods all there and profile is yet to be updated), but Im a little werry being I have never used evoscan. How user friendly is the CeddyMod and which are you personally preferring?

 

[mike96]

well i personally don't use Ceddy mods but i do use the next best thing (evo8 ecu with Tephra mods). both have their pros and cons. ecmlink = + great user forum and support you get with your purchase, - high cost compared to ecuflash $500 plus dollars. ecu flash = + much lower cost to start with (especially if you already have a 98-99 ecu), - not quite the same dedicated user forum you get with ecmlink but Ceddy seems to be really good about answering questions as they come up. i have played with both ecmlink and ecuflash although ecmlink was on a 1G not a 2G. neither one is harder to use than the other if you have a general idea of what you are doing. Ceddy has his rom definitions set up pretty well so it isnt to difficult to navigate. some of the rom definitions for the evo8 ecu are a nightmare to get around. ecmlink has control over a couple of things that ceddy hasn't gotten to yet (i don't think) like the FPR and EGR, and Ceddy has beaten ecmlink to a couple of things that like gear dependent boost control. personally i would go with ecu flash, mostly because it can be use on more than just evo's and eclipses. if the tatrix community would get off their butts and start working on getting the 2.0 cable working with gm and ford they would make a hell of a killing in the tuning market. any way i would say download ecuflash and play around with the most recent version of Ceddys rom and kind of get a feel for it before you decide what to go with.

 

[wird06DSM]

Thanks for the response, i think i will play around wit ecuflash (plus thew price is real nice). What exactly did ceddy make wit it ( add on ) the thread got way in depth for me , i think the need a simple how to.

 

[GSXeclipsePSI]

The user interface is more of a programers style editing with ecuflash and evoscan with xml files and lists with tables and what not as dsmlink has a gui interface. I like ecuflash but it does look crazier to someone like my father then when I showed him DSMlink so that's a view from someone who has no idea what they were looking at.

 

[fran_drivertsi]

Go with ECMLink v3. Can't go wrong with that one, it has been proven to work by hundreds and achieved superb results.

 

[wird06DSM]

The biggest thing that got my eye was the speed density and price. the whole ceddy mod is based out of ecuflash right?

 

[logic]

Your profile says you have a '96 GST. Just FYI, you'll need a '98 or '99 ECU to make use of the work that Ceddy has been doing. So, for any of the popular 2g choices, you're going to be replacing your ECU:

• CeddyMod: 98/99 ECU (and possibly some 3g ECUs; Ceddy or someone else, can you confirm?), drop-in replacement, plus an OpenPort 2.0 "cable"
• TephraMod (ie. the Evo version): Evo VIII ECU and swapping a couple of pins, plus an OpenPort 1.3 or 2.0 cable (1.3 cables are cheaper)
• ECMLink: '95 EPROM ECU, plus the cost of ECMLink

If you already have one of the above, that could be a significant cost saving. (ECUs seem to be commanding an inflated price these days, unless it's a "weird" one.)

All three (including V3lite) support speed density (Ceddy's and tephra's implementations are pretty similar with a lot of tuning information available, and the ECMLink version is disgustingly simple to tune), so I wouldn't worry about that being a determining factor. But, I'll echo Tom's usual sentiment here: I can swap back and forth between SD and a MAF on my Evo all day long, and you'd have no idea which I was running, because they both work just fine. Try to articulate exactly why you need SD, before assuming it's what you should go with.

If you're already comfortable with DSMLink V2, you really ought to download the client for V3 and see what's changed, as I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's barely the same product anymore (and that's a good thing); all the old "easy" stuff (basic sliders, etc) is there, but with a significant amount of additional control for more advanced users. (And the client software is dramatically better.)

If you're a hacker/tweaker, and don't mind spending quite a bit more time getting things up and running, the EcuFlash approach is very appealing just because of the flexibility. (I'm pretty biased toward the Evo stuff, but Ceddy's done some amazing things with the DSM ECUs; I still can't believe how quickly he came up to feature-parity with tephra, and I suspect he's been significantly less successful at collecting donations. That's a hint, everyone; you should send some money Ceddy's way if you found some value in what he's done.

Just know that it gives you all the rope in the world, including enough to hang yourself with. While you'll save a bit of money going this route (although with the introduction of V3lite, not a lot of money), you'll probably spend significantly more time. For me, that's a good tradeoff; I have a background that touches on this stuff, and I enjoy the hell out of hacking on my ECU (ie. if you enjoy embedded systems programming or design, this is the choice for you, without question).

Other folks, though, just want their car's electronics to work, and get flustered quickly when they don't understand why things aren't behaving as expected. Be honest with yourself about your skill level; if the CeddyMod thread (or the content of Ceddy's website) went over your head, try reading it through again, and trying to formulate specific questions that you have (and ask them, please!).

But, if you can't be specific about what it is that you're not getting, this is probably going to be an uphill direction to take. (Not impossible, just difficult.)

 

[wird06DSM]

Thank you so much, reading that helped my decide. I think i will go with v3 ( being I have touched on it before). Possibly go wit the ceddymod in the future just for a learning curve.

 

[tkelly27]

Evoscan is awesome. I got to use it on a 2G and it does so many cool things. I'm not sure what link's logger provides, but evoscan was just amazing with the range of cars it can do and things it can log.

With the cable and software you can do a lot more than just your car, and go beyond even DSM/EVO platforms. As far as I know link is limited to the car it is on. With the cost of the cable and evoscan being less than the cost of a 95 ECU, I would definitely try it, even if you are getting link. You might even be able to make friends with those dumb subaru guys...

http://www.tactrix.com/index.php?op...s&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=17&Itemid=53

 

[mike96]

You might even be able to make friends with those dumb subaru guys...

hey watch it buddy..... them there is fight'n words.... I'z own a Subaru, and i ain't dumb.....

 

[wird06DSM]

what exactly did cedy add to the program?

 

[logic]

List of features.

 

[twdorris]

But, I'll echo Tom's usual sentiment here: I can swap back and forth between SD and a MAF on my Evo all day long, and you'd have no idea which I was running, because they both work just fine.

Fantastic summary, Ed. Thanks,

Thomas Dorris
ECMTuning, Inc.

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

An EVO ecu and flashable ECU are basically identical. Any Tephra mods that are available for the EVO ecu can be patched into the 2g ECU. I have all of them available on my ECU.

 

[_Madman_]

I'd say the 98/99 is the easiest route if you are slowly starting to learn. It's basically all stock and you can add features, tweak maps one step at a time.

Unfortunately there is a problem with 95/96 CAS sensors that applies to 98/99 ECU, and I think to EVO ECUs as well.

Some people don't notice them, but if you don't swap the CAS or wait for patch, then you might run into detonation/knocking/misfire issues.

Still, the logging with EvoScan is super sweet, EcuFlash is extremely trivial to work with, and you have your ECU back to stock in 2 seconds if you want.

 

[jrohner]

I got rid of my EPROM ECU and went with the Evo 8 ECU (before the 98/99 flashing began), buying an Evo 8 ECU on ebay for like $56. I am now running a 99 ECU; so far it's simpler, and I'm sure I'm going to stick with it.


With a 98/99 ECU and ceddymod with ECUFlash, I'm not really sure what the 'learning curve' statements or that requires a lot of extra knowledge are referring to, as all the maps are right there staring you in the face in ECUFlash and you change what you want. I don't know how it gets much simpler than that.

The ECU 8 ECU's can get more complicated because there are so many different ROM's available, and you'd about crap yourself when you see all the maps in ECUFlash it's ridiculous. It's getting a little better now that most Evo 8's are all going to the Australian 96530006 ROM as the 'Universal Evo 8 ROM'. This rom is good for use with the 2G DSM's as well; swap a few wires, disable the immobilizer security (change a 1 to a 0, anyone should be able to handle that), and set the MAF settings as described in the Evo 8 ECU in a 2G thread, and you're ready to tune.

If you have a 95-96, either put in a 1G or 97+ CAS, or swap your plug AND injector wires and you should be good to go.



The way link users talk, I'd swear link automatically installs itself, tunes itself, gives you an extra 42hp over the same tune on something different, and gives you a laptop and teaches you how to use that too. Sure V3 looks great, if you really want it GET IT and I'm sure you probably won't be disappointed (I would be once I look at my bank account after ordering). If you want to save some bucks the answer is right here.

 

[wird06DSM]

So its sounds like the evo 8 ecu or do the 98/99 would be the best. I have ecu flash on my computer, but i dont have any maps to play around with to learn the program. Does anyone have a map i can use to learn the program while the car is off the road? I might end up doing the ECU flash due to the price(budget is running low )

 

[Scientist]

Download the map from ceddy's website or the thread

 

[wird06DSM]

Being I seem slow in the head, I need to make sure i got this right. For the Ceddymod setup . I need Openport, Ecuflsh, Evoscan, 98/99 flashable ecu. Am I missing anything, Thanks for working we me on this ppl, Either im slow or its the pain meds for my arm .

 

[logic]

Correct. Actually, you need that combination for both a 98/99 ECU as well as an Evo ECU. The only difference as far as tools go is that with an Evo ECU, you can get away with an OpenPort 1.3 cable, rather than 2.0. (You can use a 2.0 cable with either ECU, but 1.3U will only work with an Evo ECU.)

So, your costs in both cases are for the OpenPort cable (1.3U for $137 from Hamish, or 2.0 for $169 from Colby, plus whatever they charge for shipping), an EvoScan license ($25 and a download), and an ECU of your choice (varies quite a bit; you need to be patient to get a good deal, as with all things). You'll also need to download EcuFlash ("free", with purchase of cable).

 

[97ebaygst]

can anyone give me advice of the proper way to download the rom from ceddy. I've tried to do it but i can't seem to get it to download to come up on ecuflash. any advice?

 

[logic]

Download the RAR file that Ceddy makes available. You'll need to open this with a RAR extractor program of some kind; I'm a fan of 7-Zip (free) if I'm stuck using Windows.

Once you uncompress it, you'll have two files: "20550011.xml" and "20550011-mod-1v9b7-MAF.hex", along with a few directories (ignore those for now).

Place "20550011.xml" in "C:\Program Files\OpenECU\EcuFlash\rommetadata\mitsubishi\eclipse".

Now, open EcuFlash, and open up "20550011-mod-1v9b7-MAF.hex" with it. It should load properly.

If it doesn't, we'll need to know the exact error message you're seeing on your screen.

 

[97ebaygst]

Download the RAR file that Ceddy makes available. You'll need to open this with a RAR extractor program of some kind; I'm a fan of 7-Zip (free) if I'm stuck using Windows.

Once you uncompress it, you'll have two files: "20550011.xml" and "20550011-mod-1v9b7-MAF.hex", along with a few directories (ignore those for now).

Place "20550011.xml" in "C:\Program Files\OpenECU\EcuFlash\rommetadata\mitsubishi\eclipse".

Now, open EcuFlash, and open up "20550011-mod-1v9b7-MAF.hex" with it. It should load properly.

If it doesn't, we'll need to know the exact error message you're seeing on your screen.

ok i've got the file open in 7-zip but i can't figure out how to get it into the program file your mentioning. I tried dragging it over the ecuflash window and that didn't work. the error message that came up was "ecu does not recognize rom using current definition." then it ask if I want to create a new definition.
what am I doing wrong?

 

[logic]

Just drag the files from within 7-Zip into the folders you want them in.

So, for example, open up "My Computer", and go to "C:\Program Files\OpenECU\EcuFlash\rommetadata\mitsubishi\eclipse", then drag-and-drop the file "20550011.xml" from 7-Zip into that folder. Then, I'd probably just drag and drop the file "20550011-mod-1v9b7-MAF.hex" onto your desktop so it's easy to work with.

Next, run EcuFlash, and drag-and-drop the "20550011-mod-1v9b7-MAF.hex" file you just put on your desktop into the main window of EcuFlash. You should see a whole series of information appear in the left pane, something like this:

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Hope that helps!

 

[Scientist]

Don't forget to relaunch ECU flash if it was open while copying the definition file