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Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 7:18 pm
by woody90gtz
Time for a how-to thread on this subject. I have some good links to point you in the right direction. My experience is with the v6 7730/$A1 and an AutoProm, but there are lots of ways to do it.

Gearhead-Efi.com is a good source of knowledge on GM OBD1 tuning for the DIY'er. This is the link for their information on 7730/$A1:
http://www.gearhead-efi.com/Fuel-Inject ... rmation-A1

V6Z24.com also has a lot of information specific to the FWDs that can be viewed here:
http://www.v6z24.com/jbodyforum/getting ... 73503.html
http://www.v6z24.com/jbodyforum/tuning-faq-t102758.html

TO DATA LOG:
All you need to buy is a cable - that's it! The cable plugs in to your OBD1 port under the dash and transmits the ALDL stream to your laptop. Here is the cheapest cable I know of, and it helps support gearhead-efi.com:
http://www.gearhead-efi.com/Fuel-Inject ... LDL-Cables
Edit: if they are unavailable from there, they are also sold at http://www.aldlcable.com/

You need software and the proper definition to receive and translate the ALDL stream, both are free. TunerPro RT is online for you to download, and the definitions can be grabbed at either gearhead or z24 in the links above.
http://www.tunerpro.net/downloadApp.htm

TO TUNE:
To tune you will also need chips and a burner on the hardware side. I use an AutoProm from Moates, but you could also use a Burn1 or other cheaper alternatives. An AutoProm is nice because it will read, burn and emulate BIN files. You can also use it to datalog, negating the need for a separate ALDL cable.
http://www.moates.net/gm-19851995-c-64.html
http://www.moates.net/c2-sst-27sf512-ch ... l?cPath=26

On the software side you will need the BIN you are running and its definition - the XDF. These are available at gearhead or z24. Once you load the BIN and XDF in TunerPro it is pretty self-explanatory. After you have made the changes you want, you burn the BIN to a new chip and install it in your ECM.

Any other questions just ask and I will update this post.

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 2:31 pm
by DOHC_tuner
Ive been waiting for something like this for a long time. Time to work this into a Quad 4 mind set.

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 3:13 pm
by weba
I have multiple files for Quads plus ALDL stream files that I changed to use real units (Km/h, Celsius) if any of you Europeans need them. Those for 3.1MPFI and Quad, and 1993 ABS computer.

I only recommed the Autoprom, so much easier. Also ZIF socket to ECM if you plan to swap chips anytime soon.


Slightly offtopic, but has anyone ever seen Airbag computer datastream file? :( I'd like to know what's throwing on the light....

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 6:28 pm
by woody90gtz
Is there a separate datastream for the airbag stuff?

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 4:41 pm
by DOHC_tuner
I skimmed through the thread from your link for datalogging. So does he still make that cable? The thread seems as if people are backing out because he does not have a supplier for the parts. Is it needed to tune as well along with the moates unit? Or can i bypass that home-made cable if im not looking to just data logg but tune as well.

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 6:57 pm
by woody90gtz
You dont need the cable if you have an AutoProm. I actually have both because I bought the cable first. And I actually bought mine through http://www.aldlcable.com/ before Robert was offering them. I'll revise the main post.

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 11:22 pm
by speedy
is there any gain to this on my gtz? i have a stock set up with a w41 chip, pnp head and eventually ported exhaust mani and intake mani with a bigger tb. but would me buying the cable, downloading the program, and hooking it up give me any gains? and what is the advantage if so, im very new to this so if this question sounds dumb, well, i totally understand, haha

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:54 am
by weba
Even if you would not tune it,

Troubleshooting!
I can't even think about doing anything with these cars without ability to read what ECM knows from computer screen @ real time.. any other way is just guessing.

Woody, yes there are separate datastreams for each computer, ECM, ABS and Airbag, never found the file for last one :(

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:00 am
by woody90gtz
Datalogging itself is just for diagnostics. It lets you monitor exactly what the computer is seeing from its sensors and how it is responding to it.

Your setup is probably close enough to stock the o2 may correct the calibration pretty well on its own, but with any cam change it is probably a good idea to dial it in...but a W41 chip with a W41 cam should be pretty damn close. But if you datalog and see that the BLM and INT are swinging around then your VE table should get fixed by burning a new chip. And you can do some other things really easily like deleting EGR, raising the governor, etc.

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:02 am
by woody90gtz
Interesting weba, are they all reported through the ALDL pot under the dash?

Speedy, even when my truck was stock...datalogging proved invaluable. It was the only way I found out what my dumbass 4L60E was doing.

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 1:59 pm
by RobertISaar
92-93 airbag = A125
93-94 airbag = A242

i've built the A125 definition before, but i never bothered with A242 apparently, it's not in my archive.

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 8:01 am
by weba
Woody, yes

RobertISaar, do you have the A125 in hand?

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 10:00 am
by RobertISaar
ADS and if necessary ADX version is good to go.

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 2:19 am
by zcylex
Theres a tutorial on gearhead-efi on how to do the cable yourself with an arduino FT232RL then you just need to coonect TX+RX on pin M (for 8192 baud) and it should work, however i have not found any definitions for my 1988 beretta gt with LB6 and 1227730 ECM(ARCL) only a few ads files on the tuner pro website but nothing concrete for my car, i allready ordered the arduino chip as its going to help me in other project(not car related)

Any help on getting the definition xdf and bins for my car/ECM? (Dont want to tune, just datalog)

Thanks in advance

PS:i read that my mask is supposed to be $46 but i can't find it anywere(unless you count the 20$ tunercats as for them definitions)

Re: Datalogging and/or tuning your OBD1 Beretta

Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:52 am
by RobertISaar
if you're looking to datalog only, the XDF and BIN is of no importance to you. you'll only need the ADS/ADX.

being an 88, if it never got the MAF disable recall done, then yes, it would be $46 or perhaps $55. the MAF disable update changed them to $6D.

i don't have an ARCL BIN on-hand, but it was released 11/23/1988, so was likely used for 89 model year as well, which shouldn't have had a MAF from the factory, so 6D.

i'm certain i've built the ADS(which can be imported for use as an ADX with a fix applied) for that application already, i would have to look in my archive to see if it has been uploaded to the TP site already.