RomRaider

Edit: This post isn't kept up to date, and better information is available in the FAQ.

When I first started writing RomRaider, the exposure was quite limited and everyone using it had been in the 'scene' for a while -- basically, openecu.org and tari forums. The word is getting out now, and a lot of the new people don't know a lot of the basics about the young open-source tuning scene. This post is intended to give a little bit of background and give you an overview of what you can now do (for free!) and how.

Everything started on openecu.org. There, Colby started writing ECU Flash, with the ability to download and reflash ROM images to your ECU through the Subaru Select Protocol. This protocol uses your OBD-II port with an SSM cable. Currently, the cable of choice is the Open Port 1.2, available at tactrix.com. This is currently the only cable supported for downloading and reflashing images. ECU Flash now supports most Subaru ECUs, and new versions will be available soon for Mitsubishi and Mini.

At first, people downloaded all these images without any convenient way to edit them. Hex analyzers and editors were about the only option, and was limited to computer savvy users with a lot of patience. This is why I started writing RomRaider. RomRaider provides an environment familiar to tuners, with the ability to alter literally all of the stock ECU's parameters.

RomRaider's most important feature is its XML ECU definition system. This definition system will allow computer nerds to create definitions for any ECU image you can download from an ECU. Projects exist for older Mitsubishis, Hondas, Fords, GMs and many others. In the near future, a GUI will be developed allowing users to create these definitions without needing to edit the XML by hand.

Alright, now that you've got an idea of where we've come from, I'll get on to actually using RomRaider. As I haven't had any experience with other manufacturers, this guide will concentrate on Subaru ECUs. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to expand this to apply to other or all manufacturers.

The first step is to use ECU Flash or Tari ecuExplorer to download and back up an image from your car. This process is described on Scoobypedia, a tuning guide dedicated to Subarus. Creating a backup is very important, as you'll be able to revert to stock if you ever choose to. It's a good idea to keep a copy of your image online, somewhere like openecu's rom forums.

Once you've got a copy of your image, you can open it in RomRaider and take a look. You can download RomRaider here. Currently, most modern Subaru ECUs are supported, with ECUs from other manufacturers coming soon. If you receive an error stating your image is not supported, the ECU definition forum is the place to either ask for help or gather the information to create one yourself. When requesting a definition, you should upload a copy of your image for the developers to reference.

When you're ready to actually tune your car, you'll of course need a datalogger. Tari's ecuExplorer is the most commonly used free logger for Subaru applications, and will also flash images. Unfortunately, there is no built-in wideband AFR logging yet, but it is only a matter of time. Actual tuning theory is beyond the scope of this article, so I'll skip that. Realtime tuning is also not yet supported, so you'll have to make your changes and then reflash the ECU each time. Calvin of Tari is currently working on implementing realtime tuning, but until then, this is the only option.

Reflashing a new image is basically the same as downloading one. Again, Scoobypedia already has a great guide to doing so.

And that's that. Hopefully, this guide will help new users understand how to get started in this young process. Enjoy!

Thanks alot for useful information. This is what I've been looking for.

the only thing i am not yet able to do is to....
install the open port 1.2 on my computer
i am really a noob in computer using!! does it work with windows XP SP2..?
thanks

Try installing [url=http://openecu.org/openport%20drivers/win98ME2kXP/R9052154.zip[/url]this driver[/url].

Link has some extra characters, use this one:

http://openecu.org/openport%20drivers/w ... 052154.zip

yes i took it from openecu but impossible to install it successfully...
i'll try to connect the ECU with it to see...

just to be sure in the zip file i must launch FTDIUNIN.EXE and thta's all?

I think that file is the uninstaller. What you should be doing is finding the cable in device manager and installing the drivers that way.