switched to mini-usb cable....eureka!!

[Cablebandit]

I havent used my RR in awhile cause its so damn flakey. Today i opened the case....switched to a mini usb cable and now it rocks and rolls. Finally able to do some real time boost-ve tuning with my RR. It never hiccuped or anything so maybe that ribbon cable was the prob cause I tried all day to get it to work and it did nothing until I installed the mini usb cable. It runs in native usb mode just like u guys said. I am SOOOOO glad to have this thing back working properly.

[joecar]

Cablebandit,

Good job...:cheers:...post pics if you can.

[Cablebandit]

too late....i already installed it. Just took about 1000 miles off my MT DRs tuning WOT down my street...not one hiccup.....wish i would have done this a long time ago

[hquick]

Good job.
Mine was exactly the same.

Joe....I posted pic's of the mini USB installation a while back.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/hquick/0411%20PCM/P8030194.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/hquick/0411%20PCM/P8030196.jpg

[joecar]

Howard, yes you did (I had forgot), thanks...:cheers:

[hquick]

For anyone else reading....you MUSTCOMPLETELY REMOVE that ribbon cable in the top pic and throw it as far as possible.

[5.7ute]

For anyone else reading....you MUSTCOMPLETELY REMOVE that ribbon cable in the top pic and throw it as far as possible.

How far was that Howard?
Funnily enough my roadrunner has never had an issue since I got a laptop without wireless internet.(apart from one efilive build that was known to cause an issue) Must be one of the lucky ones I guess.

[hquick]

Lol! well....it's pretty light so won't go far...and then you'll just have to go and pick it up anyway....but the thought was there.
I used a RR from Mick.S...and it worked fine for the 6 months he loaned it to me.
Mine....just gave me grief until I did the mini (USB B) USB conversion.

[limited cv8r]

license wise, how do you loan an RR.

[hquick]

I think...from memory...the RR was licenced to the PCM/Cable which I bought from Mick.

[limited cv8r]

So you are saying you borrowed his RR as well as his V1,V2 cable?

[hquick]

I bought it all (cable and PCM it was licensed to) except the RR.
I then bought the RR guts kit and installed it in that PCM and bought the RR/EFILive licence for the RR.

[hquick]

I guess what this all means is....if you have a friend who is trying to tune their car, you can loan them your PCM, cable etc and they can use the RR (as long as their car uses the same type of PCM).
Then you'd need to buy a licence to flash the RR acquired tune into their PCM.
Only thing which may be needed is a crank relearn...depending on type of vehicle I guess.

[Cablebandit]

yours looks much nicer. I removed the stock plug that Moates supplies...ran cable thru taht hole and gorilla taped it :)

[hquick]

Thanks.
If I had realized this would work so well I'd have gone through the original hole also.
Being an electrician, getting those little glands is no issue.
They're also readily available from any electronics stores (radio shack).

[mr.prick]

I feel bad for you guys,
without the ribbon connector how can you use Bluetooth?

I had connection problems long ago.
Firmware 12.14R cured that.

[hquick]

What does the bluetooth dongle look like? Will it plug straight into a normal USB socket?

[mr.prick]

No.
It's pinned differently than the USB cable.

[5.7ute]

I only used my bluetooth for 1 day & then changed it back to usb. Connection issues with the laptop were driving me crazy. Plus the fact you need the key power on to communicate with this method meant it wouldnt do what I was attempting.

[mr.prick]

You need a PC with a good BT stack.
I have 2 that have BT modems, an HP and a Sony.
The HP can't keep connection but the Sony never fails.
The Sony uses a Toshiba BT stack and the HP has it's own BT stack.

[mr.prick]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/hquick/0411%20PCM/P8030196.jpg

What is that collar around the USB cable?
Does it keep the cable from being pulled out?

[nevinsb]

Can't really tell from the picture, but it is either a strain relief, or he bought a sealed connector for the USB cable.

[hquick]

It's a cable gland. It seals around the cable as well as giving it some support and stops it being pulled out.

[98 tigershark]

I saw this exact thing on GM performance forum a few weeks back. So this is what they did to keep the thing from falling off?
98 tigershark

[Chuck CoW]

Any body got a part # for the gland (strain relief) or know where to get that size.....?

Sounds like a good idea....My 1 meg unit has been giving me trouble.

Chuck CoW

[mr.prick]

:iamwithstupid:
What's the part number and how did you get the head of the USB cable thru it?

[N0DIH]

I gotta get off my duff and mod up my RR, I have a nice through hole USB weatherproof connector for mine.

Got it all, just need to get my RR out of the car....

[hquick]

Hey guys...sorry for the delayed reply.
Just arrived home from the US a couple of hours ago.
I'm sure you could get the glands from somewhere like RS Components (online) or maybe Radio Shack. Not sure what retailers you have over there. I would suggest removing the existing 'supplied' socket and ribbon cable altogether and going through that hole.
I used a knife to cut the molded plastic from the mini USB plug and then de-soldered the fitting, passed it through the gland and then re-soldered it. I then slipped a piece of heatshrink over it to give it a bit of support and maintain it's insulation properties. Sounds like alot of stuffing around but compared to the frustrations of having the RR drop out all the time....it took about 2hrs in total and NO MORE ISSUES!!! :banana:

[hquick]

:iamwithstupid:
What's the part number and how did you get the head of the USB cable thru it?


http://australia.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=searchProducts&searchTerm=362-0130&x=21&y=14

I'm sure they can be bought for only a couple of dollars.