LOG doesn't get written IF car shuts down first

[Highlander]

Hello,

If I have the V2 logging the car and for some reason I shut off the car w/o hitting escape on the scantool, when I go check back it has a 2kb file only :(

Any way to solve this?

Thanks

[joecar]

When you shutdown, did V2 still have power...?

Did you remove V2 without first pressing Cancel to stop logging and close the file...?

[Highlander]

Yes

[Blacky]

If power is lost to the OBDII port (or FlashScan is unplugged) before you press Cancel to stop the log then the file is not written to flash memory correctly.

It is exactly the same situation as removing a floppy disk from a floppy drive while the PC has open files on the floppy disk. In the PC's case, it throws up an "Abort/Retry/Fail" option. In FlashScan's case, it just discards the data.

Make sure when you turn off the ignition that FlashScan is not rebooting, which would indicate a power cycle occurred.

Regards
Paul

[swingtan]

I found that at times simply turning off the ignition before halting a BBL session will drop the data from the log. You end up with a 2KB header file with no data. The header actually has the correct frame count, there's just no data in the log file.

I don't think it's a power issue, at the ODBII port in my car always has power on it. However it may be that the ECM does a reset on ignition off and this interrupts the ODBII data, zeroing any stored, but as yet not saved, data in the V2. Thinking about how the V2 would be saving data to the SD card, I'm thinking that it writes data to the SD card as an internal buffer fills, then when you stop the session, it writes the <EOF> to the current block count in the V2. If the V2 forgets the block count for some reason, it may just save the default "header length" file.

Simon

[Blacky]

I found that at times simply turning off the ignition before halting a BBL session will drop the data from the log.

It should not do that. I've never had that happen.
There is nothing the PCM can do that would cause the file data to be lost.

The only time I've seen the 2K file (and it is always consistent) is if power is removed from FlashScan before the file is closed - even if power is dropped for a few milliseconds it will cause a problem.

I have spent a long time trying to fix it so that only the last few frames (whatever was in the RAM buffer) of data were lost but I have not been successful yet.

Regards
Paul

[Highlander]

Well.. it is not power cycling.. it will still keep in the log screen... but when you start the car over you will see that the frames are NOT counting up...
I have tried to reproduce it many times.. but.. its not doing it...

BTW paul.. The same as the Ctrl + Fx shortcut to select the controller.. can you have another shortcut to automatically start and be done???

Thank you!

[swingtan]

I've been thinking about a fix for the power loss thing and I'm close on hacking something up. It is certainly "NOT" a simple fix though as it would involve installing a lithium battery in the V2 to hold power if the ODBII power is lost ( actually if set up right it would hold power for both ODBII and USB ). This would keep power to the internal systems for those times when you pull the cable and forget to halt the log. I'll try a few tests tonight and see if I can get some more test files.

Simon

[Blacky]

BTW paul.. The same as the Ctrl + Fx shortcut to select the controller.. can you have another shortcut to automatically start and be done???
Thank you!

Use the 0 button to start logging.

Or do you mean an option to make the Ctrl+Fx button do two things:
1. Select the PIDs
and then
2. Automatically start logging?
(Which is a good idea).

Paul

[Blacky]

I've been thinking about a fix for the power loss thing and I'm close on hacking something up. It is certainly "NOT" a simple fix though as it would involve installing a lithium battery in the V2 to hold power if the ODBII power is lost ( actually if set up right it would hold power for both ODBII and USB ). This would keep power to the internal systems for those times when you pull the cable and forget to halt the log. I'll try a few tests tonight and see if I can get some more test files.

Simon

A battery would have been a good thing to have in V2. It would solve the log file issue and it would keep the real time clock updated.

It is high on the priority list for FlashScan V3....

Regards
Paul

[Highlander]

V3?????????????????????????????? ARE WE GETTING A TECH 2 DEVICE??? jajajaja

[joecar]

No, better than a Tech 2... (and now Paul is including a blind full flash feature).

[Highlander]

I want to be able to flash BCMs and stuff like that :D

I know i know.. it goes way out of scope of this tuning world but hey.. one can only dream :)

What about adding ford?

[joecar]

Oh, yeah the BCM... what a little trouble maker (...on the F-car GM did not connect it to the serial bus...). :)