Longer delays with BBL & other changes

[Kevin Doe]

I have been part of the BBL beta testing since pretty much the beginning. I had a long pause between the most recent update to build 66, and all of the other updated firmware, etc. I have noticed a few things that I don't like in the new version (although it may have changed in some versions earlier, and I didn't know because I took a 2 month break from the BBL beta testing).

1. When I select the PID list, it does not take me to the datalogging screen like it previously did. I liked that, because that is what I do everytime after I select PIDs. Now it takes more clicks on the FlashScan while I'm driving, which I do not like.

2. There is a significantly longer delay between pressing the record data button and the start of the log. It seems like an eternity when I'm trying to catch something in a log quickly. Why the big delay, and can it be shorter like it was previously?

[joecar]

Kevin, I pm'd Paul.

[Blacky]

You can now set up "quick select" keys fo select your PID list. Or you can set up FlashScan so that it *always* selects the MRU (most recently used) PID selection when you power it up.

Quick select keys are Ctrl+F1 .. Ctrl+F4 and can be assigned to four unique PID selections in the Options.ini file. Pressing one of the four quick select keys will select the associated PIDs with just one key stroke.

To have the MRU PID selection autiomatically selected, set the AutoPIDs setting to "Yes" in FlashScan's setup options. When this setting is active, it can take a little bit loinger to power up FlashScan because it *always* selects the MRU PID selection, even if you want to do something that does not require PID selection. Also, when you do make a different PID selection it will take a little longer because it has to save your selection to flash memory so that it can recall irt after a power off - power on cycle.

After starting a log (where it takes a long time to start), stop it immediately (so that the traced buffers don't overflow) and save a trace file and send it to me at paul@efilive.com. Include a link to this thread so I know what it is about.

Regards
Paul

[Kevin Doe]

Email sent with trace file.

[Blacky]

1. When I select the PID list, it does not take me to the datalogging screen like it previously did. I liked that, because that is what I do everytime after I select PIDs. Now it takes more clicks on the FlashScan while I'm driving, which I do not like.

One thing I forgot to mention is that pressing the Start Logging button (the key with the zero on it) will start data logging immediately.

So the start-up would normally be something like this:

1. Turn on ignition
2. Connect FlashScan to vehicle
3. Press Ctrl+F1 to select one of four "quick start" PID selections.
4. Press Start logging to start logging data.

Regards
Paul

[Blacky]

2. There is a significantly longer delay between pressing the record data button and the start of the log. It seems like an eternity when I'm trying to catch something in a log quickly. Why the big delay, and can it be shorter like it was previously?

Are you seeing a delay significantly larger than 4.5 seconds?

I went through the log file and the data logging start up is taking about 4.5 seconds:


1 Second is taken up programming the selected PIDs into the controller.
3 seconds is taken up waiting for the FAT32 log file to be created in the flash memory or on the SD card (whichever you have selected).
0.5 seconds is taken up retrieving the VIN and OS.

Logging to an SD card should start more quickly as SD cards are optimized to work with FAT32 file systems, the internal flash memory is not.

Also note that smaller SD cards (32, 64, 128 and 512Mb) can be faster than larger cards (1Gb or more) because their internal block structure is smaller. That makes them faster when writing multiple small blocks of data (as used in FAT32 file systems).

Regards
Paul

[Kevin Doe]

4.5 seconds might be right. Seems like a long ass time when I'm ready to start a race or something. It is also a lot longer than the first log I do during a session, and longer than it used to be.

I am logging to an SD card, 2GB.

[Kevin Doe]

Actually now that I think about it, after I put the new firmware on the Flash Scan, I never set it back to log to the SD card. Does it default back to the internal flash?

[Blacky]

Actually now that I think about it, after I put the new firmware on the Flash Scan, I never set it back to log to the SD card. Does it default back to the internal flash?

It should not default to anything unless the Settings.dat file is deleted from the [Config] tab page in EFILive_Explorer. Which can also happen if you reformat the [Config] file system.

However, the default setting for the File System value is SD Card, not internal memory.

Regards
Paul