Building A PC To Tune A Car?

[Skymountcs]

So I got what I'd say is a pretty neat request from a friend/customer today. He want's me to build him a laptop that is capable of programming cars for performance. Here's what he sent me:

"Be able to tune cars and do programming for cars has to be able to keep up with engine rpm's not freeze up have good battery life uh be Abel to run multiple programs simultaneously and still operate fine"

I mean I know computers well but I am not knowledgeable when it comes to automobiles. I'm getting that he want's a powerful system but I'm obviously going to tell him that long battery life is not something that would come easy for this type of machine... BUT on to my question.

Has anyone else ever done something like this or worked with a machine of this sort? I'm not sure what sort of software would be needed for this type of work. I'm just looking for some leads to do some research if anyone knows of it.

EDIT: After doing some research I'm not even sure if what he want's exists. I might just recommend he get a standalone device made for that purpose.

Thanks ahead of time

-Bryan

 

[Tekko]

So I got what I'd say is a pretty neat request from a friend/customer today. He want's me to build him a laptop that is capable of programming cars for performance. Here's what he sent me:

"Be able to tune cars and do programming for cars has to be able to keep up with engine rpm's not freeze up have good battery life uh be Abel to run multiple programs simultaneously and still operate fine"

I mean I know computers well but I am not knowledgeable when it comes to automobiles. I'm getting that he want's a powerful system but I'm obviously going to tell him that long battery life is not something that would come easy for this type of machine... BUT on to my question.

Has anyone else ever done something like this or worked with a machine of this sort? I'm not sure what sort of software would be needed for this type of work. I'm just looking for some leads to do some research if anyone knows of it.

Thanks ahead of time

-Bryan

Usually I prefer netbooks for this purpose, but then again I usually just leave the netbook in the garage.

Find out if he wants a separate laptop for just this purpose. If so the most Ideal machine will be a lightweight machine with a SSD(optional of course) and a serial port.

If he wants a multipurpose machine just find him a nice laptop with a serial port.

 

[mraikes]

You may need more info about how your friend actually connects to the vehicles.

As an IT guy for large Chevrolet and Nissan dealerships, I can tell you that at least for late model vehicles under those brands, laptops don't directly connect to the vehicle. They interface (often wirelessly) with an MDI or other device that are the intermediary between the vehicle and laptop.

If that's also the case for your friend, you need to get the minimum manufacturer's specs for the computer required to connect/manage the MDI/etc. Some of them will be very picky about the processor, memory and operating system.

 

[parker.casey]

So I got what I'd say is a pretty neat request from a friend/customer today. He want's me to build him a laptop that is capable of programming cars for performance. Here's what he sent me:

"Be able to tune cars and do programming for cars has to be able to keep up with engine rpm's not freeze up have good battery life uh be Abel to run multiple programs simultaneously and still operate fine"

I mean I know computers well but I am not knowledgeable when it comes to automobiles. I'm getting that he want's a powerful system but I'm obviously going to tell him that long battery life is not something that would come easy for this type of machine... BUT on to my question.

Has anyone else ever done something like this or worked with a machine of this sort? I'm not sure what sort of software would be needed for this type of work. I'm just looking for some leads to do some research if anyone knows of it.

EDIT: After doing some research I'm not even sure if what he want's exists. I might just recommend he get a standalone device made for that purpose.

Thanks ahead of time

-Bryan

There's a reason that a very simplistic car tuning computer costs an arm and a leg. It isn't as simple as it seems. A standard PC isn't going to get the job done at all. I think you'll also find that there isn't really anything you could use for software ...

Basically, if you agree to do the job, you're going to regret it for a while to come. I would definitely have him just take it to a shop and have them use theirs. Unless he HAS a shop, then he needs to buy one.

 

[Tekko]

You may need more info about how your friend actually connects to the vehicles.

As an IT guy for large Chevrolet and Nissan dealerships, I can tell you that at least for late model vehicles under those brands, laptops don't directly connect to the vehicle. They interface (often wirelessly) with an MDI or other device that are the intermediary between the vehicle and laptop.

If that's also the case for your friend, you need to get the minimum manufacturer's specs for the computer required to connect/manage the MDI/etc. Some of them will be very picky about the processor, memory and operating system.

Very good information. But I'm betting all he needs is to tune an AFCI.

There's a reason that a very simplistic car tuning computer costs an arm and a leg. It isn't as simple as it seems. A standard PC isn't going to get the job done at all. I think you'll also find that there isn't really anything you could use for software ...

Basically, if you agree to do the job, you're going to regret it for a while to come. I would definitely have him just take it to a shop and have them use theirs. Unless he HAS a shop, then he needs to buy one.

You guys are over thinking this, there are hundreds of different pieces of software for aftermarket tuning products.

All he'll need is :

Laptop
Serial Port
Windows XP (Forgot to mention this in my forst post, XP is a must.)

And that's it!

 

[phaZed]

Most interface devices are USB based.. and don't require much horsepower(no pun intended) to run. I am knowledgeable in tuning Mitsubishi's and BMW's... because, well, that's what I owned/own. Basically I had to buy a $200 dongle that is USB. The software came with it. I can save "maps" or load default maps of the car's fuel/timing/etc. The BMW one is really cool because you can change all of the little stuff like "How long to keep interior lights on", "Beep the horn (or not) when alarm is armed", all sorts of things.


I would suspect he will be interfacing with OBDI or OBDII. Automobiles aren't going to be dumping loads of data onto the computer.. it's serial data.

Running the software will be more taxing on the computer than reading the car.

I would consider a netbook with a 6-8 hour extended battery. There is no need for an exotic system.

 

[Tekko]

DSMs and BMWs eh? You brave soul!

 

[mraikes]

....snipped.....

You guys are over thinking this, there are hundreds of different pieces of software for aftermarket tuning products.

All he'll need is :

Laptop
Serial Port
Windows XP (Forgot to mention this in my forst post, XP is a must.)

And that's it!

Easy to over think things when presented with so little information initially.

For example, XP is a "must-not" if he's want's to use current GM MDI, in which case Windows 7 Pro is required, not XP which is no longer officially supported. Might not matter at all, or it might be critical.

As said previously, OP needs to know more about his customer.

 

[Tekko]

Easy to over think things when presented with so little information initially.

For example, XP is a "must-not" if he's want's to use current GM MDI, in which case Windows 7 Pro is required, not XP which is no longer officially supported. Might not matter at all, or it might be critical.

As said previously, OP needs to know more about his customer.

There is no aftermarket software that utilizes GMs MDI interface. You need GM SPS to even use the device, its proprietary for a reason.

True he needs to confirm with his client, but it sounds like his client doesn't even know what he needs. As phazed pointed out a lot of the tuners are adapting to USB, but there are still plenty of things on each car scene that can be accessed via serial, and the USB adapters are a pain. So generally anyone tuning a car will need WXP, Serial, and a laptop.

 

[parker.casey]

1. Nobody knows the requirements of the customer.
2. Everything after that has been purely assumptions.


I recommend strongly that you do -not- even consider quoting your customer on anything, or agreeing to anything at all, until you get a WHOLE lot more info. Exactly what does the system need to do, exactly what does it need to interface with, and exactly what other requirements are there?

Do we even know if this is for his own car? This thing might be intended for use in a repair shop or something ... so in that case, the guy is looking for a cheaper solution to something off the shelf. Normally, not the time to call in random computer repair fellow to build it. Custom solutions are generally more costly up front, not less. There is some reasoning to that.

 

[phaZed]

DSMs and BMWs eh? You brave soul!

Ya, they treated me well. I had 2 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4's.. one was a 1992 Pearl White, and the other was a Red 1994. These things are BEASTS. All-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, twin turbo.. 320HP. I certainly had my share of speeding tickets : I didn't have any issues with these two cars... except that the Red VR-4's turbo bearing seal on the exhaust side started to go after putting Mobile one in.. changing from Valvoline dino. So I got two 14g turbo's and did the whole swap myself, which is no small feat:

So, after all that, I can get to this. The 14g's had a lot more lag in them, so I had to re-tune the car and adjust the curves for air/fuel vs. turbo psi, wastegate control, etc. It really wasn't hard to do as there were some "general purpose" base maps to get started with. Then it was simply tuning the car to get the most out of it. I was using Windows XP on a P3 laptop if I recall correctly. It was a Serial port interface (this was 2003?).

Now I have a 2000 BMW E46 daily driver, and I race (autocross) a 1996 BMW Z3 with my dad. So we have a few "dongles" for different things on the BMW's like the SRS/Airbag reader and reset tool, ODB II Reader... and something else that never gets used

The ODB II Reader is USB, works on XP/VISTA/7 and the software is geared towards BMW's and the extra features available on them. It will read other car's, but only the basic information.

 

[cyde_ePhex]

@Skymountcs

This might help:

Automotive Tuning Software...http://www.diyautotune.com/softwarelinks.htm
Software docs...http://www.megamanual.com/index.html

"The MegaTune Tuning Software
The Windows 9x/Me/XP software application you use to tune and configure your MegaSquirt® or MegaSquirt-II™ is called MegaTune by Eric Fahlgren. (Version 2.25 or higher is needed to work with MegaSquirt-II, all versions work with MegaSquirt®). You also need Windows 9x/Me/XP on a computer (a laptop or notebook computer if you want to tune in the car) and a conventional serial port to communicate with MegaSquirt-II. USB will may work, and many people have reported that they have been successful using a USB-serial adapter. Just about any computer that is capable of booting Windows 95 (or better) will be fast enough, but get the fastest laptop computer you think is reasonably priced, obviously."

Good luck

 

[Skymountcs]

Thank you for so many replies everyone! Yes I agree that I need a bit more info from him. He isn't a priority customer but more of a friend who is looking to start his own garage in the future. I will ask him more about what he wants and if he already has plans of how to use it. Thank you for the input guys, I appreciate it.

I will post more info after I speak with him.