is this chip any good do you know

Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:50 pm

Sorry to hear you weren't happy with this chip Munky, though to be fair fitting any part to "a knackered old m20" isn't the truest of tests! It is designed for the later 1988-on M20B25s with 173/380/381 ECUs, which may explain the problems you encountered.

I have today spoken to Sal (M5pilot) of Evolve Automotive as a result of this thread, and have sent him one of these chips to independently dyno test.

Cheers,

Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:56 pm

tbh, the higher redline was good... and it put out satisfactory figures on a rr.

But the mpg was shocking and the amount it overfuelled was a tad scary.

And to be fair... most e30's have 'knackered old m20's' :lol:

But yeah, I have no real complaint as it seems other things were a factor, I just wasnt impressed.

Do you want it back? tenner delivered and you can sell it on... I wont tell anyone.

good one on the dyno test, will be interesting to see the results.

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:12 pm

Just out of interest cos this is a fairly active thread, what exactly is the difference between the Evolve chip and the A-tech chip? In layman's terms would be good - ie mpg, fuelling, increase in bhp and torque etc.

Just interested as Ant did some reprogramming on my car (I don't know if that means he put in an A-tech chip or just reprogrammed the original ECU, or whether that's the same thing - he described it as "a little tweak because he couldn't help himself"), and it's made a huge difference - not really a fair test though as he also fixed the TPS, changed it to the right AFM, and the right ECU too.

Lost the old kick in the back at 3k, and found I've got smoother progression right from 1500rpm, and I'm keeping up with all the modern traffic for a change (beat a 1.2 Polo the other day!

- the joys of having a 320i eh?)

Are all these "chips" just reprogrammed ECUs? Never actually seen them...

Sorry for the newbieness, not dealt with ECUs etc much yet (but I have got quite good at rear suspension out of necessity!)

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:13 pm

OK Munky, I'll happily buy it back - please PM me with an address to send Paypal/cheque to.

Cheers,

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:15 pm

now thats service!

Appreciated.

yhpm (in a sec)

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:16 pm

The 'chips' we are referring to here are 28-pin EPROM (Eraseable Programmable Read Only Memory) chips that reside in the ECU, and are used to store the engine management settings.

It is possible to reprogram the original EPROM chip by first erasing it with ultraviolet (UV) light to blank it then burning in the new program.

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:45 pm

Speedtouch wrote:The 'chips' we are referring to here are 28-pin EPROM (Eraseable Programmable Read Only Memory) chips that reside in the ECU, and are used to store the engine management settings.

It is possible to reprogram the original EPROM chip by first erasing it with ultraviolet (UV) light to blank it then burning in the new program.

So whatever Ant did in a few min with a stock ECU will have just been altering variables within a fixed program then? It's not like being able to connect a laptop, wipe everything and install a new program, it actually requires a fair bit of work with UV lights etc?

Interesting anyway - he had some pretty good equipment, I was impressed to see someone who knew their stuff with old electronics.

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:50 pm

uv lights wipe chips?!

Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:38 pm

Yes, EPROM chips have a glass window (usually concealed beneath a label) that enables them to be erased by putting them in a UV eraser box for between 30-60 minutes which then blanks them, so that they are ready for reprogramming again. This is why the Zone Chip Fitting Guide says don't open the ECU box in a room with fluorescent lighting, just in case. Sunlight will also erase them if left long enough.

AFAIK, you can't add any extra program to it once it's been programmed and verified but I stand to be corrected.

Not exactly sure what Ant did - you'll have to ask him!

Munky, your cheque has been sent

Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:43 pm

Well you learn a new thing every day.

Didnt think a light source would be able to affect a silicon chip like that but I dont really understand them anyway.

Much appreciated, Will ship the chip off as soon as it clears.

Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:49 pm

Silicon chips are wonderful things, that make many things possible, including this Internet malarkey!

In fact, many of the dreaded CCTV cameras employed by Big Brother are light-sensitive chips, hmm, maybe they're not so great after all

Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:09 pm

[quote="Speedtouch"]Yes, EPROM chips have a glass window (usually concealed beneath a label) that enables them to be erased by putting them in a UV eraser box for between 30-60 minutes which then blanks them, so that they are ready for reprogramming again. This is why the Zone Chip Fitting Guide says don't open the ECU box in a room with fluorescent lighting, just in case. Sunlight will also erase them if left long enough.

Oh- when i removed the origional chip i removed the label, (out of curiosity.....) for about ten seconds, in my garage, not in direct sun light, should i be worried if i needed to re use the chip?!?

Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:13 pm

No, it can take weeks, even months in direct sunlight.

Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:02 pm

The maps vary massively on the A-Tech chips and Evolve chip. The maps are different and this is reflected in the dyno results and driveability.

They are vastly different with different ignition timing and fuel accross the many many load sites.

I am about to find out how the Speedtouch chip varies to both in a few days.