Normally I would post this in the Scan and Tune section but the traffic is much higher here. Who knows it may get moved anyway

Now that the older Gen6 DFI is pretty much old, outdated and not sold anymore, what are the chances we can get the source code for Calmap v6 released?

Does anyone know who wrote the software for Accel?

I know there's a ton of us old DFI users who would love it if someone picked up the ball and ran with it. I hope someone has some info.

Thanks!
-Mike

 

John Meaney (who currently produces the BigStuff3 EFI systems) developed the original DFI system which was subsequently purchased and marketed by Accel.

Good luck getting the Gen6 code as it is still property of Accel.

 

Lance Ward

 

Any ideas on how one might go about contacting Lance Ward or Accel about releasing the source code?

I've never done anything like this before but if the code is lost (aka never modified from this point on) it would be such a shame.

-Mike

 

Lance as far as I know still works for FAST. You might try to call him there. But I doubt you will get very far. The last FAST system I had installed had a major problem with it, we went back and forth sending the damn box via FedEx at my cost trying to fix it. He said nothing was wrong I said there was. It ended up I was right and he was wrong, he seemed sorta stuck up when I would talk to him explaining what I was finding with my test equipment, and I got all the high end do-dads to simulate and measure signals. IMHO I think the guy is a snob, and didn't want to share any info. Good luck!

 

I don’t understand why you feel it is OK to attack Lances character and abilities on a forum that he does not post or on a thread where only his name is mentioned. I have personally known him for over 12 years. He is not a customer service rep. I have a strong view on why you may have been forwarded to him if the above is accurate. As a previous beta tester for him I can tell you first hand that he is a brilliant individual.

Regardless, I have forwarded a copy of this post to FAST so they can address your concerns in the proper venue.

 

I'd love to hear the other side to that story. I've had several conversations with Lance and he has always been very professional, helpful and courteous.

As for the source code, I know that Lance worked with John when the system was being developed. Since neither of them has been with Accel for many years, I doubt that either would be of any help with the code. They have probably forgotten more info than most of us will ever know.

 

I was hoping that someone here would know Lance Ward and might be able to ask him how to go about getting the source code. It seems Blown Vette knows him maybe he could ask him about it.

I don't know anything about about service problems or the other EFI manufactures. I'm just trying to get some more life out of an old dog

-Mike

 

For once I actually agree with Blown Vette... All of my experiences with Lance have been first rate; I dealt with him both through DFI and FAST on many occasions. When I was an EMIC waaayyy back he did the classes and was usually pretty accessible. He's now a paid consultant with FAST but is RARELY there; if you have an issue with a FAST system I usually deal with Mike Taylor who's with TCI/FAST. The biggest problem with customer satisfaction with FAST when you have a problem is their parent company, Comp Cams... Sometimes they're easy to work with other times they're not. I've had one FAST system that has had intermittent problems since day one; it's gone back to them no less that four times and they FINALLY fixed it.

As for Gen 6 code...That's doubtful. Mike, I'm sure you already have a wealth of knowledge on 6.0/6.32 DFI but if you need some more in depth stuff I'd talk to Mac McKenzie with FastTrack Performance, his right hand man, Chris Chow, or Kenny Duttweiler; all of these people have more early DFI experience than anyone other than John and Lance. You could probably try Meaney but he's so busy with his own system that it's doubtful he'd be able to help much. Lance might though if you can find him... But as others have said, that system is still property of Accel and I don't know if they'd release any "proprietary" info even though the system is antiquated and no longer produced.
-Jeb

 

I'm not commenting on Lances abillity but rather his bedside manners as far as customer relations is concerned. I spoke with Mike Taylor when we first had this problem. And becuase it wasn't resolved in the first couple returns to them I demanded to speak with someone that was actually performing the repairs on the box. That is when I was referred to Lance. Mike was was always willing to help out and was always courteous, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong with the box. It turned out that there was a floating ground on the board which caused the problem. One wouldn't think it would take 4 returns to repair a hard failure. A hard failure means that it is there all the time, not something that acted up from time to time or was temperature related. I would have thought it would have been easier for them to just send me a new box and be done with it.

Jeb you are 100% right about customer relations with FAST and Comp. I know of one shop that was a large dealer for Fast in California that got into some kind of problem with them and ended up dumping FAST. Just call Keith at Force Fed Performance in Scaremento, and ask him about his problems. In this business customer relations is very important. Unless you are so large that you don't give a damn........I doubt that Accel will release any information on that old box. I asked for a native AutoCad drawing for a wiring diagram on the Gen7 system. They told me no way! Even though I had their drawing in another format, I just wanted something that was more easily viewed than what was available.

 

Thanks for the comments guys. It doesn't sound promising.

The main reason I want it is to put a easy to use iterface on it - AKA make it a Windows application. Having the ability to highlight a few cells, right click and select "Add 10%" for example.

I can always use a serial sniffer/breakout box but the data I'd be collecting is only the data sent as the request and the data returned for that given request. It's better than nothing but not ideal.

Heck, right now I'm not even sure what baud rate or parity they communicate at. Who kows, maybe the source code fairy will pay me a visit

I'll think about it.

-Mike

 

Cool Tom... That I can understand and relate to. I always had good luck with Lance, I dealt with him quite a bit when I was running a turbo Buick on DFI. He is definitely hard to get in touch with now; I've talked to him twice in the last two years probably.

Oh, I got your message and will PM you in a minute about the manifold.

Mike, I doubt you'll have much luck with Accel, though you could try. Maybe one of their engineers would be receptive of you doing that; I for one would keep the other two Gen 6's I have if I could: A) Get them to run on a laptop that was something other than a 486. B) Be able to run the program in Windows. Hell, I'd still use it if it weren't for those two things! I would imagine if you told them you'd give them the program for a little "cut" of the profits if they sold them to retrofit to the old computers. There are still a lot of these systems out there, I still get emails everyday about them. I can appreciate Accel wanting to phase them out in order to sell the killer Gen 7 but not everyone is going to want or be able to spend $2k every 6-7 years to put a new computer in their car; but they'll spend a few hundred to update what they have currently.
-Jeb

 

Speaking of "phasing out" Accel is definitely doing that. If you want a G6 programming cable or have a need for one. They are about $250 now and once they are sold out, there will be no more. I found that out the other day. I called for one and even as an EMIC they are not giving any deals out, $250 is the price to everyone.

On another note about spending big $$$ on replacement ECUs, a MEFI4 is less than $500 from most any GM dealer. If one can get ahold of the software to calibrate these controllers, these can do just about anything an aftermarket ECU can do. Plus these can also handle ETC (Electronic throttle control) just like the C5 corvettes. I am presently completing tuning on a 427 SBC in a 40 Ford hot rod that has ETC, this was the engine that made nearly 700Hp using a MEFI4 controller. It also supports CNP ignition as well as a standard HEI system. The only problem is getting the calibration software. And GM is very very tight about it. And we thought Accel was tight about their source code, try dealing with GM Painless wiring is doing a standalone system based on the MEFI4 controller, but they had to buy a minimium of 50 controllers I hope it works for them, but they got real deep pockets