Solved a couple issues recently and providing the solution description here so hopefully others searching the interwebs will find it. Maybe this is well known somewhere but I couldn't find a clear answer after much searching.

I found mostly incomplete information out there on how to get Accel DFI Gen 7 Calmap to work in Windows 7. The main error is:

This application failed to start because WKWIN32.Dll was not found.Re-installing the application may fix this problem.

Some people that fixed it say things like" I dowloaded it, then did some stuff and it worked" or "download an install the WkWin32.dll". Well what the hell does all that mean? It means this:

1. Go here and download this file to a place you can remember, in my Win 7, it dowloads to the Download folder.

http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dl....shtml?wkwin32

2. Open the Calmap FOLDER from the Local Disc C drive as seen below..NOT the program from the icon.

2a. Open the local disc:


2b. Click on the calmap folder: (the highlighted WkWin32 at the bottom will not be there for you, I'm telling how to get it there)


3. Open the folder that the WkWin32 downloaded to side by side with the above folder. Now simply click and drag the WkWin32 from the Download folder to the Calmap folder. (I guess this is the how-to of "download and install")In the pic below you can see where I've done the drag into the Calmap folder on the left, the WkWin32 is on the bottom.



4. Close those windows and start your Calmap from the icon. Blookit!! - you should be up and running!

Also, when the calmap program came out a popular serial to USB adapter was the Belkin F5u409 "USB to PDA Adapter". Go here for the driver for windows 7. Basically, Belkin doesn't have it but another company, MCT,that uses the same chipset and writes Belkin's drivers does have it for Win 7.

http://www.clearchain.com/blog/posts...bit-mac-osx-10

After a year of not being able to connect I am back in business.

Hope this helps!

 

It surprises me how well people put up with crappy and out of date software for tuning. The DFI stuff is pretty weak, but far from the worst.

Seeing that it is the way you interface with the controller, I really recommend people really evaluate the software available before selecting an aftermarket fuel injection controller.

 

What would you recommend for a casual non-professional user?

 

I don't think its weak at all but their support leaves alot to be desired.

 

Amazing stuff thanks so much ! I still have an old laptop with serial ports and xp on it just to tune but i would definitely like to use my newer laptop with w7 to tune. Once I'm up and running I will give this a shot !

 

Now that I'm remembering, what about the pro key ? My motor blew up so i haven't bothered with the car for a few years but i was talking to dfi about switching to usb and they said they had a usb cable with the pro key integrated but was extra. I'll probably wait till im up and rolling and over the winter switch over. Steve I'm curious as to how you are setup ?

 

 

i reeally love the gen 7 dfi. I hear the xfi support is very good though so i would reccomend it for a new tuner. The systems are very similar. For an ltx i would reccomend a swap to the 24x ls1 ecm coil/plug setup.

 

If costs are not of concern, then I suggest looking at Motec. Motec is well packaged, highly reliable, strong firmware feature set and decent software especially if you get pro stuff (not cheap).

Now on the cheaper end of the scale, MegaSquirt. This is what most of my installs use these days. MegaSquirt started as a DIY solution where you had to soldier it together and it was fuel only, but those daya are long gone. As distributors like DIY Autotune started selling pre-built units MegaSquirt evolved into the cheap alternative. Then from there seems to just keep going.
The firmware and software have developed like mad.
With MS3 or even MS2 Extra the firmware feature set is well beyond most of the common stand alone systems and can go up against the best of them.

With TunerStudio supporting it, the PC software is in a whole different league for features and refinement of a real application. Between cool dashboards, automatics restore points of your tune and an auto tune that works great. This software makes installs, setup and tuning so much easier than most systems.

The main weak spot for MegaSquirt is packaging. Most versions still have a bland case that looks like a DIY project, but there are some more refined PNP systems and as I understand it there is a much more refined enclosure coming shortly.

 

X2 What are you using for a key. Obviously your Windows 7 will not have a parallel port for the key. I'm guessing you bought the new USB cable with the built in Key.

Here

BTW Thanks for the info on the Windows 7 dll file. Don't worry about people that come in here and bash products they probably never used or have very little experience with. Accel Gen 7 is perfectly capable of tuning the wildest of hotrods.

 

If this is for me, I do apologize, that was not my intention. I was just answering the question. I agreed it is off topic for this post and did not belong here. I in no way mean to bash DFI, it is capable. I only want to help others make their own life easier. But again, that is not the topic of this post.

 

I think he's referring to the quote below, which was definitely a bash on the current system in use and not a response to any question posed in the first post. The first post was to help others already invested in a system they like and want to continue using.

Thanks for your input on the MS / Tunerstudio combo. It really does look impressive (the auto-tune seems a lot more robust, also like the compare screens.. ) and if I was looking to make the mistake of buying an aftermarket controller for a mild combo again, I would definitely consider it.

It may be well known to others here, but for those coming from the outside, what exactly is the relationship between you and the product your recommending?

I have the USB Power Key but honestly haven't tried it yet on the Win 7 computer.