Romulator users: does your unit work Ok when HOT?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 835
Likes: 3
From: Water Winter Wonderland
Romulator users: does your unit work Ok when HOT?
My ROMulator doesn't seem to like the heat under the hood of my 90 (1990's have the ECU under the hood). Works great when cold, though. I've talked to George @ xtronics, and it sounded like they don't really have enough units out there yet to know what the operating temperatures are.
Anyone else seen this?
FIY: I case you didn't know, the romulator is a device that allows on-the-fly programming without having to burn a new chip for each programming change.
-Bill
Anyone else seen this?
FIY: I case you didn't know, the romulator is a device that allows on-the-fly programming without having to burn a new chip for each programming change.
-Bill
Former Vendor
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7,204
Likes: 6
From: St Marys PA
Re: Romulator users: does your unit work Ok when HOT? (ELEVENS)
Elevens!
Hey I know what the problem is I *think*!
Mine was acting up for the longest time, but mine is in the car. does it hesitate them work, and at idle just kill the car dead sometimes? If so I fixed mine.
1. If you are using a ZIF adapter for your chips. not sure what your memcal or ECM looks like to be honest. But remove the bottom part of the pins that has the round pin adapter. Then the pins will be just like a chip's.
2. This is going to sound crazy, but I wrapped aluminum foil around the ribbon cable as a last ditch effort and bam it worked perfect. you are getting RF interference from the distributer and other electrical devices. This will insulate it a little.
What made me think of that. Is I was trying to remotely mount a ZIF adapter on my car about 2 yrs ago and no matter what we would do the inference was terrible and the foil help some, but the ribbon was too long and the signal got weak, so I scrapped the idea. The effort was a failure for a remote mount, but the lesson learned proved valuable for the romulator, which is 100x better than the remote mount idea anyways!
Let me know if it helps! Bet it does. If its sill the heat. Try wrapping the whole unit up in foil. With the shiny side out :D :jester
Hey I know what the problem is I *think*!
Mine was acting up for the longest time, but mine is in the car. does it hesitate them work, and at idle just kill the car dead sometimes? If so I fixed mine.
1. If you are using a ZIF adapter for your chips. not sure what your memcal or ECM looks like to be honest. But remove the bottom part of the pins that has the round pin adapter. Then the pins will be just like a chip's.
2. This is going to sound crazy, but I wrapped aluminum foil around the ribbon cable as a last ditch effort and bam it worked perfect. you are getting RF interference from the distributer and other electrical devices. This will insulate it a little.
What made me think of that. Is I was trying to remotely mount a ZIF adapter on my car about 2 yrs ago and no matter what we would do the inference was terrible and the foil help some, but the ribbon was too long and the signal got weak, so I scrapped the idea. The effort was a failure for a remote mount, but the lesson learned proved valuable for the romulator, which is 100x better than the remote mount idea anyways!
Let me know if it helps! Bet it does. If its sill the heat. Try wrapping the whole unit up in foil. With the shiny side out :D :jester
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 835
Likes: 3
From: Water Winter Wonderland
Re: Romulator users: does your unit work Ok when HOT? (ski_dwn_it)
Ski-
I talked to George at Xtronics today and guess what? He told me the same thing you did - don't use a ZIF!
Also, I read (from gmecm@diy-efi.org) to keep the ribbon cable under 6" or less for EM interference. So wrapping in aluminum foil makes good sense. My MSD 6AL mounted 12" under the romulator is probably not helping matters any :skep:
Regarding heat (foil shiny side out), I went through 3 power brake boosters :crazy: before I got smart and put adhesive-sided aluminum heat wrap tape on the underside of the booster, and that did it! Those long tube headers are MURDER on the booster if you don't do that. I'll bet the romulator is the same story.
I'll try your suggestions tomorrow. If they don't work, then we'll know that the romulator can't "take the heat". That would be a bummer, it is SO nice with the RT TUNER software, no? :thumbs:
:cheers: -Bill
I talked to George at Xtronics today and guess what? He told me the same thing you did - don't use a ZIF!
Also, I read (from gmecm@diy-efi.org) to keep the ribbon cable under 6" or less for EM interference. So wrapping in aluminum foil makes good sense. My MSD 6AL mounted 12" under the romulator is probably not helping matters any :skep:
Regarding heat (foil shiny side out), I went through 3 power brake boosters :crazy: before I got smart and put adhesive-sided aluminum heat wrap tape on the underside of the booster, and that did it! Those long tube headers are MURDER on the booster if you don't do that. I'll bet the romulator is the same story.
I'll try your suggestions tomorrow. If they don't work, then we'll know that the romulator can't "take the heat". That would be a bummer, it is SO nice with the RT TUNER software, no? :thumbs:
:cheers: -Bill
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 835
Likes: 3
From: Water Winter Wonderland
Re: Romulator users: does your unit work Ok when HOT? (ski_dwn_it)
Hope it gets you out of the woods!
Side note: ...or maybe it was the aluminum foil hat I made to keep out those voices from outer space... :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:
Thanks for the help Ski,
:cheers: -Bill
Former Vendor
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 7,204
Likes: 6
From: St Marys PA
Re: Romulator users: does your unit work Ok when HOT? (ELEVENS)
Chalk one up for the ski-man! :cheers:
I am going to patent the aluminum foil protect kits for these units. LOL. And of course with the complimentary matching hat! LOL
When I did the aluminum on mine I sorta did at quick look over my shoulder to see if anyone was looking. I didn't want them to think I lost my marbles.
LAter!
:cheers:
I am going to patent the aluminum foil protect kits for these units. LOL. And of course with the complimentary matching hat! LOL
When I did the aluminum on mine I sorta did at quick look over my shoulder to see if anyone was looking. I didn't want them to think I lost my marbles.
LAter!
:cheers:
