WinOLS Mastery: Map Identification & Editing: Software Versions
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Software Versions
03.55
| 00:00 | - An important aspect of using WinOLS is understanding the software version of the file that you're working with. |
| 00:06 | We can find this out by checking the project properties under ECU. |
| 00:10 | This lists the producer, build, ECU number and software version. |
| 00:14 | For example, in our mark 5 Volkswagen Golf GTi, we can see that the engine control module is a Bosch MED9.1.5 and the software version is 391082. |
| 00:26 | So, what does this mean? One of the considerations with factory ECMs is that the same car might be produced for dozens of different international markets, each requiring slightly different calibration and functionality. |
| 00:39 | Even within the same country, there are almost certainly going to be software updates for a given vehicle in order to introduce different functionality or maybe correct issues that may have become apparent through the life cycle of the vehicle. |
| 00:52 | What this means is that there will almost certainly be a wide variety of software versions for a particular ECU and a particular model of vehicle. |
| 01:00 | This can cause some complications as often these different software versions may have differences in the maps that are available, the calibration data within these maps, and even the addresses where the maps are contained. |
| 01:12 | This can become a problem when you have a map pack or you've developed your own map pack for a particular software version and then you need to tune the same vehicle but it has a different software version. |
| 01:24 | Fortunately there's a couple of ways to deal with this. |
| 01:27 | Firstly, WinOLS offers some pretty clever functionality that makes it relatively quick and easy to copy your defined map data from one file to another, even when the addresses for the maps differ. |
| 01:39 | We demonstrate this process in the practical skills section of the course so you can check there for more information. |
| 01:45 | In other instances we may be able to use a single developed software version and flash this into each vehicle that we want to tune. |
| 01:53 | This greatly simplifies the tuning process and cuts down on the time required, however this isn't going to be viable for every engine control module that you want to tune so understanding how to copy your maps to a different software version is still important. |
| 02:07 | There may also be instances where even aside from tuning the vehicle, there is a reason to change to a different software version. |
| 02:15 | Typically we'd always suggest you run the lastest version of software that's available for a vehicle however there are some instances where there can be advantages to rolling back to a previous version. |
| 02:26 | A perfect example of this is Volkswagen's diesel vehicle range that were affected by the diesel gate scandal. |
| 02:32 | Vehicles that ran the illegal software version that circumvented emissions regulations offered improved performance in comparison to the updated fix that Volkswagen rolled out in order to make the vehicles legal. |
| 02:44 | This obviously came at a cost to performance though and rolling back to the illegal software is a solution to reinstate this performance. |
| 02:52 | Obviously this will affect the emissions compliance of the vehicle and I'm not advocating that you do so if this would be illegal in your particular part of the world, but merely pointing it out as just one reason why it may be desirable to change software version. |
| 03:07 | The next question is how do we go about changing software versions? This is where your specific tool comes into play and some of the more powerful flashing tools will provide this option for you to install a different version of software in much the same way as the dealership does. |
| 03:23 | So let's recap this module before we move on. |
| 03:25 | It's normal for OE manufacturers to have various software versions for the same vehicle across different model years or to suit different international markets. |
| 03:34 | It's important to understand what software version your controller uses as often the available maps or even the location of maps will differ with the software version. |
| 03:44 | OLS does offer the ability to relatively easily adapt a map pack or definition to suit a different software version. |
