HELP! Laptop won't communicate.

mark pietz · Post by **mark pietz** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:55 am

Please bear with me on this. I am not a computer nerd, so some things don't come naturally to me regarding laptops.

Here's what I have going. Got the EDIS and MJLT installed on my Corvair turbo. I can't believe how quickly the engine starts - two revolutions and it is running! It settles down to a smooth idle that it has never had, so at least the default 10 degree advance agrees with it. Yesterday I decided to jump in and load my "map". Laptop shows COM1, set MJLT to COM1, started engine, etc. Program says "timeout". Tried other COM port combinations, laptop says no conflicts. Maybe there are, but I don't know how to fix these things.

Anyway, I decided to start with the basics. I had purchased my modular cable and RJ11/DB9 adaptor from Boost Engineering because I bought some other stuff from them and it was convenient at the time. I decided to verify connections. I opened the adaptor (destroyed it, actually) to compare its wiring with the pinout in the Operation guide. The DB9 pin #5 should connect in common with the RJ11 jack #3 and #4. In reality, I found that #5 was connected only to #4. The #3 pin isn't connected to anything. This is a ground circuit of sorts. Am I safe in assuming this may be the reason the laptop isn't seeing the MJLT?

I assume a modular cable (phone style with 4 pins) is pretty universal and not a problem. Alternately, could the cable be opened and wires #3 and #4 connected at a point, which would them make them common?

I live in a rural area and will make the drive in to the big city to Radio Shack to pick up a new adaptor and wire it properly if need be.

Post by **brentp** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 3:27 pm

Hi Mark,

From our email it looks like your DB9-RJ11 adapter is wired correctly. When the MJLJ is on the engine, can you verify it's controlling ignition advance correctly, using a timing light?

Keep us posted-

mark pietz · Post by **mark pietz** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:50 pm

I don't understand. If it isn't communicating with the laptop, I haven't been able to get my map installed.

I have removed the MJLT from the car. Within the hour I am going to hook it to my home PC, along with a 9V battery, and see if I can get it to respond (I have a Mityvac so can apply vacuum to the MAP sensor). If it does respond this way, can I go ahead and load the map through my home PC (will it accept it this way?), and if it does, then I'll reinstall on the car and see if it is controlling things.

Does that sound feasible?

Post by **brentp** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 7:01 pm

Hi Mark,

Good that it communicates on your desktop PC.

What I meant is the unit has a "factory default" map that is generically safe for many applications- so even out of the box, freshly installed and before you hook it up to the computer. you should be able to observe the MJLJ controlling ignition advance on your engine.

For your laptop, you're using a USB-Serial adapter? You want to check what com port windows assigns to that adapter and then configure it in the configuration software.

Brent

mark pietz · Post by **mark pietz** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 7:46 pm

No, it doesn't communicate with my PC. I just hooked it up, and here are the details. Tell me what obvious thing I'm overlooking.

I have a serial port on the back of my computer. My PC is set for COM1. I plugged in the RJ11/DB9 adaptor, with the modular cable connecting it to the MJLT. I have 9V power to the MJLT, and the green indicator lamp is on.
I opened the MJLJ configurator application (about 6 megs). It opens and I see the display of everything that should work. I open and load my map. It does so. I also confirm that under configuration options, COM1 is selected.

I applied vacuum to the MAP sensor via a Mityvac.

Nothing happens. The manifold pressure graphic doesn't change.

Where do I go from here?

Post by **brentp** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 8:12 pm

Sorry about misunderstanding your post.

On your PC, when you connect the software does it read an ignition map from the controller? What errors / messages do you see at the bottom of the screen when this happens?

If you plug it back into your engine, does it seem to control ignition advance while monitoring it with a timing light? The more coarse way to test it is if there's an obvious difference while driving around (limp home only vs. MJLJ properly controlling ignition advance)

mark pietz · Post by **mark pietz** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:26 pm

As above, looking at my PC. I reopened the program, and at the bottom left it said Ignition config. 1 active, then that goes away when the curser is moved over any of the symbols in the menu bar. The other message is the timeout.
The ignition map presented is all zeros (no values).

If I go to "file" and open (and load) my map, Ignition Config. 1 active again appears on the bottom, then it goes away. My values fill the ignition map.

Back to your statement about the default map. Should those appear, or should they appear if I click on the "get map" symbol (I did this and nothing happened).

Post by **brentp** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:46 am

*edit* So you always see the *timeout reading..." when connected?

If you put the unit back on the engine, can you verify the MJLJ controls ignition timing? This is a good test to verify the unit is basically alive, allowing us to narrow down the problem. If this is the case, then we can focus more on the PC connection.

When first loading up the app, it tries to retrieve and display the ignition map from a powered up controller. Alternatively, you can click the button in the top toolbar to re-read the ignition map from the controller.

mark pietz · Post by **mark pietz** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:38 pm

Some progress. I reinstalled the MJLT into the car, and fired it up. The timing light shows that at a fast idle it has about 14 degrees advance, and revving it up indicates the timing is advancing nicely. This compares to the fixed 10 degrees before I had the MJLT installed, and running only on the EDIS module. So the bottom line is the MJLT is controlling advance at this point, and I assume with your default settings? (what might those be, as I am going to take it for a ride and want to keep the turbo out of boost, not wanting to melt anything without sufficient retard).

A laptop and a PC both don't seem to communicate with the MJLT so as to tune it. That's essential, so what do I do next?

Post by **brentp** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:53 pm

Hi Mark,

This is the factory default map installed on the unit:
http://www.autosportlabs.org/viewtopic.php?t=1113

You can download and view it in the software. It's the same map we use on our turbocharged toyota 4AG motor, up to about 21 lbs of boost. Our engines have different volumetric efficiencies, but you can review it and see if it's safe for what you need right now.

I'll follow up in email to see if we can get you a replacement tuning cable, just in case the one you have is bad.

Thanks,

mark pietz · Post by **mark pietz** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:08 am

I'll watch for the cable. In the meantime, here is the port information from my laptop in case some of the settings may mean anything.

Set to COM1
Port setting 12800 bits
data bits 8
parity none
stop bit 1
flow control none (choices of Xon/Xoff, hardware, or none)
FIFO is checked, filters on high (16550 compatible)

I was out driving this thing today. Runs well, but the default boost advance is a little advanced for my comfort level compared to stock Corvair, so I kept my foot out of it (well, most of the time

).

TwoSheds · Post by **TwoSheds** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 5:06 am

mark pietz wrote:I'll watch for the cable. In the meantime, here is the port information from my laptop in case some of the settings may mean anything.

Set to COM1
<...>).

Hi,
In spite of being a computer programmer, I don't really understand the things...

But - I always thought that Com1 through 3 are commonly already allocated on a laptop (Com3 on mine is Bluetooth) and so I set mine to use Com4 with a LogiLink serial/usb adapter (my MJ is version 3), using the latest driver downloaded from their site, and it worked right out of the box.
Hope this helps
Roger

mark pietz · Post by **mark pietz** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:26 pm

Would I need a special (or newer?) driver for the RJ11/serial adaptor? Also, I see many possible COM port numbers (say, 1 through 10). Is that just how the computer allocates access through the one physical port, i.e., the number doesn't matter. So...I could just pick COM7, say, on both the laptop (or PC) and the same on the MJLT option, and they should communicate? Like I said, I'm not a computer guy. I just want the stuff to work.

Post by **brentp** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:39 pm

Hi Mark,

You wouldn't need a special driver- it's just a passive cable.

I take it the laptop you have has a serial port built-in? You're not using a USB-Serial adapter? As for COM ports, the primary way to find out what COM port numbers are installed on your computer is to look under Windows Device Manager (right click "My Computer", then "Properties").

Thanks for hanging in there. Connectivity issues (getting stuff A working with stuff B) is a perennial problem with technology.

mark pietz · Post by **mark pietz** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 4:01 pm

Sure. Both the laptop and PC have dedicated serial ports, so that's why I was using the RJ11/DB9 adapter.. And the very first thing I did was go to hardware properties and confirm the COM port. Even tried different port selections. In the post above I listed the properties of the laptop port settings.

Question: Might there be a setting so the laptop (or PC) would know when something's been hooked up either before or after the laptop (or PC) has been turned on. Could it not be seeing it because of some startup sequence?

Next step?