Smarty, the new CaTCHER tool.

[Fishin Guide]

If the fix is found to cure the issue, I'll talk to Bob about upgrading to the Smarty. Sure would be easier than sending my ECM back.



Dave

 

[FTwardoch]

Gang,



It's been a looong Saturday...



I've just received an E-Mail from Kyle. He's still testing the updated software but it looks like the surge is gone.



I've just published a beta update version with the "surge fix" on our web page

Here: http://www.madselectronics.com/downloadfiles/Smte5_06.rar



If you want to give it a try... Please just make sure to let Us / Me know how it works for you. Thanks!



At this point it would be also interesting to see what happens when this update is used in a 2001-2002 truck that does NOT have the surge. Using those files in my truck, nothing changed. If that's confirmed by others also then I'll use that update as the regular software for Smarty.



Also just published are new USB and USBL downloaders. It takes now less then half the time to do an update to Smarty. If you had already downloaded them, get these new ones! WAY faster than before! A complete update for Smarty takes now 7 minutes. 15 before...



Coming soon...

We have improved the ECM update protocol further! It takes now 30 seconds less to update an ECM than before! 1 minute and 33 seconds!!! That's a world

record... :-laf :-laf

We're still testing the new protocol but should be able to get the update validated sometimes next week. At that point ALL Smarty's out there should be updated with the new software.

Stay tuned I'll let you know ASAP!



Marco

Marco,



Are the new USB downloaders the current ones that show Dec 12, 2005 as the date?



Also, for anyone else who can answer - is there an 'updating Smarty for dummies' step by step directions anywhere?



TIA... ... ... ... and thanks Marco for all the extra mile customer service.

 

[Bob Wagner]

the usb updates are "coming soon" give me a call if you need help getting it to update the smarty



it easier to talk then type 888 225 7637 its on my dime too

 

[Bob Wagner]

here are the instructions





* Before using SmartyUSB program to download the upgrade software, the USB driver has to be installed.

To do this, please follow these simple steps:



Unzip the FT232_D2XX_Driver files into a new folder



Plug Smarty in the USB port of your Microsoft Windows® based computer



Windows finds a new hardware and asks for the drivers. DO NOT allow Windows to install the

default driver. Suggest instead to Windows the folder with the files extracted from

FT232_D2XX_Driver. zip as Smarty driver



For further details please see the " Smarty USB driver installation guide" in the Documentation section

 

[Marco]

USB loaders

Reading again what I've typed ...



The new USB loaders are ALREADY published in the downloads page!

Sorry for the confusion!



Comming soon is the faster ECM update.



Marco

 

[Boondocker]

Marco,



Is the #0 setting, as of version 3, anti-theft instead of half-power?



If so, and if I want the half power option, say for emissions testing, can I load version 1 back into the Smarty?



Thanks,

Neil

 

[kshimizu]

As Marco said I've tried the fix and it seems to be working. I don't feel any surge/pause in SW9 which was very jerky and felt dangerous to drive when I first got my Smarty. I thought it was supposed to be like that but obviously not. SW9 is very smooth now. Thanks again Marco for taking care of this as quick as you did.

 

[Regcabguy]

Tire size calibration.

Reading again what I've typed ...



The new USB loaders are ALREADY published in the downloads page!

Sorry for the confusion!



Coming soon is the faster ECM update.



Marco

Just a word about tire size calibration. A friend of mine and I had our tire size re-calibration done by Bob4x4 with a D/C scanner prior to our experience with a Rattlin' Rams member's Smarty downloader. We did not disconnect our boxes and downloaded sw8 and loved the response,simply amazing improvement over our boxes. We did not re-calibrate our tires with Smarty. Upon restoring our trucks to prior settings the re-calibration remained as far as tire size goes. The D/C scanner re-calibration stuck. Just an experience we wanted to share.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Just a word about tire size calibration. A friend of mine and I had our tire size re-calibration done by Bob4x4 with a D/C scanner prior to our experience with a Rattlin' Rams member's Smarty downloader. We did not disconnect our boxes and downloaded sw8 and loved the response,simply amazing improvement over our boxes. We did not re-calibrate our tires with Smarty. Upon restoring our trucks to prior settings the re-calibration remained as far as tire size goes. The D/C scanner re-calibration stuck. Just an experience we wanted to share.

I *think* the key here is, it's what the *Smarty* first sees loaded in the PCM the first time it establishes the VIN lock that it will default and return to when you next return the ECM to stock S/W.



In my case, the first tire size Smarty saw was 32 inches - and THAT is what it wants to return to anytime I reload stock S/W - and the UPS upgrade I do while other Smarty levels are loaded is erased from the ECM.



I'm now experimenting with Smarty #2, and Comp on 1x1 - so far a good blend of power/smoke - and will see what EGT does in a couple of days when we hit the grades with the RV in tow. And I still have up to Comp #3 left in reserve.



What I'm trying to do, along with decent smoke and EGT control, is deliver as little impact on my brand new VP-44 as possible until internal parts get seated in a bit, rather than hitting it hard all at once. I've already tapped the pump wire, and it's ready to be connected to the Comp when I figure it's OK.



My primary anguish was that leaving the Smarty S/W back on stock left me with no smarty ABS access, and returned my ECM to the default and inaccurate tire size.



Personally, I really disike the obligation to load Smarty S/W in order to access the ABS feature - I'd prefer it to be like the code reading and erasing functions.



Maybe a few like me would benefit from a VIN locked #0 Smarty setting that allows both stock S/W level *and* ABS access...

 

[GMcLeod]

Today I ran the truck with the new software and still had a slight boost drop going into overdrive.

I've been told that it could be the tight torque converter in my DTT trans, and I believe that could be the case.

Like most of you have said, it doesn't seem to do it when another chip is piggy backed, or not as bad, with my SMARTY.

The other shifts were GREAT and I had a steady flow of power from start to stop with the exception of overdrive. The boost only fell for a short time and it seemed to come out of it allot quicker then before.

Many have described this as a surge, I hope I'm not confusing this with what I'm experiencing.

I will drive the truck more this weekend and next week to get a better feel for what it may be.

Again, some of my observations in a more detailed way.

Under light throttle with less then 10lbs of boost ALL shifts are crisp with no drop in power.

Under full throttle it's the same as stated above.

The drop in power only seems to happen when the boost is over 10lbs with medium power being applied.

I hope the last part of this post gives you some good information to work from, looks like were almost there Oo.

One last thought, could my Supper "B" turbo be the cause? May give me a good excuse to get bigger sticks :-laf

 

[nps]

My son has been expriencing the same power surges at half throttle with smarty set on #9. He downloaded the updated software today and reprogrammed his truck. Took it out for a spin in town and on the highway to test all speed ranges. He said the surge is gone and the power comes on much smoother and gradually but peaks just as hard as the old software did.



Neil

 

[GMcLeod]

Today I ran the truck with the new software and still had a slight boost drop going into overdrive.

I've been told that it could be the tight torque converter in my DTT trans, and I believe that could be the case.

Like most of you have said, it doesn't seem to do it when another chip is piggy backed, or not as bad, with my SMARTY.

The other shifts were GREAT and I had a steady flow of power from start to stop with the exception of overdrive. The boost only fell for a short time and it seemed to come out of it allot quicker then before.

Many have described this as a surge, I hope I'm not confusing this with what I'm experiencing.

I will drive the truck more this weekend and next week to get a better feel for what it may be.

Again, some of my observations in a more detailed way.

Under light throttle with less then 10lbs of boost ALL shifts are crisp with no drop in power.

Under full throttle it's the same as stated above.

The drop in power only seems to happen when the boost is over 10lbs with medium power being applied.

I hope the last part of this post gives you some good information to work from, looks like were almost there Oo.

One last thought, could my Supper "B" turbo be the cause? May give me a good excuse to get bigger sticks :-laf

I could be over analyzing this! I thought the power come on smother also, my hats off to Marco. Oo. If I have to get Mach 4 injectors to get rid of my boost drop; so be it! :-laf With all the different modifications out their, each truck will run a little different. My truck sounds like it has a big cam in it when coming to a stop, then it idles like any other Dodge Cummin's I've heard; go figure!

 

[FTwardoch]

My son has been expriencing the same power surges at half throttle with smarty set on #9. He downloaded the updated software today and reprogrammed his truck. Took it out for a spin in town and on the highway to test all speed ranges. He said the surge is gone and the power comes on much smoother and gradually but peaks just as hard as the old software did.



Neil

OK, so I'm not quite getting it... ... ... ... how do you 'download the file'? I downloaded it from Marco's website... ... ... ... When I try to open it with Smarty USB it says it is not a Smarty file... ... ... ...



Help... ... ..... plz.

 

[Bob Wagner]

Marco will be replacing the . rar file with a zipped version tomorrow. You need a new version of xp to use an . rar file.



The zipped version will work fine.



sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused

 

[nps]

OK, so I'm not quite getting it... ... ... ... how do you 'download the file'? I downloaded it from Marco's website... ... ... ... When I try to open it with Smarty USB it says it is not a Smarty file... ... ... ...



Help... ... ..... plz.

You can download a rar utility to unpack it. I also needed to reinstall the smarty usb drivers.



Google rar and you'll find a free rar utility. Otherwise you can wait for the zip file.

 

[FTwardoch]

You can download a rar utility to unpack it. I also needed to reinstall the smarty usb drivers.



Google rar and you'll find a free rar utility. Otherwise you can wait for the zip file.

Got it. Did the WinRAR thing, downloaded and updated... ... ... ... ... . then updated the ECM from #9 to #9... ... ... ... . - now to test it tomorrow.



Thanks for the Google idea.

 

[Marco]

SORRY!



MAN!!! I must have been brain dead when I "zipped" the files!

Too much work, not enough sleep. Add that to a job that needs the highest attention possible from the beginning to the end...

Voilà . rar files is what comes outta the pipe! :{

Sorry for the inconvenience!



I've corrected the problem now. All files are back to the usual . zip format.

I've also added a few comments on the web site. Things should be easier now.



Anyway, if a cure for the "half throttle surge" is found, then it was well worth the trouble!

Is the #0 setting, as of version 3, anti-theft instead of half-power?

YES. You can go back and forth with Smarty's software versions as many times as you wish! No problem at all!



For the tire height ABS values.

If you do not update the ABS ( it's the ABS module NOT the ECM, PCM or whatever ). Smarty does not even care to read the ABS. It remains untouched.

If you update the ABS. Smarty STORES the ORIGINAL value that was in the ABS prior to updating the tire height. When you go back to the stock ECM software ( Unlock from the VIN ) Smarty writes the value it had stored back into the ABS. You'll end up where you started.



Let us all know how the testing with the surge fix software goes!

Thanks!



Marco

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

If you update the ABS. Smarty STORES the ORIGINAL value that was in the ABS prior to updating the tire height. When you go back to the stock ECM software ( Unlock from the VIN ) Smarty writes the value it had stored back into the ABS. You'll end up where you started.

YUP - that's EXACTLY the problem for guys wanting to go back to stock S/W for any reason - they LOSE any tire height update they did, and are defaulted back to whatever the original was that Smarty first saw - and the owner can only restore his tire upgrade IF he again reloads some level of Smarty S/W.



If there's no way to program Smarty to allow ABS function while in stock programming, then that's it - and apparently I'm the only one wishing for that function, so will have to work with the next best "fix". It seems that loading S/W #2 is pretty close to stock, and still allows ABS access - Marco or Bob - exactly what added fueling occurs in #2? Straight across the board, only on hard acceleration, or what - and roughly what percentage increase?

 

[MCummings]

If the smarty kept the tire size change when you programmed back to stock, that would be easily detectable at the dealer.





Why spend so much money on a smarty when a superchip, tru-speed, or a $75 trip to the dealer could change your tire size and leave your software stock.



Huge waste of money, especially if you look at who the Smarty is targeted at.



Merrick

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

If the smarty kept the tire size change when you programmed back to stock, that would be easily detectable at the dealer.

And exactly how would the dealer know a Smarty or other aftermarket programmer had changed the tire size, and not some other dealership down the road?

Why spend so much money on a smarty when a superchip, tru-speed, or a $75 trip to the dealer could change your tire size and leave your software stock.



Huge waste of money, especially if you look at who the Smarty is targeted at.

I had pretty well explained my desire for use of both the stock Smarty setting and ABS further up above:

What I'm trying to do, along with decent smoke and EGT control, is deliver as little impact on my brand new VP-44 as possible until internal parts get seated in a bit, rather than hitting it hard all at once. I've already tapped the pump wire, and it's ready to be connected to the Comp when I figure it's OK.

I didn't say I only bought the Smarty for the ABS function, or that I intended to only use the Smarty stock setting - any more than I use the Comp always on OFF, 1x1 or 5x5 - only that the ABS function for me would be improved if it could be used while Smarty is in the stock mode - we don't all use our trucks in the same way or under the same circumstances...