Blog | yetieater's hovel

Updating the ECUs

Posted on December 22, 2022January 19, 2023 by yetieater in BMW E46 330i

Following my brake overhaul, I decided to turn my attention to other matters while waiting for parts to arrive for revisiting the brakes and performing a long-overdue coolant flush

I followed Bali’s thread on E46Fanatics, Need a DME or EGS flash update? (E46 Fanatics Forum)

After hooking up my car computer and my battery charger (Amazon.com), I started the session by opening WinKFP

Selected Comfort mode
Selected Update ZUSB
Selected MDS43
Selected Done
Selected Prog ZB-Update

WinKFP seemed to think my car was on a good version of the ECU, 7571615

I closed out of WinKFP and opened INPA

E46, MS 43

INPA shows BMW part number: 7572342

Selected F3, Code

INPA shows assembly number: 7571615

Later, I looked at the ETK and confirmed 7571615 was, in fact, the most recent for the US market

What about the transmission? The thread mentions GS20, GS8.60.0, GS8.60.4, and SMG2, but doesn’t provide any hints on how to determine which is in the vehicle.

I opened up ISTA and had it perform a vehicle identification

From Control Unit Tree, I moused over EGS. The modal indicated Variant: GS8604, Part number: 7522980

Back in WinKFP, I selected GD8604

WinKFP suggested updating to 7546100 from 7523490

I accepted, and WinKFP presented me with a new popup indicating “The user info field can still be programmed 13 times”

I selected OK

The progress bar reached 100%, and I was presented the same popup. I canceled, but I don’t think the programming took… Maybe it did update incrementally?

I tried again, and after reaching 100%, I was presented with a new popup indicating, “ZUSB-Update programming OK”

I closed WinKFP at this point, and moved to follow instructions to reset EGS adaptations. At this point, the cog icon remained on my dashboard

I attempted to use INPA, but came across errors running scripts. I attempted to read error codes using INPA, but no go

I switched to ISTA, and ran a complete vehicle identification with test.

Fault memory

SGBD	BNTN	code	Description	Vehicle mileage	Fault group
KOMBI46R	—	0x0000FB	KOMBI: No CAN identification (EGS)	—	—
MS430DS0	—	0x0000D9	DME: Signal CAN EGS	—	—

I deleted fault memories, and reran the test, but the codes remained.

I was able to successfully start the car, but the cog icon remained on the dash. I moved the gear selector through the various modes, but no change to the cog icon.

I deleted fault memory again. No change in status. Closed out of ISTA.

I decided I would try following instructions a little more closely. I turned the ignition to off, removed my key from the ignition, and waited a few seconds before reinserting it and turning it back to position 2. No more cog icon!

I opened up ISTA and performed a vehicle test, deleted fault memory, and then ran the test again. No more fault code!

I switched back to INPA. This time, I was able to successfully clear the adaptation values.

Publication Notes

I backdated this post to reflect the date I performed this task. It would have been nice to have recorded my screen but, as you know, I’m lazy about editing video.

Daisy Powerline 880 Accuracy Testing with BBs

Posted on July 6, 2022July 6, 2022 by yetieater in Projects

I took my Daisy Powerline 880 (Amazon.com) outside with some BBs to sight in my Daisy 4×15 scope (Amazon.com), simultaneously testing out my new pellet trap. I set the target approximately 15 feet from my position, and got to work

After five shots at Target 1, I felt the scope was fairly well dialed in, and moved on to my remaining targets

Targets, labeled in the order that I shot them

I observed some fliers: I suspected this may be because I exerted some pressure on the barrel shroud, but I won’t draw any conclusions at this time

I also observed some play in the pump lever that caused the forearm to lift slightly from the receiver

Fliers aside, my copy is shooting to spec: accuracy of one inch for five shot group of BBs from 15 feet, six pumps each shot (page 19 of old service manual)

I’ll revisit the accuracy of my Daisy Powerline 880 after I receive the pellets I ordered, Crosman’s Pointed, Premium Grade Lead Airgun Pellets (I got them on Amazon.com for $3.30 for a 250-count tin)

TORQ Snubby EQP402 Review

Posted on June 8, 2021June 17, 2021 by yetieater in Product Reviews, Reviews

I ordered a TORQ Snubby ($39.99 Chemical Guys, Amazon) on May 9, 2021, paying $36.19 ATAX on Amazon for a used copy that was listed in good condition. I had been looking for a short pressure washer gun, and had seen the Chemical Guys brand many times in the past. I figured it would be as good a starting point as any for gaining some working familiarity with their products.

When my TORQ Snubby arrived, I was surprised to find it didn’t appear to have ever left the product packaging.

Initial Impressions

Trigger actuation force seemed higher than the gun that was included with my Ryobi RY142300

I liked the inclusion of multiple fittings (1/4″ female quick release coupler, 3/8″ male quick release connector, M22 14mm twist and plug connector) – as promised, they arrived with Teflon thread seal tape applied

In Use

My first time using the TORQ Snubby, I generally enjoyed having the shorter gun to work with, and felt more confident getting up close behind it. I figured the shorter gun would come in handy when reaching for the vehicle’s roof, and my hunch was confirmed.

The second time I used it was when washing my mother’s car. I rigged it up with a set of quick connect adapters (Amazon) and got to work. The quick connect allowed the hose to swivel when the system was not under pressure, making it quicker to get started.

The next day, I felt soreness in my arm, probably from the amount of force required to actuate the trigger and to keep it depressed.

Chemical Guys claims, “the ergonomic design of the Snubby Foam Gun means that you can shoot thick foam without tiring out your hands,” but I found the unit ill-suited for my average-size hands. I think it’s the distance between the trigger and the back of the grip.

Buyer’s Remorse

The well-reviewed MTM Hydro SG28 (MSRP $41.99, MTM Hydro) is available for just $31.49 (Amazon), if you bring your own connectors. Alternatively, it’s available with quick release connectors already fitted for $42.95 (Amazon). Similarly, the MTM Hydro SG35 (MSRP $45.99, MTM Hydro) can be had for $34.99 (Amazon), or $41.95 with quick release fittings installed (Amazon). I ordered both the SG28 and the SG35 so I could compare them side by side against the Snubby, and upon receiving them, I made the decision that the Snubby was going back, but not before I took a peak beneath the covers…

Teardown

The Snubby’s plastic body was held together by seven Philips screws

There were no noteworthy markings on the plastic to report

You may find it interesting to compare against the torn down SG28

Concluding Remarks

Ultimately, the TORQ Snubby was too fatiguing in use to earn a lasting place here, especially when a few marginal dollars buys markedly better.

It might be for you if you have large hands and routinely break things unintentionally – otherwise, look elsewhere.

Troubleshooting Skippy on Atomos Ninja V

Posted on December 27, 2020December 27, 2020 by yetieater in Production Notes

I took receipt of my Atomos Ninja V (Adorama, Amazon) on October 6 that I might record 10-bit 4K DCI 30 4:2:2 out of my Fujifilm X100V (Adorama, Amazon), pairing it with a 1TB Team Group SSD, and encountered Skippy. On October 13, I pulled the trigger on a 2TB Crucial BX500 from Amazon for $159.99 BTAX, and continued encountering Skippy. The problem became most apparent while I was performing capture tests ahead of my first production.

I made a note to troubleshoot Skippy’s continued appearance, thinking it could be the cable, my SSDs, my camera, or my copy of the Ninja V itself…

To rule out the SSD, I reasoned I could test out an NVMe SSD housed within a SATA3 enclosure, but that would be a rather niche purchase. I educated myself, instead, on SSDs, learning they are not all made the same!

On December 18, I took receipt of my Sony A7S III (Adorama, Amazon), and, on December 21, I hooked it up with my Ninja V for the first time. With the 1TB Team Group SSD inserted, the Ninja V reported that I could record 45 minutes and 5 seconds of 4.2K30 12-bit ProRes RAW, at least in theory. In testing, however, I found Skippy kept rearing its head

On December 23, I opened up a new 2TB Samsung 860 EVO I purchased for $199.99 BTAX (Amazon.com), and set up my A7S III for yet another capture test. This time I was able to record for two hours before terminating the test so I could take the camera out with me

On December 25, I set up an endurance test. I returned home after visiting with my folks, and found Skippy, with my Ninja V reporting 00:12:49 recording time remaining. Recording had ceased altogether. I resumed recording on the Ninja V, and checked later to find it had successfully written to the point it could write no more. I initially assumed this meant it had written the drive out to capacity, but upon further investigation, discovered 101GB of free space remaining. Switching the Ninja V to a different recording format did not free up any recording time at this point.

On December 27, I conducted an endurance test at 4.2K60 RAW from my Sony A7S III, writing to my 2TB Samsung 860 EVO. The Ninja V and Sony A7S III passed, recording until the point the Ninja V would not write any more. I did observe the temperature warning icon on my Sony A7S III, which I ran with the monitor off and collapsed against the rear of the body throughout the recording run.

Hopefully, my experience troubleshooting Skippy appearing on my Ninja V helps you. I was prepared to go all out in my quest to get the Ninja V playing nicely with my cameras, and even considered shelling out for Atomos’s HDMI cables. Ultimately, the HDMI cable that came bundled with my Xbox One proved sufficient to handle the data rates of 4.2K30 RAW from my Sony A7S III. Granted, I’ll probably want to pick up a coiled HDMI cable ahead of any field work!

Reference

Atomos recommends these drives: https://downloads.atomos.com/ninja-v/Supported-Media_NINJA.pdf

Further Exploration

If there’s something more you’re curious to learn, let me know in the comments, and I’ll get back to you!