'7747 Flash Chip Conversion (27SF512)

[dave w]

I'm going to skip over a mountain of details about using a 27SF512 Flash Chip in a '7747 ECM. I'm only going to focus on the actual hardware conversion. Soldering is required! The zif socket is a low profile design and allows the chip and zif socket to fit under the access cover. The zero insertion force chip holder ( aka ZIF Socket ) is available form Mouser for about $10. http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDet ... -28-526-10 (http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=28-526-10virtualkey53500000virtualkey535-28-526-10)

dave w

[EagleMark]

That's way cheaper than the adapter from Moates! I'll have to get a few of them.

Tried burning the old chips again this weekend. Got one out of three, still consistent!

[dave w]

That's way cheaper than the adapter from Moates!

If you add the cost of a ZIF Socket, Moates Burn2, and one 27SF512 chip, the cost is about $100 to do chips yourself. The software TurnerPro is freeware. I can't think of a less expensive route for doing your own '7747 chip? This is of course figuring the solder iron is already in the tool box.

dave w

[EagleMark]

What about a cable for datalog?

Using one of Moates Dip socket first would let the ZIF socket hang free where the wire is soldered on. Cleaner install for only $2. Should still fit under the hood! :happy:

When I use the Moates adapter I do not use the DIP socket first. Just solder in the adapter. Then the chip clears the hood.

[dave w]

What about a cable for datalog?

Using one of Moates Dip socket first would let the ZIF socket hang free where the wire is soldered on. Cleaner install for only $2. Should still fit under the hood! :happy:

When I use the Moates adapter I do not use the DIP socket first. Just solder in the adapter. Then the chip clears the hood.

I've used the Moates adapter and a DIP socket, which has a clearance problem. Soldering the Moates adapter directly to the board corrects the clearance problem. The modified ZIF allows for easy chip swapping.

dave w

[cmaje72]

If you are really on a budget and do not want to mod your 7747 you can take a 27SF512 and solder a wire on it like you did with the adapter. Modify the stock socket slightly and pop the 27SF512 right on there.
Does not make for easy chip swapping but its the ultra low budget method.

[y5mgisi]

Dave, im about to do this in a couple days. Any tips for me before i do it? What did you use for material at the point where you soldered the legs together?

[dave w]

Any tips for me before i do it? What did you use for material at the point where you soldered the legs together?

I like using leaded solder. The ECM has leaded solder also. I use a fine tip soldering iron.

I used some 22 ~ 24 AWG solid copper wire that is "tin" plated I found in a dumpers a few years ago.

dave w

[EagleMark]

I've never had any trouble with 60/40 rosin core.. is this just the wrong solder for ECMs?

I also use it for soldered wiring connections when I rework a stock harness...

[EagleMark]

Dave, im about to do this in a couple days. Any tips for me before i do it? What did you use for material at the point where you soldered the legs together?
But when you remove the old stuff from ECM board get a good solder sucker, about $10 at Radio shack.

Some guys say you have to scrape off clear coating on board but I have always just heated one prong at a time then pulled them out. Now heat up each hole again and solder sucked them down one side then the other. If you get good at it the new dip or ? will drop right in. Sometimes theres a cpuple that are a problem and when your socket is in most clear holes you just heat the problem ons and it falls in. Then a touch of solder on each prong.

[y5mgisi]

Thanks for the help there dudes! I think im going to try installing the zif socket tonight. But you guys already know that cause your both on ck5! lol! Anyway, when im all done, if its cool, i'll post my pics up of the conversion also so that there is just more material out there for dudes like myself that need all the guidance they can get when they are just starting out and are nervous about the whole deal.

[EagleMark]

That's why we started this site. Needed a place to put our stuff. Ideas and helping each other. Look at the FAQ top of the GM section for a ton of useful writeups and links. There's a thread in there about what you were talking about on CK5 and offsets. The photo gallerey has 600 DEF files, hundreds of bins and hundreds of wiring diagrams.

[1leg]

Can someone explain why you need to solder these pin together? I want to install a ZIF just like above. If i use a DIP do i still need to solder the pins. I have looked at the G2 and it does not look like the pins are connected.

[EagleMark]

This is a go around the G2. No need to do this with G2.

[JeepsAndGuns]

(If I have this correct) Its basicly a way to make the 28 pins chip behave like a 24 pin chip.

[EagleMark]

Yup!

[srobertsfsj]

Did this upgrade last night and it worked great. Thanks for posting this!

I definitely recommend getting the solder sucker to clean out the old solder or you will never get the ZIF socket in the holes.

[Six_Shooter]

I like using a 24 pin DIP socket right on the daughter board, then plugging the adapter into it. I use 28 pin DIP sockets for the adapter, with an SST27SF512, the cover just touches the EEPROM. Usually when you're at the point of using a ZIF socket, you just leave the cover off, for the quick changes while tuning.

I usually don't use a ZIF socket when tuning other people's vehicles, don't want the EEPROM to accidentally fall out and have issues.

[southforkcnc]

So I am verifying this before I start soldering the parts into my board. Do the last 4 pins on the ZIF socket (The ones the new wire is soldered to) need to be cut shorter to clear the board. And the 5th pin does not get cut shorter and gets soldered back into the original hole on the board?

[ony]

I would get a g2 adapter.

[dave w]

So I am verifying this before I start soldering the parts into my board. Do the last 4 pins on the ZIF socket (The ones the new wire is soldered to) need to be cut shorter to clear the board. And the 5th pin does not get cut shorter and gets soldered back into the original hole on the board?

The bottom 24 pins do not get cut.

dave w

[EDZIP]

Plan to try the 27SF512 Flash Chip conversion in a '7747 ECM. Just picked up some .001 brass shim material and used a straight pin to punch leg holes in a small piece. Just push the legs over and the solder goes on real nice. When soldered hardly any socket lift on the bottom at all.

Have .002, .003 and .005, but feel confident using the .001

Ed

[dave w]

Plan to try the 27SF512 Flash Chip conversion in a '7747 ECM. Just picked up some .001 brass shim material and used a straight pin to punch leg holes in a small piece. Just push the legs over and the solder goes on real nice. When soldered hardly any socket lift on the bottom at all.

Have .002, .003 and .005, but feel confident using the .001

Ed

I'm thinking I might have miss communicated which pins get cut. Only pins 1, 2, 27, and 28 are cut. From what I can see in the posted pic, pin 26 appears cut?

The (Zero Insertion Force) ZIF sockets with a lever are the SUPERIOR design for holding a chip, and the only ZIF socket I would ever consider using in an ECM!

I'm thinking that 0.001" thickness is adequate for the 27SF512 conversion. I would use some electrical tape to insulate the bass from the ECM circuit board.

dave w

[EDZIP]

I'm thinking I might have miss communicated which pins get cut. Only pins 1, 2, 27, and 28 are cut. From what I can see in the posted pic, pin 26 appears cut?

dave w

Dave

How does it look now? Used some truck bed liner as an insulator..it's hard and tough.

Ed

[Six_Shooter]

Unless you're soldering it directly to the daughter board, you don't need to insulate it.

I prefer to solder a 24 pin DIP socket to the daughter board, then stack a modified DIP socket on top.

[dave w]

Dave

How does it look now? Used some truck bed liner as an insulator..it's hard and tough.

Ed

I think that will work. I'm not in favor of the dip socket that has been selected, not positive locking enough for my standards.

dave w

[Six_Shooter]

I think that will work. I'm not in favor of the dip socket that has been selected, not positive locking enough for my standards.

dave w

I agree, I now use machined pin DIP sockets.

[EDZIP]

My primary concern is correct pin assignments right now. I can always attach a cork block between the prom and cover to secure the prom. Considering these latch type DIP sockets...low profile and secure prom.

[dave w]

Considering these latch type DIP sockets...low profile and secure prom.

:thumbsup:

dave w

[joegreen]

I am going to do this instead of using the g2. I got a burn1 for $32 and am making my own cable. Maybe i can get away with all the necessary equipment for under $60. So some questions. I like the idea of the 28pin latch type dip socket. So should i get a 24 pin dip and solder that to the board then modify the 28pin dip and put that in the 24pin dip. I want to use a s2 zif for when i am burning. so 3 options. 1: Solder the 24pin dip to the board and use the modified 28pin dip to hold the chip. 2: Solder a modified 28pin dip right to the board and use a zif for when burning. 3: Solder a modifies 28pin s2 zif to the board. I like number 3 because its one thing but how well would the zif hold a chip during normal driving. I also like number 2 because the chip will be secured nice in the latch type 28pin dip. But would the zif temporarily fit into the latch type 28pin dip? Hmmm. Btw happy 4th!

[dave w]

I am going to do this instead of using the g2. I got a burn1 for $32 and am making my own cable. Maybe i can get away with all the necessary equipment for under $60. So some questions. I like the idea of the 28pin latch type dip socket. So should i get a 24 pin dip and solder that to the board then modify the 28pin dip and put that in the 24pin dip. I want to use a s2 zif for when i am burning. so 3 options. 1: Solder the 24pin dip to the board and use the modified 28pin dip to hold the chip. 2: Solder a modified 28pin dip right to the board and use a zif for when burning. 3: Solder a modifies 28pin s2 zif to the board. I like number 3 because its one thing but how well would the zif hold a chip during normal driving. I also like number 2 because the chip will be secured nice in the latch type 28pin dip. But would the zif temporarily fit into the latch type 28pin dip? Hmmm. Btw happy 4th!

There is just enough room for either a 24 pin DIP socket with a chip, or a modified 28 pin ZIF socket with a chip to fit under the cover. A modified 28 pin ZIF will fit a 24 pin DIP socket, but there is not enough clearance for the cover. My thought would be install a modified 28 pin ZIF socket, and be use the Burn 1 to flash 27sf512 chips and call it a completed project.:thumbsup: The modified 28 pin ZIF socket can still use a 24 pin 2732a chip.

dave w

[joegreen]

Thank you just a zif sounds great.

[EDZIP]

FYI I made a very basic mold and poured a couple of 1/4" spacers (polyurethane casting resin) for the 747 ECM.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a383/EdJacobi/747spacer.jpg (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/EdJacobi/media/747spacer.jpg.html)

[joegreen]

Is that to make the cover higher to clear the chips with certain adapters. If so pretty neat.

[EDZIP]

Is that to make the cover higher to clear the chips with certain adapters..

Yes Sir...

[joegreen]

I havent seen anything like that yet. Its a good solution and looks cheap to make. How did you make the mold?

[EDZIP]

I havent seen anything like that yet. Its a good solution and looks cheap to make. How did you make the mold?

I have been making "rifle grips" for the AR www.RifleGrip.com and make my grip molds from silcone. When making the molds I have some left-over silicone, so I just carved a piece of wood into that shape and covered it with left-over silicone. Then when I have left-over resin..use it on the mold. Definitely not high tech..but I get to use leftover material "when I have extra".

The resin is hard..but a flexible resin is available.

Ed

[joegreen]

Ok so my s2 zif and 27sf512 came in the mail today. The zif is of great quality. Anyway i took some pictures during the installation process so you can see how it turns out. When i tied the 5 pins together on the bottom of the zif i used maybe 4 or 5 strands of wire that i tinned then bent into the shape i wanted. I used a 30 watt soldering iron from harbor freight which works very well for the $7 i paid for it. I used the smallest tip i had for the soldering iron and some .032 rosin core solder from radio shack that i like alot. I did not have a solder wick or solder sucker to clean out the pin holes on the daughterboard so i used no9 lead from a mechanical lead pencil to poke through the holes when the solder was hot. When the solder cools you can pull the lead out and nothing sticks to it. If i had to do this again i would probably use the same method because i am cheap but i really recommend a solder sucker because i had to poke out all of the holes twice. Removing the stock chip holder was very easy. You just remove the plastic housing from the pins soldered to the board with a flat tip screwdriver very gently. you may have to break the glue seal between the plastic housing and the pcb. Then you can unsolder each pin individually. After the zif is all set and the pcb holes are opened then you can set the zif into the pcb and you are ready to solder from the bottom. One thing i had to do was bend the zif handle a little to clear the (mem cal) I think that is what it is called. You also have to cut this plastic pin that pops through the middle of the daughterboard because the zif covers the hole it came through. Once that is done you can do a continuity test on each of the pins next to each other to make sure that you did not solder some together. After that you can reassemble and are ready to pop in the 27sf512. Be warned this zif does not allow the cover to fit. You will probably need a low profile zif.

[JMcD]

Followed Dave W's instructions in the first post. Turned out great. I had never looked at the chip pin outs closely before. Used a G2 w/ zif holder in the past for a different vehicle. Bought a low profile zif from Jameco through Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00B886OLW Pins are pretty fragile, but no issues once soldered in. Fits under the cover nicely.

[Chewy1576]

Will this mod also work on a 1228747 ECM?

[dave w]

Will this mod also work on a 1228747 ECM?

Yes

dave w

[89-S-dime]

I had Dave do the conversion on 7747 I bought from him, this method is the way to go, no clearance issues with cover

[89S10_Project]

Dumb question- this is called a "Flash upgrade"- why is it called this if one must still burn and swap out the chip?

In my field, "flash upgrade" means you can simply upload a new operating system or firmware for a system over a cable, no need to manipulate the hardware.

[dave w]

The 27SF512 chip is an Electronically Erasable Program Read Only Memory (EEPROM) chip. Most chip programmers can usually erase the 27SF512 chip in about second maybe even less time than that! EEPROM's can usually be fully programmed in a few seconds (3 to 5 seconds)

The original 7747 chip is us ally a 2732a chip that is an Erasable Program Read Only Memory (EPROM) chip. EPROM's usually require exposure to Ultra-Violet light for about about 20 minutes to erase. The EPROM usually takes more about 2 minutes, sometimes more to be fully programmed

So the "Flash" is basically how quickly the chip can be erased and reprogrammed. Basically, the 27SF512 can be erased and programmed in less time than it takes to remove the chip from a 7747 computer, even with the 7747 chip access cover removed.:thumbsup:

dave w

[89S10_Project]

OK thanks for the clarification. Is there a gm analog to the EBL setup?

[dave w]

OK thanks for the clarification. Is there a gm analog to the EBL setup?

I'm not sure I completely understand your question.

Moates.net offers a chip emulator called the Ostrich 2.0 http://www.moates.net/ostrich-20-the-new-breed-p-169.html which replaces the chip. The Ostrich 2.0 can be updated real time, even while driving the vehicle.:thumbsup:

dave w

[89S10_Project]

I'm not sure I completely understand your question.

Moates.net offers a chip emulator called the Ostrich 2.0 http://www.moates.net/ostrich-20-the-new-breed-p-169.html which replaces the chip. The Ostrich 2.0 can be updated real time, even while driving the vehicle.:thumbsup:

dave w

That looks pretty much ideal. I think I want to avoid having to burn chips all the time while I'm tuning. Still not sure though.

[Six_Shooter]

EPROM Emulating speeds up the tuning so much, I don't know why anyone would go any other route in this day.

[Queencityspeed]

I was about to order a few ZIF sockets and thought I would get a few chips. Is this the correct 27SF512 chips? http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Greenliant/GLS27SF512-70-3C-NHE/?qs=%2fha2pyFadujzK6BwYDfqeuS287%2fH1lvZBKntIIeqIe k%3d

[Six_Shooter]

I was about to order a few ZIF sockets and thought I would get a few chips. Is this the correct 27SF512 chips? http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Greenliant/GLS27SF512-70-3C-NHE/?qs=%2fha2pyFadujzK6BwYDfqeuS287%2fH1lvZBKntIIeqIe k%3d

That came up as a PLCC case, which is not correct.

[stew86MCSS396]

That's way cheaper than the adapter from Moates! I'll have to get a few of them.

Tried burning the old chips again this weekend. Got one out of three, still consistent!

I've been helping my bro and we are using the old school UV erase, burn and FAIL! Repeat!!! After feeling the frustration, I was going to bite the bullet but found myself perusing the FAQ and found this thread. I'm all about looking at it as building a better mouse trap. Kudos to all!!!

[dave w]

I've been helping my bro and we are using the old school UV erase, burn and FAIL! Repeat!!! After feeling the frustration, I was going to bite the bullet but found myself perusing the FAQ and found this thread. I'm all about looking at it as building a better mouse trap. Kudos to all!!! http://www.gearhead-efi.com/Fuel-Injection/showthread.php?6037-1227747-ECM-with-27SF512-Flash-Chip-Conversion-ZIF-Socket-amp-2-each-27SF512-Chips ... dave w

[stew86MCSS396]

Thanx for the offer dave w, Ordered a bunch of them ZIFs.


If you are really on a budget and do not want to mod your 7747 you can take a 27SF512 and solder a wire on it like you did with the adapter. Modify the stock socket slightly and pop the 27SF512 right on there.
Does not make for easy chip swapping but its the ultra low budget method.

Got another question...suppose ya modified the EEPROM^^^do you program it the same way???

[dave w]

Got another question...suppose ya modified the EEPROM^^^do you program it the same way???

You need to burn the 27SF512 with offsets see this link: http://static.moates.net/manuals/FlashAndBurn.pdf

dave w

[57 Handyman]

Thanks Dave W,

I just completed this mod using this thread as well as the contributions from others. Just great stuff!!! I opted to solder a converted 28-to-24 low profile ZIF from Moates directly onto the '7747 PCB instead of installing a DIP socket. My plan is to leave the ZIF in place once I complete tuning. Of course, I held my breath and was hoping I had NOT destroyed the ECM; this was my first time removing and reinstalling sockets onto a circuit board. Glad to say, the engine started right up with the AKDW bin burned onto a new EEPROM. This bin version contained both the Hi Way Lean and EGR deleted/disabled. Besides having performed these changes in TunerPro, how do I actually confirm that these changes are working properly? What do I look for and where would it be apparent?

Next on the agenda is emulation. Once I get emulation going using an APU1, what are your recommendations on which parameters to attack first and learn to get comfortable with this approach to tuning?

Thanks again!!!

[uncabob]

You may want to look at the tuning section in the first sticky in this forum.
Bob

[57 Handyman]

Thanks for the tip...