Documentation Posse

[historystamp]

TurnerPro Rt is a great piece of software. The author spends more of his time enhancing the software than enhancing the documentation.


Much information is around the internet, but I found it hard to find. EagleMark has helped me in getting what I need out of TurnerPro RT.


I was wondering if we could gather some interested people to to work on enhancing the documentation. We form a Posse.


The first step would be to gather the existing information in one place. As much as we could without violating copyright.


I'm not a writer, but I do know how to make screen shots & add comments.


Robert

[EagleMark]

We started that and have some how to going. You have a great idea we could start helping TP with.
http://www.gearhead-efi.com/Fuel-Injection/showthread.php?214-TunerPro-Version-5-Tips-thread

I moved your thread here, the other forums are for vendors and questions to them once they start putting in their threads...

[EagleMark]

TurnerPro Rt is a great piece of software. The author spends more of his time enhancing the software than enhancing the documentation.

Much information is around the internet, but I found it hard to find. EagleMark has helped me in getting what I need out of TurnerPro RT.

I was wondering if we could gather some interested people to to work on enhancing the documentation. We form a Posse.

The first step would be to gather the existing information in one place. As much as we could without violating copyright

I'm not a writer, but I do know how to make screen shots & add comments.

RobertBecause of your thread we started this entire forum. Because of this forum Mark at TunerPro hired a professinal writer and asked several people who are heavily involved in using TunerPro, including myself and Robert Sarr here to be on the committee! The writer is using this forum, writeups, questions and answers as a starting point for new documentation of TunerPro! :thumbsup:

[JeepsAndGuns]

What I would really like to see more than anything, is better documentation on XDF parameters.
Like when you hold the mouse over a parameter, you have the little box that pops up, showing what it is, and sometimes, a brief discription.
I would like better and more discriptions, and discriptions in layman terms. Sometimes they are just worded diffrently, mabey leaning twards people who already know this stuff, but it could be made more simple for us noobs.

Worded something like this:
Parameter: "PE delay"
Discription: This is the ammount of time in seconds that PE is delayed from becomething active once all other PE requirements have been met.

Parameter: "max MPH for idle spark"
Discription: Once vehicle speed gets above this value, pcm switches from idle spark table over to the main spark table.

Or something of the sorts, I am not good a wording stuff myself, but you probably get the idea of what I mean.
Laymans terms......

[EagleMark]

That is the job of the EFI community who writes the XDF. Not part of the TunerPro software.

I have gone through $42 and $EE and done quite a bit of work on those with Parameter comments. Some are just never used or to hard to figure out how to write a parameter comment, so there are still blanks.

If you want we could work on those? There's a guy here who knows your 427 XDF and ADX fairly well... :innocent2:

Laymens terms was one of the subjects brought up about TunerPro documentation. To write them from a tuners point of view. I had told Mark at TP that I figured out how to use some of the options very well, yet read his instructions and still had no idea what he was talking about. He is a very intelligent software writer and explains things from that perspective, which he knows is an issue and why he is starting this new documentation project.

[93V8S10]

Like Mark said, thats the job of the xdf writer. I have always tried to write the comments in easy to understand language because it's what I understand as well. Since I started with v100 for TP4, that has been one of the most important goals that I wanted to accomplish. I'm just now getting to the point that I understand whats going on well enough to approach that goal.

I have been working on v275 for a while now (probably won't be done until fall). If you want to write some comments, I will take a look at them; if I like them and they are accurate, I will include them in the new version.

I'm changing the format of the comments to work better with TP5 (TP4 didn't have the pop-up boxes). I'm reducing it to just location and comments. This will leave much more space for things to be written.

[93V8S10]

Because of your thread we started this entire forum. Because of this forum Mark at TunerPro hired a professinal writer and asked several people who are heavily involved in using TunerPro, including myself and Robert Sarr here to be on the committee! The writer is using this forum, writeups, questions and answers as a starting point for new documentation of TunerPro! :thumbsup:
:wtg:

[EagleMark]

I'm changing the format of the comments to work better with TP5 (TP4 didn't have the pop-up boxes). I'm reducing it to just location and comments. This will leave much more space for things to be written.Is there a size issue with the current paremeter comments? Or what is the issue? We can fix this in new versions of TP.

[JeepsAndGuns]

I would be more than willing to help with the XDF, however, like I said, I am not very good with wording, and lots I just dont know what they do. But, I would be a good test mule. You could make a list of what parameters you have added/changed the comments on, and add the new comments, and I can tell you if I can understand what your talking about....lol
You dont have to make the changes in the xdf, you could simply type them in here and make a list.

[93V8S10]

Is there a size issue with the current paremeter comments? Or what is the issue? We can fix this in new versions of TP.

No, I think the space is adequate. I just though the way I was using the space was just goofy now that TunerPro has the pop-up windows. The only time I have had trouble with space is with the READ ME information.

JeepsAndGuns

What do you think about the new PE titles and comments in the PE zip file? Do they help?

[EagleMark]

No, I think the space is adequate. I just though the way I was using the space was just goofy now that TunerPro has the pop-up windows. The only time I have had trouble with space is with the READ ME information.
Read me? Not sure tell me?

That's just the pop up Paremeter window when you hover or click on an XDF item. If you click View and Paremeter Comments or click the Paremeter Comment button a huge box opens up for loads of comments!

You've done a lot with the files you created. If you see anything needed in TP let me know and I will bring it up, you can also add new feature suggestions to TunerPro forum.

[93V8S10]

Read me? Not sure tell me?
At the top of the "ordered list" in my xdf files I have six READ ME. I create a Scalar and use the parameter comments for information.


That's just the pop up Paremeter window when you hover or click on an XDF item. If you click View and Paremeter Comments or click the Paremeter Comment button a huge box opens up for loads of comments!
There the same thing. There is plenty of space.

[EagleMark]

So when you use a scaler for a read me file the Paremeter comment is to small?

[93V8S10]

A little bit, but thats not using the parameter comment section for its intended propose. When used for its intended purpose it's more than adequate.

If were talking about changing TunerPro, then if there was a way of having a xdf parameter that was just for information, that would be helpful. It would work like this: When you right click and select "Insert New XDF Parameter", you could chose between "Scalar", "Flag", "Table", "Function", and "Information". The "information parameter would just have a title and a expanded comments field.

[EagleMark]

Sounds like a great idea! I will submit it in your name! :rockon:

[93V8S10]

Thanks!

[JeepsAndGuns]

JeepsAndGuns

What do you think about the new PE titles and comments in the PE zip file? Do they help?

Its a step in the right direction. There are still a few terms in use I dont understand. Stuff like "delta". What does that refer to?

Mabey we need to make a tuning dictionary. Add all the most common used terms and abbreavations? I think it could be very helpfull to noobs. I remember when I was starting out and how confused I was at all the terms.

[EagleMark]

D'oh!

Like this?
http://www.gearhead-efi.com/Fuel-Injection/showthread.php?171-EFI-Acronyms-and-Abbreviations

But no delta... I'm no dictionary but I think Delta if EFI tuning would refer to Within a set of Paremeters. Like between 10 MPH and 50 MPH...

[historystamp]

Here is the largest list of abbreviations I found.
http://www.carbibles.com/automotiveabbreviations.html

It doesn't have delta thou. Delta means change. Or the adder.

Robert

[93V8S10]

Fount this on-line:

Why do people use "delta" rather than "difference?"

Delta is based on numbers or equations that are variable, where "Difference" references static numbers that do not change.

HTH

[EagleMark]

Here is the largest list of abbreviations I found.
http://www.carbibles.com/automotiveabbreviations.html

It doesn't have delta thou. Delta means change. Or the adder.

RobertCool link!

I was looking for delta online too and it has so many definitions to so many applications I could not figure out how to explain it in EFI tuner terms. But look below!


Fount this on-line:

Why do people use "delta" rather than "difference?"

Delta is based on numbers or equations that are variable, where "Difference" references static numbers that do not change.

HTHSo it is a differance within a set of boudries set in a paremeter? Would my explanation be correct? Seems close to what your saying?

I think Delta if EFI tuning would refer to Within a set of Paremeters. Like between 10 MPH and 50 MPH...

[93V8S10]

The way I see it in my mind, it is the calculated difference of two measurements of the same sensor, with measurements taken at a certain time invertables. I imagine this as pressing the gas pedal. If you take a measurement of TPS voltage every tenth of a second, you could calculate how fast the pedal is moving and by how much.


"With a set of parameters", if I understand correctly, would be "Hysteresis". This would be like cooling fan settings.

[JeepsAndGuns]

Good links. Good for just the plain defination of the term. Mabey when I get some time I will try to start working on a actual dictionary of these terms. Heres what I am talking about.
Example:

MAP. (Manifold absoulte pressure) a sensor. It senses the ammount of vacume inside the intake, normally displayed in kiloPascals in fuel injection tuning.

EPROM. (Eraseable Programmable Read-only Memory) a computer chip. This is the stock installed chip in the GM ecm's and pcm's that the binary file (or "tune") of the engine is stored on.

BIN. (Binary) a term. Binary is a form of computer code formed of zeros and ones. Its is how the info is stored on the EPROM.

IAC. (Idle Air Control) basicly a stepper motor. The IAC is a "valve" of sorts that is controlled by the ecm/pcm. It has a passage that bypasses the throttle blade and allows air through. By controlling how far open or closed this valve is, the computer controlls the idle speed of the engine.


You get my drift. If nothing of this sorts is out there, I may make it a side project of mine.
We all already know this stuff, but you have no idea how helpfull somthing like that would have been for me when I first started and knew absoultly nothing. I believe something like thst would be greatly helpfull for all newcomers.

I would also love to add longer/better/ and more simple definations just like the ones above to the parameters of the most common XDF's

[EagleMark]

Well your hired! :thumbsup:

How ever you want to handle it is up to you. Good start would be the link I gave with abbreviations and we can add definition to them. I'm sure we will all help so your Project Manager, grab them and start a thread and we will work on it as a team project. Once we have a good list done for most terms used in TunerPro we will submit them to be included in the TunerPro documentation! So it too will come with a Tuner dictionary!

If you download the $42-1227747-V4.xdf you will see many oparametersmeters have a notEnglishnglish we GearHeads can read about what it does or for example aparameteremeter says how to increase this to max to disable EGR. I took 5, I think $42 xdf and xcu documents and spent hours suing and checking each one to be accurate as well as notes I had made over the years to my own. It was a huge amount of work and not everyone is done. But most of the ones we use are.

I have looked at all the ones 93V8S10 wrote and most are detailed tech beyond basic function of plain GEnglish english. Not that this is a bad thing it is a good thing. But he understands it to that level. But what your saying is to add GearHead English english comment to his correexplanationlination.

This was brought up with the TunerPro documentation as well. Not to loose all high tech instructions or defining how it works at a high tech level but also include GearHead EFI Tuneexplanationxplination as well.

[JeepsAndGuns]

Project manager...lol

I dont have as much free time as some, so this will be done in my spare time. Might take a week or so to get a good list going.
I will probably start out by copying the list to word pad or something and do what I can there, then put it in a post and we can continue from there.

[EagleMark]

Just a little time each day to learn, we will all help and you'll be famous! :innocent2:

If you don't have time it's OK I don't want to push you into something that would create stress. I hate stress! But you came up with the idea, you come up with all sorts of ideas and topics! :thumbsup:

No rush either, it's just a cool idea. Maybe we could do a wekly topic? EFI tech 101 with new subject each week? We seem to do that anyway the way our threads wander...

[JeepsAndGuns]

Naa, I dont have any problem doing it. Wont be stressfull either.
I will however need someone to proof read and confirm all the definations are correct.

[EagleMark]

Of course! That's the key to being a team project. :rockon: Have you ever been left alone here? :rolleye:

[historystamp]

No rush either, it's just a cool idea. Maybe we could do a wekly topic? EFI tech 101 with new subject each week? We seem to do that anyway the way our threads wander...

This would be a good way to go.

-------------

Here is another list of abbreviations.

http://www.gearhead-efi.com/Fuel-Injection/showthread.php?401-ALDL-EFI-Abbreviations&p=2792#post2792

Robert