Here is the issue. Lately starting around Aug- September on certain cars I've picked up a connectivity issue. Often the scanner would just quit randomly and wouldn't reconnect until you unplugged the interface from the car and also from the laptop. Once it was reconnected it would carry on until the next random disconnect. Sometimes this would be 15 minutes apart sometimes 2 minutes or even 30 seconds.

Here is a really weird thing. On some cars it will cut the log off at the launch or say like clock work at 5000 RPM, etc. It doesn't seem to be a year or model car thing and the next car might be perfectly fine and not do it once.

So far I've tried 3 laptops two of which I used before this problem showed up. They have

Win 7 (previously known good)
Vista (previously known good) and a
XP netbook (purchased right around the time this started).

I've tried swapping USB cables - no luck even went out and bought a couple brand new cables. nothing.

I've tried different HPtuners cables also. This is a little trickier to do as my 3 different cables have different things licensed so its a bit cumbersome to try all three on the same car especially if the car isn't being consistent on how it disconnects. I have one HPtuners cable with nothing but V6 cars on it and one with all Gen 3 V8. Both of those cables acted up today on the same car. Turbocharged 98 Camaro.

The other weird thing is when this is happening I have a hell of a time staying connected to my dyno, but I don't' have to be connected to my dyno for the connection issues to occur with HPtuners. So, what I'm saying is I have connection issues with HPTuners only but if I also happen to be connected to the dyno at the same time it pisses the dyno off as well! The only fix seems to be to unplug everything and restart.


Also tried beta / non beta. No difference, still does it.

I feel like its a firmware issue since it seemed to pop up all at once, its doing it on laptops that worked fine before, and its doing it with multiple cables some of which are not used often.


I've been shooting emails back and forth with HPtuners support. They have been fast and prompt in returning my emails but so far we haven't gotten to far in finding the issue. I've got to get this figured out! It severely affects my productivity when I have a day where HPtuners is having a hissy fit!


Today was one of those days that it would shut the scanner off right around 5k RPM and occasionally loose connection with the dyno. First I tried running the scanner and dyno on separate laptops. Finally I gave up and switched to EFILive and finished the car up.





Please help! Or at least chime in if you have the same issue!

 

ssounds like it could be a hardware issue to me alvin. shoot support an email linking this thread and ill have u send the interfaces in for testing. seeing it being an intermittent issue it may take a few days of testing.

 

I popped mine open when I started having issues like that and there was a burnt up widget on my circuit board. They said that it's from using a power inverter while you have the HPTuners box attached to the laptop. They want either clean AC power to the laptop or battery power only. I shipped it back and they charged me like $70 to fix it. They did it quick also.

 

The interface that I have the most problems with is one that had popped. The car had a bad ground on it (2010 missing the ground to the head on drivers side) We had it fixed and ever since then its been by far the biggest offender.

 

Thanks Bill,

I know we have asked this before but this time you think we can just have this one traded out for another? PM or email me the price. Sorry for the thread, I'm just looking for anyone else who might have had a issue and perhaps knows a fix


Also, where there any firmware updates in July to Aug time frame? Anyway we can have them manually re-loaded? Can you force a firmware update?

 

On mine I notice sometimes it is hard to reconnect to a car.

For example, log the car, save the log and shut off the car, modify the tune, then try to reflash. Lots of times I have to switch to a different usb port on the laptop to get it to connect.

Pretty frustrating.

 

Mine does this all the time... I have to cycle the key in the car, and unplug the usb from the computer before I reconnect.

 

The scanner MUST be disconnected to flash/read via the editor. Closing the scanner or disconnecting it should fix your issue.

 

Does what all the time? Disconnect while scanning? If so contact support.

 

Yeah, I always have the scanner disconnected before trying to flash the tune. It is strange. I will have to sometimes cycle the key on and off and move the usb cable around to get it to reconnect again.

Running windows 7. It doesn't just happen on my car, it seems to happen on all of them I mess with.

 

Update. All three of my cables are doing it now. It's so random it's hard to know exactly what causes it but it does the exact same thing and messes up the dyno in a really weird way

 

I just had the same problem and emailed support about it. They told me to try and use 2.22. I was trying to log and it would keep saying interface is not found or not connected (something like that). But I just tried it on my car and didn't have any problems?

 

The car I'm working on now is a pretty bad offender. Anything to try while I'm in here Bill?

 

When I have the issue, I unhook the cable from the laptop AND car for just a second and then hook them back up and it seems to vanish. Only occasionally will have a car that will make me do it multiple times.

I never had to do this before sometime this last summer.

 

Maybe try a stock set of spark plug wires. Just an idea.

 

That's more than a few saying sometime over the summer is when it started happening. I really wish we can figure out whats going on.

 

I moved into the new shop July 1st and it was right after that time.

 

Another odd thing my software/cables started doing is failing on the first flash. It does this quite often. You try to flash and it says no VCM detected. If you do not do anything but try to flash again it works on the second try.

 

I have had problems only with one car with it randomly disconnecting. But I have also have problems with the new trans modules not resetting. Like I have tuned a truck before and had not a single problem. But now, when he wants me to take a look at something else, I have to take the batt off and put it back on. Its very strange.

I have had a few problems with F bodies where it fails to recognize a pcm the first try but after a second attempt at a flash, it will flash just fine.

 

It used to time on on security delay and count down. Now it pauses and says no VCM detected. It's just from trying to flash too quickly after key-on.