PeteS160

I'm not a big online poster...with that said.

A few months back I posted an device in a number of face book groups related to LS stuff. It is called the "Performance shift module" and that evolved into "Shift Smart". It emulated the switching conditions similar to that of an OEM BCM to turn on and off an indicator light when using pin 71 on the 99+ Ls1b pcm's. While it worked very well I wasn't happy with it and decided to take it one step further and actually replicate the function of the BCM....over the data bus. I'm here today because I'm releasing a demo version of this....and more then likely you already have every thing needed to try it out. Once I hacked the data bus apart and pulled out what I was after.... I was able to get the code working with some moderately expensive hardware.....once I had it working well enough that I couldn't find any faults with it I ported my work into cheaper hardware until the point I couldn't get any cheaper. In the past the Elm327 has been looked at as nothing more then a gimmick......well I'm changing that right now. I have been able to replicate the BCM's control parameters using a $4.99(W/Free shipping) Elm327 from Ebay and an Android phone. Now granted the $4.99 version BARELY works and it's beyond slow but it does work if you have the patience for it. Step that price up to about $9 shipped and it works every bit as good as a $100+ piece of hardware. I've run the app with more then a 1/2 dozen different elm327 Bluetooth dongles and haven't found one yet that it didn't work with. Now so I don't have to type it out again here's the cliff notes regarding it's testing.

Please provide feed back....good or bad. If you have issues with your Elm working with this please include a picture of the dongle any any other details regarding it such as brand/model etc. If the app crashes, won't load or distorts the images... then please provide the type of phone, screen size and version of Android your running so I can track down compatibility issues. I have left a portion of the debugging log visible as well. If you encounter an issue and your able to screen shot it that would also be helpful. I have written the log so it's pretty basic. You'll be able to tell if the log looks out of sync...it'll be that obvious.

Now if your still reading.....this was just setting the ground work for the real data bus I plan to crack. I'll be moving this to the 4th gen LS platform and start working out the data buss for those engines(Can vs J1850vpw). Since there is currently no way to access the alternative shift tables in the 4th gen pcm's with out the BCM I figured it'd be something people should be interested in. Some other things I've had request to try and work while I'm decoding the bus on the 4th gens are: cruise control, Ac request and tap shift..... imagine control of every thing right over the data bus. Once I have the bus decoded it will follow the same method I did for the 3rd gen stuff. It'll be done as an App first, extensively tested and then moved to a hardware version once every thing is sorted out. Once I start on the hardware portion I'll release a limited use version of the app just as I've done here.

TrendSetter

i read that and cant figure out what you are actually accomplishing?
what does the app do?

PeteS160

Are you familiar with the Tow/Haul mode setting on the 99-07 trucks and suv's? Assuming you know what that is.... when you use an LS motor in a swap you loose the ability to change between modes and have any type of visual indicator since you no longer have the BCM. Who every sets up the pcm and diables anti-theft can also program the pcm to change modes with a wire being grounded momentarily(In swap applications) but it's not exactly a precise method and you have no way to tell what mode the pcm is in other then by how it feels when it shifts.

So....with an Elm327 and this app you get the same functionality as having the original bcm to change between shift tables but with out any wires, lights or switches. I've had this "floating" around my area for about a month now while I was testing it on various vehicles. Once I was satisfied with how it worked I turned my focus to make it compatible with any many cheap Elm devices as I could get my hands on. After the last round of testing with a batch of various Elm's that cost less then 10 bucks I was content with the App's ability to work with every device I've thrown at it and decided to make this version avaible for people to try out before I publish it on the Google Play Store. The last thing the LS market needs is more over priced gadgets or doodads, with that said I have a number of projects I'm developing to fill voids of previously over looked features(or just over priced)that are lost when doing a swap.

There will be a hardwired version of this for those that want a physical button but I'm still in the early stages of hardware development for that.

Future work based on this technology is being used to decode the data bus for 4th gen pcm's. That however is going to take a great deal of time since those are not readily avaible in my area to collect and test data on, but it'll be worth the wait

HappySalesman

iTrader: (3)

I can see what you're doing with this... I guess what I'm missing is the purpose behind it. Most people who swap an LS into something that didn't already come with it aren't really doing so to haul or tow, it's usually for performance.

Forgive my ignorance, I just don't see the market having a need for this.

PeteS160

Tow/Haul is what the alternative shift tables are called by GM and to my knowledge every truck with an LS came with this option while very few cars had this feature active regardless of what it was called. In programs like EFI Live and Hp Tuners the 2nd set of shift tables is referred to as Performance even in truck application where it's labeled as Tow/haul. When I started my work on this I vastly over estimated how much knowledge people had regarding these shift tables. Being able to change to a completely separate set of shift tables is about as performance orientated as you can get.

Any one thats currently using a wire on Pin 71 to change shift tables is aware of what it does and likely what can be changed. What I have found is even those that have a switch on pin 71 very seldom use it likely because there is no good way to turn them On/Off reliably or to have any type of visual indicator if they are active.

Jesus Guerrero

Im very interested in this. Sounds like i can use this as a "drop gear button" for rolls. How can i test this.

HappySalesman

iTrader: (3)

Ah, my apologies. Being a manual trans owner, I never thought About shift points and a performance aspect to it.

Disregard my previous post, this looks pretty damn useful lol.

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

Im with the above as far as, you probably wont find a huge market for this. You're making it out like i want to pull my phone out, open an app, and select tow/haul mode on the app as opposed to flipping a switch? Nope, will never happen. It seem cumbersome. I tune cars regularly, and no one gives two craps about tow/haul mode. They want aggressive shifting all the time. When you tune cars for money and know what people want, get back to us.

PeteS160

This app is something I was giving out for FREE that CAN be useful and to my knowledge has not yet been accomplished.

Now if your customers don't give two craps about tow/haul mode then you have either chosen not to inform them or you did a poor job explaining the benefit that can be had by using it.

Now since you know claim to know all about "What People Want" how about you enlighten me as to just how you activate Tap Shift on 4th gen's ? How about cruise control? Ac request? Tow/Haul?
Now do it with out a BCM.......

Sure you can find aftermarket solutions for some of those things but you better be ready to open your wallet and dig deep.

If you had read the entire post you would have read the part where I said "It'll be done as an App first, extensively tested and then moved to a hardware version ". Designing something like this as an app using off the shelf hardware takes a whole lot less time and money then designing the hardware, writing the code for a pic and then trying to reverse engineer the data bus with said hardware all while hoping your untested hardware and pic code are working correctly.......... since you haven't actually been able to test it.... since you haven't cracked the data bus yet.

Now for a more user friendly interface......Yes, I actually do have two different types of hardware for activating the 2nd set of shift tables on 3rd gen stuff that are both hardwired as in......push a button....flip a switch what ever you want, and they can drive an indicator light when the alternative tables are active. V1 is an emulator that mimics the function of a Bcm for engagement parameters and how it reacts to on/off commands or the key being shut off. V2 is a Bcm simulator, as in it 100% can replicate any function between the Bcm and the Pcm over the class 2 network. This app is loosely based off the V2 design using the data bus.

While I have a working hardware version of both the V1 & V2 design; the V2 data bus hardware version is not a cost effective in my opinion given the limited about of things that can be done with the 3rd gen pcm's. The V2 using the data bus is aimed at the Gen 4 and Gen 5 stuff.

Now a person that has a bit of imagination could appreciate the work I've done and see it's potential to make just about any function accessible for 3rd, 4th, and 5th gens(wait no one's done much with these yet s )

The type of tech I've been designing isn't blocked behind corporate paywalls with a 500% markup, it's just a car guy that knows enough about electronics, programming and pcm's to figure out solutions to things others haven't. The last thing the LS world needs is more over priced gadgets.

PeteS160

Get an Elm 327 off Amazon or Ebay, look for one in the $8-$15 range and you shouldn't have any issues. If your Pcm is out of a truck that was originally setup with Tow/haul plug in the Elm and run the app. If your pcm is setup for tow/haul on pin 71 you need to use a tuning program to go in and change it back to over "class 2" or "Data Bus" depending on what your tuning program calls it. Then plug in your Elm and load the app and

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

God you're a crybaby. Im not insulting your work. Im being realistic and saying that I deal with a ton of modded cars, and have buddies that do as well, and its just not something the average guy would care about. Not saying it won't have a market, i think it would be a small one though. Good luck with it.

mercrising

I totally disagree ^^^. I think it's just accepted now days that if you swap you don't get Tow Haul because you lose the BCM and it takes some relays to set it back up. Now, I can see in race or edge cases that people want neck breaking and quick shifts but......

In my experience tuning lots of street truck daily drivers, people want to be able to utilize the softer more compliant shifting of normal mode and then bump the shift speeds/pressures etc when they want to romp on it.

PeteS160.... When you says to "Pcm MUST be set for Data Bus control of Shift Pattern", do you mean it has to be a PCM that had Tow Haul already wired in and related tables calibrated?

I am looking in an 04 Tahoe tune in HP Tuners and I don't see that option drop down in Engine or Trans tabs.

Cheers, and cool idea! saw it when it came across FB.

PeteS160

The is the setting it needs to be on. This just happens to be the factory setting in every 99-07 truck pcm by default. Now if the pcm was setup to use a wire on pin 71 previously you would need to change the setting back to the data bus option.

PeteS160

Just a quick update while I'm in this thread.

Programming for a "hardwired" interface over the data bus for the 99-07 LS1B pcm's Tow-Haul/Performance shift is complete. This program can now very easily be "Ported" to the E38/E40 type Pcm, the prototype hardware I've been using can support's both types of data bus.

Now I just need to get my hands on a matching Pcm, Tcm and Bcm or even better get a couple of hours worth of data recorded off the bus on a NNBS truck

I've searched all the local salvage yards and not one of them had all 3 modules that came from the same vehicle. I don't mind spending a couple hundred bucks on a full set of modules for "Research" purposes but I'm a bit iffy buying mismatched modules and then trying to get someone to flash them all to match.

Once I get the data I need getting this to work on 4th gen's won't take that long. Depending on how complex the tap shift is that may also not take that long to implement. Once I see what exactly is going to be needed hardware wise to get this stuff working I'll get a circuit design layed out and have some pcb's made for further testing.

PeteS160

Tow/haul Aka the performance shift tables just got a whole lot easier to use.

No cutting
No Splicing
No extra wires
And it not just for swaps any more

Plug it in, mount a switch and setup the second set of transmission tables.....and your done.

Prototype, measures 2 inches wide, 3 inches long and 1 1/2 inches tall. It contains 3 circuit boards that took around 6 hours to assemble. These weren't printed circuit boards these were universal prototype circuit boards so trust me you don't want to see it's guts lol.

The hardware is capable of also controlling Tap Shift(planned ahead on what would be needed) and likely has all the necessary components to also handle cruise control

Jesus Guerrero

How can i get a hold on one of these?

PeteS160

Currently you can't, this is a product that is in development that has a targeted release end of winter/early spring.

What features specifically are you looking to be able to use ? This is in regards to the 4th gen computer system I'm assuming?

Chas91Z28

iTrader: (1)

Hey Pete, hope all's going well with you. I've been following a lot of your work - really incredible progress (with the PCM Hammer, the Android apps, etc). I'm wondering if you've made any further progress with this since the last update last year? I'm interested in both, the Gen3 and Gen4 PCM work. I have several projects going on, but here's two:
1-I have a 24x LT4 P01 PCM swap and would love to have the 2nd shift tables. I will be dailying this car in good weather, and want a softer shifting behavior. But with a touch of a button, switch over to the 2nd tables for the track. The car already has a momentary switch I want to use to trigger the tables. I was going to run this to pin 71. But was really wanting some kind of light showing I'm in the performance shifting mode. So I'm curious about your prototype - how is that working out? (And I'm also probably getting too far ahead... wondering if your module could simulate airbag communications? My swapped car doesn't have airbags, and apparently the swapped Fbody cluster I'm doing will be lighting up the airbag light because the module is missing...)
2-I also have a 2011 plain-jane work truck that doesn't have cruise control. Despite what others in here think - you can bet your @$$ I'm willing to pull out my phone for every trip if I can use cruise control! Did you make any progress there?
Just hoping the ignorant few in here didn't discourage you from this project. In my opinion, these look really, really cool!

PeteS160

The one on the Right is about the 27th revision of the original module design, the one on the left does the same thing but its done over the Data Bus. Last I worked on this I was working on adding indicator lights for Cruise Control On and AC on but it wasn't able to send and read data at the same time and the extra lights were not 100% reliable. It functioned just fine for switching shift tables though.

I may end up selling them at some point but based on the feed back I got from harness builders, tuners and shops(that did swaps) there wasn't much interest in something like this for the money/time they took to build.Finding enclosures for them was also very difficult, I changed the layout on the original design to fit existing stuff a couple of times but the cases were usually discontinued shortly after I'd change the board to fit it seemed like. There are a few of these still in vehicles around where I live and maybe one or 2 of the people I sent test units out too still have one but that was almost a year ago.


Airbag, ABS and Check engine lights are a big gray area IMO. Sure they can be turned off over the data bus but it'd be a whole lot easier for you to just remove the bulb from the cluster. I have no way of knowing if a device like that was actually going in a swap.... or if someone was just trying to be crafty and use it in stock application because they didn't want to actually fix what was wrong.

If the truck didn't have cruise the PCM may not be programmed for it to even work, that's not something I've looked into before. I am working on a stand alone module for cruise control on swaps that use the E38 pcm but I'm not sure how it would respond in a stock application since the activation requests originate from the BCM.

Chas91Z28

iTrader: (1)

Dang, I understand, Pete. And you're already burning your candle at more than two ends somehow.
I see where you're going with the airbag light. I think the warning light in my cluster is an LED. So I'm gonna find a way to desolder an end of it.
I'll bet there will be more interest in a Gen4 BCM simulator because I know a lot of swaps are missing the cruise control. I'm gonna get the Rostra kit and hope it's somewhat decent, ha.
Keep the innovation going!!