I bought a 03 track last year with a PL kit and the UTEC already on the car. The car runs fine at 8 PSI. I do not intend to either replace the UTEC or do anything that will require me to replace the unit unles the thing melts off the car. My questions are:

1 There is a USB port on the unit, if I pug my laptop in will it recognize the unit and guide me throught the usage of the unit?

2. I'm not sure what model I have. I have read that there was or was supposed to be a revision that had launch control. I would like to be able to use that if it is there. How can I check if it is there if Im able to navigate throught the UTEC?

As you can tell not very familiar with the whole tuning deal, but it is time to learn. I see there is not a lot of talk about the UTEC either since it was discontinued, but I'm going to hang on to mine till it gives me a reason to get rid of it.. Thanks in advance

 

1. You can connect to UTEC directly via USB, however it will not behave like a piece of "plug-and-play" USB hardware where it will pop up a screen or anything like that. You still need to use Hyperterminal to communicate with the UTEC. The USB port on your computer needs to be assigned a COM port number. Honestly, I have never tried this, but I know it can be done. A tried and true solution is to use a serial to USB adapter (I will assume you want to use USB because your computer lacks a serial port?). Some adapters are problematic but I have had nothing but success with ones that use the Prolific brand chipset. They're like $10 on ebay.

2. When you connect to the UTEC the first screen to come up is the Dashboard. In the upper right, it will state the UTEC version. It will read like this:

TURBOXS 350Z (Version 2.2) (c) 2005

I have no experience or knowledge regarding launch control with the UTEC, though I know there is a feature in mine... If it works or how it works, I have no clue.

If you dont have the UTEC manual, you need to download it, and read it.

 

First off, thanks for the info... I do have a serial port on my laptop, I just said USB since that is the most popular way to connect things to the computer now.. I guess Im showing my ignorance in regards to the UTEC..The dash board tells you what the sensors are doing right? RPM, AIT, timing and so on? I did try to go o the Turbo XS website to download the manual but no luck... Can U tell me where to go to download the user manual?

 

email them. they offer alot of info that way.

 

If you have a serial port, I would use it.

Dashboard does tell you that info, yes.

Manual is here: http://www.turboxs.com/shop/attachme..._attachment=29

Its part of a Zip file with some base maps and other files.

 

/\ +1 if you have a serial port on your laptop then use the serial connection because it will make your life much easier. Read the manual 10x and it will make sense after that. You wont see your A/F with Utec alone, you need the UTI jeffsoftware to read your WB or get the Turboxs tuner so you can log and read your A/F. Also the launch control feature dont work with our car.

 

Thanks for the link much help!!... Im overseas right now but Im going to be back home for good in a couple of weeks and want to use the time here to reaserch and do some homework before I get back. Once the serial cable is connected to the UTEC, anything wrong with just keeping it hooked up and stored away for future use? I would imagine not but you never know..

 

Launch control doesnt work with our cars??? That sucks...Are there any launch control systems out there that can be used? I do have the AEM WB, will that be able to be used with the UTEC?

 

No problem at all with leaving a serial cable hooked up to the UTEC, mine has been on there since I installed it around 4 years ago.

I also have an AEM UEGO wideband... The UTEC does not accept direct wideband input except from the TurboXS Tuner/Tuner Pro. The work-around for this is to wire your UEGO with an RS-232 (serial) plug (and then to a USB adapter if needed) and plug both it and your UTEC into your computer. Then, we use UTI from Jeffsoftware to integrate the data from the two into useful logs.

http://www.jeffsoftware.com/

On the topic of the launch control and other non-useable functions in the UTEC... Keep in mind this engine management was developed mostly for the Subaru platform and so some of the features that were put in the 350z version were derived from those Subaru versions and were supposed to be supported through eventual software updates, which never happened.

 

Man thanks for all that useful info ... Now I need to get out there and find a way to get launch control on the car. I will be running the car on the drag strip so I need to start getting a hold of my goodies..

 

Google "stereo out to serial db 9" and that should get you the cable you need from the AEM WB. I've got the Innovate LC-1 and that will probably be the route I take. The UTEC can use the USB port and the AEM will use the serial port on your PC. UTI software is the way to go for around $30. You can download a 30 day trial to check it out first. PM me and I'll forward you v2.3 of the UTEC manual. I'm currently looking for a later version to see if there are any changes as my firmware on the UTEC is sitting at v2.8d. Hopefully, they put out a corresponding manual to the firmware update version.

 

Ok, thanks. Right now I just have the AEM WB hooked up to the O2 sensor that came with the AEM gauge. Im going to look up the cable and get it hooked up. I did download the user manual and the other tuning tools that were available from UTEC. The UTI is what I need to do the actual changes in tuning right? Thanks in advance!!!

 

You can either use the UTI software or Login to the UTEC device via hyperterminal (Windows terminal emulation software) with the serial cable that TurboXS supplies. I haven't had the chance to use the UTI software YET. Probably by the weekend, I'll be ready to tune.