Question about ECU chips for GT3

[Tekk]

I have read all the stuff on this website about it.
Couple of further questions.

1. Anyone fit these kind of things? Yes I know its relatively easy but im a coward :-) and would rather have someone who knows which end of a soldering iron is which do it.

2. Anyone have any experience of impact on insurance... or do you just not tell them?

3. Any known effect on resell value?

Based in Surrey and can imagine Bell & Colville having a heart attack if I asked them :_)

Thanks,

Tekk.

[rob.e]

I have read all the stuff on this website about it.
Couple of further questions.

1. Anyone fit these kind of things? Yes I know its relatively easy but im a coward :-) and would rather have someone who knows which end of a soldering iron is which do it.

2. Anyone have any experience of impact on insurance... or do you just not tell them?

3. Any known effect on resell value?

Based in Surrey and can imagine Bell & Colville having a heart attack if I asked them :_)

Thanks,

Tekk.

Tekk - suggest you post up on uklotusesprit yahoo group and see if someone on there would help you out with fitting, maybe Les (lotusperformace.co.uk) or John (brgclassics.info) or Owen (race-speed.com) would help you out. Owen has just fitted one of marcus's chips to his own GT3.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/UKLotusEsprit/

Welcome to the group by the way

Rob

[cnh1990]

I assume you are talking about soldering a chip into the memcal itself. There are two way to do it yourself, actually three ways.

If you you have access to solder/desolder station. I have a Weller. It has a hollow point heat element and it is placed over the chip legs or pin and when the solder melts and foot switch is press and the electric vac pump sucks the solder away from the pin.

Use a standard iron and spring loaded solder sucker to remove the solder.

The third use is to use a standard iron and a braided wick to wick away the solder.

The last two methods require some soldering experience and there is a danger of over heating the chip or burning the board in either the removal or installation of the new chip.

If you are the least bit unsure leave the desolder/soldering to someone else.

Do not tell your insurance company, as for resale depends on the overall condition of the car. I do not mind cars that have had mods as long as I feel that the owner has had a habit of replacing worn or broken parts on a timely basis. Some well driven cars are in a lot better shape from all these replacements than a garage queen.
Calvin 90 SE

[adrianmugridge]

Tekk

1. I've fitted one. It's not very hard, you don't even have to solder the new chip in if you don't want to ( mine's not ). The hardest bit is undoing the bolts that holds the ECU in place. Then, when you remove the Memcal ( the bit that holds the Chip ) you cut all the legs ( it's the only way ) and then push the new chip in. Doddle !!! Mind you, I do have a degree in Electrical and Electonic engineering !!

2. My insurance went up by £170 ( was about £630 ). I'd tell them but it's up to you.

3. No idea

Adrian
www.adrianmugridge.co.uk

[jconsta6]

adrianmugridge said: Tekk

1. I've fitted one. It's not very hard, you don't even have to solder the new chip in if you don't want to ( mine's not ). The hardest bit is undoing the bolts that holds the ECU in place. Then, when you remove the Memcal ( the bit that holds the Chip ) you cut all the legs ( it's the only way ) and then push the new chip in. Doddle !!! Mind you, I do have a degree in Electrical and Electonic engineering !!

2. My insurance went up by £170 ( was about £630 ). I'd tell them but it's up to you.

3. No idea

Adrian
www.adrianmugridge.co.uk

I'd agree mostly with what Adrian said, however I took the route of after cutting the chip out, I soldered in the chip carrier. This way, I wasn't heating the chip up whilest installing it.

However as some of you will know, I had made a bit of a bad solder on one of the legs which ended up breaking on me whilest going down the motorway!!

I've re soldered now and all o.k. again.

My advice if you do it yourself, take the extra time of checking each leg for connectivity before re-installing the memcal back into the car - it will save the " OH st I've killed my car!!" statement going through your head.:-)

[Squelch]

You could always just get a spare mem-cal assembly, and have it programmed with the code you want, instead of removing/cutting/soldering in a chip to your stock mem-cal.

Then just swap the mem-cal assembly, or later swap it back to stock..

[Manuelin]

I did it to mine one evening. It took me about two hours. What worked for me was prying out the EPROM chip from the rear and applying the soldering iron to each leg as it was lifted. This way I could still use the original EPROM while my new one arrives (I am getting #3 from Marcus). I soldered in place the socket and popped the IC back in. Started the car and it all worked. There is a way to get the EPROM in one piece, but it requires some skill. Now all I need is to wait for the new one and swap it in :-) Any suggestions before the upgrade? Thins I should watch out for?
Thanks. (17K mi S4S)

[lotusespritworld]

Take it down to a TV repair place. They should be able to do the soldering easily. Shouldn't cost more than a tenner and they can check all the connections.

www.lotusespritworld.com/EMaintenance/chip_install.html

kato
Lotus Esprit World