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I have no clue about the VCI's. All I know is that they have some limitations and an expiration date for the license. Maybe we should start a new thread about how to install PIWIS 3 and focus on coding here.
Sure thing. Mind guiding me on how to perform a simple code change? Do I need a charger for the car? How long does it take? A friend asked me to help him with his Spyder and I am trying to be prepared
The Panamera forum wasn't of much help; maybe here, people have a deeper understanding of the process:
I am trying to get a better, deeper understanding of what a VCI is and all the different VCIs out there.
If I understand it correctly, the VCI is the part that connects to the car, but it isn't just a dumb connector; it has a board and some chips on it. It makes sense as it connects to a USB and something has to convert the signals from the car to something an x86 driver can work with.
Otherwise, each car manufacturer would have to have its own driver, and it would be a mess.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but originally, there was only the OEM Porsche VCI, which is manufactured by ACTIA. China is a huge market for Porsche, and someone there decided to make a clone of the original VCI to save some costs. If I understand correctly, the OEM VCI, while being super expensive, actually works with all the different warezed Piwis versions floating around. So the clone was for the purpose of saving money (as opposed to overcoming some restrictions in the OEM one, for i.e.). Cloning a connector like this for someone with even a little experience in embedded reverse engineering is a simple thing to do, so I can see the appeal. Still not sure about the part of VXDIAG in all of that. It seems they have a VCI of their own, and they also own VX Manager?
Now, because all the tutorials out there guide to replacing the driver and application of the VCI, I assume the originals had some limitations that were patched out (I will probably bindiff them as a weekend project to see what was changed).
Would appreciate it if someone has more specifics.
Is there a significant difference for the hobbyist between the OEM VCI and the Chinese clones? Is there any difference between the 100 different clones, or are they all the same?
I plan on ordering this as some other members in the 718forums reported it worked well for them.
If I got something wrong - please correct me. I am here to learn.
You are correct that the original VCIs were made by Actia, based on their TC-XS interface. There were two iterations - the original PT3G-VCI, and the later PT3G-E-VCIv2. There isn't a Chinese clone of these. The Chinese VCI is supposed to be a clone of the VAS6154. In reality, it is nothing even close to a genuine VAS6154, and is a VX-DIAG mini VCI in a case which looks a bit like a VAS6154 (the genuine VCI for VAG cars, also made by Actia).
The VAS6154 "clone" uses the pass-thru protocol to communicate with Piwis3. You just have to install the correct device driver. It is slower than a genuine PT3G-VCI, but it works fine for diagnostics and coding. I wouldn't risk programming (flashing) of control modules in Developer (Engineering) Mode. It is fine for what you guys are doing, but no good for professional use. There are other pass-thru VCIs that will work, but nobody seems to share the methods for installing and integrating the drivers.
To work with Piwis 3, the clone must be V1.6.6, with a licence expiry date of 12-31-2030. Do not attempt to update the VCI firmware or driver, or you will brick it. Best not to even open the VXManager program which comes with the VCI. The driver needs installing in a certain way, along with some other files which need copying. These are available on other automotive forums. Also be careful with the mini USB connector. The socket can be very fragile.
I have both a PT3G-VCI I bought when they were "affordable" and a VAS6154 "clone" I bought 'because I could'.
Last edited by Richard Hamilton; 01-07-2023 at 10:09 AM.
I have both a PT3G-VCI I bought when they were "affordable" and a VAS6154 "clone" I bought 'because I could'.
Thank you so much for all the information provided. Would you say, that for what we are doing here, which is the only thing I am willing to do anyways - there is a significant difference between the Actica VCI and the clone? Like speed? ease of use? Quality?
Thank you so much for all the information provided. Would you say, that for what we are doing here, which is the only thing I am willing to do anyways - there is a significant difference between the Actica VCI and the clone? Like speed? ease of use? Quality?
The difference is chalk and cheese. The Actia is a top quality product, and very noticably faster to communicate between laptop and car. They are difficult to source now, and sellers charge in the region of $2500+ (if you can find one). Now that Piwis4 has been rolled out, they are likely to get even more scarse.
The $60 clone is adequate for hobby use, as long as you don't want to flash control modules. My only experience of this is a friend whe wanted to flash a Cayenne instrument cluster, on which the flash failed repeatedly and the display eventually went blank. I lent him my Piwis2, and he was able to resurrect it. Maybe other folks have had success with flashing other modules, but I wouldn't risk it. If you buy one of the clones, I suggest the first thing you do is open it up, and use a 2-part epoxy to reinforce the usb socket where it mounts on the circuit board. Also, buy a 3 metre USB cable, as the one supplied is a bit short, and can tug on the USB socket, tending to pull it off the board.
Sure thing. Mind guiding me on how to perform a simple code change? Do I need a charger for the car? How long does it take? A friend asked me to help him with his Spyder and I am trying to be prepared
Never actually connected the Piwis to a car yet - trying to get familiar with it before doing that.
Why my control unit has a different name than the rest of you? Using version 41.500.000 in simulation mode (it didn't let me choose 982 Spyder, only 982 Boxster)
Never actually connected the Piwis to a car yet - trying to get familiar with it before doing that.
Why my control unit has a different name than the rest of you? Using version 41.500.000 in simulation mode (it didn't let me choose 982 Spyder, only 982 Boxster)
In simulation mode, it uses sample data from a 991.1.
Traffic Sign Recognition. North American cars don't have this option available. Can anyone with Traffic Sign Recognition in the UK or EU share their PIWIS or X431 settings for the Front Camera, PCM and Cluster. Those three modules need to be coded with option 631 Traffic Sign Recognition. I keep getting this error message "Speed limit message unavailable. Out of functional area" after I coded it. Using Road fusion mode, BAP and with or without VZA, the cluster displays the same error message. This leads me to believe that our NAR NAV maps don't support VZA or VZE in the cluster and/or our Front Camera does not support this.
Good news ! @718socal successfully coded my GT4 with bucket seats and NO folding mirrors to have the mirror tilt on reverse. Works like a charm! @718socal is the man.
Has anyone tried to change the dme of a pdk gt3 to manual? I have recently been trying to change my 991.2GT3 to a manual shift, why do I need to do this? Because where I am there is no stick shift offered. So I'm gonna do it myself. I've got the hardware. Now I need to use piwis3 to code the manual dme program to my GT3. Does anyone know how to do this?
01-07-2023, 04:23 AM
