Twin Tec PC Link Software
Will Twin Tec software run on
the new Windows Vista?
Yes! We have updated all of our
software to run on Windows Vista. If you receive an error message while
loading software from one of our CDROMs, you may have an older version. You
will have to download the latest version direct from our website. When
installing our software on Windows Vista, you must disable the User Account
Control (UAC) during installation as described in the Vista
UAC Tech Note.
Are there issues running Twin
Tec software on PCs with international versions of Windows?
Our software does not provide
multilingual support. Japanese and other international customers using far
eastern languages will have to go to Control Panel and set Regional and
Language Options to English language as shown below while installing and using
our software. Failure to do so will result in various errors in numeric
parameters, communications, and file operations.

Regional and
Language Options
What PC link cables are
available?
Our USB Interface (P/N USB-INTF)
provides
PC connectivity for all Twin Tec engine control products. If you have an older
laptop
without USB, you can use one of our original RS-232 PC link cables that
connect to the serial port (9 pin D-sub connector). The original RS-232 PC
link cables are still available on a special order basis. For details, call
us at 386-304-0700.

Twin Tec USB
Interface
I'm having trouble completing the
installation of USB drivers on my new laptop running Windows Vista. What can I do?
A
few customers have reported issues. Please read our Vista
USB Tech Note for
an easy solution.
I purchased a kit that included
an RS-232 PC link cable, but my laptop doesn't have a
serial port. What can I do?
If
your laptop does not include a serial port, you can use a USB adapter. However, not all USB adapters will
work correctly with our RS-232 PC link cables. Most of the inexpensive USB adapters are intended for
interfacing Palm Pilot type devices and do not support all the signals
required by our PC link cables.
We
sell a low cost USB adapter (P/N USBG-232) for $39.50 that has been extensively tested with our products
and a range of laptops running Windows 98/ME/XP/Vista. It comes with the
correct Windows drivers on CDROM.
USBG-232 USB
Adapter

| Part
Number |
Description |
Suggested
Retail |
| USBG-232 |
USB
Adapter (allows use of RS-232 PC link cables with laptops that
lack a serial port with 9 pin female D-Sub connector. Compatible with
Windows 98, ME, and XP. Comes with drivers on CDROM) |
$39.50
+ $5.95 Shipping

|
How is fuel and ignition timing data stored
in Twin Tec units?
Fuel (TCFI only) and ignition
timing data is stored
in the form of tables. You see both the tabular data and a graphical
representation in the form of a chart when you run our PC link software.
TCFI and TC88 systems use 3D
tables with values based on RPM and another parameter, such as manifold
pressure or throttle position.
Models 1005, 1006, and 1007 use
advance tables with 2 rows corresponding to manifold pressure at wide
open throttle (WOT) and cruise/idle/decel with VOES input grounded. Each row
is represented as a curve on the advance chart.
How are Twin Tec units programmed
with custom data?
The computer industry uses the
terminology "software" for programs that reside on disk drives and
"firmware" for programs that are more or less permanently written
onto a chip. In the past, firmware was truly permanent as memory chips such as
an EPROM could only be "burned" once. This involved actually
burning out microscopic fuses that represented individual data bits.
Our products use a new RISC
processor from Atmel. Firmware is stored on the chip in FLASH memory and
normally remains unchanged for the life of the product. However, blocks of
FLASH memory can be reprogrammed thousands of times. If a bug fix is required or
a new feature must be added, the firmware in FLASH memory can be reprogrammed after the
product is in the field. This can even be done while a unit is installed on a
motorcycle.
The Atmel RISC processor also
has EEPROM memory. Individual data bytes of EEPROM memory can be reprogrammed
over 100,000 times. Custom tables (and other engine parameters such as
a fixed RPM limit) generated with our PC link software are stored in EEPROM
memory. In the case of the TCFI unit, some of the tables are also stored in
FLASH memory. The PC link software allows you to reprogram any of these
tables.
What is your policy on software?
Real simple - software is free!
You can always download the latest version from our web site, make as many
copies as you want, and give them to all your friends. We make our money
selling hardware. We view software as a sales tool. It doesn't cost us
anything. Free software also solves a lot of problems with upgrades. Our
competitors don't seem to be able to figure this out. What happens if you buy
a product that has been sitting on a distributor's shelf for a year and the
software is out of date? Do you have to call tech support and wait until a new
CDROM arrives in the mail? Not with Twin Tec.