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.