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Paging Renix gearheads!

What little info I have says they are analog outputs. Has a single line in for the ECU, and one out for the ECU and another for TCU. First thought would be how to get it to 'talk'. It probably doesn't sit and babble on the output just running, it'll need a command to dump its values.

Everything just says to use the DRB II to get there....

Maybe it's just a case of grounding the 'input' and the output pulses the codes like the older Ford systems and everyone has been fooled into buying extra boxes. ;-)

5-90 and satan seem to have been into this, are they still around?

BTW, I used like to hook the OBDII scanner up my 96 Explorer and monitor everything real-time. It wouldn't be too costly, or difficult, to add a monitor in the design. Most people I know would buy it as a factory option if it was available - just to keep tabs on things at least. It would be one cool option, but those same folks that invented idiot lights probably wouldn't understand :-(
 
This is still in the works. I just scored a "donated" set of 1989 RENIX electronics, and I've got another RENIX ECM with fried injector drivers, and now I just need to set everything up so I can sim. I've got to figure resistance curves for the IAT and CTS so I can 'fake' them with a pot (probably Audio/LOG taper, from the look of them) and a few other things - so this may or may not happen in the next couple week-ends for setting up.

From what I can see so far, the RENIX ECM seems to be constantly yammering to the outside world whether anyone is listening or not - the few times I've had access to a Snap-On MT2500 (anyone upgrade recently and have one to donate or sell?) there didn't seem to be a "query" command involved - just plug it in and go. Since there are no codes and it's all realtime data, it's just tearing apart the bitstream and figuring it out.

My references list it all as "serial data" or "serial TX/RX," so it's got to be something that can be torn apart. I'll have to dig some more when my FA comes thru and I get a new laptop...

Meanwhile, I'll welcome any input that anyone wishes to send in, and I'll probably see about getting a "stickie" once the ball starts rolling, to make it easier for RENIX fans to check in and see what's what. I'd like to see this happen, but I'll probaby need help to do it...

So far, here's what I'd like to see out of the deal:
Onboard data display.
Low-buck replacement for Snap-On MT2500, et. al, aimed at the hobbyist.
Better understanding of the RENIX system for performance tuning.
Ability to "shape" or "modify" signals in flight to complement other modifications - notably forced induction.

Anyone else have any ideas? This has been such a "back burner" project for the last three years or so that I've probably forgotten what I was originally trying to accomplish.

Also, I'd appreciate hearing from anyone in the Vicinity of Elkhart, IN, who has a genuine interest in this project and some "office-hours" time to spare. It appears that the RENIX patents are currently owned by an outfit in Elkhart called ACTIA Corp., and postal enquiries have so far been fruitless. I'd like to be able to get a face or two in there, and see what we can pry loose as well. I'm probably going to try to talk to Snap-On and see if I can shake anything out of a tree or two there as well...

Once the basics are seen to, I may keep this thing up as a "RENIX Simulator" for playing with other ideas as well. Just a passing thought... Naturally, anyone else willing to donate parts or equipment is quite welcome to contact me backchannel for details...

5-90
 
If I ever get some time, I will hook up my logic analyzer to it and see if I can make sense of the data stream. I have a neat new little serial to USB converter that can be programmed for the data levels and baud rates. It would make it easy to get the data into a pc or mac. The issue is decoding the data stream. I've been so busy I haven't been able to squeeze it into my schedule. Besides being an EE I am also a CS and have a full lab of tools. If someone could lay hands on the data protocol, I could whip something up in a day or so.
 
Old_Man, what is a CS?

Has this topic died, been shelved, moved to other threads, or !!!1

Maybe it is time to reveive it!

Seems like we had a good source of Help from Satan early on, but he never replied back to several later posts here.

I am thinking we should take several approaches to this. I for one would like to be able to monitor each input and output independtly while driving, and parked at idle.

Figuring out the digital data output stream without OEM design data sounds like an impossible task to me. Too many unknown independent variables involved.

But it should be possible to collect all the analog input and output data off a running Renix Jeep with just lots of wire and one of these new $100 USB data aquisition boxes (like www.labjack.com) hooked to an old Win98SE laptop with a USB PCMCIA card installed.
 
old_man said:
I have the Renix diagnostics manual but never have taken the time to see if it has anything in it about the data stream. I do however remember seeing a Txd and Rxd set of lines on the schematics.
Click to expand...
I was wondering if the Renix Diagnostic manual you mentioned is more complete than mine? Does yours have any details about the internals of the black box itself?
 
old_man said:
Are the levels RS-232 or RS-485? If so we could spy it with a simple communications program and start decyphering it. I have the Renix diagnostics manual but never have taken the time to see if it has anything in it about the data stream. I do however remember seeing a Txd and Rxd set of lines on the schematics. I also have spare Renix computers.http://www.optibrand.com
Click to expand...

One thing to remember is that if the Renix ECU isn't natively putting out RS232 signal levels, you'll have to convert them to same before you'll be able to make sense of them using a PC and serial port.

One way to do this is something called an optocoupler. I don't know a lot about it, but when I started looking into getting a program called VAG-COM (http://www.ross-tech.com) for doing my own diagnostics on my TDI, that was how the older interfaces worked. They still do, but the data rates aren't all that good. For something as old as Renix, it's probably a good place to start. The VWAG computers use some oddball ISO interface, which had to be converted to RS232 before the computer could talk to it. If you were able to get your hands on one of those old interfaces (ISO-COM, or one of the "DIY VAG-COM kits", you'd have an example to work with if you wanted to adapt it to use in this situation.

BTW Jon, good idea getting a full bench setup to use as a test dummy - it's really the only way to go for something like this.

Rob
 
So did anybody get anywhere with this? I too have an urge to build a renix scan tool but lack the protocol data.
 
I was almost on it.... too many projects.

My ideas is to use a program called LabView from national instruments, can read up to 16 channels, I have the board and the software for the macintosh IICX using nubus, and may get an upgrade for the latter PCI interface.

All i need it time to have time to do some soldering from the diagnostic plug to my interface.

Michel
 
You'd think there would be some retired engineer that helped design the renix system cashing in on the potential here. electronics are so cheap these days, it would not take much more than knowing HOW the information is received and sent to and from the renix "brain" to be able to interperate it, display it, and or modify it. I for one would love to have a tool like this. It should be a lot easier to develop than the complicated on board programmers they make for modern cars. I know it would not be able to do a lot, but I would still want one for diagnostic purposes if nothing else, and I'm sure there are a lot of others who would too.
 
Hey Jon any updates? I thought you got ahold of some original equipment is there any progress in allowing us to jack a computer in and do scans ourselves? is there a way to add a memory bank to the ECU to store what trends are going on?
 
Stihl029 said:
Hey Jon any updates? I thought you got ahold of some original equipment is there any progress in allowing us to jack a computer in and do scans ourselves? is there a way to add a memory bank to the ECU to store what trends are going on?
Click to expand...

The latter idea is interesting - provided that the data is stored in a format easy to access (if we can sort out the RENIX datastream, tho, that shouldn't be a problem.)

I do have a full setup, but I've not had much time to work on it of late - and we're deciding whether or not we're going to be moving again (damn...) So, it's still going to be a bit. (damn...)
 
Stihl029 said:
Here's an update on a russian site, Jon I am sure you are aware of it from renix power, just wanna get the word out and this seems like the best thread to throw it in.
Here is the english translated version:
http://translate. google.com/ translate? u=http%3A% 2F%2Fjeep. avtogr\
ad.ru%2FCherokee% 2Finjection% 2Fmopar%2FSBEC% 2Fdrbpc.htm& sl=ru&tl= \
en&hl=en&ie= UTF-8

Hope I am not hated for doing so but Hey all you guys running renix there is a bulletin board for you on Yahoo.
Click to expand...

Link isn't working for me.
 
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