EEHack

No more Windows XP support for EEHack?

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EEHack is written on top of a C++ library called QT, allowing me to develop new features rapidly, support Linux and Mac OSX, and program things in new and interesting ways.  It’s also a great way for people to develop programs that aren’t accustomed to writing GUI software.

Almost by accident, I’ve found that Windows XP is not supported by versions of QT later than 5.6.

This means that if I use the newest QT library, and I do like to keep things updated, EEHack will stop working with Windows XP entirely.  The new beta, for example, is built against QT 5.8, and refuses to start on Windows XP.

On one hand, Windows XP is now over 15 years old, and EEHack is a fairly modern program, so part of me doesn’t care, but I personally have an XP netbook I use for tuning, so I do feel the pain of people with old hardware.  Hell, you can’t even get a decent web browser for XP anymore.

I have several options I’m considering:

  1. Drop support for Windows XP and stick with current QT versions, also dropping some of the specialized compiler flags necessary to be compatible with XP.  This may result in a more stable EEHack?  Or maybe not…
  2. Stick with QT 5.6 forever, and any improvements in QT be damned.  This is the safest option…
  3. Release builds against BOTH versions of QT.  This is more work for me, but it’s possible for me to automate the process:
    1. In one gigantic installer that selects the correct version itself.  This would be a fairly large package and irritate both users since fbodytech.com’s upload speed is not awesome
    2. In separate installers and make the user choose.  I’m sure to get weekly inquiries about which version to download despite me labelling them clearly.

If we do choose option one, all hope is not lost.  Anyone can download QT with QT creator and compile EEHack themselves. This is kind of what my Linux user base is doing since I stopped releasing binaries for Linux, and it works alright.

Any opinions, please do comment.

Does this matter to you?  Do you still use XP?  Why?

EEHack 3.5 – Flash Write & Wideband

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New release of EEHack is ready.

Among other things, I think we can consider this the first release of my FREE LT1 flash tool!

I’ve put a lot of time into this flashing routine, and although I’d not officially recommend it to poor LT1 users that only have one car or one ECM yet (just in case a bug pops up) I think it’s ready for public use. Also, try reading a bin first, before writing your first bin!

About the Flash Routine

This flash tool has a ‘take any long shot to save your ecm’ philosophy to error recovery, which, on any unrecoverable error, tries its best to regain control, erase the chip again, and start over. It also tries to verify your serial connections integrity before even trying to do anything.

It also features single-sided flash, which will flash the e-side or t-side only if desired. It can also conveniently compare your old bin to your new one, to determine which parts need to be flashed. This potentially cuts flash time and risk in half if you’ve only made a small change or two!

This is a big deal to people tuning on a budget, as with a free copy of TunerPRO (Non-RT) and my EEX XDF file, you can have the most advanced tuning and analysis platform for your 94-95 LT1 for only the cost of an ALDL cable (I’m working on making that cheaper too….)

Not 100% sure on this, but perhaps now the 94-95 LT1 is the cheapest GM car to tune EVER!

Wideband Enhancements

This new EEHack release is also important to people with widebands. It has an additional analyzer feature to plot wideband readings in cruising range, a commonly requested feature.

Also has a brand new wideband input on a dedicated pin so you don’t have to use the a/c input hack anymore!

Download

Let me know how it works out. As always, use at your own risk.

DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION HERE

Full list of changes here.

EEHack and Windows 10 Bugs

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Some users are finding problems with Windows 10 and EEHack, especially the autospark system.

For the time being, please run EEHack in ‘Compatibility Mode’ if you use Windows 10, and avoid the autospark system.

I’ll try to install Win 10 in a virutal machine and track down the problem before the next release.