New User- What NOT to do

[dlagrua]

Have done many tunes on older GM ECMs but this is my first crack at OBDII.
Just received my VCM tuning suite this week and will get going scanning and making changes to my 3800SC program shortly. However, I just spoke to another new HP Tuners user and he advised that its easy to wipe out a GM PCM under certain conditions like if the PCM loses power during a data exchange. He's already wiped out several PCMs, I assume by pressing the wrong buttons or not using the right procedure.
For the new users like myself what the best advise that you can give to insure that I keep the PCM in good health while tuning. A few simple tips would be appreciated.
I am loading the program into my laptop this morning. Thankjs

[Bill@HPTuners]

Reading the help file is a great start http://www.hptuners.com/help/vcm_edi...menu_write.htm

Personally I've tuned about 100 vehicles and flashed probably 2500-5000x and have yet to kill a pcm or even send one into recovery if memory serves me.

[brianko]

However, I just spoke to another new HP Tuners user and he advised that its easy to wipe out a GM PCM under certain conditions like if the PCM loses power during a data exchange. He's already wiped out several PCMs, I assume by pressing the wrong buttons or not using the right procedure.

Over 200 tunes, have not locked up any that couldn't be unlocked. You have to use common sense: Make sure your laptop battery is charged (I don't even trust that, as most older laptops do not accurately display remaining battery life), or better yet, always charge with AC power.

*Always* plug the interface into the cable first! For some reason, HPT thought it was a good design decision to make the cable end male and the interface connection female, but it's quite easy to short out the male pins on the grounded housing of the interface. That is one of the few times I've sweated out a trashed PCM (everything worked out in the end).

For the new users like myself what the best advise that you can give to insure that I keep the PCM in good health while tuning. A few simple tips would be appreciated.

Best tip I have is to purchase an extra PCM and use that for tuning. If things go south on you, at least you'll have a running vehicle.

[dlagrua]

I have also loaded VCM on my laptop that uses Windows Vista. Seems OK so far. Any reported glitches with Vista. It is the current Windows state of the art program so I would assume that the product has been made compatible. .