Frequently Asked Questions

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Renovelo
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Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:02 pm

Frequently Asked Questions

Post by Renovelo »

Can I use this to tune my car?

Domino Tuning Suite is compatible only with 413 and 506 hardware which can be found in late-model OBD1 3-series, 5-series, and M3 vehicles. Please see the installation instructions here to determine if you have this DME hardware.
Domino Tuning Suite Installation


Can this be used with European spec models?

Again, unless you've retrofitted a 413 or 506 DME to control your engine, the Domino Tuning Suite will not work.


Where is my DME located?

For the E36 chassis, the DME is located on the passenger side of the car near the firewall. It can be accessed from the engine bay as can be seen in the following installation instructions.

For the E34 chassis, the DME is located in an enclosed electronics box near the front passenger-side shock tower.


What parameters can I tune with this software?

Domino Tuning Suite can tune all of the tables parameters for naturally aspirated modifications as well as forced induction (turbo and supercharged) applications. Please see the following image to have a detailed list.


Is it really necessary to tune my DME after engine modifications?

This all depends on the nature of the modification. Some modifications such as small changes to the volumetric efficiency of the engine (i.e. intake and exhaust) will automatically be addressed by the factory software. This is because the factory DME calibration must be able to adapt to differences in operating environment. This means running correctly on bad gas in the hot areas of California and also the cold, elevated areas of Colorado with the same calibration. However, even small modifications such as these can be improved with small changes in the DME calibration. This is even true without any modifications to the engine.

For more complex modifications such as a new MAF sensor, camshafts, a turbo, or supercharger, recalibrating the DME is an absolute must! The factory DME only has a limited range that it can operate within. If this limited range is not changed to match the modifications, severe damage to the engine will likely happen.


Does this also record data while tuning?

Unfortunately, this is not possible yet. We will release more information if this becomes available in the future.


Can I use this software to modify the aftermarket tune I already have?

This is a tricky question which has a couple of factors to consider. First, it depends on the hardware format of your existing aftermarket tune. If your existing tune requires an encryption chip between the EEPROM and the DME, or if your tune is on something other than a standard 28-pin EEPROM, then DTS will not be able to modify it. If your existing aftermarket tune is on an unencrypted EEPROM, then there is still a small chance that DTS will not be able to modify it. The second factor to consider is that some tuners have the ability to encrypt maps directly on the EEPROM or move them to other memory addresses. If the previous tuner used either of these methods to protect their tune, then DTS will not be able to help. In all of these cases, it will be necessary to start from scratch and tune the DME yourself. We have several stock base tunes available on our forums.


Why does the value I type into the editor change slightly afterwards?

Values that control the engine's operation must be stored in variables called 'bytes' in the EEPROM. Bytes can only store values between 0 and 255. However, when dealing with parameters such as engine speed, it obviously goes above 255rpm. Therefore, it is necessary to have a scalar which will multiply the raw byte value to a real engine speed. If trying to tune a parameter such as the engine rev limiter, it will not be possible to set it to a value such as 6542rpm because of this scalar. Instead, the Domino Tuning Suite will slightly modify your value to an appropriate one so that it can be stored into a byte in the EEPROM.


Is the Ostrich required to tune my car?

No, this is why we offer it for sale separately. The basic package we offer has the minimum equipment required to tune your car. The Ostrich emulator is only required for people who want to spend less time actually tuning their car. It allows instant changes to be made without turning the engine off.

If the basic package is purchased, it will come with the Burn2 programmer from Moates. This will allow you to read your stock tune, make changes, and program the supplied blank EEPROM with your final tune. However, using this method will take time. Each modification to the tune will require turning the engine off, removing the DME, removing the EEPROM, making the modification to the tune, and then putting everything back together. Each tiny change will take a minimum of a few minutes. If you multiply this by the hundreds of potential changes that could be required, it is easy to see the advantage of making instant changes using the Ostrich.


Well then why don't you offer only the Ostrich for sale with your software?

This is a good question. To put it simply, the Ostrich wasn't designed to be used as the permanent storage of your tune. It has an internal battery which will power it even if it is completely disconnected from the laptop. This makes driving the car on the street possible over short periods of time. Although the battery appears to be replaceable, it will not last forever. We've been using the same Ostrich for development over the past 3-4 years and have not had any issues with the battery. However, our Ostrich spends most of the time on our bench setup and not in the extremely hot engine bay. In addition, our Ostrich gets used (at most) 30 minutes per day.

The other disadvantage of offering only the Ostrich is the fact that it can't read your stock tune. This is why we offer the Burn2 programmer and a blank EEPROM with our basic tuning package.
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