Computer controlled engines

[MessickFarmEqu]

You can work on JD stuff, however your prbly not prepared to go buy a scan/diagnostic tool for it. I have friends who work at third party field maint companies, they work on JD all the time. A snap on Verus is $5k, the Pro Link is $3.5K. The code keys are additional.

They are not so much saying that only their dealerships can work on their stuff (i doubt they could legally). What they are trying to assert is ownership of the data the tractor is generating. They also are trying to prevent modification, tampering, bypassing of the electronic systems.

 

[dickfoster]

I don't have a problem with "software code" being proprietary. The very computer you're typing on has that. What needs to be explained is the difference between code and data. What JD and many of other manufactures are claiming is essentially the same as them saying everything you type on your computer belongs to Microsoft*, Apple or whatever because they own the operating system software. Computers and the software code are nothing more than decision makers that use data to make the decisions. The decision of an engine computer to add more fuel is based on a data table. If certain parameters fall outside of the data table(s), the computer adjusts the amount of fuel supplied to the engine to bring it back in the range of the data table. What most "tuning" tools do is modify the data table(s). They don't actually change the software code. While the code may be proprietary, the data should be open and free. It is on automobiles as shown by most OBDII diagnostic tools. You can watch the data in real-time.

If you're using QuickBooks software to manage your finances and you enter all your private info does QB own that data? NO!

If you store contacts on your phone does the phone manufacture then own your contact list? NO!

What JD wants is not only to own the code but also to own the data.

*Special Note: If you are using Windows 10, you may have unknowingly agreed to released all your data and usage to Microsoft.

I knew there was more than one good reason NOT to upgrade. XP still works for me so I won't be changing anytime soon because there is insufficient reason to pay Microsoft for something else that doesn't work and gets in my way.

 

[dickfoster]

And how many of us have had a laptop crash? Who can troubleshoot that?
When your car/truck/tractor computer crashes....

Even with diagnostic equipment, you still can't fix the computer.

Oddly enough I probably could have at one time. :laughing: Look up disassembler and emulator and see what you find. These are tools used to capture CPU code from the moment it boots bit by bit and byte by byte. They can't really hide anything from someone who wants to know bad enough.

 

[adventure bob]

Tying a laptop crash to an ECU crash is a false analogy. ECUs don't "crash." You can cook one, if your welding on your tractor with a ground path that includes the ECU. One can cook an ECU with electrical failures in the tractor. Most "computer issues" aren't the computer; they are sensors that talk to the ECU so it can do its thing. The "logic," the code that's running in the ECU, the program is rarely at fault.
When an ECU actually crashes its a really easy fix, a reflash only takes minutes. However when you keep getting error codes or yourtractor/car/truck wont run right, the ECU is still doing its thing, but getting incorrect/erroneous or even failure data from a sensor.

 

[dickfoster]

Tying a laptop crash to an ECU crash is a false analogy. ECUs don't "crash." You can cook one, if your welding on your tractor with a ground path that includes the ECU. One can cook an ECU with electrical failures in the tractor. Most "computer issues" aren't the computer; they are sensors that talk to the ECU so it can do its thing. The "logic," the code that's running in the ECU, the program is rarely at fault.
When an ECU actually crashes its a really easy fix, a reflash only takes minutes. However when you keep getting error codes or yourtractor/car/truck wont run right, the ECU is still doing its thing, but getting incorrect/erroneous or even failure data from a sensor.

No truer words. ECUs rarely fail unless something caused them to fail. Many many ECUs, too many, have been replaced simply because the supposed mechanic didn't know what the h e l l he was doing and had no business working on it in the first place. Engine management isn't hard to understand or to learn if you can read. In fact, it's pretty common sensical. This is a great book and an easy read for anyone wanting to learn about engine management. How to Tune and Modify Engine Management Systems (Motorbooks Workshop): Jeff Hartman: 978315828: Amazon.com: Books There are others but this is a good starting place. It's about gas engines but the basics are pretty much the same.