How-To: Chip Your ECU with Pictures (KA24E)

[glacier985]

I figured I would do this to help new guys who keep asking how to do it. This was also my first time actually chipping my ECU. I made a couple mistakes that I hope don't cost me an ECU, but if they do at least whoever reads this and I will learn to not do it. Now, onto the how to......

First the Tools I used and you should probably to.


In Order from Left to Right:
- Phillips Screwdriver
- Soldering Iron
- Solder pump
- Voltmeter
- Solder
- Solder Braid

The soldering Iron I used was a 120volt 45watt Craftsman, I first tried it with a 117volt 25watt one I have from my school, but it was not hot enough to melt the solder.

First Step, With Ecu in hand.


Unscrew the four screws, one at each corner and then you will see this.


The Eprom Chip is in the bottom left corner and has numbers on it, heres a closer view.


Next Remove the bottom cover that is held on just like the top. Then you will see this.


The pins of the chip are located in the bottom right corner and in this view they are in the red circle.


Since I had only de-soldered a couple things at school, I figured I would use the internet to my advantage. A search revealed a good link on de-soldering. I basicly followed the link, but the chip didn't just fall out.

The de-soldering tutorial is located at the link: http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/desolderpix.htm

The way I got the chip to come out was a big mistake on my part. I will never do it again, I risked ruining an ECU. DO NOT PRY UP USING THE BOARD AS A LEVER WITH A SCREW DRIVER. By doing this I chipped the board, but I got lucky and there where no wires running where it happened. After that I used the screw with a lot of patience and used the sides of the ECU as a leverage point. This seemed to work real well until I got the chip out.

When I looked at the chip I had realized I had moved to quick and pulled a wire up off the board. This sucked I thought I had just wasted my money, but I traced the wire to a solder point and lucky for me it the nearest one did not connect to anything. The only real way to know if I messed anything up to put the ecu in a running car (which I don't have at the moment ).

A couples things to remeber:

1. DO NOT HURRY
2. BE PATIENT

The final step is putting in a 28 pin socket, make the half-moon at the top lines up with the half-moon on the board. Put it in and begin to solder. I used solder that was too big, I recommend a smaller size. To solder, place the iron on the pin, solder on the iron. When it heats up it will slide down the iron and onto the pin to fill in the hole.

Now heres my final result, to check and make sure all of my connections would still good. I went through with the voltmeter to check to see if the connections were still connected. I put the red probe in the socket and used the black to put on the nearest solder point of the path of the wire. All of mine checked out good. The final test will be putting it in a car.




Final notes:

I will later be adding a lever socket to this when I find one. I suggest that you do the same it makes switching chips extremely easy. Also remeber patience is the key to a good job.

Now the nest step is burning a chip, which is coming.


(modified title "KA24E" and stickied by deviousKA) 2/1/06

[deviousKA]

Nice writeup Justin, looks good!

Mishaps are easy to fix, even if you do lift up or break a trace you can solder in a jumper wire if nothing else. Patience is a wise tip. If all your traces check out with the continuity test your good to go.

And btw, you know your other ecu with the blue lever socket? That socket pulls right out like an eprom, its not soldered in directly there is a basic socket underneath, you can use it on this ecu on top of that socket.

[edub]

Nice job - you should however mention meathod two.

1) Open Yellow Pages
2) Find Stereo repair shop
3) Hand guy ECU + $30

[deviousKA]

Nah, its good practice to do it yourself, you save a lot of time and its cheaper!

If you have any old junk pc cards laying around those are good to try your hand on, if your weary about starting with your ecu that is.

[65ShelbyClone]

I suppose this is the thread to ask in if any. For the cheapskates out there like me, $10 ZIF sockets are kind of expensive and hard to "part with" by soldering-in. I know you can just desolder those too, but I imagine the board can only take so much. What about soldering a regular push socket in and then sticking the ZIF into that so it's removable? Or will all that stuff stack up and hit the ECU lid?

[glacier985]

I suppose this is the thread to ask in if any. For the cheapskates out there like me, $10 ZIF sockets are kind of expensive and hard to "part with" by soldering-in. I know you can just desolder those too, but I imagine the board can only take so much. What about soldering a regular push socket in and then sticking the ZIF into that so it's removable? Or will all that stuff stack up and hit the ECU lid?

thats what i did, solder in the regular 28 pin socket and then put the blue lever ZIF into that socket.

[JNM240]

I just desoldered my Stanza ECU's eprom today. I began yesterday with a $16 25watt iron i bought from a local computer parts store, but it didnt even get hot enough. What a waste of money. So today i went to Radioshack and bought a $11 DE-soldering iron (with the vacum bulb integrated to the tip) and it came out quite nicely. Its 45watts and worked wonderfully! I did have some trouble with pins #1 & #14. I got the entire inside of the eprom cleany desoldered and pulled that side out first, then had to pull up on the eprom with the regular iron on the inside of each pin to melt the solder.

Plus there was a lot of *goo* on the underside of the eprom that made it stick. Looks like some sort of insulating gel? Melts off with the soldering iron just fine tho.

Cant wait to get my zif socket in and plug my new Ostrich Emulator in!

[bombinha]

Ok this sticky is for a KA24E. Question, is it a 1995 S14 KA24DE OBD1 same way or has any difference?
And if it has difference which ones?
Can you post some pics of the differences if any?
Thanks very much I am just a newbie with my first Eprom project.

[MakotoS13]

what sized 28pin socket is that? i see kits for honda/acura and ford 28 pin stuff. are they all the same dimensions?

[glacier985]

yep, same thing

[MakotoS13]

cool, i got a couple on the way. i have two ecu's im going to be modding. it never hurts to have a backup.

[glacier985]

cool, i got a couple on the way. i have two ecu's im going to be modding. it never hurts to have a backup.

definately true, I had somethign happen to my stanza ecu and had to switch to an old 240 ecu that had been chipped. I'm currently trying to get a hold of another stanza ECU as well.

[KA24Tech]

You should try using soldering flux when soldering/desoldering an IC it helps to clean the area, allows the heat and solder to flow, and deoxidize the solder connection. Also using flux will allow the use of the smaller 25w iron with a finer tip.
When applying the iron to the joint, keep it there for no more than three seconds. Otherwise, the IC or the runs on the board could be damaged. If you have the chance, purchase a small heat sink clamp for the legs of the IC.
To clean the flux from the board after the work is completed, use rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs
If a run lifts from the board you can use "super glue" to reattached it to the board.
I am new here but these just a few things I have learned when I was a electronics tech getting my NASA-spec soldering certification.

Good Write Up!
Troy

[p1k4mp]

glacier985, why to chip ecu with conductor? what's the advantage, and what it does to the ecu? it's not the same thing of changing the eprom?
thanks

[stinky180]

I am confused with this image. I can't seem to find anything on this wire and why you have used it. The only guess i have is that when you chipped the board, you had to make a jumper wire, is this the case? Is adding this jumper required when socketing the ECU?