Here we go. Let's get started by an executive summary and the tools you will need: I am going to get very basic so every possible step is documented for beginners.
A quick note of gratitude to Junior, Mike Benvo, and Revtor on various boards for being pioneers in this work. Much of my DYI is a combination of previous experimentation and work by these fine folks. Thank you!
Items required:
-
K+DCAN USB Interface (INPA Compatible). This is the cable that connects your laptop to the car and allows communication between the two. I got mine from One-Step Electronics. I'm sure there are many other sources, but it must be a K+ DCAN USB interface. I've seen them on ebay, but there was chatter on other boards about the quality. They may all be the same, but I know this one works. It took a couple of weeks to get, so if you're in a hurry, think about express shipping if available.
Car Diagnostic :: By Product Type :: INPA & Ediabas :: BMW INPA / Ediabas K+DCAN USB Interface - one-stop-electronics.com
Cable tutorial:
- Cable comes with an adapter that is not needed for our OBDI port. This adapter is useful for older OBDI enabled cars only. The cable plugs in under the drivers side footwell by pulling down the plastic cover hiding the receptacle. The wider part of the plug faces the front of the car.
- When you plug the cable into the car, and the car is in the position 1 or 2 (on with radio, car on but not started), it will light and boot for about 5 seconds, then the light goes off. The cable remains active and ready as long as the car remains in position 1 or 2. The car should not be started.
- When the car is in position 2 (Ignition on but car not started), its a good idea to turn your headlights off, turn the climate control off by pressing the center button between the MAX (air conditioning) and REST buttons. It says OFF, on it. This will preserve battery power anytime you are reading or coding the vehicle as it has to be in the Ign on for most modules. Some modules can be done in the position 1 (radio on) position.
- Other members advise if you have a trickle charger (Little Giant as an example), keep it connected to the car to insure adequate voltage during the final step, which is the actual writing of your modified instructions to the car. This is the only step that can damage the car's modules if not written properly. Damage, as in code didn't write properly and you have to repeat the step.
- All steps other than the actual writing back modified instructions are harmless for the most part. If the reading of a module does not complete because you accidentally pulled the USB plug, or the laptop loses power, or other similar incidents, no damage will occur. You just have to repeat the read procedure again
- The setup on your PC will not change the PC's operation in any way. There are a few settings you must change for the PC to recognize the cable. These settings will not interfere with normal PC operation. The steps are for WinXP, but I did try them on my MAC with WIN7 running
- The cable does not come with drivers. The first time you plug it into your laptop, windows drivers will automatically load and give you a message the 'hardware is now ready to use'. The windows drivers do not enable the USB cable. The cable is actually a simulated serial cable and ordinarily you would need a USB to serial adapter. That is one pain in the neck. So, you will update the drivers with the files contained in the zip file. Unzip into a folder of your choice and just leave all the files and folders there. Note what folder you unzipped them to
- Now you will update the drivers by plugging the cable in to your laptop. (it does not need to be plugged into the car to update these drivers). Press START> RUN> type devmgmt.msc> OK. This will bring you to the device manager screen. Press the + sign next to PORTS (COM & LPT) > with the cable plugged in you should see the picture in the word doc below>double click the USB Serial Port (Com x)>click Driver Tab at top> Update Driver> Install from a list or specific location> Search for the best drivers in these locations AND Include this location in the search, should both be highlighted> browse for the folder you put the unzipped USB Driver files in> Drivers should update >finish
Now the cable will properly connect to the laptop with the latest drivers. There will be one other change you will make later after you download the actual software that reads/writes to the car. That's the COM #. That will be included in the tutorial for the software
Resources for cable:
http://www.ftdchip.com
http://www.ftdchip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
Manufacturer website and driver download in case you have trouble unzipping my file
Downloading and using NCS Expert
Now we need the NCS Expert SW to make this all work
Synopsis:
- Setting up and using NCS Expert:
This was originally written by Junior, Mark, and Revtor on various boards. It has been modified to be specific to the E63-E64 car lines.
- First you will need NCS Expert ver. 3.1.0. It is a 96MB file zipped. It will download as a .rar file, but can be opened with WinZip or Unrar
- Follow these instructions to the letter. In step 1. where it says unzip NCS Expert.rar into C:\. Do not unzip it into any other folder. The scripts are written to look for certian files in C: Unless you are an expert in rewriting scripts, do not deviate from the instructions.
- The zip file actually has three programs embedded in it NCS Expertentool ver 3.1.0; INPA Loader ver 5.0.2 and EDIABAS ver 6.4.3.
one of many download sites:
http://rapidshare.com/#!download|216tl|429882289|NCSEXPER.rar|100601
This has a free d/l as well as a fast d/l for a fee. The slow d/l will take a while, so be patient.
If you prefer to search for another d/l site, make sure you search for NCS Expert ver 3.1.0. Do not use a previous version
OK, here we go. Read the attached PDF thoroughly. I've also attached options to code, and what modules they reside in specific to the E63-E64. Some are the same as the E60, and some are not. Don't be confused by many references to the E60. The DATEN files (which you will understand after reading the PDF, is generic to both the E60 and E63-4. The option in NCS is E60.
Post all questions in this thread so we can all benefit from our learnings
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