Who wants Japan-spec manuals in English?
I don't visit the 3rd Gen section too often, unless there's a good reason. So while waiting on data recovery on my external hard drive and trying to figure out how to do another upgrade at the same time, I got antsy and put together an ECU wiring conversion chart for Series 6 and 7/8 FDs in a couple hours. It wasn't my normal dual-language stuff, just a straightforward pin-for-pin conversion chart made by reading the Japanese manuals and writing it out in English. The Fan control system is done a bit differently on Series 7/8 as they added ECU control for Relay #3, but everything else can be converted over with no fuss with just a simple patch harness.
Now that I'm finished with the Eunos Cosmo and had some time to rest, recover and recharge, it's time to get things set up for my next project. Who's interested in Wiring Diagrams for every Japanese FD finally be translated to English? It'll be given the same treatment as the Cosmo one, including being fully searchable. So, who wants the good stuff? |
What would you like in exchange for this information? Seems you're laying out some sort of bargain here
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Yes please! That would be a big boon to the community, especially with more RHD cars showing up in the English-speaking world.
Dale |
I'm keen for JDM series 8
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Interested in the S7/8 FD stuff. ECU plug specs/sources would be nice too
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Definitely interested!
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Definitely interested too!
Everything you can have about gen8 . I have some gen8 PDF in Japanese if you need :twitch:. |
Series 8 and supplements, yes please!!!
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I am interesting too
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This would be great!
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Definitely interested in S8
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Would love to have this!
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Originally Posted by Akagis_white_comet
(Post 12520010)
I don't visit the 3rd Gen section too often, unless there's a good reason. So while waiting on data recovery on my external hard drive and trying to figure out how to do another upgrade at the same time, I got antsy and put together an ECU wiring conversion chart for Series 6 and 7/8 FDs in a couple hours. It wasn't my normal dual-language stuff, just a straightforward pin-for-pin conversion chart made by reading the Japanese manuals and writing it out in English. The Fan control system is done a bit differently on Series 7/8 as they added ECU control for Relay #3, but everything else can be converted over with no fuss with just a simple patch harness.
Now that I'm finished with the Eunos Cosmo and had some time to rest, recover and recharge, it's time to get things set up for my next project. Who's interested in Wiring Diagrams for every Japanese FD finally be translated to English? It'll be given the same treatment as the Cosmo one, including being fully searchable. So, who wants the good stuff? |
Okay everyone, I think it's become abundantly clear of the need for this to be done. This completely changes the value of every single FD for sale around the world, increasing the demand for them, Once all is said and done, I'd say that the pricetag on a Spirit R will jump by $20k. A quick check on Japaneseusedcars.com produced a high-mileage Spirit R Type A (~140k km) currently for sale at $73k. There's also a low mileage one (~18k km) with a pricetag of $128k. When this is finished, it'll likely be $100k+ for even the worst condition ones.
RotaryAddict, thank you for your offer but it won't be necessary. I've had every Japanese FD manual for roughly a year now. The only one that I do not currently have is the R4A-EL Automatic Transmission Maintenance Manual as it is also shared with the 929/Sentia. I do have the corresponding R4A-EL/Q4A-EL Transmission manual for the Eunos Cosmo here, having imported it and the rarest FC manuals from Japan last year. The difficulties I encountered with the Eunos Cosmo have illustrated an overwhelming need for handing the entire process myself due to poor imaging or processing of the originals. 1/4 of the time spent on the Cosmo manual was spent identifying blurry, smeared or illegible kanji. For six months straight, I was deciphering blurry boogers. So improvements were made and now I source my own manuals. Then I designed and built a custom 300+dpi book scanner. By design, it eliminates all of the issues associated with scanning bound books such as varying focal distance, curves pages, etc, all of which make it difficult to read Japanese. As the text-only pages are already available in English in the appropriate North American manuals, those are being removed as I did with the Cosmo Wiring Diagram book. Result is more efficient work, less page flipping and no blathering on about how a starter works when such is a dead horse already beaten down six feet into its own grave. So, diagrams, locations, charts and all of it searchable in both English and Japanese, including by wire colors. Last October, I mentioned it to Robb M. at IB and we were in the process of putting this together but Thanksgiving/Christmas happened and that was the last I heard from him. Then I got busy again with finishing the Cosmo Manual and here we are. I've contacted them again to resume the discussion where it was left off at. When they answer, we'll take it from there. |
I've spent a lot of time with my head buried in the JDM manuals also, as all our RX7's over here in NZ are jap imports. Would LOVE those manuals translated to English! For the most part, I read up the section I'm interested in in the USDM manual, then go looking for the differences in the JDM manual to see how its actually implemented in the cars over here. Lots of google translate involved.
Originally Posted by Akagis_white_comet
(Post 12520010)
The Fan control system is done a bit differently on Series 7/8 as they added ECU control for Relay #3
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Originally Posted by ZacMan
(Post 12521632)
I've spent a lot of time with my head buried in the JDM manuals also, as all our RX7's over here in NZ are jap imports. Would LOVE those manuals translated to English! For the most part, I read up the section I'm interested in in the USDM manual, then go looking for the differences in the JDM manual to see how its actually implemented in the cars over here. Lots of google translate involved.
Pin 4F of the version I (first of the series 6) JDM ECUs is connected to the 3rd fan relay trigger coil as well, along with the 108degC switch, not sure if the ECU ever uses this IO to actually control the relay, or if its just a signal wire to tell the ECU that the temp switch has triggered and the thing is getting hot. Does mean that aftermarket ECUs on the early cars can control that relay though, so you can get the two fan speeds working. So I did some more prep work last night, sorting and organizing all the diagrams into their respective sections. Every Section A is together, "B" with "B" and so on. It'll be far easier to compare the same device(s) between versions this way. Everything is ready, just waiting on Rob now... https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...2d23fa5952.jpg I'm not quite sure how I want to handle the ECU and other Device Pinout Charts just yet. Merging the Meter/Oscilloscope and DTS1000 ones together is enough of a chore to do and isn't the tidiest when all is said and done. The Eunos Cosmo's chart took quite a bit of reshuffling to keep the same page count (Reason: not wanting to rebuild the indexes again...) and it got messy in a few spots. Ended up with 3-5 terminals per page. I think I could do better here as there's no page count to fuss about. And I'm waiting on a reply about something I need on ebay to get these properly digitized. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ac887e33f7.jpg Tons of work to be done, and I'm sitting here waiting on other people... :/ |
Originally Posted by Akagis_white_comet
(Post 12521641)
I saw that too. The most rational theory I can currently come up with is that it triggers "Oh shit" cooldown mode as it is triggered at 108 Degrees Celsius (226.4 Degrees Fahrenheit). The ECU would then use this input to idle up for extra power from the Alternator in order to offset the extra load, akin to the stock A/C fan setup on a FC. It's been a minute since I traced the FD Fan diagram, so I'm not sure if Relay #3 triggers both fans, but one more experienced firsthand such as Dale Clark or yourself would be able to verify this.
So I did some more prep work last night, sorting and organizing all the diagrams into their respective sections. Every Section A is together, "B" with "B" and so on. It'll be far easier to compare the same device(s) between versions this way. Everything is ready, just waiting on Rob now... I'm not quite sure how I want to handle the ECU and other Device Pinout Charts just yet. Merging the Meter/Oscilloscope and DTS1000 ones together is enough of a chore to do and isn't the tidiest when all is said and done. The Eunos Cosmo's chart took quite a bit of reshuffling to keep the same page count (Reason: not wanting to rebuild the indexes again...) and it got messy in a few spots. Ended up with 3-5 terminals per page. I think I could do better here as there's no page count to fuss about. And I'm waiting on a reply about something I need on ebay to get these properly digitized. Tons of work to be done, and I'm sitting here waiting on other people... :/ There was a fan controller retrofit thing to USDM cars wasn't there, where if that 108degC switch trips, an extra added box keeps the fans on for 10 minutes after the car is shut off, or something like that? I wonder if this was implemented originally in the JDM cars, but when they needed extra ECU pins for the USDM emissions stuff, it got axed, and the retro-fit adds it back in? There is probably a juicy nugget in the JDM service manual somewhere that outlines the operation... if only we had a translation! ;-). |
Originally Posted by ZacMan
(Post 12521657)
You are a scholar and a gentleman, clearly :-).
There was a fan controller retrofit thing to USDM cars wasn't there, where if that 108degC switch trips, an extra added box keeps the fans on for 10 minutes after the car is shut off, or something like that? I wonder if this was implemented originally in the JDM cars, but when they needed extra ECU pins for the USDM emissions stuff, it got axed, and the retro-fit adds it back in? There is probably a juicy nugget in the JDM service manual somewhere that outlines the operation... if only we had a translation! ;-). Oddly, the 7/1993 Diagram removes ECU control of Relay #1 but retains manual control of Relay #2 and #4 via the Diagnosis Connector. And the 12/1995 Update gives control of Relay #3 completely to the ECU. As for the Fan Timer TSB you mentioned, I remember reading it years ago but couldn't remember much. Seems like the simplest way to implement it is to manually trigger Relay #1 and #3. Perhaps the "timer" or something of that effect was implemented in the ECU with Series 7? Who knows, this might have been what sparked the overhaul for Series 7? So many mysteries to be solved with this project, thanks to proper organization and comprehension in English. |
Originally Posted by Akagis_white_comet
(Post 12521710)
Not exactly sure why both fans have 4 wires offhand, but my guess is that it's similar to a Taurus fan with 2 speeds.
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Excellent observation J9. I'm working on the scanner today and got it running in a Virtual Machine using QEMU and the "Redirector" option after tweaking things so it has 256mb of video ram to play with. After doing some hunting online, I got a somewhat newer version of the software from before, thanks to the device in question being sold in Vietnam too.
With the same non-glare plexiglas as before to ensure smooth movement, the first few attempts went like this after going around the perimeter and then filling it in... https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d693bd470c.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...db6d53290f.jpg That's the same GT-Limited/Infini manual from above. Played around with it a bit more using a small grocery store ad (~1/3 of A4 size) as a test medium and it's starting to work better. Going side to side, it still tapers in on top and bottom edges a little bit but is otherwise fairly straight and true with good color reproduction. so I think we're on the right track with the procedure. The diagonal "lines" are from taking a picture of it on-screen with my phone. They do not exist in the scanned image. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...1ff8296521.jpg I did put in a call to Canon whom is the current developer of the hardware/software, asking for a reason as to why it keeps "drifting off" like this. Gonna play with it a bit more and see what magic I can work. Maybe using glass would work better? Might give it some more memory too since I got boatloads to play with. |
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I’m definitely interested in a translation.
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So I've been working on the Book Scanner a bit and got it ~90% dialed in now. Here's a test run of an A4 size page (8.25x11.75") at 1200dpi using a correction page for the Japanese S4's Wiring Diagram book. It addresses changes for the GT-Limited Special Edition and Infini models.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c45ab2839f.jpg It's scanning consistently straight and true through plain hardware store glass now, and maintaining a consistent left-hand cutoff of 10mm thanks to the edge guide I modified this morning. This is as close to the binding of a bound book as humanly possible, so I'm fine with it. However, zooming in shows the grain of the paper and that most of the text is a bit too fuzzy for my standards. Fairly sure it could be OCR'ed, but I want to absolutely certain is crisp, clear and flawless. I spent WAY too much time trying to identify blurry characters on the Cosmo Workshop Manual to go through that again. So I'm gonna keep working on it until it's up to my standards. Work Smarter, Not Harder. |
A small yet important side quest
So I have it dialed in all the way now, as far as text focus/clarity is concerned. But since the current setup is moved by hand, things can get sideways a bit too easily at any time. Solution is on the way from Amazon, expedited thanks to Prime.
So while waiting on that, I experimented a bit in one of my virtual machines with Japanese Language support. Now we can have complete Build Sheets. Here's an example using my friend's RHD Series 5 GT-X, plus descriptions/translations of terms where needed via Paint. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ea6bb4b2ac.png "Nin-Nori" is a Japanese contraction of "Ningen Nori". Ningen (human) is usually written in Kanji (人間), but contractions in Japanese use the first syllable of each word. So,4 Nin-nori means 4 seats. Pretty awesome, huh? The joys of being bilingual :D |
I always assumed 2 or 4 Nin-nori refers to 2 or 4 seats, but very glad to know the actual linguistic reason! Online translators don't deal well with these subtleties.
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Want and following.
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So I've been developing this for awhile now as a back-burner project whenever I needed a break from the Cosmo Manual. It's still in the prototype stage and needs a few tweaks, but at least everyone can see the concept with this mockup.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...e9099ae91d.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fea2adff49.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fca33b4b74.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b2e8f8f7f4.jpg The plywood bracket need trimmed down a bit to clear the spring clamps on the outer edge. Also, the 4" bar clamps that currently hold the scanner to the bracket need some work due to their bars' sticking out too far to turn the book's page with everything in place. And they contact the framework, preventing full Y-axis travel. After looking at several options and nothing really ticking all the boxes for this, I'll be designing my own. Other than these minor issues whose solutions are currently in the works, accurate, repeatable scans are now possible on any manual. |
So, more development happened...
Took some brainwork, but I fabricated some new adjustable clamps. Sometimes the perfect solution comes from an unlikely place. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8c6e946e57.jpg New clamps fabricated Yes, they clear the rails. Also clears the scanning area so I can turn the page with no fuss as seen here https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c6bdf98bcf.jpg Clearance test with Infini 3 Supplement Since my current geometry leaves a bit to be desired, and it's hard to control the CNC system on-screen AND look 90 degrees to my left at the same time, I needed a camera. A local deal on ebay for $16 got me two Logitech HD cameras with standardized tripod mount provisions. My kitty Savanna couldn't resist the chance to model in the first test run. Add a little linux command line magic and both cameras are running in Cheese Webcam Booth simultaneously. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...d9c89acdc8.jpg Savanna modeling for the cameras Time to mount them. Camera 1 is going directly above the scanner https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...eab2fba756.jpg Camera 1 (pink dot) Camera 2 is remotely mounted. The light was the perfect spot for it. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...2ff651e1a1.jpg Camera 2 (green dot) Camera 1's viewpoint. The yellow stripe is the edge of the optical pickup on the Scanner, going as close to the binding as possible. Needed to make sure it would track straight and true. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...2ebdc038b5.jpg Camera 1 view And a shot from Camera 2. Its job is to show me if anything gets out of alignment. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fbae625330.jpg Camera 2 view I know Camera 1 is held on with a bar clamp in this test. It'll be addressed with a proper thumbscrew when I'm in the mood to do so. Right now, it works and clears everything. Plus, I need some USB extension cables to tidy it up a bit. Maybe I'll break out the dollar store selfie stick for a more permanent mount for Camera 2. |
I would love to have the Ver. 4 manual in Japanese.
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Sorry for the rather short reply. I've been pretty busy as of recently, thanks to some divine intervention which led to this happening...
www.jdmlibrary.com Nearly everything is written in both English and Japanese to enable anyone in Japan with a box of manuals in their closet to reach out if they would like to make a contribution. It's about 50-60% done right now, I still have some work to do on the Store and Library sections so they behave the way I want. Updates will be posted in the News section. While doing so, I'm filling the virtual shelves with my collection of Rotary-related manuals, organized by application. Since this goes beyond RX7s, someone suggested I do a Kickstarter to help get things rolling. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...market-library Great things are coming. |
So I am working on something rather interesting. Imagine a database with every Japanese VIN number for both FC and FD, which has their corresponding Paint Code/Color, Interior Code/Color, the build date and MSC/SPC codes. And we can't forget the ever important production number statistics. How many in Vintage Red? Easy. Number of Type S models with manual transmission? Also easy.
Series 4 FC is done. I was halfway through Series 5 FC today when LibreOffice decided to brick out completely and lock progress in an un-openable 500 page long chart in ODT format. It's getting fixed, just a small delay. But until then, here's a little teaser: The most common S4 in Japan: GT-R with Manual transmission, one step up from the base model GT. 10215 were made. Least common: Infini 1 with Automatic transmission. 101 built. Most common color: Dover White, 8601 made. Least common color: Crystal White, 162 made. While sifting through the S4 data, I found a few vehicles that didn't fit the known color and spec data from the Japanese parts catalogs. During the production run for S4s, 4 coupes and 1 vert were given one-off colors, "X1" being the only one I could not readily identify. S5 had one coupe and one vert see this treatment, both also in Paint Code X1. I'm guessing these were special order for VIPs. Plus, three GT, 10 GT-X and three GT-Limited cars received Option Group 9xx instead of their usual 1xx/3xx/4xx Option Groups. I noticed a similar trend starting to appear in Series 5 too, with a few coupes receiving the 6xx Cabriolet Option Group code. Not sure what these denote exactly, My current guess the 9xx cars were sent to Mazdaspeed as test cars for future developments, maybe for the 13B-REW and 20B-REW. The timeline would line up pretty well with the 20B GTU-S Prototype from 1988. Another possibility is Media Vehicles, for use in film/tv/etc such as seen in the Karate Kid Part II (outside Sato's Dojo). KK2 came out in June 1986, so it's hard to say. As for the 6xx coupes, it's just a hunch but I'm guessing some people could have special ordered a Coupe with a Vert Option package. More mysteries to solve as the database takes shape... |
So I finished datamining last night and solved the mystery. The 9xx code appears to be for Special Order vehicles. At least back to 1985, Mazda DID offer custom colors in a manner similar to BMW Individual, hence the odd Paint Codes. There are a few other quirks too, such as some not having front seats. As these were brand new vehicles, my guess is that these cars were sent to Mazdaspeed, or possibly another shop such as RE-Amemiya to be finished to the customer's specifications. Kind of like the B2K RPO code when ordering a C4 Corvette that sends the car directly to Calloway Cars for the Twin Turbo conversion. Who knows, this might have been the idea that eventually became M2...
As for the 6xx MSC-SPC code found in the S5 FC coupe's data, it was for the GT-Limited Special Edition. Was equipped akin to the Cabriolet, just without the headrest speakers. |
Originally Posted by Akagis_white_comet
(Post 12529659)
While sifting through the S4 data, I found a few vehicles that didn't fit the known color and spec data from the Japanese parts catalogs. During the production run for S4s, 4 coupes and 1 vert were given one-off colors, "X1" being the only one I could not readily identify. S5 had one coupe and one vert see this treatment, both also in Paint Code X1. I'm guessing these were special order for VIPs
we ran the vin on, i think the orange one and it says test color its really really unusual that Mazda would do a test car AND sell it AND have it be in the US, but i guess there is also that one pearly white 94, which has been verified (if you run the vin it comes up as pearly white) |
Originally Posted by j9fd3s
(Post 12530113)
they did do test cars, https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=618146
we ran the vin on, i think the orange one and it says test color its really really unusual that Mazda would do a test car AND sell it AND have it be in the US, but i guess there is also that one pearly white 94, which has been verified (if you run the vin it comes up as pearly white) There is one way to tell if it was sold to the public. There would be Shaken records tied to the VIN number, and I now have a working, searchable database of all of them...:biggrin: |
in the US, Mazda has the EPC, but there is also a Warranty database and that tells you where, and when it was sold
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Sorry I haven't checked back for a couple weeks. I've been busy trying out a few different approaches on the site to find the most workable solution for what I'm needing it to do. Had to order some parts for the daily and they're coming from just outside of Warsaw, Poland. Plus a couple parts for the scanner to make it easier to work with. The last few times I messed with it presented a flaw, and these parts will solve it.
After that, I needed a break. We all know the joke about the "4-door FD". I was on Yahoo Japan earlier today and this came up... https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/...t_wbcsUq2cez_c Turns out that Ford built RHD Taurus Wagons for Japan. Even found the Japanese-spec tail lights for them too. Turns out they're nearly identical to Series 6 FD tail lights, due to the distinct amber turn signals. "Nani?? Forudo??" And I found a set of Japanese spec tail lights for my Expedition too. No other JDM goodies for it though. Anyway, there's still a couple things I need to install on the server but a test build of the Library should be up and running by next week. |
Wow, this sure got popular
My apologies for the lateness of this post, a fuel leak came up on my daily and I've been trying to get the proper information in order to diagnose it properly. Rather annoying that even after 20+ years, half of the fuel tank's openings are undocumented and nobody has a clue when asked "What does this hole do?". One would think that figuring out what goes in every hole is kinda important in a parts catalog or manual, but apparently not when it comes to some German cars. Don't drink and draw...:lol:
Right now, I'm waiting on an adapter for my inspection camera/borescope so I can thoroughly assess everything attached to the tank once it's up on jack stands. Leak appears to be related to fuel pressure, but nowhere near the Supply Lines, so many questions abound. Anyway, the site's test build worked and it is ~90% done. Should be opening in the next few weeks, after beta testing is done to make sure everything is working as intended. |
Yes please,
We just bought our first RX7 and it is a Japanese spec. |
Sorry I've not been about, been trying to get things set up to deal with my daily's fuel leak and it is quite the ordeal as it went from "inspect and fix" to "tank replacement". And we all know what happens when one needs help to get a car project done that requires 2 people, a lift or both. And the exhaust weighs almost as much as a T-56 transmission...
Too many projects and needs, not enough me.:dunno: Anyway, I've been doing some background work on the site to get everything set up and sifting through an external drive's contents to get an idea of what 's what after accidentally erasing, then recovering it a few months ago. Splitting up a folder with 430,000 text files in it is no fun at all, but an important step to getting the chaos back to some semblance of order. And finding my vehicle maintenance records. As for FD manuals, I have the wiring diagram books all cut apart and reorganized by section name. Only issue is that I'm quickly running out of disk space due to the aforementioned external drive being in total chaos and having hordes of duplicate files. What was ~500gb in use before accidentally formatting it is now just shy of 2tb and I found I'm missing quite a few ISO disc images of important things. So before I can recreate those, space has to be made first. Two tasks remain on the site: setting up the membership portal and writing the site rules/regulations. This is my goal for the week. And somehow while doing all of this, get a 5/97 or later E38 fuel tank, disassemble it, POR-15 the inside, paint the outside in undercoating and find time and space to swap it in and hope nothing else is leaking too. Anyone near STL got a lift I could borrow for a day or so to make this happen? |
Picked up these two beauties of Buyee recently. NM4002 is the manual documenting the transition from FC to FD models. It is full of detailed illustrations and explanations. HJFA06-00 is the initial parts list for the launch of Version 4 in December, 1995, with a publication release period of January, 1996
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...973e28bbf7.jpg |
Sorry I've been a bit MIA as of recent. While working on the site, I got to sifting through my data-recovered external drive to try and get things back to some semblance of order. In doing so, I rediscovered a bunch of manuals that I completely forgot I had. Digging through 50,000+ pictures in a few days is NOT my idea of a fun time. No clue what the total file count is, probably in the neighborhood of 2 million and duplicates of everything eating up space. It should get a bit easier once the pictures are roughly sorted (working on that right now), so that's where my weekend is going.
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So I just got back from the hospital after having a 103 degree fever 3 times. Sorry guys, but I have covid again and in quarantine per doctor's orders. Taking a few days off to rest, recover and let the prescription do it's thing. Hospital wanted to admit me, but couldn't find a spot.
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Watch your oxygen levels. Do you have a thumb monitor for O2 levels?
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Originally Posted by Redbul
(Post 12538884)
Watch your oxygen levels. Do you have a thumb monitor for O2 levels?
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Good news. I'm 95% better now and feeling almost normal again. While recovering I got roughly halfway done digging through the external drive and found about 500gb of "junk" that can be axed anytime and there's more to go.
Kickstarter has launched to get things in high gear. It would be great if everyone could help make it a reality https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...market-library |
Originally Posted by Akagis_white_comet
(Post 12540681)
Good news. I'm 95% better now and feeling almost normal again. While recovering I got roughly halfway done digging through the external drive and found about 500gb of "junk" that can be axed anytime and there's more to go.
Kickstarter has launched to get things in high gear. It would be great if everyone could help make it a reality https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...market-library |
The goal is conservation and preservation of knowledge. Anyone here who has visited foxed.ca knows the value of such. Unfortunately, Japanese manuals have more specific requirements for this due to the complexity of most Kanji characters. Traditional imaging obliterates all possibility of translation by destroying the details due to the focal distance varying on a single page. Same with phone-based "scanning". only certain parts are legible. The rest just blends into the background, and no amount of Photoshop can correct for this. The Cosmo Manual was a prime example of such, as attempts to repair such in Photoshop resulted in kanji becoming illegible smears to the average person. Such made it extremely difficult and time-consuming to translate as these characters had to be identified manually, then reconstructing the sentence and hoping it makes sense. 90% of the time, it came out as gibberish. Imagine seeing what translates to "I haven't taken a bath" when referring to a headlight not working :lol:
So I designed my own hardware to solve this while imaging. Also, sourcing manuals costs money. Plus, labor to archive, process, organize and preserve each one. If each page takes one minute to image, plus another minute between pages to set up, those massive 1200 page Troubleshooting Manuals for the FD and Cosmo end up taking 40 hours. Sounds like a job, right? And let's not start on some Toyota manuals, the main manual for the T231 Celica is almost 2000 pages... |
My apologies for the lack of updates. A few hours after my last post, I got word that my sensei took his own life. A lot of people have been having a hard time coping with all of the emotions surrounding this and I've not been able to focus on the site and manuals very well.
One lesson he taught me was to think about the greater good, especially when it comes to empowering people to take charge of their own lives and be the best version of themselves they can be. In addition to empowering people to not be afraid of a car because it is right-hand drive, being able to verify a car is as advertised before someone buys it strengthens the JDM car community as a whole by preventing upbadging scams from the start. I've caught 4 fake Bathurst FDs already, plus a fake Evo 3 too. And the whole time, what's on my mind is one my sensei asked often. "How can I do better?" I have the tools and the skills, I just need the means to make it happen. Help me punch through this wall and we can change he world. Rest in peace sensei Jason David Frank 1973-2022 |
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I'm finishing up with the prep work on the FD Wiring Bible, to make the rest of the process go as smoothly and quickly as possible. Roughly 160ish to go on it. While doing so, a few people have asked me about getting early GPS systems to work outside of Japan. One of which has a HE Sentia with the Car Communication System. Good news is that he's got the Owners Manual Supplement for it. Just waiting on some clear pictures of it right now, and to see if the owner has the navigation disc too.
If the Sentia CCS navigation disc is put together similar to the S150 Toyota Crown, it should be modifiable to work in North America, and possibly be able to backport it to the Eunos Cosmo if needed too. I've dug into the Crown's GPS discs a bit to see how things go together, just waiting on a set of U10 Celsior discs to compare their code structure against. If my hunch is right, there's only minor differences and by logical extension, the early U20 Celsior would probably work the same way too. Taking it a step further, if the later U20 Celsior's hard drive setup works similarly too, I should be able to transplant some code to make it work on earlier CD-based systems. Keyword is SHOULD, this is currently based on theory. Coffee break's over, back to work now. |
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