Software re-skin side project
 

So I'll start by saying I have zero programming experience, I'm learning as I go here.

One of my winter projects will be an in-cluster touch screen specifically for displaying the Microtech software. The blue on white style is too bright and not high enough contrast for this application. Blind yourself at night, not be able to see the data gauges at a glance etc.

As a side project then my goal is to change the colors of the application, or more optomistically, create a better background image with realistic looking gauges.

Heres what I've found so far:
The car.ocx LED.ocx strip.ocx and others of the same file type are activex controls. When opened in a resource hacker we find they are created by Global Majic Software and appear to allow for the adjustment of all gauge parameters. If theres a way to execute these ".ocx" theres the potential to change gauges however we like :).
Ive tried decompiling the application itself, and have successfully, but every export to vba format is "corrupt".
Frankly its seems to be a very simple program, maybe we can figure this out!

I messed around with making an application so save maps a few years ago. Sucking down the matrix table is actually very easy, the protocal the Microtech uses is very simple. A serial sniffer had it sorted out in minutes. Kind of put it aside and didn't get back to it, but I did end up with a working prototype that would save the matrix table to a .txt file and then display it in a grid.

Thats impressive! Thats what I've been finding, pretty simple. Side stepping the microtech application entirely is an interesting idea. Did the serial sniffer allow you to see engine parameters real time? Or was it more or less accessing saved data (like on an eprom)?

If the markers of the OCX have exposted the API (Application Programming Interface), then VB6 (Visual Basic 6) or VB.net or other such object orinented programming languages can access the OCX code. I'm partial to VB6. The issue is that these are just OCX Active X controls to display data visually. They do not contain the data from the Microtech software. The first thing is to be able to read all the parameter data from the Microtech software database. Displaying it in a user friend way is the easy part. The Car.ocx probably requires a licence to be able to program with it.

VB is able to see both the object and the code once its registered (the ocx's that is) and yes it does require a license. Would be nice to change the visuals of the gauges that way, but i know of no way to bypass that.
You're exactly right about them just being display objects of course, the actual exe decompiles nicely but when exported is corrupted. From what I can see, the interface to the ecu is all in hex (curses*).
Aaron, any more details about your serial sniffer?
Im half tempted to crack open the ecu and throw a few chips on the chip reader to get a view of things from the other end, but just cant afford to mess that up right now xD

For as long as the ECU is running, it is spitting out the current engine parameters. Then it responds to single character commands to move between screens. The software and hand controller operate sort of like a terminal.

It's been a while since I've messed with it but maybe I'll come back to it this winter. Would be nice to be able to save/load matrix tables.

Since the Microtech software is essentially "dead", as are the ECUs (except the LT16), it's probably better to just rewrite the software instead of hack what's already there.

Microtech certainly hasn't kept up with current models thats for sure. Haha i remember a 2006 claim by them that saving maps to disk was imminent, if your willing and able to show them how its done I'm sure microtech owners will be grateful.
I don't think I'll get anywhere with the old activex controls and programs so I'll focus on the serial sniffer route, see if I can't find a way to display it.
One more question, dongle or no dongle? :p

You need the dongle. I have no idea what language the ECU speaks without it, but it's not RS-232.

Dongle it is! Thanks, I'll update with any progress :)