Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

A few quick questions, if anyone knows about Mines ECU's (SK & Co?)

i) IIRC, the mines ECU's are proms? (Aka program once, read only from that point?)

Also, the PROM isn't just a standard PROM, it's a CPU & PROM? (I could easily be wrong)

ii) How long has mines been building the VX ROM? (aka the mapping can be changed by whatever method) - Anyone know any model numbers, so I can check mine...

iii) How can you change the settings in the VX ROM?

Quote from the ProSpec's UK Webby :

Mine's VX-ROM is the best seller in the aftermarket ECU products in Japan, and Mine's programmed those ECU to suit UK fuel octane of 98 RON.

.......

Programming can be continuously updated as more tuning is carried out. (for the fisrt owner of the ECU and subject to upgrade fee.)

Link : http://www.prospec-ms.co.uk/parts/mines/vxrom.html

iv) Is there anyone in aussie that can sell/upgrade the mines kit? ( Looking at the prices, it's more expensive than the PFC, but if I can put a new map on my ECU, that would be nice.... )

Any help would be appreciated....

- Zebbie

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/
Share on other sites

Mines ECUs are just standard remaps.

The chips are EPROMs, and can be edited with normal software, but are usually glued down and therefore making it virtually impossible to remove the chip without destroying the chip and the ecus board.

They are pretty much useless for Australian cars, as pretty much all the ones we see here came from jap imports so they are tuned for jap fuel, and you often don't know what mods they have been tuned for.

you will make better power with a remap dyno tune to your car with its specific mods running Aussie fuel.

Edited by midnight
Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1711080
Share on other sites

I read and modified my r32 GTR program that had an impul Chip in it. They had glued the EPROM onto the board. Nothing a heat gun and acetone and some time cant lift. The beauty of EPROM's is that they are the external memory source and its very easy to emulate the data. R33's use a micro that have onboard memory which means that you must lift it and read it which can destroy either the board or the micro. It also means that it is very hard to emulate though not impossible. Also the micro that they use is write once only. If the CPU has been socketed half the battle is won, PM me if you want me to have a look at the program.

And as for protecting their data - thats a load of BS they just use a standard EPROM.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1711119
Share on other sites

ok you are talking about 2 different things but so far people are just giving you 1 answer.

mines ECUs are just a chipped re-manufactured nissan ecu. mines puts a new eprom in and writes their map to it. they are not usually tuned 'in car'.

mines VX rom is a programmable type and can be tuned. but considering that no-one in australia supports them i can't see why you would want to go down this road?

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1711468
Share on other sites

BeerB,

I was looking at is, as I already have a Mines ECU, 98 RON maps are available from the mob in the UK etc....

I know tuning would be a big issue, but going by their prices, a PFC might be a better (read cheaper) way...

I'm reading into your comments that there are two types of Mines, a fixed modded Nissan ECU, and a VXROM version, that can be tuned?

If so, I assume I have the fixed version then.... :-/

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1712146
Share on other sites

yep, 90% of the mines ecu are just a fixed, pre-programmed ecu. they are not bad on a stock car, but often they have been tuned very rich, and very advanced in the timing which is great on a stock boost car and is quite responsive, but with more boost detonation can be a problem.

it's not really worth trying to get it re-tuned, if you want ability to tune, and re-tune then a PFC is pretty hard to go past. very reasonable price, and the hand controller is quite handy to have (no pun intended!).

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1712158
Share on other sites

actually i think i might me wrong. :D I was confusing the VX rom with the new tomei ecu that are programmable, i think even the VX rom is not programmable/upgradeable it's just a new term for what used to be called the mines tuned rom.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1712185
Share on other sites

no i was right!

"Mine's VX-ROM Performance ECU

Basic VX-ROM is applicable from standard cars to stage one tuned cars with uprated inductions, exhausts and boost controllers.

Programming can be continuously updated as more tuning is carried out. (for the fisrt owner of the ECU and subject to upgrade fee.)"

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1712207
Share on other sites

Update to this, the chaps returned my email.... I think i'll be going PFC.....

From the Mines distributor in the UK............

The VX-ROM is not remappable. The cost of "re-mapping" it is the same as purchasing a whole new chip, which is GBP600.00 + VAT on a part exchange basis.

Mine's do not entertain inquiries regarding the contents of the map unless it's from the original purchaser himself ie. you would need an original receipt. This is to protect their intellectual rights.

OUCH!!!!! PFC it is then...... oh, the 'Part Exchange' includes your old Mines ECU....

So, that means it'll be AUD $1678, before shipping, duties etc.......

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1717871
Share on other sites

Ok all a mines ecu is is a remapp of the standard unit.

If you wanna read the map u can use consult with the appropriate software and it can download the chips data to the laptop or pc.

I did this with my mates GTR which had a mines ecu.

As for then retuning it you better off getting your hands on another

ecu and socketing that one as the mines ecus have the eprom glued in as mentioned earlier.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-1728847
Share on other sites

  • 16 years later...
On 7/19/2022 at 2:03 PM, timmy94 said:

How is the OEM ECU to drive in Europe? Is it more safe to drive with the standard ecu than mine's?

Most Mine's ECUs require 100 RON. OEM ECU is a very safe tune that will be fine even with 96 RON. All bets are off if you have modified the engine substantially though.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-7967885
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...
On 7/20/2022 at 5:03 AM, timmy94 said:

How is the OEM ECU to drive in Europe? Is it more safe to drive with the standard ecu than mine's?

I thought I would come back to this. No-one with more than 0.5 functioning brain cells has ever thought it was a good idea to use a Mine's ECU in anything at any time. They are a fool's errand.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-7969148
Share on other sites

On 8/17/2022 at 11:55 PM, GTSBoy said:

I thought I would come back to this. No-one with more than 0.5 functioning brain cells has ever thought it was a good idea to use a Mine's ECU in anything at any time. They are a fool's errand.

There have been more than a few GTRs imported to the US where people blew up their engines running 91 AKI with a Mine's or similar Japanese chip tune. I suppose that proves the point though.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-7969150
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Basically a mines ECU is a stock ecu remapped to suit the car it was intended for that they built in Japan for their fuel.

I am able to modify the eprom on the mines ecu and custom tune it on the Dyno to suit your application for Australian Fuel or the car you put the ECU in.

I can only do the r32 gtr and GTST & Z32 ecu with the hardware I invested in,  to do the R33 RB25 it would have cost me more money then it is worth and you should contact TOSHI to retune it for you.

At the end of the day if you have imported a Skyline from Japan with a mines ECU then it would probably be OK because the knock sensor strategy on the ecu SHOULD keep the motor alive with the different octane however performance will be compromised,  however if you have installed a mines ECU into your car to gain performance then it is only going to end up in tears or you are so lucky you probably should have bought a lottery ticket.

Think about it like this,  you buy a Haltech from a 9 second R33 gtst then put it in your near bone stock car and expect it to work and run your setup then you are really in for a bad time and a big rebuild bill.

 

www.facebook.com/tunedbyanthony 

 

 

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-7969900
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/9/2022 at 3:48 PM, Guilt-Toy said:

Basically a mines ECU is a stock ecu remapped to suit the car it was intended for that they built in Japan for their fuel.

I am able to modify the eprom on the mines ecu and custom tune it on the Dyno to suit your application for Australian Fuel or the car you put the ECU in.

I can only do the r32 gtr and GTST & Z32 ecu with the hardware I invested in,  to do the R33 RB25 it would have cost me more money then it is worth and you should contact TOSHI to retune it for you.

At the end of the day if you have imported a Skyline from Japan with a mines ECU then it would probably be OK because the knock sensor strategy on the ecu SHOULD keep the motor alive with the different octane however performance will be compromised,  however if you have installed a mines ECU into your car to gain performance then it is only going to end up in tears or you are so lucky you probably should have bought a lottery ticket.

Think about it like this,  you buy a Haltech from a 9 second R33 gtst then put it in your near bone stock car and expect it to work and run your setup then you are really in for a bad time and a big rebuild bill.

 

www.facebook.com/tunedbyanthony 

 

 

I would not trust Mine's knock control strategies. It is a commonly known issue in the US that the Mine's ECUs, even when used correctly with the intended modifications will knock horribly on lower octane fuel and won't pull enough timing fast enough to save the engine. Many parts of the US only get ~96 RON fuel for "premium" unleaded.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/94742-mines-ecus/#findComment-7970295
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • I did end up getting it sorted, as GTSBoy said, there was a corroded connection and wire that needed to be replaced. I ended up taking out the light assembly, giving everything a good clean and re-soldered the old joints, and it came out good.
    • Wow, thanks for your help guys 🙏. I really appreciate it. Thanks @Rezz, if i fail finding any new or used, full or partial set of original Stage carpets i will come back to you for sure 😉 Explenation is right there, i just missed it 🤦‍♂️. Thanks for pointing out. @soviet_merlin in the meantime, I received a reply from nengun, and i quote: "Thanks for your message and interest in Nengun. KG4900 is for the full set of floor mats, while KG4911 is only the Driver's Floor Mat. FR, RH means Front Right Hand Side. All the Full Set options are now discontinued. However, the Driver's Floor Mat options are still available according to the latest information available to us. We do not know what the differences would be, but if you only want the one mat, we can certainly see what we can find out for you". Interesting. It seems they still have some "new old stock" that Duncan mentioned 🤔. I wonder if they can provide any photos......And i also just realized that amayama have G4900 sets. I'm tempted too. 
    • Any update on this one? did you manage to get it fixed?    i'm having the same issue with my r34 and i believe its to do with the smart entry (keyless) control module but cant be sure without forking out to get a replacement  
    • So this being my first contribution to the SAU forums, I'd like to present and show how I had to solve probably one of the most annoying fixes on any car I've owned: replacing a speedometer (or "speedo") sensor on my newly acquired Series 1 Stagea 260RS Autech Version. I'm simply documenting how I went about to fix this issue, and as I understand it is relatively rare to happen to this generation of cars, it is a gigantic PITA so I hope this helps serve as reference to anyone else who may encounter this issue. NOTE: Although I say this is meant for the 260RS, because the gearbox/drivetrain is shared with the R33 GTR with the 5-speed manual, the application should be exactly the same. Background So after driving my new-to-me Stagea for about 1500km, one night while driving home the speedometer and odometer suddenly stopped working. No clunking noise, no indication something was broken, the speedometer would just stop reading anything and the odometer stopped going up. This is a huge worry for me, because my car is relatively low mileage (only 45k km when purchased) so although I plan to own the car for a long time, a mismatched odometer reading would be hugely detrimental to resale should the day come to sell the car. Thankfully this only occurred a mile or two from home so it wasn't extremely significant. Also, the OCD part of me would be extremely irked if the numbers that showed on my dash doesn't match the actual ageing of the car. Diagnosing I had been in communication with the well renown GTR shop in the USA, U.P.garage up near University Point in Washington state. After some back and forth they said it could be one of two things: 1) The speedometer sensor that goes into the transfer case is broken 2) The actual cluster has a component that went kaput. They said this is common in older Nissan gauge clusters and that would indicate a rebuild is necessary. As I tried to figure out if it was problem #1, I resolved problem #2 by sending my cluster over to Relentless Motorsports in Dallas, TX, whom is local to me and does cluster and ECU rebuilds. He is a one man operation who meticulously replaces every chip, resistor, capacitor, and electronic component on the PCB's on a wide variety of classic and modern cars. His specialty is Lexus and Toyota, but he came highly recommended by Erik of U.P.garage since he does the rebuilds for them on GTR clusters.  For those that don't know, on R32 and R33 GTR gearboxes, the speedometer sensor is mounted in the transfer case and is purely an analog mini "generator" (opposite of an alternator essentially). Based on the speed the sensor spins it generates an AC sine wave voltage up to 5V, and sends that via two wires up to the cluster which then interprets it via the speedometer dial. The signal does NOT go to the ECU first, the wiring goes to the cluster first then the ECU after (or so I'm told).  Problems/Roadblocks I first removed the part from the car on the underside of the transfer case (drain your transfer case fluid/ATF first, guess who found out that the hard way?), and noted the transfer case fluid was EXTREMELY black, most likely never changed on my car. When attempting to turn the gears it felt extremely gritty, as if something was binding the shaft from rotating properly. I got absolutely no voltage reading out of the sensor no matter how fast I turned the shaft. After having to reflow the solder on my AFM sensors based on another SAU guide here, I attempted to disassemble the silicone seal on the back of the sensor to see what happened inside the sensor; turns out, it basically disintegrated itself. Wonderful. Not only had the electrical components destroyed themselves, the magnetic portion on what I thought was on the shaft also chipped and was broken. Solution So solution: find a spare part right? Wrong. Nissan has long discontinued the proper sensor part number 32702-21U19, and it is no longer obtainable either through Nissan NSA or Nissan Japan. I was SOL without proper speed or mileage readings unless I figured out a way to replace this sensor. After tons of Googling and searching on SAU, I found that there IS however a sensor that looks almost exactly like the R33/260RS one: a sensor meant for the R33/R34 GTT and GTS-T with the 5 speed manual. The part number was 25010-21U00, and the body, plug, and shaft all looked exactly the same. The gear was different at the end, but knowing the sensor's gear is held on with a circlip, I figured I could just order the part and swap the gears. Cue me ordering a new part from JustJap down in Kirrawee, NSW, then waiting almost 3 weeks for shipping and customs clearing. The part finally arrives and what did I find? The freaking shaft lengths don't match. $&%* I discussed with Erik how to proceed, and figuring that I basically destroyed the sensor trying to get the shaft out of the damaged sensor from my car. we deemed it too dangerous to try and attempt to swap shafts to the correct length. I had to find a local CNC machinist to help me cut and notch down the shaft. After tons of frantic calling on a Friday afternoon, I managed to get hold of someone and he said he'd be able to do it over half a week. I sent him photos and had him take measurements to match not only the correct length and notch fitment, but also a groove to machine out to hold the retentive circlip. And the end result? *chef's kiss* Perfect. Since I didn't have pliers with me when I picked up the items, I tested the old gear and circlip on. Perfect fit. After that it was simply swapping out the plug bracket to the new sensor, mount it on the transfer case, refill with ATF/Nissan Matic Fluid D, then test out function. Thankfully with the rebuilt cluster and the new sensor, both the speedometer and odometer and now working properly!   And there you have it. About 5-6 weeks of headaches wrapped up in a 15 minute photo essay. As I was told it is rare for sensors of this generation to die so dramatically, but you never know what could go wrong with a 25+ year old car. I HOPE that no one else has to go through this problem like I did, so with my take on a solution I hope it helps others who may encounter this issue in the future. For the TL;DR: 1) Sensor breaks. 2) Find a replacement GTT/GTS-T sensor. 3) Find a CNC machinist to have you cut it down to proper specs. 4) Reinstall then pray to the JDM gods.   Hope this guide/story helps anyone else encountering this problem!
    • So this being my first contribution to the SAU forums, I'd like to present and show how I had to solve probably one of the most annoying fixes on any car I've owned: replacing a speedometer (or "speedo") sensor on my newly acquired Series 1 Stagea 260RS Autech Version. I'm simply documenting how I went about to fix this issue, and as I understand it is relatively rare to happen to this generation of cars, it is a gigantic PITA so I hope this helps serve as reference to anyone else who may encounter this issue. NOTE: Although I say this is meant for the 260RS, because the gearbox/drivetrain is shared with the R33 GTR with the 5-speed manual, the application should be exactly the same. Background So after driving my new-to-me Stagea for about 1500km, one night while driving home the speedometer and odometer suddenly stopped working. No clunking noise, no indication something was broken, the speedometer would just stop reading anything and the odometer stopped going up. This is a huge worry for me, because my car is relatively low mileage (only 45k km when purchased) so although I plan to own the car for a long time, a mismatched odometer reading would be hugely detrimental to resale should the day come to sell the car. Thankfully this only occurred a mile or two from home so it wasn't extremely significant. Also, the OCD part of me would be extremely irked if the numbers that showed on my dash doesn't match the actual ageing of the car. Diagnosing I had been in communication with the well renown GTR shop in the USA, U.P.garage up near University Point in Washington state. After some back and forth they said it could be one of two things: 1) The speedometer sensor that goes into the transfer case is broken 2) The actual cluster has a component that went kaput. They said this is common in older Nissan gauge clusters and that would indicate a rebuild is necessary. As I tried to figure out if it was problem #1, I resolved problem #2 by sending my cluster over to Relentless Motorsports in Dallas, TX, whom is local to me and does cluster and ECU rebuilds. He is a one man operation who meticulously replaces every chip, resistor, capacitor, and electronic component on the PCB's on a wide variety of classic and modern cars. His specialty is Lexus and Toyota, but he came highly recommended by Erik of U.P.garage since he does the rebuilds for them on GTR clusters.  For those that don't know, on R32 and R33 GTR gearboxes, the speedometer sensor is mounted in the transfer case and is purely an analog mini "generator" (opposite of an alternator essentially). Based on the speed the sensor spins it generates an AC sine wave voltage up to 5V, and sends that via two wires up to the cluster which then interprets it via the speedometer dial. The signal does NOT go to the ECU first, the wiring goes to the cluster first then the ECU after (or so I'm told).  Problems/Roadblocks I first removed the part from the car on the underside of the transfer case (drain your transfer case fluid/ATF first, guess who found out that the hard way?), and noted the transfer case fluid was EXTREMELY black, most likely never changed on my car. When attempting to turn the gears it felt extremely gritty, as if shttps://imgur.com/6TQCG3xomething was binding the shaft from rotating properly. After having to reflow the solder on my AFM sensors based on another SAU guide here, I attempted to disassemble the silicone seal on the back of the sensor to see what happened inside the sensor; turns out, it basically disintegrated itself. Wonderful. Not only had the electrical components destroyed themselves, the magnetic portion on what I thought was on the shaft also chipped and was broken. Solution So solution: find a spare part right? Wrong. Nissan has long discontinued the proper sensor part number 32702-21U19, and it is no longer obtainable either through Nissan NSA or Nissan Japan. I was SOL without proper speed or mileage readings unless I figured out a way to replace this sensor. After tons of Googling and searching on SAU, I found that there IS however a sensor that looks almost exactly like the R33/260RS one: a sensor meant for the R33/R34 GTT and GTS-T with the 5 speed manual. The part number was 25010-21U00, and the body, plug, and shaft all looked exactly the same. The gear was different at the end, but knowing the sensor's gear is held on with a circlip, I figured I could just order the part and swap the gears. Cue me ordering a new part from JustJap down in Kirrawee, NSW, then waiting almost 3 weeks for shipping and customs clearing. The part finally arrives and what did I find? The freaking shaft lengths don't match. $&%* I discussed with Erik how to proceed, and figuring that I basically destroyed the sensor trying to get the shaft out of the damaged sensor from my car. we deemed it too dangerous to try and attempt to swap shafts to the correct length. I had to find a local CNC machinist to help me cut and notch down the shaft. After tons of frantic calling on a Friday afternoon, I managed to get hold of someone and he said he'd be able to do it over half a week. I sent him photos and had him take measurements to match not only the correct length and notch fitment, but also a groove to machine out to hold the retentive circlip. And the end result? *chef's kiss* Perfect. Since I didn't have pliers with me when I picked up the items, I tested the old gear and circlip on. Perfect fit. After that it was simply swapping out the plug bracket to the new sensor, mount it on the transfer case, refill with ATF/Nissan Matic Fluid D, then test out function. Thankfully with the rebuilt cluster and the new sensor, both the speedometer and odometer and now working properly!   And there you have it. About 5-6 weeks of headaches wrapped up in a 15 minute photo essay. As I was told it is rare for sensors of this generation to die so dramatically, but you never know what could go wrong with a 25+ year old car. I HOPE that no one else has to go through this problem like I did, so with my take on a solution I hope it helps others who may encounter this issue in the future. For the TL;DR: 1) Sensor breaks. 2) Find a replacement GTT/GTS-T sensor. 3) Find a CNC machinist to have you cut it down to proper specs. 4) Reinstall then pray to the JDM gods.   Hope this guide/story helps anyone else encountering this problem!
×
×
  • Create New...