Things have moved on considerably since these modules were first designed, and IMO the hardware could be reproduced relatively easily.

I imagine that the logic could also be reverse-engineered (the Chinese electronics industries are particularly adept at this). However, whether it would make commercial sense given the constraints of a very limited target audience and broadly-acceptable price point is another mattter.

Perhaps Denso/Jaguar could be persuaded to place their IP into the public domain, or at least make it affordably accessible? I'm just spitballin' as I don't have the answers but, if there isn't a solution, we're all eventually going to become owners of static displays*.

Where you have the experience, I agree. I have washed (suitable candidate) pcbs in hot water and a toothbrush is a fine instrument. Amazing what can be achieved when these things aren't powered.

My rationale here is that the damage to St. Stephen's module appears to be limited and very localised, so trying to mitigate the risk for someone 'learning on the job'

Apologies again for wandering sideways. I'm afraid I've almost perfected the art.


*or we do the electric conversion

 

Oh I am not talking about trying to pull the source code for these modules from their hardware. I am just talking about creating a whole new piece of hardware and software combination that would be able to be a drop in replacement for the original equipment. As a software developer that is dabbling in learning how to make my own custom hardware, I imagine that this would be trivial for someone that already has the knowledge. And to be completely frank, I don't think the knowledge is all that hard to come by either, just time consuming.

We already have a forum member that is creating custom gauge drivers, not an incredibly large step beyond that to replacing something like a door control module. I imagine that the hardest thing to overcome would be legal hurdles.


Yeah definitely, I was just trying to put forth the idea of a toothbrush as it may be a less risky option.

 

Thanks again Micheal your experience and expertises is priceless. God Bless.

 

....and Thanks again to you too Mad Hatter. Always good to learn from people who are experienced in these matters rather guessing.

 

The myth that our cars are going to be killed by the impossibility of replacing the electronic modules comes up regularly on the forums. I think its because people see them as some sort of mysterious black box beyond the understanding of mankind, rather than 20 year old electronics that can be repaired with a soldering iron.

You yourself have been recording CAN bus data - its not going to be that difficult to work out what data on which bus goes to which module and reproduce the module with something as simple as an Arduino. Jaguar Specialities have created a black box to interface the Jaguar electronics to an LSx motor and gearbox no doubt using the same approach.

And finally, you can buy right now aftermarket ECU's which would run our engines. My opinion is you won't be able to buy petrol far sooner than you won't be able to replace the electronics.

 

Unless there are sufficient owners prepared to spend enough money then it makes no sense to invest in the necessary development and testing to come up with an alternative. XK8 module issues are not new and we have so far seen a small number of specialists offering repair services varying between effective to terminally incompetent.

Looking back at the now iconic and highly valuable E-Type, for more than twenty years values dropped to the point where they weren't even viable to maintain properly let alone to restore. It was only when the number remaining far outstripped the potential market that values rocketed and the aftermarket jumped in to offer previously unobtainable parts and services. XK8's are still plentiful and values have (hopefully) bottomed out. Until the number remaining drops to well below the aspiring buyers, values won't rise significantly and specialists won't see a profitable business opportunity.

Graham

 

In which case there will be a steady supply of second hand parts to keep all the other cars going. Cars will be scrapped for exactly the same reasons they are now - rust, blown engines, blown gearboxes, accident damage - anything that costs more to repair than the car is worth. The electronics really aren't the weak link here.

 

Okey dokey gentlemen.
Here is avideo I have done after cleaning the traces with hot water and isopropyl alcohol, both with a sturdy paper towel. The isopropyl just works better as I can't seam to make any headway with hot water. This appears to be the best it is going to come. You will notice in the video that lighting seams to play tricks on the eye. To my eye, I am seeing clean traces in the right light but then it can appear tarnished in another. As always your input is greatly appreciated. If you know of another way to remove these tarnishe like marks please feel free to pitch in.

 

If the isopropyl works better, that's fine:- I suggested water to start with as it's the least aggressive. Your video is missing, I'm afraid.

 

Strange, it shows up on the thread when i look. here is the video on my facebook page. ...and I just looked again and it shows the video on here, maybe I'm doing soemthing wrong.

 

Could be my end as Firefox is hiding it. It's clear when I quote your post as you can see.

I think that will be good. The tarnish is most likely the after effects of the electrolyte. The tracks don't need to be shiny - just clean, and exposed copper will tarnish in time just from exposure to air.

Did you manage to source replacement parts OK?

 

No video for me, either - though it shows in the quote above.

I avoid farcebook, though, so it doesn't matter.

 

The video shows in both posts just fine for me.

 

I'm going to go by the link you provided further up in the thread. Place in London I think. I'll double check all the values this weekend and order them.
Cheers

 

The video appears in your original post with my Firefox browser. Although not essential on the forum, it is usually better to just to link to video.

Graham

 

Encouraging to hear there are aftermarket ecu for these model cars, are you able to name any please as I would like to look in this. Cheers. St.Stephen. Message is to dibbit.

 

The only reason to use an aftermarket ECU right now is for engine tuning. Have a look in the X308 forum at what some of those guys are doing:-

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...10-9-a-179948/

The controller they talk about there is a Megasquirt 3

MegaSquirt 3 | MegaSquirt

And if you want to see an example of what is possible if you have the time and knowledge to reverse engineer our cars have a look at this thread:-

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...roject-139774/

 

Fixed the computer in the Jag today. She's purring nicely now. No fault codes at all. Just replaced all 7 capaicitors on the computer ECM motherboard. Got the chap at the TV repair shop to do it for £30.00. Big savings. Thank you everyone and all who gave me some great advice. God Bless.

 

Good news.

 

Glad to see you have sorted your ECM issue. It is, of course, important to change the leaking caps before they burn the board tracts otherwise it will need a very delicate repair by a specialist.
The subject of actually substituting your ECM for a completely foreign make ECM is a difficult project as many of the engine systems run through the body processor and the IPK, not to mention the security module. I think you would need to practically rebuild all the systems on the car to stop the fault codes that it would cause. Sure, you could get the engine running but not much else would work properly. If some of you are members of the XKEC, go and pose the question on the forum as there's a lot of knowledge on there.