Hey guys. It seems the BB Flash is starting to become more and more widely used. Being that, more and more issues are going to pop up. I am not a tuning expert, and I have not even used this flash...yet. (plan to in the next couple days when I pickup my car).
I am simply going to put together known information about the flash now and the FAQs I am aware of. Please if you know of or have experienced any issues any fixed them or not, please post. Once more information is in here I will copy paste and compile a better one post summary for Sticky to bump to the top and hopefully make a sticky. I know Terry has a pretty good write up over on N54tech but it is geared toward using BB Flash as a backend flash and it's on his site, so I figured I would make a new thread here.
First things first.
What is BB Flash?
BB Flash is a open source flash tuning program designed to supported by the community and offered for free for people to create their own tuning maps or use maps shared by others in the community to flash to their own cars for free. These maps are unlockable and are a much more "complete" flash to the DME. Currently only the N54 is supported.
What is open source?
Open source means the program is completely open. From the maps (.bin files) the .xdf (file used to interpret the coding of the .bin into actual tunable tables) and the software code itself for the program are all open files that users can build upon themselves making the program better and better. Again, I am no tuning expert, and I have no idea if the .xdf has any reason to ever be altered at this point but someone feels the need to know what is in there, it is there for you. NOTHING IS LOCKED IN OPEN SOURCE.
Can I use BB Flash as a backend flash in conjunction with my JB4?
Yes you can! In fact, Terry has a complete layout on how to do this on his forum n54tech.com The specific link is http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2056
How do I get BB Flash and where do I start?
You can find the BB Flash software in the downloads section of this forum. Link --->http://www.bimmerboost.com/vbdownloads.php?categoryid=1
First though, you need a BT (Bavarian Technic) Cable. This is the cable you will use to connect your computer running the BB Flash to your vehicle via the OBDII port. There are plenty of places you can buy this cable. And should be noted that you do NOT need a cable with any VIN's left. It is OK to purchase someone's used 1 VIN cable for BB Flash, however I recommend purchasing one with at least 1 VIN so that you can use the BT Cable software for other features it has.
Here's a link to one vendor that sells the cable --> http://burgertuning.com/scanner.html
Once you have the cable and have downloaded a map that someone shared with you, or you got from the download section here you can procede to the following:(WARNING: Although BB Flash has been successfully used on many vehicles this is not a commercially sold product and support is limited to the community and its users, with any aftermarket OEM altering software or hardware there are risks involved in using it. If you do not understand what flash tuning is and this is your first aftermarket upgrade to your vehicle, chances are this is NOT the program for you. I recommend looking into COBB or Burger Tuning for other tuning sources that offer support with any issues you may have using their product)
1) Install BB Flash Software on your computer
2) Plug in your BT Cable from your computer to your OBDII port of your vehicle. (Like others, I recommend doing this at home so that if you do run into a problem you are not left stranded somewhere trying to fix it)
3) Click the button "Identify DME" check your DME code and be sure the file you downloaded is specifically for your DME type.
4) This next step is rather important. You want to read your DME's current file and save this file in a safe place on your computer. This will be your stock "map" file and can be reloaded later if you incur other issues loading modified files. DO NOT PROCEED IF YOUR VOLTAGE IS AT 0 IN THE BB FLASH HOMESCREEN. If you have an 07 or older N54 it is recommended that you connect a charger to your vehicle is these DME's known as "K-line" are more sensitive to low voltage and can cause incomplete read/writing of the DME files.
Yes, some nice people have loaded their own stock files to the download section, but that risk is up to you.
The Read portion will take some time, Over an hour in some cases, so do not be alarmed if you see a long wait time. However, if your wait time seems out of the ordinary, as in 2+ hours, it may be the computer you are using. A list of computers/processors/etc. that are known to work well will be compiled. Currently it seems either old antique laptops sitting around or the latest and greatest both seem to work the best.
5. Write your new file to the DME. Click Write to DME and select the .bin file you either modified or downloaded. The write should not take nearly as long as the read, however the initial write may still take some time. After the first write, additional writes are ~10 minutes.
6. BB Flash software will notify you with a status bar when the flash is complete. (If you had an incomplete flash please see below in the troubleshooting section) You are now complete and may unplug your BT cable from your vehicle, start the car and check out your new flash!
Where do I get maps for BB Flash?
Lots of maps are available for the BB Flash via the downloads section here at bimmerboost.com
Here's a link- http://www.bimmerboost.com/vbdownloads.php?categoryid=1
How do I modify/create my own maps?
You will need to make sure you have the .xdf file for your specific DME code. Once you have this you need to download tunerpro. You can get this from their website. http://www.tunerpro.net/
This is again, free software, but I believe they have a paid version that offers some more features.
There is plenty to read up on tunerpro and I am not going to get into altering maps. If you do want to play around I recommend starting off with the compare feature and just comparing a stock .bin to some other modified .bin files others have uploaded and see where the changes are. When you have questions on specific tables, research those tables names' and find out what they do.
Troubleshooting:
My voltage is 0 what should I do?:
You may need to click "read DME" multiple times for your voltage to show up. Sometimes this is caused by your computer software not communicating properly. Also it may not be a bad idea to have a charger hooked up to your car during your first read/write as they are lengthy. Usually not necessary for additional writes.
I was writing a map and it stopped before completion?:
This is known as a partial write and may show up as an "authentication error". The write process happens in three stages, and if it fails during any of these stages the firmware on the DME is incomplete and will not operate the vehicle. This is probably caused by voltage. Make sure you have a charger on your car, and laptop/computer and try writing again. If this doesn't work the DME may have been left in a state where it will not receive a write and needs to be reset. Simply unplug the neg. terminal on the battery for a couple minutes to allow the DME to completely reset then reconnect and try again. If this fails you can also attempt a force write.
I loaded a bin file and it completed fine, but now my car won't start/run correctly?:
It's probably just a bad bin i.e. poorly modified for one reason or another. This is where your stock bin comes in handy. Just reload it and start fresh, or try loading another bin that you know someone else has used succesffully.
I am simply going to put together known information about the flash now and the FAQs I am aware of. Please if you know of or have experienced any issues any fixed them or not, please post. Once more information is in here I will copy paste and compile a better one post summary for Sticky to bump to the top and hopefully make a sticky. I know Terry has a pretty good write up over on N54tech but it is geared toward using BB Flash as a backend flash and it's on his site, so I figured I would make a new thread here.
First things first.
What is BB Flash?
BB Flash is a open source flash tuning program designed to supported by the community and offered for free for people to create their own tuning maps or use maps shared by others in the community to flash to their own cars for free. These maps are unlockable and are a much more "complete" flash to the DME. Currently only the N54 is supported.
What is open source?
Open source means the program is completely open. From the maps (.bin files) the .xdf (file used to interpret the coding of the .bin into actual tunable tables) and the software code itself for the program are all open files that users can build upon themselves making the program better and better. Again, I am no tuning expert, and I have no idea if the .xdf has any reason to ever be altered at this point but someone feels the need to know what is in there, it is there for you. NOTHING IS LOCKED IN OPEN SOURCE.
Can I use BB Flash as a backend flash in conjunction with my JB4?
Yes you can! In fact, Terry has a complete layout on how to do this on his forum n54tech.com The specific link is http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2056
How do I get BB Flash and where do I start?
You can find the BB Flash software in the downloads section of this forum. Link --->http://www.bimmerboost.com/vbdownloads.php?categoryid=1
First though, you need a BT (Bavarian Technic) Cable. This is the cable you will use to connect your computer running the BB Flash to your vehicle via the OBDII port. There are plenty of places you can buy this cable. And should be noted that you do NOT need a cable with any VIN's left. It is OK to purchase someone's used 1 VIN cable for BB Flash, however I recommend purchasing one with at least 1 VIN so that you can use the BT Cable software for other features it has.
Here's a link to one vendor that sells the cable --> http://burgertuning.com/scanner.html
Once you have the cable and have downloaded a map that someone shared with you, or you got from the download section here you can procede to the following:(WARNING: Although BB Flash has been successfully used on many vehicles this is not a commercially sold product and support is limited to the community and its users, with any aftermarket OEM altering software or hardware there are risks involved in using it. If you do not understand what flash tuning is and this is your first aftermarket upgrade to your vehicle, chances are this is NOT the program for you. I recommend looking into COBB or Burger Tuning for other tuning sources that offer support with any issues you may have using their product)
1) Install BB Flash Software on your computer
2) Plug in your BT Cable from your computer to your OBDII port of your vehicle. (Like others, I recommend doing this at home so that if you do run into a problem you are not left stranded somewhere trying to fix it)
3) Click the button "Identify DME" check your DME code and be sure the file you downloaded is specifically for your DME type.
4) This next step is rather important. You want to read your DME's current file and save this file in a safe place on your computer. This will be your stock "map" file and can be reloaded later if you incur other issues loading modified files. DO NOT PROCEED IF YOUR VOLTAGE IS AT 0 IN THE BB FLASH HOMESCREEN. If you have an 07 or older N54 it is recommended that you connect a charger to your vehicle is these DME's known as "K-line" are more sensitive to low voltage and can cause incomplete read/writing of the DME files.
Yes, some nice people have loaded their own stock files to the download section, but that risk is up to you.
The Read portion will take some time, Over an hour in some cases, so do not be alarmed if you see a long wait time. However, if your wait time seems out of the ordinary, as in 2+ hours, it may be the computer you are using. A list of computers/processors/etc. that are known to work well will be compiled. Currently it seems either old antique laptops sitting around or the latest and greatest both seem to work the best.
5. Write your new file to the DME. Click Write to DME and select the .bin file you either modified or downloaded. The write should not take nearly as long as the read, however the initial write may still take some time. After the first write, additional writes are ~10 minutes.
6. BB Flash software will notify you with a status bar when the flash is complete. (If you had an incomplete flash please see below in the troubleshooting section) You are now complete and may unplug your BT cable from your vehicle, start the car and check out your new flash!
Where do I get maps for BB Flash?
Lots of maps are available for the BB Flash via the downloads section here at bimmerboost.com
Here's a link- http://www.bimmerboost.com/vbdownloads.php?categoryid=1
How do I modify/create my own maps?
You will need to make sure you have the .xdf file for your specific DME code. Once you have this you need to download tunerpro. You can get this from their website. http://www.tunerpro.net/
This is again, free software, but I believe they have a paid version that offers some more features.
There is plenty to read up on tunerpro and I am not going to get into altering maps. If you do want to play around I recommend starting off with the compare feature and just comparing a stock .bin to some other modified .bin files others have uploaded and see where the changes are. When you have questions on specific tables, research those tables names' and find out what they do.
Troubleshooting:
My voltage is 0 what should I do?:
You may need to click "read DME" multiple times for your voltage to show up. Sometimes this is caused by your computer software not communicating properly. Also it may not be a bad idea to have a charger hooked up to your car during your first read/write as they are lengthy. Usually not necessary for additional writes.
I was writing a map and it stopped before completion?:
This is known as a partial write and may show up as an "authentication error". The write process happens in three stages, and if it fails during any of these stages the firmware on the DME is incomplete and will not operate the vehicle. This is probably caused by voltage. Make sure you have a charger on your car, and laptop/computer and try writing again. If this doesn't work the DME may have been left in a state where it will not receive a write and needs to be reset. Simply unplug the neg. terminal on the battery for a couple minutes to allow the DME to completely reset then reconnect and try again. If this fails you can also attempt a force write.
I loaded a bin file and it completed fine, but now my car won't start/run correctly?:
It's probably just a bad bin i.e. poorly modified for one reason or another. This is where your stock bin comes in handy. Just reload it and start fresh, or try loading another bin that you know someone else has used succesffully.
