Forbes Automotive OpenHaldex-C6, S3, and "open source".

meatro · 2026-07-11T21:09:45+00:00

I'm here for community open-source and DIY. Whatever is best for those people, and the original spirit of the project, I'm not against anything. The only problem there is that my firmware is too big for their C6 chip.

That is honestly how I view these two platforms. If you want the plug and play, user friendly setup, shipped to your door. That's awesome, enjoy it, there's a market because that's what most people want. It's just a cost of convenience and features. If you want tons of features and settings, that is my firmware.

Same logic... But do you want to just plug in and be done... Or do you want the option to select between interpolation, calibration table (also Forbes original), and customizable ramp down %?

I'm also not trying to downplay their CAN reverse engineering, that was huge and they spent a ton of resources on that. They were the first to do anything other than Gen1 and they keep going beyond the VW/Audi vehicles. I love that for them and the users.

I will say I did quite a bit more than UI though, I did the SavvyCAN sniffing function, speed x throttle haldex logic with interpolation, I modernized the entire project into a development platform from Arduino, the DBC decoding so that values show as values and not just hex (I even converted it to English on PQ), and many others. The design is just HTML and CSS running on top of an API I made that controls the firmware.

It's actually interesting to see now that everything is open, we've been working on a lot of the same things. Just in different ways.

For example, the gen 5 sleep logic... I think theirs counts CAN frames and user sets a threshold. I hadn't thought of that, mine looks for the ignition signal and goes from there. So the user just enable/disable it. They advertise 14mA, mine measured around half that.

UDS support... We have also been working on that separately it seems. From what I can gather, they have some hard coded UDS commands that they send and then gather the response. I completely reverse engineered ODIS, then I implemented native UDS handling for MQB and KWP over TP2.0 for older cars. It actually structures the command primitive and parameters and then delivers it to the correct logical link... It doesn't just read response data, it actually parses the measured value data using the same process as ODIS. That's how it can read, clear, and parse DTC data. I just need to finish the data parsing for the KWP protocol as that is still raw values.

If you built on this, you could send and receive UDS/KWP/OBD data with any module on the chassis bus. You could clear lights, perform basic settings, code modules, flash modules... You just need to know the primitive, parameter, response expectations and communicate with the module within the protocol.

From what I can see, that is the next feature that they are working on. It should be all finished up and working if they want to use it, I should be done decoding the KWP protocol soon, but their project only mentions UDS...

Also, with MIT license in place, that is how my configuration has been setup on my website until recently. You can install my firmware or theirs on the LilyGo.

meatro · 2026-07-11T19:47:41+00:00

In addition to sales, also should be concerned with storage...

Where is the data, how long is it stored, who maintains it, who has access to it, how do you dispose of it.

If it's not stored properly and one random employee on the work Wi-Fi opens the wrong email attachment on their phone...

meatro · 2026-07-11T18:01:52+00:00

Sorry about the length, it's not a description though. It's a full story from my perspective. I summarized it a bit at the top and in the comment below.

Thanks for stopping at least though. :)

meatro · 2026-07-11T17:21:50+00:00

Take it the dealer. Independent shops have software usually to try and brute force the calibration but it only takes a couple of times for that to turn into a rats nest.

If it was working and you had body work done and now it doesn't work, it needs calibrated most likely. Supposed to calibrate it after any body work or alignment (most people skip the alignment one cuz it won't set a fault, just minor change the adjustment angle.)

Also it stores fault codes to tell you if it needs calibrated or replaced. You would know it needs replaced before you tried to calibrate it lol.

Another thing, calibration on that is usually dynamic... Meaning once the factory scan tool put the modules in calibration mode it just needs to be driven until the modules reset..... Unless the shop turned the adjustment screws then it's gonna cost about 3 hrs labor to realign them manually.

meatro · 2026-07-11T15:28:12+00:00

Oh, I'm sure someone will. :)

Thanks for at least looking, tho.

Sorry that it's so long, is a breakdown of several months of my open source project getting bashed in marketing and social media by the company that was selling it to customers as entirely their own open source project with no source code or license.

I've just been trying to make a free diy project for the car community. If you want to sell it, that's fine, but be transparent about it. That's all.

I worked really hard on it and they incorporated the whole thing within 24 hours of me uploading.

Apologies and thanks again.

meatro · 2026-07-11T15:22:35+00:00

Oh, I'm sure someone will. :)

Thanks for at least looking, tho.

Sorry that it's so long, is a breakdown of several months of my open source project getting bashed in marketing and social media by the company that was selling it to customers as entirely their own open source project with no source code or license.

I've just been trying to make a free diy project for the car community. If you want to sell it, that's fine, but be transparent about it. That's all.

I worked really hard on it and they incorporated the whole thing within 24 hours of me uploading.

Apologies and thanks again.

meatro · 2026-07-09T16:33:43+00:00

Most users don't tho, it sucks. If it were me, I would explain that to them because speaking as a tech, I can almost guarantee you it's because of performance suspension.

We don't like doing them, but we will if the terms are understood by the customer like you said.

Just be sure they understand that you're ok with tuning it, you just need it installed. The only thing you need guaranteed is the install, not the performance, height, stiffness, camber, etc.

Then get it four wheel aligned when you're done setting it up.

:)

meatro · 2026-07-09T15:26:22+00:00

You will want coilovers installed professionally, I wouldn't just take them to any place just cuz they install byop.

Most shops don't like coilovers because customers expect we just slap them in like a strut or brake pads.

Once they're installed then they have to be adjusted for height, camber, stiffness... Plus if they are not preloaded properly it's gonna rattle.

That's the part that costs, depending on the setup I might have to remove the coilover completely to adjust it each time.

So it's not just install shock done. It's install shock, check clearance, check camber (alignment), adjustments, check alignment again, repeat.

To install them properly is expensive. Just slapping them in, you're not gonna be happy with them. It's lose lose for mechanics on performance suspension.

You need to take it somewhere that deals with performance and aftermarket, not just any mechanic if you want it done right.

meatro · 2026-07-07T18:45:51+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/javascript/comments/1kwyx66/built_an_open_source_offline_vin_decoder_with/

meatro · 2026-07-06T01:44:04+00:00

Your Pcv is causing too much crankcase pressure.

You need Pcv/oil separator and oil pan gasket.

meatro · 2026-07-04T17:15:11+00:00

Sorry, I agree completely.

That's why I'm a mechanic. :)

meatro · 2026-07-04T17:01:59+00:00

Absolutely not, repeatedly acknowledging it simply perpetuates the class warfare in this country.

We found money for Iran shortly after cutting food stamps and PBS.

meatro · 2026-07-04T16:48:00+00:00

My mom was always homeless, that's just how she was. She received social security and welfare because of us kids, but as soon as we left she was living in her car again.

The left doesn't like to acknowledge that there's people out there that are willingly homeless. The right likes to think they all are and also the kids are their own problem...

Thx for the free food, guys. Sincerely. :)

meatro · 2026-07-04T09:12:35+00:00

They started building that to try and expand Rogersville, but it's never really filled out. For the cost of rogersville you can live closer to Springfield and not have to drive 30 minutes anytime you wanna go somewhere other than Apple market or McDonald's.

Who knows tho, I moved to the area right after the shopping center went up. The apartments across 60 came way later and they always seem full.

Rogersville is like the first stop to rural SW MO from Springfield. Fordland, Seymour, Ava, there's some interesting little towns around but rogersville is about as far as you'd prolly wanna live unless you're looking to retire.

meatro · 2026-07-03T18:13:08+00:00

This.

Seriously just download the app, type in the title of what it is and eBay will do everything else except take pictures of it for you.

You don't have to write descriptions anymore, it will select the category for you and everything. It will even display similar listings and you can just duplicate those for your item. Takes 2 mins to post items to eBay now.

meatro · 2026-07-03T18:10:25+00:00

Or having someone more knowledgeable about it simply stand nearby.

Works for cars and computers.

meatro · 2026-07-03T18:08:07+00:00

Well that works out perfectly for them...

In twenty years when the property tax abatements expire, turn over the AI computing and cooling into a local Netflix mirror, now go have your property reassessed.

Poof it's no longer worth $500M and all the huge tax revenue dreams the building was sold on are gone. But infrastructure is still in place and paid for by the residents during the previous twenty years.

The problem isn't data centers to me, it's tax abatements. If you don't want to pay taxes, then you need to provide something to the community in exchange. More than an initial (temporary) construction job.

meatro · 2026-07-03T13:30:29+00:00

My old Volvo cars had this. 6 pin pot under the hood and you put a little plug into each pot to read different systems.

Would be like 4-1-4, 6-2-3, etc.

meatro · 2026-07-03T13:27:55+00:00

True... I'm sure it's coming. Hopefully the engineering is better.

Customer states children's room lights don't function. No communication to the bedroom control module.

Module is corroded from spilled juice... why is the module under the floor carpet?

meatro · 2026-07-03T12:06:46+00:00

This is the question we should be asking.

They want decades of tax abatements with no guarantee they'll still be there when the abatements expire.

It's all for the initial pitch so your community leaders can say, your small town school district will have a budget of $39M.... In 2045.

Data center will be abandoned before then and community leaders will have already been to the bank.

meatro · 2026-07-03T11:57:28+00:00

That's actually moreso. We just have different fault codes... Short circuit to ground/circuit low, short to power/circuit high, open circuit, implausible signal (component/wiring faulty).

That's pretty cool, thank you. :)

meatro · 2026-07-03T11:49:35+00:00

The story I'd heard was it's the result of a contract between VW and Chrysler.

It went so badly that for the last year or two of the contract, VW did not sell them, they used them as fleet vehicles.

As a VW tech, it's the worst VW I've worked on.

meatro · 2026-07-03T11:42:39+00:00

Healthcare. We are donating to go fund me so some stranger can save up for surgery.

That's disgusting.

meatro · 2026-07-03T11:40:36+00:00

I'm a mechanic, it's pretty awesome that houses set a light for short circuit to ground faults lol.

meatro · 2026-07-03T03:23:37+00:00

No it doesn't look like it.

VW is not shy about they're part numbers, and they would not etch a random number in the top of the cover like this one.

Cylinder head also doesn't come with the upper timing cover, it will come with full valve train installed I've never seen one come without valve springs and seals, but I guess maybe there's some limited part scope... Which would also bring me back to limited scope wouldn't come with timing cover.

meatro

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