How to upload an Autotuner, Flex, KESS3 or Dimsport ECU file to the software: step-by-step guide
A guide to uploading the ECU file you read with Autotuner, Flex, KESS3 or Dimsport to EcuPrime: which file, which formats, full and partial reads, encrypted slave packages, the free pre-check and the checksum before writing.
You have read the ECU with your own tool and the file is on your computer; the next step is getting it into the software. EcuPrime is chiptuning software that runs in the browser and is independent of the reading tool: it looks at the file itself, not at the tool. This guide walks you through uploading a file read with Autotuner, Flex, KESS3 or Dimsport (New Genius / New Trasdata), in order, from reading to writing.
The software looks at the file, not the tool
The software is not a reading tool and does not connect to one. You upload, from the browser, the file your tool saved to your computer, and the ECU is identified from the file itself. When it is, you do not need to pick a make or model. A file read with a tool that is not named here follows the same rule: if it is an open (unencrypted) raw file, it can be uploaded. The short version is on the tool compatibility page.
The tool and manufacturer names in this article are trademarks of independent manufacturers and are mentioned only to indicate compatibility; EcuPrime is not their dealer, representative or partner.
Which file to upload
Upload the original, unmodified raw file you read from the ECU: a .bin or a similar raw file. Before you upload, put a copy of it somewhere safe. The original file is your backup, and you should be able to go back to it whatever happens later.
Archives and text formats: ZIP, Intel HEX, S-record
Your file does not have to be a plain .bin. ZIP and GZIP archives and Intel HEX and Motorola S-record files are opened automatically and converted to a raw file. If a ZIP holds several files, the largest one is taken, so it helps to put only the read you want to upload in the archive. RAR and 7z are not opened: extract those on your computer first and upload the file inside.
Full read or partial read
A full read contains the whole ECU memory. A partial read, meaning the calibration area only, is one part of the file. You can upload a partial read too, but identification data may be missing, so the file can be harder to identify. If the file is not recognised, the panel asks you to select the vehicle type, make and ECU yourself. Either way, an operation that does not fit your file stays closed. If you have both, upload the full read.
Why an encrypted slave package is not processed
The package produced by a slave tool is encrypted; the file inside cannot be read, so it cannot be processed. When the software recognises such a package it tells you why, instead of leaving you guessing. What to do is clear: upload the decrypted (open) read. If you use a slave tool, your master provides the decrypted file.
Pre-check, choosing an operation and credits
Once the file is uploaded, the ECU is identified from it and only the operations that apply to your file are enabled. This pre-check is free: you see what can be done before spending a credit. Then you choose the operation and download your file. The solution is verified at byte level as it is applied; if one of your selected operations cannot be applied, the file is not delivered and the credit is refunded. How the software works overall is explained on the chiptuning software page.
Check the checksum, then write with your own tool
The checksum is not corrected automatically in the delivered file. An ECU uses the checksum to check that its software is intact; a file written with an outdated checksum may be rejected and the vehicle may not start. So before writing, look at the Checksum tab of the software. Correction happens in a separate tab, and a credit is charged only when the result is ready. On modern signed ECUs, for example the MED17 / EDC17 / MG1 class, the checksum is not corrected by the system; an external tool or your own device is needed instead. The system detects the families it knows and warns you. On an unrecognised ECU no checksum is written. The details are on the checksum correction page.
The last step is yours again: you write the file to the vehicle with your own tool; the software does not write to the vehicle. Before writing, make sure the backup of the original file is still where you left it.