If I am not mistaken the superchip and other similar devices is really more than just one chip. I correct or what? It is more like a small Printed Cuircut Board with several chips mounted and there is a connector you use to plug it in with? I am just curious. Ofcorse I would love to get one but I am just wondering. The Main Computer in the Ford is a 2Mhz Motorola HC11 microcontroler and would interface with a small programable logic device or co-processor. This module would most likley flag an IRQ on the Truck's Host computer and alow the module to modify sections of the truck's master flash that the HC11 uses as it calibrated data points for Fuel/O2 mixture, transmition RPM shifting points, and dosent it affect a diffrent set of timing? So my question is this: Is this just one chip that does this or is it an entire module? Just curious.

 

Hi Dniles,

I enjoyed speaing with you today, but as I mentined over the phone, we're just not telling anyone what all is inside there, as it's *highly* proprietary information.

It's one thing to play with assembly language for the microcontroller/processor, it's quite another to attempt to actually tune a powertrain program safely & correctly, that takes *far* more expertise than learning the assembler for a given processor.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

 

I thought that was an excellent question! The concept never eally crossed my mind. I would also be quite interested in knowing what the heck is in the chip (could even be a piece of bubble gum).
I am in a very different field (drug discovery) and to me proprietary information is company secrets/data/information not released to the public. Once we publish/patent or sell something it is no longer proprietary.
All someone would have to do is get a chip and dissect it to see what's inside. I don't see what the big deal is.

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01' Supercrew Lariat Black
Gen-III
5.4L
4X4
Med. Parchment Interior
Leather Captain's Chairs
Moonroof
CD Changer
LSD
Factory Cab Steps
Bedliner
Bug Deflector
Slider
No Mods
No Tow Package

 

Not to step on any toes here but the hardware you're buying is probably a small percentage of what you're paying for.

I would think that 75-80% of the cost is in the programming or software. Similar to buying software from Microsoft. You buy a disk worth $1.00 and pay $300.00 for the software.

It takes alot of time and money to come up with the various programs for each vehicle and PCM number. These need to be tested and proven before release to the market.

Think of prescription pills. The pill itself is probably worth 5 cents. You're paying 2 bucks a piece (example) to pay for the reasearch and testing, licensing etc. it took to get it to market.

Then you have customer support, inventories, research facilities and equipment, overhead, shipping and receiving facilities. and probably a tech team for repairs and trouble shooting.

Anyway enough said, I hope this sheds a litle light on things.

Mike, any further comment???

Bob

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The vehicle above is one of many. Try refreshing. It goes by random but the Expy was exactly like mine. Now it's a
2000 EB Expedition 5.4L, Estate Green with all the perks,3.55 LS,Heated and Signal Mirrors and Seats Moon Roof. Auto adjusting peddles,seats, and mirrors. Rhino Step Bar (coming), Ford Bug Shield,Even the hitch propeller, More to come... My 99 Expy was destroyed in a Wisconsin Tornado (No B.S.) Allstate did good by me but I still took a hit on mileage.



[This message has been edited by ExpyBob (edited 05-17-2001).]

 

I agree with ExpyBob. The hardware is nothing more than silicon, solder, platic, aluminum...etc. Without the proprietary software to run on the hardware, it's useless.
The continual R&D that SC goes through must be tremendous.

Hey Mike...I'll make a deal with SC if you can swing it. I'll provide my 300M to them to develop a SC for it...I need that danged chip!!. They can borrow it until it's done. (recently lost a competition with a modded '01 525i...disappointment setting in).

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'99 Ford F-150 Lariat, 4WD, SCab, ORP, LS/3.73, Tow Pkg, 5.4L
* Superchip
* K&N FIPK GEN II
'99 Chrysler 300M, PHP, Sunroof, Premium Infinity Sound, 3.5L
* Borla Cat-Bak
* K&N Filtercharger
Atlanta Gamerz
F-150Online
300M Club
StarBand

 

Hey DrJeffro, If you can answer, where do you work? You may be a customer of my company. We are the Mass Spec People and sell instruments to lots of Pharms.

 

HI Guys,

Yep, you're absolutely right, the hardware is a small part of the actual cost to develop the finished product, ready to run the vehicle's powertrain.

You have the cost of R&D of the mechanical hardware, which ends up being a very small part, thanks to it being effectively amortized over years with many of them.

The real cost is the *software*, the actual powertrain programming itself, as the engineering time & resources required to make the programs is enormous.

It *is* a big deal for someone to attempt to disassemble or reverse-engineer that hardware for the purposes of duplication, it's not a drug whose patent has expired, it's a proprietary design. Playing around with something just for giggles is one thing, attempting to actually steal a design to duplicate it is quite another matter.

The vast majority of the cost is in the *programs*, you're quite right!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

 

And let's not forget, A part of the cost ( and I'd say money well spent ) allows the company to retain representation from Mike. Who I might add knows this product very well. I personally wish that other companies would charge a little more ( if they had to ), to have people like Mike available to accurately and professionally answer questions before, during, AND after the purchase and installation of their products.
Thanks Mike, your a stand-up guy and a pleasure to do business with
( even if you didn't have my chip in stock LOL )
( Is it close, is it close ??????? ) Ha Ha

------------------
2001 5.4 S Cab Lariat
ORP / 3.55 L/S
Class 3 Tow Package
Gibson SweptSide
K&N Gen 2 FIPK
Superchip FLIP CHIP ( on order )
Next Mod - Sound System ?

 

Come on now fellas, I wasn't talking about revealing the programming. That would be stealing, even though I wouldn't know what to do with it. I was just talking about the physical parts. For example, how many parts is it made of, what kind of parts, etc.
Expybob, as a R&D employee of a major pharmaceutical company, I am well aware of the investments in R&D, and that the high costs to consumers/insurance companies for their products is what pays for the R&D. I know that the prices do not reflect the manufacturing/ingredients.
I hope I didn't upset anyone too much with" big deal" commment.
Norm, I'm at GSK formerly SB. I use alot of MS, mostly LC/MS.

 

I am Senior Technical Support at Micromass. I used to be field service and may have been to your site.

 

I know what is in the chip. STEROIDS.....

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98 Nascar Edition, Superchip, Airaid, Flowmaster 70 series, bedliner, in bed tool box, Profile bug deflector and window vents, Class III receiver hitch.

 

Howdy!

JOHNNY BOYD,

I'm afraid you've been misinformed. It's actually a lightning-struck Energizer Bunny that's in there.

Mike,

No doubt it takes "far more expertise than learning the assembler" "to attempt to actually tune a powertrain program safely & correctly". But my question is how much expertise does it take to modify a chip, send it to a Chevy owner to blow up their engine?

By the way, how would you define "safely"? How far are Superchip engineers willing to "push it"? Does Superchip Inc. employ any ex Ford engineers?

Have a chipped day.

 

Hi Helloe,

Thanks for your kind words, they're greatly appreciated. owever, Superchips doesn't pay us, we're simply the National Distributor of the product line, so it's part of what we do.

And yes, we have something ready for you, ta da! In fact, if you see this soon, give us a call if you can, as I have something I want to ask you about.......................

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

 

Hi Murfster,

If you're serous about developing something for that 300M, give me a call, and we can explore that to see if that could be done. We tune many of the 1990-1995 Mopars, but have never had the time to get the R&D done on the 1996 & newer units, the R&D load at Superchips is *tremendous* just for the Ford applications, let alone all the other applications they have.

Those Mopar computers from that 1990-1995 period are designed so that we have to physically add a socket to the mainboard to allow replacement of the chip. I haven't seen the insides of a 300M ECU, so I have no idea what would be needed, or whether they would take it on or not, but give me a call, and we can go over all of that to see if this can be done for you.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

 

Hi DrJeffro,

Don't worry about it, nobody's upset.

I will sometimes put things in my responses that are for the benefit of *others* who wil come along and read this, that may well not apply to the individual that I'm responding directly to, if you get my drift.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer