voltage drop, Gryphon resetting?

[Power Hungry]

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

One thing I DO know, Northern, is that a weak or dead battery will not destroy your tunes, either what's loaded in the PCM or in the programmable memory of the Gryphon.

Consider: you can take the Gryphon out of the vehicle for extended periods (which is equivalent to having no battery) and, you can take the battery out of the truck with the same results (although the PCM has to relearn its idle strategy and maybe a couple of other things I think after an extended period with no "keep alive" power).

The technology in both the Gryphon and the PCM is similar (maybe the same) as what you see in USB "thumb drives". Now, if you were to zap any of these with high voltage, all bets are off.

- Jack

I wouldn't use it as a wheel chock either!

You are correct, Jack. Both the PCM and the Gryphon (as well as pretty much any other programmer on the market) use what is call "Flash" memory. This is the same stuff you find in thumb drives, digital cameras, and about a zillion other things.

Here's a quick rundown of Flash Memory:

Flash memory is really cool because it is BIG on storage, has a very small footprint (a 8GB Micro-SD is about the size of your pinkie nail), and is CHEAP to produce. It is non-volatile which means that unlike RAM (high speed memory used in most PCs), it doesn't need power to store the data. The data gets "burned" onto the storage grid. When you need to make a change, you can then "Flash" it to erase it and re-write it. It also has a LONG retention rate (on the order of years).

The drawbacks are it is SLOW (compare to RAM, anyway) and you can't erase and re-write 1 byte at a time. You have to erase the memory in blocks (4K, 8K, 64K, etc) which means you have to be able to copy a whole block of data elsewhere, erase the block, and write it back with the change included. Having to read and write 65,536 bytes to make 1 change is not fast. This is why 1 GB of RAM is roughly 50 times the size (footprint) of 1GB of Flash.

So as I said, most (if not all) programmers as well as all re-flashable use Flash Memory because of the reliability of the data retention. Remove the unit? No problem. Batter is dead? No problem.

I will mention that because of the way the data is written in Flash memory, this is why we DO NOT RECOMMEND programming in cold weather. If the flash temp is below spec, the data may not write correctly resulting in data errors.

See? Learned something new today!

[Dixie Design]

Just a side note, if ya'll are replacing your batteries, might not hurt when you purchase a new one to get one with more Cold Cranking Amps. That's probably all they sell up in Canada, lol. Was actually really difficult for me to find one with extra cold cranking amps down here in South Georgia!

[OneTomcat]

If the Gryphon shuts off and comes back on (with hex code showing) while running at highway speeds, is that an indication of weak battery as well, or do I have other issues?

[Jackpine]

Originally Posted by OneTomcat

If the Gryphon shuts off and comes back on (with hex code showing) while running at highway speeds, is that an indication of weak battery as well, or do I have other issues?

This sounds to me like a power interruption to the Gryphon. Maybe you have poor connections at the OBDII port or in the cable where it plugs into the Gryphon. Have you checked that these are both secure? Maybe you could kind of unplug and replug both connectors with the power off to "burnish" the contacts and then, before plugging the cable back into the OBDII port, turn the ignition ON so that the unit will reinitialize properly?

I'm assuming here that your alternator and battery are both good. What do you see on the Gryphon when you monitor charging voltage? I see something in the neighborhood of 14.1 volts when driving during the day and not towing my trailer with its two additional batteries (that drag the voltage down).

- Jack

[OneTomcat]

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

This sounds to me like a power interruption to the Gryphon. Maybe you have poor connections at the OBDII port or in the cable where it plugs into the Gryphon. Have you checked that these are both secure? Maybe you could kind of unplug and replug both connectors with the power off to "burnish" the contacts and then, before plugging the cable back into the OBDII port, turn the ignition ON so that the unit will reinitialize properly?

I'm assuming here that your alternator and battery are both good. What do you see on the Gryphon when you monitor charging voltage? I see something in the neighborhood of 14.1 volts when driving during the day and not towing my trailer with its two additional batteries (that drag the voltage down).

- Jack

When I checked the OBDII connection it did appear to be tight but I'll try unplugging and replugging it as well as remove it from the pod and make sure I have a good connection there as well.The battery gauge seems to be showing everything is charging but I'll set up my Gryphon to monitor voltage in the morning.

It has happened once or twice before but tonight it happened 5 or 6 times in a 150 km trip. I don't know if it's relevant but I have only noticed this happening at night.

I have a 300 km trip tomorrow so it will give me a chance to see what happens. Thanks Jack, appreciate your input.

[Power Hungry]

You may want to change one of the display parameters to Battery Voltage, just to make sure. It does sound like a connection issue though.

Keep us posted.

[OneTomcat]

Checked all my connections and everything seemed to be fully plugged in. Set up the voltage monitor and it shows 14.4 volts (plus or minus a tenth).

On the first leg of my trip this morning my Gryphon quit twice and, as before, it came back on showing my hex code. On the return trip this evening it never missed a beat. There doesn't seem to be any repeated series of events that causes it to happen (ie; road vibration, acceleration or braking). I'm at a loss to figure it out as there doesn't seem to be anything mechanical wrong(connecetions, etc) and the voltage seems to be stable. Something internal perhaps, like a cold solder joint?

In any event, the unit seems to be operating and is only slightly annoying at night when it goes out and comes back on .....(I know, I know.....quit driving at night ).

I'll keep an eye on it and see how it goes.