The RoadRunner is the only available full blown emulator for LS1 PCMs – unlike other “emulation” software, the entire contents of the flash is emulated Real-Time, not just certain maps.  It can also be used as a general purpose emulator in custom applications (Bosch Motronic, Nissan, …)

Hardware Available

At this point, there are two versions of RoadRunner you can buy:

1. A RoadRunner pre-installed in a rebuilt 12200411 GM LS1 ECM.  This is intended for all supported GM applications.

2. A RoadRunner “guts kit” containing just the raw circuit board, cables and hardware to mount the device in place of a 28Fx00 EPROM.  This is intended for all custom applications.

Previously, there were Roadrunner versions available for LB7, 1024k ECMs and 98 ECMs.  These have been discontinued.  If you are confident that you can make it work for one of these applications, you can buy a “guts kit” and fit it yourself.  (Or pay us to install it)  Again, these applications have been officially discontinued – we cannot guarantee that it will work.

Previously, a Bluetooth option for Roadrunner was available.  This has been discontinued – it is no longer available.

GM Compatibility

At this point (August 2009), there is only ONE target for the Roadrunner: the 12200411 (or just “411″) ECM.  The 12200411 is plug-and-play with ’97 and up Corvette LS-1′s (throttle-by-wire), ’99 and up Camaro/Firebird LS-1′s (cable-throttle), ’99 and up Gen III Vortec trucks (cable throttle), ’00 and up Gen III Votec trucks (throttle-by-wiire, and ’05-’06 LS-2′s (throttle-by-wire with 24 tooth reluctor wheel). The 12200411 can also control 4L60E and 4L80E transmissions.   The ’411 can control both drive-by-wire and drive by cable engines in case you didn’t figure that out from the application list.  The ’411 is also generally used to run LTx/Gen2 retrofits with a custom conversion kit from EFI Connection.

Later (LS2+) engines switched to a different style ECM that is electrically incompatible with Roadrunner.  There will never be a RoadRunner for any late-model LS2 ECM.  Period.

Late model LS2+ engines also switched to a different style crank trigger setup that makes it impossible to use a LS1 ECM to run the engine.  People have succeeded in using a RoadRunner in a 411 ECM to run a late model engine by a combination of creative wiring changes and swapping the crankshaft reluctor to a 24 tooth unit.  This is not for the faint of heart.  We do not officially support this application so we can’t really assist you with this conversion, but again we’d recommend Mike at EFI Connection as a capable source for wiring and conversion needs.

GM Software Compatibility

EFILive natively supports the RoadRunner.  In order to use it with EFI Live, you must purchase the Roadrunner license.  After purchasing the license, you can use the Roadrunner in any vehicle supported by the ECM.  You can tune as many RoadRunner equipped ECMs as you like – you do not need to buy additional licenses for additional RoadRunners.  If you want to flash a copy of the program in the Roadrunner into the vehicle’s original ECM, you can do this but standard EFI VIN or Stream licensing fees will apply.

TunerCAT OBD2 Tuner natively supports the RoadRunner.  Existing OBD2 Tuner customers can simply buy the RoadRunner upgrade.  There is a package that includes one definition file which is intended for people who want to use RoadRunner and TunerCAT to tune only one vehicle.  There is an add-on ***ONLY AVAILABLE FOR ROADRUNNER USERS*** that includes the WinFlash cable allowing you to reflash vehicles with TunerCAT.  There are also all-LS1 and all-supported-vehicles packages.  ***AGAIN, YOU MUST BUY ROADRUNNER HARDWARE TO BE ABLE TO BUY TUNERCAT OBD2 TUNER.  NO EXCEPTIONS.*** Updates for TunerCat Roadrunner users are available here.

Other Applications / Technical Specifications

The RoadRunner has been used successfully as a general purpose 16 bit data bus emulator for applications other than GM LS1.  (Bosch Motronic and Nissan 16 bit are the first two that come to mind.)   The RoadRunner uses the same FTDI USB-serial bridge as our other products, appearing as a COM port to the operating system.  It is designed to emulate a 28F800 (0r 28F400, 28F200, even 28F100) chip operating in 16 bit data bus mode.  The 28F800 is capable of presenting data in both 8 and 16 bit selectable modes, but the RoadRunner does not support this – 16 bit mode only.  The pinout of the RoadRunner is designed to match the pinout of these ICs – other 16 bit data bus chips could theoretically be emulated with creative cabling.

Full documentation for the protocols for talking to a Roadrunner for emulation and limited data trace are available on request. (They are very similar to the protocols used with the Ostrich 2.0 and our other devices but some minor differences exist.)  If you are interested in using the RoadRunner in a custom application, please contact us.  The hardware platform is a tried-and-tested 16 bit wide data bus EPROM emulation system available at a competitive price.