General Troubleshooting Procedure

The first thing you should do if you are having trouble with the Ostrich is to follow the instructions in the “USB Troubleshooting Guide” which you can find here – for the rest of this guide, it is assumed that your Ostrich has been assigned a COM port and you have selected the appropriate settings for it in device manager.

The ostrich is a ROM emulator – this means that it is designed to look like an EPROM to a target system, like your ECU. If you have a working ROM Burner (such as the BURN1 or BURN2) you can quickly and easily test your hardware. We will be using the BURN1 programmer and an Ostrich 2.0 in the following example, but any ROM burner that can read 27C512 EPROMs will work. The Ostrich 1.0 works identically to the Ostrich 2.0. Follow the “Hardware Test Instructions” to verify that your Ostrich hardware is working correctly.

If you’re reasonably certain that your hardware is working right but you still can’t get the Ostrich working with your ECU / ECM of choice, take a look at the “Software Setup” section for hints and writeups on using the Ostrich with particular applications.

Hardware Test Instructions

1. For this test, download a 64k ‘test’ bin from here:
   http://static.moates.net/zips/00-512-TEST.zip
   Unzip it and save the file somewhere you can find it.
2. For this test, you will need your ROM burner software installed and working. (in this case, Flash and Burn). We will also be using TunerPro RT for uploading files to the Ostrich. Even if you do not usually use TunerPro RT, please use it for this test as it is known to communicate with the Ostrich flawlessly.
3. First check: TunerPro RT should say something in the lower window about finding an Ostrich. If your Ostrich shows up in device manager as a COM port but TunerPro RT does not detect it, you probably have a defective unit and need to RMA it.
4. Next check: The Ostrich2 has different modes of operation for 28 and 32 pin operation, both electronically and with switches. Ensure that both switches are set to the 28 pin position. Make sure the “Emulation Banks” toolbar is visible in TunerPro.
5. The Ostrich should be set for Bank 0 for 28 pin operation. Try setting the Ostrich to Full 4Mbit (or Bank 8 for 32 pin operation) and back to Bank 0 (for 28 pin operation) to be sure your Ostrich is not stuck on an incorrect bank.  It is important to CHANGE this setting, even if it looks correct initially.
   
6. Quit TunerPro.  Download the DORESET program and run it.  (It’s pretty simple and self explanatory.)  Even if you haven’t used one of these programs, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to run this just-in-case an incorrect vendor ID got set somehow.  After you are done, quit the DORESET utility.
7. Re-open TunerPro RT.  Now it is time to load a file.  In order to verify with Tunerpro, you need to first load a XDF  and a binary that *should* work together.  Doing a verify with Tuner Pro without loading a XDF can result in unpredictable behavior.  You can find an assortment of bins and XDFs on TunerPro’s website in the definitions section.  Try to choose a bin/XDF pair where the bin files are the same size as the files you are trying to use.  i.e. 4k, 16k, 32k, 64k
8.  Open a binary file that is the same size as you use in your ECU. Click the button with an up arrow on it to upload the file to your Ostrich. You should see the status bar in Tuner Pro flash as the file uploads. (Note: this will be very fast – under a second usually)
9. Now do a verify in Tuner Pro.
10. TunerPro will automatically update the checksum on a file loaded according to the current XDF before doing a full upload to the emulator.  This can cause a false-failure when you are trying to use a ROM burner to check the Ostrich.  For the next test, we want to disable this behavior.  The easiest way to do this is to go to the ‘XDF’ menu and select “New XDF” which will create a new, blank XDF without a checksum to update.
11. Go to the “File” menu and open your test bin AGAIN.  Ignore any warnings from TunerPro – No you do NOT want to save.
12. Click the “Upload” arrow like you did previously to upload the bin to the emulator, this time with your new blank XDF.
    
13. Disconnect your ostrich’s USB cable from the PC. Connect your ROM burner and fire up its software. Connect the socket at the end of the Ostrich’s ribbon cable in your ROM burner like it was an EPROM.
14. Make sure the switch on your Ostrich 2.0 is set to the appropriate setting for the cable you are using.  if you are using a 28 pin cable, both switches should be towards where the USB cable plugs into the Ostrich.   (the Ostrich1 didn’t have external switches)
15. In your ROM burner’s software, load the same file that you uploaded to your Ostrich using TunerPro RT. Make sure you choose an EPROM that is the same size as the file you are uploading (i.e.  27SF512 for 64k)
16. Perform the “Verify” function. If your Ostrich is working correctly, the Ostrich should “verify” successfully. If it failed to verify on the first try, try again.  Sometimes the Ostrich needs an opportunity to power up before it becomes available.  If your Ostrich passes this test, it is 100% working and you should do a happy dance!
17. If your Ostrich failed the “Verify” in the ROM burner software, try plugging the USB cord from your Ostrich back in to your PC and repeating the Verify test in your ROM burner software. If the Ostrich passes the test when the USB cord is plugged in but it fails when it is unplugged, one of the ground or power pins on the socket is damaged. Carefully inspect the socket for broken pins. Carefully inspect the ribbon cable for frayed or damaged wires. Emulation cables (see here) can be ordered at a fraction of the cost of a new unit.  Also – double check your switches!  Switches can cause the Ostrich to verify with USB plugged in and fail to verify with it unpluged.
18. If your Ostrich does not verify with the USB cable connected to the computer but you did pass the earlier verify in TunerPro RT, there is a problem with the Ostrich communicating down the ribbon cable with the target system. Look at the ribbon cable with the socket VERY carefully. Are there any broken pins? (this is very common) If you are sure that your cable is good but your Ostrich still fails this test, it will have to be RMAed.

Software Setup

How to setup Ostrich in CROME

(more will be added here later)