SERVICE BULLETIN

NUMBER: SB-221-041
DATE: 2/14/05
MODEL: All
(Does not apply to Mack Trucks Australia)

Introduction of V-MAC® Dealer Programming Software

J1708/J1587 Scan Function — All Models Except E7-G (Liquefied
and Compressed Natural Gas [LNG/CNG]) Engines
Mack Trucks, Inc., has introduced new functionality to V-MAC® Dealer Programming soft-
ware. Starting with version 2.10.8 (or later), a scan process using the ECU Scan Dialog
screen will determine if there is communication between the vehicle and PC and also identify
any Electronic Control Unit (ECU) that is broadcasting on the J1708 serial communications
bus. Also new is the Error Reporting function. An error report file is created when a flashing
or programming error occurs. This file should be uploaded to V-MAC Online via the Verifica-
tion File entry form. Detailed information is provided later in this document.

Scan Process

The scan process is performed prior to flashing or programming an ECU with a product
software file or a reprogramming data file. The technician has the option to operate the scan
manually or automatically at the beginning of a flash or programming sequence.

Mack Trucks, Inc., recommends that the circuit breakers/fuses

for any non-V-MAC® controller (such as ABS/ATC, collision
avoidance systems, etc.) that may interfere with flashing or
programming be removed prior to flashing or programming as
outlined in the V-MAC® Support Software User’s Guide.

Preparation
Before scanning by automatic operation (or manual operation), first ensure that the following
items have been performed before beginning:
앫 Create file directories on the PC hard drive for all V-MAC® flashing, reprogramming,
customer data and verification files using Windows® Explorer, My Computer or the
V-MAC® Dealer Programming Preferences screen. Name the file directory
c:\downloads\v-mac files or something similar. DO NOT save the files to the 3.5앨
floppy drive (typically Drive a:\).

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SERVICE PUBLICATIONS, ALLENTOWN, PA 18105 ©MACK TRUCKS, INC. 2005
 It is strongly recommended that the same computer used to
download the files be used to program the vehicle, and that the
files be downloaded to the computer hard drive. Doing this
removes the floppy disk drive as a potential source of
programming failure. Additionally, programming is generally
faster and more reliable when performed from the computer hard
drive. Verification files should also be saved to the hard drive for
subsequent upload to V-MAC® Online.
If using a laptop computer to perform the programming, use an
AC adapter to power the computer and disable the power-saving
feature of the PC prior to using it for programming.

Programming can be made faster and easier by creating

directories on the hard drive (Drive C:). The following
instructions explain how to create these directories.

1. Using Windows® Explorer or My Computer, make a new folder (directory) on the hard
drive (Drive C:). Name the folder “V-MAC Files.”
2. Under the new folder named “V-MAC Files,” make four sub-folders. Name these folders
as follows:
앫 Product Software Files
앫 Customer Data Files
앫 Reprogramming Files
앫 Verification Files
3. Start Dealer Programming software. Select “Utilities-V-MAC Preferences.” When the
“Preferences” form is displayed, click on the tab “Dealer Programming.”
4. Under the heading Default Data Directories, locate the following directories:
앫 Software Files
앫 Reprogramming Files
앫 Saved Customer Data Files
앫 Verification Files
There is a Browse button next to each directory. Click on the software Browse button.
5. The Select Directory window will appear. Navigate to the correct location (i.e.,
navigate “Software Files” to c:\V-MAC Files\Product Software Files), then click the
Select button.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the remaining directories, making sure that the appropriate
directory for the correct Browse button is selected. Finally, click on the Apply button,
and then the OK button. Exit Dealer Programming software.
When downloading product software and reprogramming files, put the files in the
appropriate folders. Files for many chassis can be downloaded and stored at the same time.
When flashing and/or programming a chassis, navigate to the correct folder and select the
correct file.

SB-221-041 — Page 2 of 17
 It is IMPORTANT that Dealer Programming be set to place the
verification files in the proper folder (“Verification Files” folder
created in the steps outlined above). Normally, the default
destination for verification files is Drive A:. If Dealer
Programming looks to Drive A: and there is no floppy disk in the
drive, an error will be generated, and Dealer Programming will
terminate without creating the verification file. It is strongly
recommended that a “Verification Files” folder be created as
instructed.

When uploading verification files, up to 10 files can be processed at once from the single
folder. When in V-MAC Online, use the Browse button to specify where the verification files
are located (in the “Verification Files” folder).

Following is an overview of the ECU Scan Dialog screen:

1

Figure 1 — ECU Scan Dialog Screen

The ECU Scan Dialog screen, entered from the Programming or Utilities menus, displays its
information in a graphical format. The screen is broken into four main areas: Indicator
Definitions, MID Description, Scan Counter/Indicator Bar and Scan/Stop/Close buttons.
A. Indicator Definitions (area A) — This area contains descriptions of the three kinds of
indicators (green, red and yellow):
— Green Indicator — Denotes that only V-MAC® vehicle and engine ECUs are
communicating on the J1708 serial communications bus and that it is OK to go
ahead and program the desired ECU.
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 — Red Indicator — Denotes that there is an electronic control unit communicating
on the J1708 data bus that should not be. Any ECU other than the MACK VECU
or the EECU must be disconnected before programming, or possible damage to
the modules may occur.
— Yellow Indicator — Denotes that there is no communication on the J1708 data
bus. Users should check to see if the ignition key is turned to the ON position and
that the datalink adapter is connected and configured correctly in the Utilities/V-
MAC Preferences screen.
B. MID Description (area B) — This area displays the MID type and associated ECU that
are communicating on the J1708/J1587 serial communications bus.
C. Scan Counter/Indicator Bar (area C) — This area displays the Scan Counter and
Indicator Bar. The Scan Counter will begin counting and complete a scan in 30
seconds. The scan process will continue and repeat the 30-second cycle until the user
clicks on the Stop button. Also in area C is an Indicator Bar that appears to the left of
the Scan Counter. The Indicator Bar displays a solid block of color to denote what type
of communication is occurring on the J1708/J1587 serial communications bus.
— Green indicates the VECU or EECU (or both) are communicating.
— Red indicates an ECU other than the VECU or EECU is communicating and
should be disconnected before programming.
— Yellow means no communication is occurring. The user should check the adapter
connections, adapter configuration settings and that the ignition key is turned to
the ON position.
(Refer to Indicator Definitions [area A] for additional description.)
D. Scan/Stop/Close Buttons (area D) — This area contains the Scan, Stop and Close
buttons.
— The Scan button begins the scanning process.
— The Stop button appears during the scanning process. To end a scan process,
the user must click on the Stop button. Note that scanning will not stop until the
30-second cycle has been completed.
— The Close button is used to exit the ECU Scan Dialog screen. The Close button is
only active when a scan is NOT in progress.

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Manual Scan Operation
To run the scan process MANUALLY, follow the steps outlined below:
1. Connect an RP1210A-compliant datalink adapter to the personal computer (PC) and to
the vehicle to establish communication.
2. Launch V-MAC® Dealer Programming software v.2.10.8 (or later). The main menu
screen will appear.
2

Figure 2 — V-MAC® Dealer Programming Main Menu Screen

SB-221-041 — Page 5 of 17
 3. There are two ways to enter the ECU Scan Dialog screen:
앫 Click on Utilities and then click on ECU Scan from the drop-down list.
3

Figure 3 — Utilities/ECU Scan Selection

앫 Click on Programming and then click on Program ECU or Flash ECU from the
drop-down list.
4

Figure 4 — Programming/Program ECU or Flash ECU

SB-221-041 — Page 6 of 17
 4. If entering from Programming/Program ECU or Flash ECU, it will be necessary to
click on the Scan button to enter the ECU Scan Dialog screen.
5

Figure 5 — Scan Button Selected and ECU Scan Dialog Screen

5. Once the ECU Scan Dialog screen appears, click on the Scan button to begin
scanning. The Scan Counter will begin counting and will complete the scan in 30
seconds. The scan process will begin again without initiation by the user and will repeat
the 30-second cycle until stopped by the user.

SB-221-041 — Page 7 of 17
 6. The MID Description and Indicator Bar area will display information after the first 30-
second cycle and continue to do so until the user stops the scan. The example in figure
6 shows that the V-MAC® vehicle and engine ECUs are communicating on the J1708/
J1587 serial communication bus.
6

Figure 6 — Scan In Progress

7. If other manufacturers’ ECUs are communicating on the J1587 line, they will be
displayed in red text and the indicator bar will be red.
7

Figure 7 — Non-V-MAC® ECU Communicating on J1587 Line

SB-221-041 — Page 8 of 17
 Mack Trucks, Inc., recommends that the circuit breakers/fuses
for any non-V-MAC® controller (such as ABS/ATC, collision
avoidance systems, etc.) that may interfere with flashing or
programming be removed prior to flashing or programming.

8. If no communication is taking place on the J1587 line, the indicator bar will be yellow
and a message “There are no MIDs detected” will appear in the description area of the
screen. Check the following in the event of no communication:
앫 Turn the ignition key to the ON position.
앫 Check that the adapter is connected to the PC and the vehicle.
앫 Make sure that the proper adapter configuration is selected in the V-MAC® Dealer
Programming software (Utilities/Preferences).
8

Figure 8 — No Communication on the J1587 Line

9. To end the scanning process, click on the Stop button. The scan will not end until after
a 30-second cycle has been completed.
10. Click on the Close button when it becomes active to exit the ECU Scan Dialog screen.

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Automatic Scan Operation

The example below will use V-MAC® VECU OEM Data

Programming. The steps that follow may be applied to flashing
or programming an EECU.

To run the scan process automatically, proceed as follows:

1. Connect an RP1210A-compliant datalink adapter to the PC and the vehicle to establish
communication.
2. Launch V-MAC® Dealer Programming software, v.2.10.8 (or later). The main menu
screen will appear.
9

Figure 9 — V-MAC® Dealer Programming Main Menu Screen

SB-221-041 — Page 10 of 17
 3. Click on Programming and then V-MAC III VECU OEM Data. The Program V-MAC III
VECU OEM Data screen will appear.
10

Figure 10 — Program VECU OEM Data Screen

4. Click on the RFV Browse button to launch the Open file window. Select the
reprogramming data file previously downloaded from V-MAC® Online and then click on
the Open button.
11

Figure 11 — Select Reprogramming Data File

SB-221-041 — Page 11 of 17
 5. The reprogramming data file will fill the “Select Reprogramming File” field. If necessary,
click on the DTV Browse and VEV Browse buttons if the data does not automatically
fill the fields located next to these buttons.
6. Select a reason for programming.
12

Figure 12 — Select Reason for Programming

7. Click on the Program button when it becomes active.

13

Figure 13 — Click on Program Button

SB-221-041 — Page 12 of 17
 8. After clicking the Program button, the automatic scanning process begins and can be
viewed in the status bar area (see text highlighted by red box). The communication
within the status bar will change accordingly with the scanning and programming
progress until programming is completed.
14

Figure 14 — J1708/J1587 Serial Communications Data Bus Scanning

SB-221-041 — Page 13 of 17
 9. If ECUs other than the vehicle and engine ECUs are communicating on the J1587 line,
a “Programming Warning” window will appear with a list of the MIDs. Users can click on
the Yes button to proceed with programming or click on the No button to cancel out of
programming.
15

Figure 15 — Programming Warning Message

It is recommended that programming be discontinued at this

point and the fuses/circuit breakers for all listed non-V-MAC®
ECUs be removed as outlined in the V-MAC® Support Software
User’s Guide before proceeding with programming.
Programming with non-V-MAC® ECUs communicating on the
J1587 line may result in programming failure and damage to the
vehicle and engine ECUs.

SB-221-041 — Page 14 of 17
Error Reporting

New to V-MAC® Dealer Programming v2.10.8 (or later), is the error reporting function. If an
error occurs while programming, an error report file is created. Users should upload the error
file to V-MAC® Online using the “Verification Upload” entry form and contact the V-MAC®
Systems Support Center at 1-800-247-0039, or MACK OneCall™ at 1-800-866-1177 for
further instructions.

The error report file extension is identified by the ECU being programmed and the
programming file type. The following table lists the possible error report files that may occur
during a programming error.

ECU Type Product Software File Error File Reprogramming Data File Error File
Vehicle .esv .edv
Engine .ese .ede

If an error occurs during programming, use the following example to proceed:

16

Figure 16 — Example of Possible V-MAC® Error Message

SB-221-041 — Page 15 of 17
 1. Click the OK button to acknowledge the message. The following error report message
will appear next.
17

Figure 17 — Programming V-MAC® Error Message

2. Click the OK button to close the “V-MAC Error” window. Exit V-MAC® Dealer
Programming, enter V-MAC® Online and then click on Verification Upload (for Class
8 vehicles).
3. When the “Verification Upload” entry form appears, click on the Browse button to open
the “Choose File” window. When the “Choose File” window appears, select the error
report file for the vehicle (.edv) and then click on the Open button.

SB-221-041 — Page 16 of 17
 4. The error report file will appear in the verification field. Click on the Submit button to
upload the error report file to the MACK database. The “All Verification Successful”
message window will appear. Click the OK button to close the message window.
Contact the V-MAC® Systems Support Center at 1-800-247-0039, or MACK OneCall™
at 1-800-866-1177 for additional help.
18

Figure 18 — Submit Error Report FIle

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