NCS-Reading VO(FA) and INPA-Engine(DME) read error

[tinkerman]

I'm so excited, finally got DIS V57, INPA, and NCS Expert connecting to my car, now that the interface cable is a good one (from One Stop Electronics). But I still would appreciate help with the following 2 issues.

< NCS Expert >
I can get NCS to show CHASSIS: E89(E90), and FG: (my car’s VIN number), but when I click ‘ZCS/FA f.ECU’ and select CAS or FRM to have NCS read the VO, I get the following error.

“ Following feature is invalid for FA: $8AF ”

*Note: According to the SA codes list I have, “$8AF” refers to ‘OWNER‘S HANDBOOK/SERVICE BOOKLET, KOREAN’ which is perfectly reasonable in my car’s case since it’s for the Korean market. So, I’m wondering why NCS is mentioning that it is “invalid for FA”.
If I click ‘Enter FA’, the pop-up edit window seems to show my car’s VO (although I’m not sure if it is accessed from a file in my computer or if it is actually from one of the car’s modules).

More importantly, the space to the right of ‘FA’ is left blank. My understanding is that the VO’s string of numbers(codes) should show up to the right of ‘FA’, so why is it blank? :help
The reason this is important to figure out is because without the recognition of the VO, NCS is not allowing to proceed with reading ECUs(the buttons are greyed out) so I can’t proceed with coding.

< INPA >
I select E90, then in the ‘Script selection’ I select Engine. Because my engine is an N46N (more specifically N46TU2), I select the closest match in the right side list of engines:

ME9.2 / MEV9 for N45 / N46

Now, I know that my engine’s DME is MV1746(and there is under EDIABAS > Ecu folder the 'MEV17N46.PRG' file). Therefore, ME9.2 or MEV9 and certainly N45 do not apply to my car, but I select this selection because it is the only selection that indicates “N46”. But this results in the following 2 errors one after the other:

“ Checking versions
Versions do not match. Malfunction possible! ”

“ Checking language variants
Language variants do not match. Malfunction possible! ”

What do I need to do in INPA to have the ‘right versions’? :help

[tinkerman]

Searches have made me consider the possibility of having to update daten files. I encountered a thread elsewhere that mentions that 'updating daten files' actually requires updating all of the following:

\NCSEXPER\SGDAT\ *.ipo files
\NCSEXPER\DATEN\ coding data (daten) for models
\EDIABAS\Ecu\ *.prg files

Are the files mentioned above linked in any way? In other words, must a certain *.ipo file and *.prg file be updated together? Or are these files independent of each other?

[David Mc]

Don't worry about the "language" mismatch, it only means that you have set INPA up to run in one language (e.g. English) and the program could not find a corresponding .ipo file in the same language, so it will use the .ipo from another language (e.g. German). The fault codes will remain valid, but the script will display in the .ipo file language (i.e. German). I am not a fan of blindly updating daten files.

[tinkerman]

Okay, so I'll just ignore the language related message in INPA. What I'm a bit more concerned about(in INPA) is the engine selection option in the ‘Script selection’ window of INPA:

“ME9.2 / MEV9 for N45 / N46”

Because my car’s DME model is ‘MV1746’ and I noticed a specific 'MEV17N46.PRG' file under EDIABAS > Ecu folder, I’m wondering if I should be seeing a selection such as:

“MEV17N46 / N46(N)” (for example)
… as a selection for Engine in the ‘Script selection’ window of INPA.

Also, David, if you recall, I reinstalled/updated INPA/EDIABAS 5.02, but did not copy/paste all the 2010 version files that you ‘mentioned’. My idea of ‘updating daten files’ is to copy/replace ONLY specific files of interest with the latest versions I have, then trying it out on the car.
For example, in my current unaltered INPA 5.02 installation’s EDIABAS > Ecu folder, there are these files of interest(purely by gut instinct that they may be related to my car’s DME model MV1746, not that I know for sure what they do):

MED17_2.PRG (Date modified: 3/9/2006)
MEV17_2.PRG (Date modified: 3/10/2006)
MEV17N46.PRG (Date modified: 10/28/2005)

But in the 2010 package there are more and later files:
med17_2.prg (Date modified: 1/18/2010)
med17_2n.prg (Date modified: 1/18/2010)
mev17_2.prg (Date modified: 1/18/2010)
mev17_2n.prg (Date modified: 1/18/2010)
mev17n46.prg (Date modified: 4/28/2006)

Regarding NCS, I also have some files from a disk that came with the initial interface cable purchase, which has later versions of CAS related files than those in the install package you ‘pointed to’.

Currently under my NCSEXPER > DATEN > E89 folder:
CAS2.C05 (Date modified: 3/2/2006)
CAS3.C06 (Date modified: 3/2/2006)

Later files available(from the initial interface cable purchase):
CAS2.C05 (Date modified: 1/19/2010)
CAS3.C06 (Date modified: 1/19/2010)

Because my car was manufactured in May 2007, I’m thinking that the later version of the files mentioned above might have to be updated if they are indeed related to my car’s DME and CAS. What do you think?

[David Mc]

Before you get too hung up on file dates, consider that many of the later files require EDIABAS v7.*.*, which you can easily install, at the expense of losing support for DIS. Your current INPA setup is only giving you options that work with EDIABAS v6.4.7.

[tinkerman]

Although I haven't mastered it yet(:D), DIS V57 seems to be working well, and I don't want to sacrifice it especially after so much effort to get it going.

I recall you mentioning in another thread that you have your software set up such that you can run both the older(INPA 5.02) and newer(INPA 2010) versions. Could you point me to that thread if you recall, or perhaps briefly explain what needs to be done?

In my case, I’d want to leave DIS V57 alone, and install an additional installation of EDIABAS(later than 6.4.7) and if there are any versions of INPA(later than 5.02)/NCS(later than 3.1) with later daten, ONLY IF NECESSARY. It would be ideal to be able to just use the currently installed EDIABAS 6.4.7 for DIS, and have INPA/NCS etc. access a later EDIABAS version to 'activate' the later daten etc.. I wonder if this is even possible on one computer drive(but in different directories)? But again, if my installation is fine, but only needs some minor tweaking of some sort, I'm not bent on another installation.

Also, I’m going to try accessing my VO(FA) in NCS again after a fresh boot of the computer(unlike last time in which I had already checked DIS/Progman/INPA, and finally NCS, of course closing any previously opened EDIABAS before opening NCS). If it still doesn’t read the VO initially and display it next to ‘FA’, I’m considering switching out the files mentioned in the replies above (i.e. ‘mev17n46.prg’, ‘CAS2.C05’ etc.) just to see if it makes any difference.
I figure since I’m only seeking to read for now, I couldn’t cause any harm.

- - - Updated - - -

*Just a note regarding my car's 'Integration Level’

Based on the error message I got when trying to read VO with Progman V32 below:
“The connected vehicle has an unknown data status (E89X-07-03-520, E89X-12-03-502), which cannot be handled with Progman!
Make sure you have loaded the latest version of the Progman CD or contact your Technical Support.”

The ‘E89X-12-03-502’ suggests S/W version 231E: ISTA/P – 2.46.(1-4+).

So I should be using V46(or later) daten files? If so, what version of EDIABAS/INPA/NCS would be appropriate?