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Thread: New BBS ALM ECU developments

  1. #1
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    New BBS ALM ECU developments

    Hiyas all
    Just a bit of an update and some progress and information to share.

    It's been a few years now since we started getting reports that the LUCAS 10AS Alarm module software on our Nanocom was not working / not fully working on the later year Defenders.
    We eventually identified that Land Rover had started fitting an Alarm Module that has the same shape and connectors as the 10AS and so looked the same but had a Black rather than Green coloured case. This has caused that later module to often be referred to as a "Black 10AS".

    It is a little odd as all new ECUS at that time and have for many years been CAN BUS based.

    We began a quest to obtain one of these oddities, chasing leads that turned out to be the 10AS and one pre blown up "Black 10AS" but despite huge efforts, we failed for many years, and given that this is the only LR ECU to date we do not cover became quite the itch and thorn on our side, until earlier last year.

    Huge thanks to Ralf at M1N1.de who actually fixes these Alarms etc, and freely sent us our first working example of this "Black 10AS" oddity.

    It should have been simple for us to work with, but actually dialing back the years to work with pre CAN BUS ECU's was quite an effort in itself.

    However we started to slowly uncover more detail.

    Firstly this new "Black 10AS" control module has a new name of "ALM" and that is not an abbreviated term for ALarM but actually stands for Alarm Locking Module. Thanks for the confusing naming LR ;-)

    Queue those that will now state they are and always have been familiar with this ALM ;-)
    It happens more than you know ;-)

    The ALM was apparently introduced due to a discontinuation of the main Motorola micro processor that was used by Lucas to build the 10AS and the ALM was initially designed by whoever Land Rover tasked, (Maybe someone other than LUCAS) to be a drop in replacement for the 10AS.

    However, diagnostically it had a few small changes, which is why our Nanocom software does not immediately work fully with it.

    We have since spent several months of very hard and complex work doing what we do, and have even ended up investing in even Brand New ALM's purchased from LR (don't tell me you don't know how Ouch that is)and supporting hardware to finally get rid of that itch and get to the very bottom of all things ALM related.

    We have also along the way, discovered that there is more than one Variant of the ALM and dealers are intructed to retro fit the latest one in Vehicles from 2007 in case or Alarm module replacement requirements.

    This has resulted in a couple of Beta releases which include coverage of this newer ALM ECU for the Nanocom that have positive feedback results. As such we have now just added this on the latest stable release.

    We have of course also released a technical doc / user guide for this ALM that along with every other ECU we cover is now freely downloadable to all on the Nanocoms downloads section.

    Downloads & Support - NANOCOM Diagnostics

    This has always been worth a visit

    So you may wonder what extra amount are we charging to cover all the time, cost and effort we have expended to develop coverage of this later ALM ECU.

    Well that's that's actually Nada, Zero, Zip, Free.

    Yep, we may not have much control over LR changes such as this, but we can at least appreciate that this new ALM is in reality and many ways just a 10AS replacement and as such and in sticking to our aims in providing the best possible Diagnostic equipment at the best price, we freely add this new ALM ECU coverage.

    Honestly I am just glad to get rid if that itch once and for all.

    We / I humbly Thank our many supporters.

    Warmest Regards to all

    Colin
    Last edited by p38arover; 16th February 2020 at 11:26 AM.
    Colin
    MD of Blackbox Solutions Ltd.
    www.blackbox-solutions.com

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    Hmm, that might explain the problem I had trying to program a visitor to Australia's Defender: Help with programming key fob

    It had a black module.

    I did a lot of 'net searching and couldn't find anything which would have pointed me in the right direction. Suffice to say that the LR T4 software I have wouldn't do the job.

    Thanks Colin.
    Last edited by p38arover; 16th February 2020 at 11:28 AM.
    Ron B.
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    2003 L322 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 V8 Auto
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  3. #3
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    Hiyas p38arover (Ron)

    I wonder if your net searching featured terms like Black Box and Land Rover, as i am pretty sure what the results would have been

    I noted this in the link you found and posted which I had also come across


    The 10AS uses a now obsolete Motorola processor, to provide modules for Defender production Land Rover had the module redesigned around a modern processor but retained the same connectors and pinouts. This module was introduced in 2012 and has proven to be troublesome with a distinct lack of support by aftermarket diagnostic tool manufacturers.

    This module is easily distinguished as it uses a black plastic case and 10AS is not printed on the white label.

    The label will show a part number such as
    CH12-15K600-BC or similar.
    I had to have a little chuckle to myself, as I am pretty sure that the mentioned "support by aftermarket diagnostic tool manufacturers" is in reality a BBS development dependancy right down to indroducing it's correct name of ALM.

    To clarify, this ALM is only fitted on 2007 on Defenders, Ie with Puma engines in varying degrees of possibility that fall into 3 catagories.

    The first catagory is for any year from 2007:
    If it has been in to a dealer after 25th January 2016 who replaced the Alarm ECU, the LTB00893 Technical bulletin instructs retro fitting of the second and latest version of the ALM along with the Reciever and later LEAR type Pebble shaped Plips. Obviously this will not be many Defenders.

    The second catagory is for Defenders manufactured from 2014 onwards, VIN number EA000001:
    These will have been fitted from manufacture with the first version of the ALM that still uses the Same LUCAS type Plips that was used with the 10AS. Of course it could still also fall into the first catagory and so have been retro fitted with the Later second version of the ALM etc. In summation if your Defender is Built after this Year / VIN, and has the older LUCAS type Plips, it is going to have the first version of the ALM fitted.

    The third catagory is for defenders Manufactured from 2016 onwards:
    These will have been fitted from manufacture with the second version of the ALM, along with the Reciever and later LEAR type Pebble shaped Plips that will be the same regardless of if a Dealer replaced the module or not.

    To the best of my knowledge, Dealers have never been instructed to retro fit the First Version of ALM, And I have no idea of what a dealer would do if they were asked to replace the 10AS on a Defender prior to 2007

    So far it does look like the first version of the ALM begins with the ford part number CH12 and the second version with DH12 but that is only an assumption rather than a known fact.

    I would be happy to help and assist anyone requiring further information and clarification of this

    Regards

    Colin
    Colin
    MD of Blackbox Solutions Ltd.
    www.blackbox-solutions.com

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