As I said, some information is proprietary. Some will talk a little, then they shut up.
No I can not confirm who is the original source of anything other then they are all likely hackers of sorts, using existing systems. SOME are saying that Bruno is the source of the first GM EPS systems, that being the VUE/Equinox.
Some are inferring that they have installed their own software through an independent plug in control like the one that Bruno offers. That is possible but does not seem highly likely.
I will say that Bruno's "patch" controller seems to be the only one that is openly marketed independently. Lots of sellers are claiming originality but it would seem they just repackage others items.
It may simply be that they are ALL being cautious, intentionally evasive at some point for the purpose of camouflaging their own participation and software changes/hacking because they do not own the rights to any of the systems they are modifying and remarketing and "the lawyers" may be watching?
"Detroit" manufacturers have always been concerned that they would ultimately be held liable for injuries caused directly or indirectly by their products.
I'm curious about the flash drive that you mention? Exactly where do you install it? Is it made to plug into the ECU? I was also told specifically that there is a software patch installed for aftermarket use that was not referred to as Firmware.
I was told that an add on board was made with new programming. It is necessary to run the original factory systems in stand alone aftermarket applications without the original vehicles CPU and sensors. That may be Bruno's add on controllers? It requires it's own separate board and chip and is suggestive of Bruno's controllers.
Is someone else building their own plug in adapters?
When you go to automatically modifying the assist according to the vehicle speed (GPS), instead of torque sensing, there needs to be a program installed to reduce the assist. That is a script that someone needed to write and it can't just be an arbitrary rate of reduction?
A difference in that re-programming could affect the feel of the system in the car also? Perhaps there is more then one program as you have suggested David?
I had this discussion with one of the suppliers of kits here in the US and he clearly and flatly said that the graph of that reduction is not a straight line progressive reduction, it is a curve of rapidly changing slope and had to be determined by someone, somewhere. He claimed that source was Bruno.
I am a little suspicious of Bruno also. Some of the questions that I asked him he just didn't know whereas it seems to be public knowledge quoted by the "street rod contingent" that some of the EPS units (mostly of Japanese manufacturer origin...Toyota, Nissan) that are originally designed to read CAN N and I think CAN S, but will go into a default, "fail safe mode" with lack of a CAN presence and give a constant, non-varying assist equal to a vehicle moving at 43 mph with just a simple three wire hook up. That has been pretty much confirmed by multiple sources.
The source of that information is the Toyota Service Manual. Experts should have known that I would think?
I did just noticed that Bruno's controllers in one place say shipped from Portugal and in another place in the auction are shipped from China?
I have to take this all in bite size pieces and wait to digest it.
I suspect that I am close to understanding the entire story but there is likely a degree of untruths being told by the sellers that need to be filtered out. That actually helps their own businesses from standing out too much to the lawyers who represent GM, Ford or Toyota or whoever exactly the technology is being re-engineered from but I don't see the urgency since I don't think any of them are exactly going to corner the market anytime soon?
At this point I think that the street roders are the most honest about what works and what doesn't? They have no financial dogs in the hunt to protect. They are simply into the "sport of the hunt".
I'm reminded that there are tangential details that re-emerge that are not directly related to the project at hand. Tying in a simple solution for more caster without increased steering effort with the installation of the EPS is an example.
I'm enjoying my investigation and I just get more involved when I have nothing going on and I'm bored.