Problems connecting PCLINK to ECU

[Jamez]

This started randomly happening a few weeks ago. I'd lose connection then after a few attempts at pressing F3 it would reconnect. Now I'm having difficulty connecting at all. I tried reinstalling PCLINK, drivers, uninstalling drivers via device manager, and using the driver folder to install drivers. I'm on Windows 11 using a GTRLink with PCLink version 6.22.38.

[Adamw]

Hmm, thats a very odd one.  Im suspicious there maybe a hardware issue here.  Can you try removing the ecu from the car and powering up on the bench, then trying to connect - just to eliminate power supply issues.  

You can power the ecu up on the bench by clipping power on to the big TVS diode like so:

 

[Jamez]

Ok, before condemning the ECU I decided to go get a friend's laptop, downloaded PCLink and what I found was:

KOEO, the ecu connection is totally fine and stable. However, KOER I noticed it would disconnect and reconnect every 1-2 minutes. I took the laptop outside of the car and placed it on the roof and from then on, the connection was stable with no drop-offs. This was strange as I never had drop-off issues back when my laptop worked, and I've never had an issue with EMI. 

As for the initial issue, I'm going to try a factory reset on my laptop with a fresh install of PCLink. Hopefully the drop offs were related to his PC?

[koracing]

This is actually pretty common on the G4x.  I often have to run the USB cables outside the car (MR2 where ecu is in the trunk) in order to get a stable connection.  I've also found a powered (active) usb cable does improve signal integrity and retains connection better.  After trying a couple I prefer the Belkin 5m active usb extension cable.  This has better connection than just the link cable in most cases I've found.