Holley Terminator EFI Firmware Update Question

[RRussellTx]

I have a Holley Terminator from 2015 (not the Terminator X) and the hand held display unit has faded and is no longer usable. I understand this is a common issue and they no longer sell that handheld unit for that reason.

Instead, they recommend the 3.5” LCD unit 553-108 as a replacement. I purchased the 3.5 LCD unit but it will not recognize the older Terminator without upgrading the ECU firmware. Based on the research I have done, it seems that you cannot go directly from a very early ECU firmware versions to the most current ECU version.

Question: Does anyone know if there is a recommended upgrade path for the ECU firmware and what Holley EFI Software versions are required to accomplish that upgrade?

My ECU Firmware Version is 0.0.1589 so I’m pretty sure I have a way to go!

I have sent a note into Holly support but have not heard a response yet.

I would love to get some info from this group but if not I will share what I get from the Holley Support team in case others are interested in the future.

Thanks,
Richard

[weendoggy]

If I remember what I did, I have the original Terminator and when the 3.5LCD became available I went straight to Ver.3 without an issue. You'll upgrade software, new 3.5LCD and ECU firmware or nothing will communicate. It'll take about 30min. for each firmware update and use a powered laptop so nothing is interrupted. I now use Ver. 5. The 3.5LCD is a nice monitor. Be sure to save your current tune and when the new software is updated, transfer all your settings and double check all of them.

I still have my original dinky setup handheld and you're welcome to it if needed.

[phileas_fogg]

I went through the conversion from v2 to v5 a couple of years ago. The basic steps are:

1. Download the most recent (v6, I think) software package from the Holley website onto your laptop, unzip the software package, & install.
2. Convert your Global Configuration Folder to v6 using the conversion tool. Be sure to save a copy of the old folder in case you have to start over.
3. Update the ECU firmware to v6 using the CAN/USB cable to connect the ECU to your laptop. NOTE #1: Do NOT connect any handheld device at this time. NOTE #2: It takes a while for the conversion to take place, and there's no indication you're doing things correctly or progress is being made. This part is super nerve wracking, 'cuz you don't know if you've bricked the ECU.
4. Load the v6 GCF into the ECU.
5. Update the 3.5" LCD handheld firmware to v6.
- Unzip the handheld firmware file.
- Copy it to a new SD card.
- Pop out the old SD card & insert the new one.
6. Connect the 3.5" LCD handheld to the Terminator harness.

The Holley tech support forum, to be blunt, sucks.

However, the Holley phone support is excellent. You'll be on hold for a while, but every technician with whom I've spoken has been super knowledgable & helpful. I'd call before you do anything just to talk through the process (have your laptop software open so you can see the menus they describe), and then call again when you actually do the upgrade.

Hope this helps,


John

[RRussellTx]

Thanks guys.

Sounds like I need to go to v2 or v3 before I can go to V5 or v6.
I'll keep waiting for them to respond to my email question (they say to wait 2 days for a response) and then I'll call them if needed.

Before I started asking around, I did try to execute the steps that John outlined but I got stuck on step 2 because v6 would not recognize my ECU and therefore could not do anything at all.

Looks like Holley is still learning how to be a software/hardware company...

Thanks again,
Richard