Are you saying there's no manual at all for these ecu's
There is presently no *printed* manual. It is difficult to decide WHAT to put in there. General stuff like how to connect etc might be useful. Strategy documentation on the other hand is volatile. We change things.... much more frequently than some other manufacturers, in response to customer demand. I need to post up 1.17.1 firmware, so in the last couple of weeks we've gone through four firmware revisions! Keeping documentation up to date with the firmware in a printed for would be a sizeable task, and considering that our preferred option is one to one training for new dealers, it would be diverting effort from other more useful endeavours.
just the help files when an ecu is connected?
It doesn't need to be connected. You get context sensitive help at the bottom of the screen when you press F1. This is generated by the compiler when firmware gets built, ie the help is always in sync with the firmware. When other manufacturers release new firmware they release new software or profiles... our ECUs need just the firmware, the PC apps pull the profile off the ECU. Having the help "inside" the ECU is thus the most logical and flexible approach. Admittedly there are some sections that aren't documented at the moment but typically they are the more esoteric bits; if you are playing around with them you don't need the help anyway.
This should give you an idea :
You will see that some things are coloured...
Blue is a link to an axis definition map. Click on it and it will take you to the definition. Hover over it and it will pop up a window showing what it is and where it is used.
Yellow is a run time variable. Click on it and it will bring up a gauge for that variable. Right click on the gauge to change its type, speed, units etc.
Green is a map / configuration constant. Click on it and it will take you to the map / constant/ Hover over it and it will pop up a window describing what the map does and what affects it.
Does this explain my lack of help topics if I just scroll through parameters with no ecu connected then?
No, you should get context sensitive help even offline. You don't even need to go into a map to get help. For example, just moving to the "Run-Mode Fuelling" branch of the configuration tree will tell you what that branch does / contains. If your software isn't doing this then it is not working properly, which might be an installation problem or simply a case of the help section being made so small you can't see it. The blue borders that separate areas are draggable, you may need to use F1 to make the border appear at the bottom and then drag it up....
I couldn't understand why pressing F1 did nothing.
Deffo odd that one. Try the above.
Do the Life ecu's come with a manual?
No. If anything there is more help and documentation for the Syvecs units, this forum exists for a start
But on a more serious note, the same logic applies. LifeCal is closely related to SCal and the same rationale applies: the help is where it is needed most, at your fingertips when you're scratching your head
Some general purpose manual would obviate the need for one to one training though.
Hope this helps,
Pat.