Fishin2Deep4U

I am waiting for the other guys products to be released. I ran a Smarty for some length and time and after close to a year of being told fixes were coming, I gave up and sold it.

Hopefully they will take a look at it when they get time, but I think it may be a wait still. Too bad to. Cause I liked the stability of the program.

In the mean time, I am running a much, much more driveable set of electronics that works will with the bigger sticks and the auto.

Dave

RowJ

What shifting problems?? None here...and I love the newer SW!

Quad is in testing. 30 updates has to do with working out the kinks...something Marco did before he released his product! Not really comparing apples to apples, IMO.

Have to give Quad credit though.... beta testing is great way to get the word out on a new product.... and produce working capital, if needed!
I'm guessing about the working capital, just because he seems to be less than selective as to who gets a test unit.

RJ

dodgediesel

With the new program, ever so often my truck will glitch and wig for a quick second. When I'm just cruisin or on cruise controll, the truck will rev for a quick second and go back to where it was. Very weird but there is no more cruise surge going downhills now which is sweet. Besides that, we need more!!!

HOHN

That's an interesting observation about the number of iterations. The number of updates means little-- it's the final result that matters most of all, imo. (Microsoft, anyone?)

For example, I can play "Stairway to Heaven" a thousand times, but it will never sound as good as when Jimmy Paige did it. You get the point.

I'm excited to see Quad working on this new race box, and I can't wait to hear the results back once this thing eventually does go into production. He's on a tear lately with the 24V products, and I salute him for that!

Not so many new things for the 24V coming out-- Edge? Tst? Blue Chip?
Nada!

RowJ

Refering to # of updates....or # of beta units?
Doesn't matter.... great word ...... sent me to my dictionary on that one.

I recall Marco bgt a TST CE....Drag Comp and a Redline for his testing on the Smarty. Only had one truck (in Italy) to test on, but it seemed to work out.

Agree, Quad may be on to something. Time (6 months+) will tell.

RJ

dodgediesel

Might have a doorstop for sale here if the Race Box is the ticket!!!

bnold

I'll be keeping my smarty with my adrenaline... Tire speed correction and code scanner... Not too mention the pleasure to drive with the Smarty wont let me sell it

dodgediesel

I know, I'll never let it go either. Still use the Smarty everyday...

Fishin2Deep4U

The shifting issues are not as important as the lockup issue IMO. Lockup with Edge on ANY level 35-38mph. Lockup with Smarty 50mph. Simply a case of too touchy of a throttle.

That same touchiness affects cruise as well. I got boost variations from 5psi to 20psi when pulling slight grades. And anything over level 3 was useless for day to day use.

Switch back to Edge, all problems solved.

If you think that the Smarty was released before it was fully tested, I would disagree. While the 2nd gen issues have largely been ignored by the MADS team, they do still exsist. Most do not care about speed and rev limiters. Driveability is key. I have one of the first Catchers. I switched to the Smarty based on the promise that the issues would be fixed. They never were! How long ago was that??

In steps Quad. Sure, they are making updates. Lots of 'em. Maybe they released it a bit too early. But what it does show me that they are taking the comments and suggestions of the beta testers. They are making the active changes to the software that will result in a great product.

If the Smarty guys spent half as much time working on the known issues, they could have been fixed long ago. Instead, the third gen program is the rule of the day. And now you see the '03 guys complaining about a lack of support. If they ever get it fixed, I might be back. But by then, some other company is gonna own the 2nd gen performance market because they took the time to acknowledge and fix the problems.

Dave

dodgediesel

Very well put Dave, I agree..

HOHN

I was referring to the number of updates.

IMO, I honestly don't care how many "versions" or "updates" or out there if something works well. How many updates to the Zippo lighter have been made? None, really- because it works perfectly as it was originally intended.

So I don't think we can say that a product is better or worse based on how many updates are out there-- like computer operating systems. You could always make an "update" every 6 months for a new feature, or you could only make radical changes every couple years. They are just different ways to go about things.

I know Marco and Stefano spent a LOT of time trying to get the software where they have it, and I know they are doggedly determined to get where they want to go.

Unfortunately, the amount of testing Marco can do on his own is pretty limited, so he could only go so far without beta testing. It's up to each manufacturer to decide how rough a product they want to put out there in "beta" status. Some beta units are essentially production ready while others need a lot more work. Heck, even production 6.0PSDs were basically "beta units" imo!


Quad seems to be using more of a "shotgun" approach, which is perfectly fine. It appears that he's trying to get a lot of beta units out there to get a LOT of feedback and hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls of certain truck configurations. The auto trans functioning is no doubt a huge complication for both Quad and Marco, especially given the presence of standalone trans controllers and the huge amount of complexity they bring to the mix.

I can totally see how a business would justify focusing on newer model vehicles instead of older ones-- that's just common sense, imo. Though since I don't plan to trade up anytime soon, I appreciate that some companies are still bothering to pursue newer products for the VP trucks. As far as I know, Marco and Quad are the ONLY ones expending any effort at all to improve things for VP trucks.

Anyone ask Don how much VP injector testing he's done lately? Probably much less than 3-4yrs ago, and rightfully so. He's wise to expend effort on the CR sticks because there's more room for improvement, the market is bigger, and so forth. I supposed there's always room for improvement in VP injectors, but I'd consider the F1 VP sticks to be pretty "mature" in their evolution, and we're probably well past the point of diminishing returns on that one.

I'm very pleased with my Smarty, though it might be lacking some refinement. Because I have a manual trans, it's perfectly liveable and incredibly enjoyable.

I don't know if I'll end up buying a TST box or something from Quad, but I know I'll be pleased either way.


I'm also very sympathetic to the guys with auto trans hassles, and no amount of power is worth ruining the driveability of a truck. Hopefully better options come your way, and if not there's always the "golden oldies" like what Dave is running.

JMO

J Lent

Guys over at TDR were telling me that Bob/Marco pulled the new SW update off the site because of issues. Is this true? What issues? Should I not be running the new program?

Fishin2Deep4U

I am not sure about current issues. The old ones weren't dealt with!

Dave

Bob Wagner

I just looked and all downloads are still available for downloading

dodgediesel

Bob, would you mind sending me the previous file that we had before the raised speed limiter file. I would like to set my Smarty back to that one. My e-mail address is hattum@telusplanet.net, thanks a bunch...