All Things BMW
NCS Expert is the piece of software that's used to code BMW modules. Although it's not particularly user-friendly, it's actually very easy to use, as once you can read or write to one module, the process is identical for all others. This page has links to walkthroughs on how to use NCS Expert, which should make using the software very straightforward. There is also some information on how to alter .TRC and NETTODAT files and how to use NCS Dummy to access more features.
There are only four operations you are likely to need in NCS. They are:
1) Read from a module
2) Write to a module
3) Change the Vehicle Order (VO)
4) Write a NETTODAT file to a module
Below, you will find an explanation of each of these, along with videos and walkthroughs.
Read From a Module
Reading from a module is probably the most common operation in NCS Expert. Data from the module is communicated to the computer in the form of a .TRC file and a .NETTODAT file. The .TRC file contains most data from the module in a readable format. The .NETTODAT contains the raw hexadecimal information from the module. In the vast majority of cases, altering the .TRC is all that is needed to do the required coding. Go to the walkthrough for instructions on how to read from a module, or watch the video.
Write to a Module
Once the module has been read and the required alteration has been made, the information must be written back to the module. This is a straightforward process. Go to the walkthrough for instructions on how to write to a module, or watch the video.
Change the Vehicle Order (VO)
The vehicle order is a list of codes which represents every option that is installed on the vehicle. For instance, there are codes for xenon lights, seat heaters, active steering and numerous other things. Sometimes, when a retrofit is installed, it is necessary to add to the vehicle order so the car understands how to use the retrofit. This can be done with NCS. Go to the walkthrough for instructions on how to write to a module, or watch the video.
Write a NETTODAT File to a Module
Occasionally, directly modifying the NETTODAT file can enable functionality that .TRC files can not. This operation is normally only used for quite advanced coding. Go to the walkthrough for instructions on how to write to a module, or watch the video.