Thread: AVT-852 for DHP Powrtuner can't be purchased pre-registered anymore

I checked with AVT, and I was told that DHP contacted them and asked not to program the devices to look like they've been registered in DHP. From what I understand, there was a workaround to use these AVT interfaces and to get them registered properly before AVT started to program the units to appear registered. Does anyone know what that workaround was?

From what I understand, though AVT always made them, the adapter wouldn't be activated until it was registered through the software. For some time, AVT started to flash the device to appear to be activated without the need to do it through DHP software. Now, he can't sell them that way and a new adapter will have to be activated as they had to be before.

He will not make them anymore. The owner of DHP told him to stop.

Glad I got mine last year.. What is that initial activation step in DHP do the first time you run it, then?

I also wonder why Charles would care all of a sudden. It's not like you can buy DHP anymore.

Originally Posted by rickisrad

He will not make them anymore. The owner of DHP told him to stop.

He still makes the interface and will still sell it, but he just can't flash it to look like it's registered by DHP. I learned of this because I got a quote, and was told what to expect with the purchase.

Originally Posted by digitaloutsider

Glad I got mine last year.. What is that initial activation step in DHP do the first time you run it, then?

I know that the instructions that DHP provided say to connect to the car and laptop, and opening the software will start the activation process. I just don't know if it still works like it used to. AVT told me that someone recently purchased one. Hopefully I can get some info on if it worked for that person.

My guess is that there's some DHP-specific code it looks for when registering the box. Otherwise, I don't think this would make any difference.

confirmed that the device is sold the same way it was when they sold to DHP originally.

So nothing actually changed?

I guess I'm doing a terrible job of explaining it. Here's what AVT sent me:

That's an interesting question.

Let me tell you a little history about this and in the process I'll
(hopefully) come up with an answer. My memory about the exact order of events and who was involved might be wrong here and there, but the general discussion is correct.

I designed, built, and sold to DHP several models of interfaces. They were OEM boxes, just plain black boxes with my hardware inside. (I still sell that hardware to my industrial customers.) For unknown reasons, the two guys that ran DHP quit buying my stuff and, from my perspective, disappeared.

Then (a few years ago ??), a DHP user contacted me about fixing his interface. He told me that, apparently, DHP had gone out of business (which confirmed what I thought, as they stopped buying hardware from me). He eventually sent me several to repair.

During all of that, he (the user) told me that he figured out a way to program some information into the interface so that the old DHP software would work. He told me how to do it, and I replicated what he had done so that I could fix his hardware. He then told me that if another DHP user bought my hardware I could use the same procedure so that user could then use the hardware with their software. So, I did that for a few folks where I had to repair their interface or, in one case, where they had lost their interface during a move; and maybe a few others.
Plus, as far as I knew, DHP was gone; so I didn't see any harm in it.

I guess someone posted some information about what I could do on a forum (somewhere). Early this year, out of the blue, one of the principle owners of DHP contacts me and tells me that I'm violating his copyright (or some such thing) by bypassing his security features of his software.
He asked (sternly, but politely) that I stop doing that. I thought about it for a while and came to the conclusion that it might be a bit legally foggy as to what I was doing was wrong, but none-the-less, the prudent course of action (and not wanting to burn any bridges, should he want to resume a business relationship) it was best that I agree to stop.

Hence, when someone, such as yourself, writes to buy an interface that is compatible with the old DHP software, I have to figure out a way to say that it 'will' and 'will not' work with that software. It 'will'
because the hardware and software will work, but it 'will not' if the software is expecting the hardware to have some kind of information stored in it - that I don't normally put there (that DHP apparently used to put there).


One more thing. I do not work on cars. I do not have, and have never even seen the DHP software. I have no idea how it works, what it does with a car, and no idea how it handshakes with the hardware.

Can anyone tell me if the AVT-852 bought directly from AVT needed to be registered in DHP (like the original DHP adapter did), or would it fire right up in DHP with no registration needed?

I guess then if there's no way to put credits into the software, might be assed out. Unless this mystery person who showed AVT how to write the necessary code to the device memory steps up to tell us how it's done.