EMULATOR – an electronic system designed to replace the functionality of a defective module or device originally installed in the vehicle’s factory configuration.
The main application is to support testing or enable the repair, overhaul or commissioning of the ECU and engine outside the body of the original vehicle for use as a drive source for another means of transport, for example a motorboat, race car, off-road buggy, etc.
Unlike the *’immo-off by file’ method, the principles of emulator are different: it does not deactivate the system. Instead, the emulator tricks the vehicle’s ECU (Engine Control Unit) into believing that it is interacting with an unlocked, fully functional original immobilizer system that has recognized a valid electronic key or remote control.
When using an immobilizer emulator hardware solution, restoring the ECU to its original state in 99% of cases only requires disconnecting connector from the emulator PCB. It is a method that does not damage or change anything in the original main software of ECU.
* After manipulating the file for immo-off, the ECU often becomes damaged and loses much of its functionality, including CRC data integrity, which causes a number of other problems, e.g. in area software checksum calculations. In many cases, we also lose the ability to update the ECU software in an authorized service with such a modified file. Such a damaged ECU will not work with the emulator.