Old B5 VAG cluster, can't write eeprom

[Baja juan]

Hi.

I have a very annoying problem. I have a 1968 Benz with a VAG AFN engine swapped in. Everything works (even cruise and immo) and I am using a 1998 Audi A4 VDO kombiinstrument with digital display. The actual kombi board is hidden in a box, and just the digital display is on an extended cable and fitted into the Benz dash, so I can see mpg and all that stuff.

My problem is, I can't write the kombiinstrument eeprom. I have several (5 or 6) VagDash and K+Can Commander cables of different versions, pretty much every version of those software I can find, and 5 or 6 old computers with xp and even win 98! No matter what I try:
-Non of the VagDash versions have a option for that kombiinstrument. It recognizes it as ''kombiinstrument B5'' when pressing connect any tacho, but there is no option for this kombi in the select ecu menu
-All of the K+can commanders connect OK and can read eeprom, the dump looks ok, but they cannot write the eeprom. You try to write it, it says its writing, it ''writes'' all the addresses, resets the kombi but as soon as the kombi turns on again its back to the old eeprom contents. I know a lot of people don't like K+can, but it does usually work eventually. Here it doesn't at all.

I tried this on another B5 Audi and also another B5 Passat, and same problem. It can't be the cables (I have several), it can't be the software versions (I have most of them), it cant be the computer (I have a few) and it can't be the kombi (I tried on 3 different ones).

Anybody know whats happening?

[marmaro]

HI!
be careful K+Can Comander can kill your dash.
I think safer to you is desolder eeprom and do it with programmer.
BR

[dctuning]

It sounds that VagDash and Can Commander seems not to be compatible with your cluster. Somehow mysterious..
I would do it like marmaro said, desolder it and do it with a programmer.

Perhaps you can also find somehow here in DK who is near you and can do it for you.
You can PM me with your location, perhaps it fits.

[Baja juan]

Vagdash is not compatible it seems, however k+can should be compatible but still doesnt work. Its very strange.

I can desolder and program it, but, i want to find out why it doesnt work when it should.

Maybe there are other versions of vagdash or k+can? I have the "white cover" dash, so the oldest of the a4 b5 types.