FORScan “like” programmer/calibrator alternative?

[wang_dynasty]

Hey all, I’m looking for a programmer/calibration alternative to FORScan that’s easy to use and will allow me functionality like changing tire sizes, turning off auto start/stop, etc. on my ‘21 Platinum. Doesn’t need to do anything crazy customizable.

Unfortunately, I don’t own any non-Apple devices save for my corporate laptop which is security provisioned up the wazoo so FORScan isn’t an option. The Superchips Flashcal F5 looks interesting but reviews are hit or miss.

Suggestions are appreciated, thank you!

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[Snakebitten]

I honestly don't know of anything less expensive than a cheap windows laptop with Forscan that can easily and safely perform such functions.

 

[Buyer2021]

^yep.

Though an Apple guy you're apparently windows-literate by virtue of your work environment. A windows laptop capable of fully supporting Forscan with a Forscan friendly OBD interface can be had for very close to the price of the Flashcal.

Even if you never venture into its full capabilities, the support for Forscan on forums like this is unparalleled and its a proven known robust tool. That's worth a lot, IMO.

 

[wang_dynasty]

^yep.

Though an Apple guy you're apparently windows-literate by virtue of your work environment. A windows laptop capable of fully supporting Forscan with a Forscan friendly OBD interface can be had for very close to the price of the Flashcal.

Even if you never venture into its full capabilities, the support for Forscan on forums like this is unparalleled and its a proven known robust tool. That's worth a lot, IMO.

Is FORScan compatible with Windows 11 (can’t believe this is where we are)? Finding a new Windows 10 laptop on the cheap is surprisingly difficult.

 

[Snakebitten]

Yes it is

And there are HP laptops on Amazon for $200
Admittedly I wouldn't purchase a laptop with 4 gigs of ram and a celeron these days, but if Forscan is all it's for........

Lot's of much more powerful laptops in the $350-400 range that are a great value equation.

 

[Buyer2021]

Admittedly I wouldn't purchase a laptop with 4 gigs of ram and a celeron these days, but if Forscan is all it's for........

I hear ya, but I still use a Legacy Core i7 2.9GHz / 16GB Windows 10 machine for all my personal stuff, noting that Win 10 Home/Pro EOL for security updates is 10/14/2025 (my 73rd BD, lol):

Given the OP's stated 'profile and needs' I suggest a used / refurb Win 10 machine. After all, the OP was / is considering a single-purpose proprietary tool in the Flashcal device - he's gonna use his Apples for his 'real' personal computing.

Here's just one of many examples at $189 with WIn 10 Pro, numeric keypad (handy for Forscan data entry), and WiFI for loading Forscan software / updates. IMO that'd be a swell Forscan machine with SSD storage, a decent screen for viewing lines of displayed info, and a full keyboard to make accurate value edits easier / more assured.

Just for your consideration.

 

[m_bt54]

As others have said, such a thing does not exist. You might be able to get Forscan to work on an Intel Mac with parallels or bootcamp. It won’t work on a M1-M3 Mac with parallels because Forscan won’t run on ARM

 

[fordtruckman2003]

I bought a cheap Windows laptop to run FDRS, Forscan is just a bonus with even less hardware requirements.

If Forscan is all you need maybe borrow a laptop from someone if you don't want to buy a cheap disposable.

 

[wang_dynasty]

I hear ya, but I still use a Legacy Core i7 2.9GHz / 16GB Windows 10 machine for all my personal stuff, noting that Win 10 Home/Pro EOL for security updates is 10/14/2025 (my 73rd BD, lol):

Given the OP's stated 'profile and needs' I suggest a used / refurb Win 10 machine. After all, the OP was / is considering a single-purpose proprietary tool in the Flashcal device - he's gonna use his Apples for his 'real' personal computing.

Here's just one of many examples at $189 with WIn 10 Pro, numeric keypad (handy for Forscan data entry), and WiFI for loading Forscan software / updates. IMO that'd be a swell Forscan machine with SSD storage, a decent screen for viewing lines of displayed info, and a full keyboard to make accurate value edits easier / more assured.

Just for your consideration.

This is great info. I think this will end up being the direction I go. Are there any pros/cons between going with a refurb windows 10 machine vs a new windows 11 machine? I know “versions“ and compatibility with new releases can oftentimes be finicky.

 

[Buyer2021]

This is great info. I think this will end up being the direction I go. Are there any pros/cons between going with a refurb windows 10 machine vs a new windows 11 machine? I know “versions“ and compatibility with new releases can oftentimes be finicky.

I suppose the main 'con' with most of these older Win 10 machines, like my own, is that they will never support a Win 11 installation. For your purposes IMO that's a non-issue.

IMO for your purpose Win 10 will be perfectly suited, it's much less 'bloated' than Win 11 lacking many of the (ahem) 'features' of Win 11 which would play absolutely no role with Forscan. IMO one big pro is that Microsoft is no longer offering / pushing 'feature updates' for Win 10 while continuing to provide security updates through 10/14/25.

IMO, and just IMO, it's highly unlikely that the Forscan developers will implement anything in their program which will require Win 11 for a very very long time, if ever.

If buying a machine with Win 10 Pro installed (and I would recommend "Pro" over 'Home') I would go through the process of using Windows Update to bring it up to latest versions of the OS and .NET Framework (that might be time consuming for the initial catch-up). I would then toggle auto-update OFF; that way you will not ever be untimely interrupted by a 'pushed' update from Microsoft, you will only get updates when you click "Check for updates" (so do stay on top of that for the security items). Here's a current screenshot from my Win 10 Pro machine configured in that manner (I do not know if Win 10 'Home' allows one to toggle-OFF the automatic updates, it wouldn't surprise me if it doesn't):

Insofar as a 'refurb', yeah, I guess there's an element of risk in that. All I can offer is my experience .... I bought my Dell Refurb E6530 as a Win 7 machine with old school hard drives back on 1/30/2014. Over the years I've added RAM, swapped to SSDs, and upgraded to Win 10 Pro. For 6 years it traveled to 10 CMRA motorcycle roadracing events each year where it served 'mission critical' racer registration duties; it's also always been my primary 'desktop' (and Forscan) machine, dropped into a dock and driving two large format external monitors in addition to the laptop screen. Other than DIY replacing the cooling fan unit about 3 years ago it's been bulletproof (knock on wood). Yeah, I'm a huge Dell fanboy, at least insofar as their business-class laptops.

Hope that helps, don't hesitate to drop me a PM if I might be able to help, Have Fun!

PS on edit - IF you ever need parts for an older Dell machine, Parts-People is an outstanding resource and company to do business with (nope, I've no affiliation with them or Dell ).

 

[wang_dynasty]

I suppose the main 'con' with most of these older Win 10 machines, like my own, is that they will never support a Win 11 installation. For your purposes IMO that's a non-issue.

IMO for your purpose Win 10 will be perfectly suited, it's much less 'bloated' than Win 11 lacking many of the (ahem) 'features' of Win 11 which would play absolutely no role with Forscan. IMO one big pro is that Microsoft is no longer offering / pushing 'feature updates' for Win 10 while continuing to provide security updates through 10/14/25.

IMO, and just IMO, it's highly unlikely that the Forscan developers will implement anything in their program which will require Win 11 for a very very long time, if ever.

If buying a machine with Win 10 Pro installed (and I would recommend "Pro" over 'Home') I would go through the process of using Windows Update to bring it up to latest versions of the OS and .NET Framework (that might be time consuming for the initial catch-up). I would then toggle auto-update OFF; that way you will not ever be untimely interrupted by a 'pushed' update from Microsoft, you will only get updates when you click "Check for updates" (so do stay on top of that for the security items). Here's a current screenshot from my Win 10 Pro machine configured in that manner (I do not know if Win 10 'Home' allows one to toggle-OFF the automatic updates, it wouldn't surprise me if it doesn't):

Insofar as a 'refurb', yeah, I guess there's an element of risk in that. All I can offer is my experience .... I bought my Dell Refurb E6530 as a Win 7 machine with old school hard drives back on 1/30/2014. Over the years I've added RAM, swapped to SSDs, and upgraded to Win 10 Pro. For 6 years it traveled to 10 CMRA motorcycle roadracing events each year where it served 'mission critical' racer registration duties; it's also always been my primary 'desktop' (and Forscan) machine, dropped into a dock and driving two large format external monitors in addition to the laptop screen. Other than DIY replacing the cooling fan unit about 3 years ago it's been bulletproof (knock on wood). Yeah, I'm a huge Dell fanboy, at least insofar as their business-class laptops.

Hope that helps, don't hesitate to drop me a PM if I might be able to help, Have Fun!

PS on edit - IF you ever need parts for an older Dell machine, Parts-People is an outstanding resource and company to do business with (nope, I've no affiliation with them or Dell ).

Holy smokes what an in-depth and detailed response, thank you!

 

[Sneezy]

As someone who still lives in the stone ages, I’ll chime in and note that Forscan works perfectly on my ancient laptop that runs windows Vista ?

I’m generally the type of person that would tell you to take your technology and shove it, but even for me it’s a breeze to use

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