Lakemaster Chip on your PC???

[Ears]

Are you able to view or use your Lakemaster Chip on your PC using a SD card reader, or do you have to buy the software from Lakemaster?

[broman]

I have it working from my pc right now.

Go to Lowrances site, go to the downloads section go to product emulators and download the LCX-26C HD Emulator. After installing the emulator, put your chip in the reader and startup the emulator. It will now read the chip and show contours. I am running this from the built in reader on my pc.

[Ears]

Well I installed the emulator, but it does not seem to be reading my chip. Is there a setting inthe emulator that I need to chagne? It shows the maps but no contour on the lakes

[PierBridge]

You need a LEI Card reader to veiw the chip on your PC.

Rather then purchasing the LEI Card Reader for $20 you may want to look into the Lakemaster MINNESOTA SERIES Contour Pro Software. That will allow you to Customize your maps. It's a little spendy but a very good tool.

[broman]

You can read the chip without the LEI reader. I do it all the time. I do, however, have the MapCreate software and the LEI driver installed. My pc might be recognizing the driver and allowing it to read the card from my normal reader. But, like I mentioned previously, I am reading the card and seeing the contours without the LEI reader. So, it is indeed possible.

[Chode2235]

So if we install the driver for the LEI reader, we can fake the card reader into thinking it is a real LEI?

Then we should be able to use a GPS emulator from lowrance, sounds easy enough?

[broman]

I know I have downloaded and installed their drivers from the HSOforum. But it's been so long that I don't know all the things I did and I don't have my home pc in front of me to check if my internal reader is using their driver. You can try to use their driver (at your own risk). But if I remember it won't install the driver unless it finds the LEI reader plugged in. Don't remember though. If it does need the LEI card reader, then you could borrow someones reader and install the driver and give them it back and use your own reader from there on. I'll know more this evening once I do some testing.

I'll do some testing when I get off work and post my findings.

[Chode2235]

Thanks for your help as I have been trying to get this going for a long time.

I just want to be able to read my highly detailed lakemaster maps chip on a screen a little bigger, and in the comfort of my own home.

[PierBridge]

It has nothing to do with the driver's very few SD cardreaders will read the Lakemaster chip. I have only heard of 2 or 3 people that have had success reading a Lakemaster Card in a non LEI reader.

And your ALL welcome for the LCX-26C HD Emulator info I provided...

[Chode2235]

Well, thank you very much sir.

[broman]

Well.... I guess I seem to be one of the lucky few that can use it on my pc. And yes, it isn't related to the driver but the hardware instead.

Quote:

And your ALL welcome for the LCX-26C HD Emulator info I provided...

Relax dude.

[broman]

New update. For the heck of it I copied my Lakemaster chip data copied over to another empty chip. I can use the backup chip on both my computers and see the contours on the emulator. I can either access the chip using my LEI reader or the built in reader. What's nice is I can keep my backup chip in my pc to look at contours and keep the original in my gps. I cannot however, read the copied chip data in my gps. Which is to be expected since it is an MMC card. Plus I am sure would be a violation of the license..... yada, yada, yada.... All this might not work with your system based upon your particular reader.

If you copy the data file from two chips. WI and MN in my case onto the backup card you can use the one card on your pc and see both regions on the emulator.

Honestly, if you have the cash, buy the software for your pc like Pierbridge said. You'll get tons more features.