chipping 3B's

[auditude at cox.net]

I was just thinking.  If chips are something that can be burned/programmed by anyone with
the right equipment, which I hear isn't unattainable, is it just the content of the chips that is
what people are paying for?

Is this stuff technically protected (locked, encrypted, etc.) in some manner that would
prevent someone with a chip from a tuner from copying that onto another chip?  Or, is it that
it is copywritten and the reason I haven't heard about it more related to intellectual property
issues?

I understand the chip mods for 3B's consist of a pressure transducer upgrade from 2.0 bar
to 2.5 or 3.0 bar, and two eproms.

I read that Mihnea is programming his own chips, which is one thing that is interesting.
What else I find interesting is burning chips with known programs.  Is that possible?

Also, it seems like the 3.0 bar pressure transducers are used in upgrades that tend to have
more torque but the same horsepower (using the same hardware, namely a stock K24) as
the upgrades using the 2.5 bar transducers.  I take that to mean that the turbo is cranking
out more hp at lower rpms and is backed off as the rpms increases to keep the turbo from
running out of breath.

What sensor are most people on the list using, the 2.5 or the 3.0 bar transducer?  Is this
translatable to a certain tuners chips?  Who's software does ECS use?

Thanks,

Ken