I recently obtained a copy of Ford/Mazda's IDS softwear and am wondering if it can communicate with and reprogam my pcm with a standard obd2 cable that connects to my PC. I have seen many kits with a box it goes through but as these cost well over $1000 id prefer not to need one.

Does anyone know if it will work with just the softwear and a cable?

 

Nope you need the actual IDS hardware. It's a red rectangle box.

Also you have to download the actual software for your PCM from a mazda service website.

There are aftermarket products and shops that have a universal reflash tool, but you'll still need the actual software from Mazda site. You can pay for a daily access though.