As I suggested at post #4, the "ELM "device and "Torque" software for an android device. I would suggest you use an android tablet as a phone is a little small, also buy the $5 US version (not the free version) of Torque. Mine was about $7 NZ. Later, you could buy make specific software if you wish for more functionality that the generic OBD11 codes provide.
realtrader1,
Mar 28, 7:54pm
Oh, thanks for that. sorry got a bit swamped and couldn't see the wood for the trees hey that is great I will follow this lead! Cheers!
realtrader1,
Mar 28, 7:56pm
Actually, I have a Surface tablet would there be comparable software for that? Cheers.
bwg11,
Mar 29, 7:14am
Don't know the Surface brand, if it is not an iPad or Windows tablet, it will be Android OS which "Torque" runs over.
Edit: Just done a Google. Surface is Microsoft, so you will need OBD11 software that will run under Windows. There are several, VitalScan is one` that comes to mind. Do a search.
realtrader1,
Mar 29, 12:52pm
I am thinking this one might be good for what I need. I know it's pretty cheap but it works on windows and android which could be handy. Thoughts anyone? What do others use?http://www.trademe.co.nz/B- rowse/Listing.aspx?id=86226879- 3
bwg11,
Mar 29, 1:24pm
That is the bluetooth device I have, although mine was not bought off TradeMe. No problems with the device but the packaged software wasn't much use. I've also used EasyOBDII. Was a while ago, think I bought the premium version, but try the free one first. It does work with the bluetooth device you linked to on TradeMe. I've also used VitalScan as well as EasyOBDII. In my opinion, neither are as good as Torque for Android.
The China elm has like 3 pins connected inside the box plus you won't buy more software afterwards whom uses all pins when they are connected to nothing not to mention software and hardware need to work together. Elm is only obd2 emission codes and codes are symptoms not a cause on real problems you won't even get communication with a car like them Nissan tida wingroads when the can bus has corrosion on one of loads of ground terminals. With torque that is just sensors and emission codes cheap elm junk won't work with free version of torque. My DX.Bluetooth one only worked on the full version its how you know you got junk when it don't works on free torque. Best to do the scan tool course from aecs for 618$ then you will know how it works and you won't ask this question in the way you did as there is no magic box you can connect to do stuff that's unfortunetly only for dreamers and morons the magic boxes to plug in on cars
bwg11,
Mar 30, 3:52pm
No need for a Course at $618. Just read and more importantly, comprehend, the following wiki pages:
And just by the way, why do you Euro fanboys refer to the rest of us as morons, dreamers and sheep?
tony9,
Mar 30, 3:59pm
And from the Wiki Page of OBD2 PIDS. "The majority of all OBD-II PIDs in use are non-standard. For most modern vehicles, there are many more functions supported on the OBD-II interface than are covered by the standard PIDs, and there is relatively minor overlap between vehicle manufacturers for these non-standard PIDs.
There is very limited information available in the public domain for non-standard PIDs. The primary source of information on non-standard PIDs across different manufacturers is maintained by the US-based Equipment and Tool Institute and only available to members. The price of ETI membership for access to scan codes starts from US$7,500."
Generic software (and hardware) is near to useless for any serious diagnosis.
mechnificent,
Mar 30, 4:05pm
There are people out there extracting the roms and disassembling the programing code it's written in to discover the pids for everything. Open source is the way. and anyone can contribute an idea or a rom for comparison. It's the way of the future.
mechnificent,
Mar 30, 4:06pm
Evoscan is a very good program and is NZ product, up with the best in the world, and amendable to new models as they come along. They also sell cables hardware.
mechnificent,
Mar 30, 4:07pm
It's not open source but the price is very fair.
tony9,
Mar 30, 4:08pm
There are not really enough of us, and for the last 15 years or so the car makers are making it harder and harder to hack the in car cpus, for good reason as more safety and other sensitive systems are integrated.
mechnificent,
Mar 30, 4:25pm
Yeah they are, and good job too, but they are not secure yet and won't be if you have access to the car legally. The days of microsoft monopoly is over. and the manufacturers realised ages ago that it's bad for the brand to have cars that are too different and hard to fix. they are ever so slowly unifying and sharing.
In the mean time, we're hacking.
intrade,
Mar 30, 4:39pm
correct
intrade,
Mar 30, 4:49pm
autel got sued for stealing codes no such thing as open source for the http://www.law360.com/articles/582278/ford-sues-car-equipment-co-for-hacking-copying-database oem stuff its all propreyitory codes that must be reverse engeneered, some of these people get huge amounts of money its why the professional scanners cost a fortune others like launch hafe tons of chinese RELATIVE cheap workers . evoscan if its good its probably similar to rosstech for volkswagen they only do one make and its relations like rosstech scans anything vag- vw ,audi ,seat ,skoda .
peja,
Mar 30, 6:46pm
So for a 2001 model car there wont be many proprietary codes or they will have been reverse engineered by now?
tony9,
Mar 30, 6:56pm
What model car?
peja,
Mar 31, 6:16am
Holden Commodore VX V8
mechnificent,
Mar 31, 10:15am
Depends on the make and model. Mitsi, subaru and nissan have been well researched and most of the rom addresses are known, if there is one you need to know to queary for some reading you can modify open source software to queary it, then interperate it for some meaningful figure or meaning. Honda and toyota are being worked on now days and new addresses(rom addresses) are being found all the time.
The actual dissassembly is hardly an issue, the chips on the boards dictate what instructions they will recognise and what their syntax will be, and where the rom and ram is. The information can be found at the chip manufacturers sites. Then you connect to the ecu using the correct communication protocol, take a copy of the relevent bit of rom, use software to dissassemle the code and find the addresses. Or, take consequitive copies of the ram as you change things such as open the throttle or warm the motor, then look for the changed paramaters and figure out with further testings and selective copies of only those ram addresses. It's not too hard to find the data you need. You can use a visual hex editor that will put different colors to the ones or zeros, that makes it easy to spot the tables of fuel trim and ignition, you can run the live data recordings into a spreadsheet and then look for figures that behave as they should, such as knock increasing and ignition decreasing, and then apply factors to the figures to get the correct numbers that have the correct scale. There are certain common factors.
All that works fine with the older pre CAn sysytem. Reading all the data flow in a can sysytem needs a first step of seperating the data flows from the other ecus and the sensors. It's being worked on.
peja,
Mar 31, 1:04pm
Thanks for that, sounds like overkill to read a check engine light code though - am quite happy to drop a few bucks just to do that, up to 100 if necessary, am not intending to modify anything, it is just so I can see why the check engine light comes on every so often. Suspect it is the oxygen sensor as engine performance carries on as before and temp gauge doesnt change
mechnificent,
Mar 31, 5:48pm
The standard usb elm will get you the trouble codes, freeze frames, a lot of live data that you can monitor or log. That elm hardware will run with a lot of software, and some of the best software is open source, and they, the open source guys, are the ones that get us all the extra addresses that the car manufacturers keep quiet. They discover things that even the guys that buy the data they need to develop their programs with, can't buy.
Intrade is correct in that a lot of the elm obd2 hardware, are only for the required obd2 data, and don't have a pin to the manufacturers "extra data" pin. Some do though.
For what you want, an Ell and free software will be fine.
If you want to look at other chips for connecting to obd2, and other programs to go with that hardware, check out :Enginuity".
mechnificent,
Apr 4, 7:44am
And you know that you can probably get the trouble codes with a bent wire huh.
This is a NZ company that has been in business for a while. Their online trouble code guide is good and will tell you if there is a simple way to get the codes.
A live reading onto a laptop, or an old fashioned analogue volt gauge can test them in a couple of minutes. Google checking your O2 sensor with a volt gauge.
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