[kwlug-disc] OBD-II/OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner

[Chris Irwin]

I'd be wary of no-name ELM327 adapters. Apparently there is a lot of
problems with less-reputable knock-off devices not being 100% compatible.
These things basically work like modems: Your app sends AT commands, and
they return data. If their coverage isn't 100% (or they don't correctly
relay the responses from your vehicle), your apps won't work correctly.

I personally had a cheap "elm327 compatible" ODB-II device from ebay that
USB-based, but didn't work correctly. Even troubleshooting with raw AT
commands, I couldn't get it to send any data back (correct or otherwise).

The scantool guys seem to be the most reputable. They've got their own
android app (free, but only works with their adapters), and PC app (windows
only -- I've never used it). Their adapters are otherwise generic, and work
with other utilities (like torque). I recently funded their kickstarter for
their new WIFI dongle, which is supposed to also allow remote-start on
select models (including mine -- though we'll see how functional and/or
dangerous this is with a manual transmission)

http://www.scantool.net/obdlink-mxwf.html

It's interesting to get this sort of real-time insight into your car. You
can get live stats on fuel and oxygen rates, etc. I mostly use it to hum
and haw at how inefficiently I accelerate from a stop, confirm my speedo
works, and annoy my wife by asking her to quickly read back stats (that I
don't understand anyway, but it gets her to join me for a drive).

It's amazing how long this technology has been sitting around in cars,
though. I just bought a bluetooth adapter for my 1987 Fiero, (it pre-dates
ODB-II, and doesn't work with my existing adapter). I haven't used it yet,
though.

http://www.reddevilriver.com/ALDL_Bluetooth.php


On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 2:52 PM, Andrew Mercer <andrew at andrewmercer.net>wrote:

> Hi guys, I've found on Amazon an Android compatible OBD-II/OBD2 diagnostic
> scanner such as one described in this article:
>
> http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/be-mechanicwith-
> android-and-linux?page=0,0
>
> but if there is a place that sells them locally I'd rather get it from
> there. Does anyone know of a place (or places) in KW that sells this kind
> of tech?
>
> --
> Andrew Mercer
> Kitchener, ON
>
> www.andrewmercer.net
>
>
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> kwlug-disc mailing list
> kwlug-disc at kwlug.org
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>



-- 
Chris Irwin
<chris at chrisirwin.ca>
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