[DerekR]

I've come across several OBD-II software/interface/scan tool offerings on the 'net - do any of them have significant advantages over the others? In particular, are any of them able to reset the Restraint System light if I disconnect the airbags for competition use and subsequently reconnect them after the event?

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who owns these tools as to their pros and cons so as to make a decision on whether to get one and which one to get.

[BobFischer]

I haven't used any of the OBDII programs yet. I am A little partial though due to the responses from another car club. I also know the developer since he is local and is a very meticulous person.

So checkout The Pocketlogger

It is a Palm OS program so you don't need to haul your laptop around.

Bob
'03 DS/DS MCS

[macncheese]

I use pocketlogger. Its a pretty neat setup.




--
Cheese

[DerekR]

Thanks - I've had a look at the site. Seems like a good product. Mac - any limitations on transferring data to a PC?

Derek

[Racer]

Quote:

Originally posted by macncheese
I use pocketlogger. Its a pretty neat setup.




--
Cheese

macncheese

Whats the full extent of the information this can capture is there a list of capture data or do you have some raw(csv) data I could look at - It seems a great tool but what info can it collect?

[BobFischer]

I just email Mike @ Pocketlogger to let him know about this thread. Hopefully he'll have time to pop in and help with some answers.

Bob
'03 DS/DS MCS

[jlm]

here is another one I'm just trying out: www.obd-2.com


oops! i fuggot dat d in der! thanx bob

[macncheese]

The nice thing about pocketlogger is that it tests the interface and makes adjustments to maximize your sampling rate. I can sample 20 readings per second with mine, as opposed to 6-8 which is standard. Pocketlogger only reads the standard OBD stuff.

Calculated Load Value
Engine Coolant Temperature
Short Term Fuel Trim - Bank 1
Long Term Fuel Trim - Bank 1
Short Term Fuel Trim - Bank 2
Long Term Fuel Trim - Bank 2
Fuel Pressure (Gage)
Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure
Engine RPM
Vehicle Speed
Ignition Timing Advance
Intake Air Temperature
Air Flow Rate from MAF
Absolute Throttle #1 Position
Oxygen Sensor - BANK 1 - Sensor 1
Oxygen Sensor - BANK 1 - Sensor 2
Oxygen Sensor - BANK 1 - Sensor 3
Oxygen Sensor - BANK 1 - Sensor 4
Oxygen Sensor - BANK 2 - Sensor 1
Oxygen Sensor - BANK 2 - Sensor 2
Oxygen Sensor - BANK 2 - Sensor 3
Oxygen Sensor - BANK 2 - Sensor 4


--
Dave
æ

[BobFischer]

If anyone has any insight into the vehicle specific OBDII parameters, I can work with Mike at Pocketlogger to try to implement these.

Bob '03 DS/DS MCS

[DerekR]

Bob -could you ask Mike what specifically he'd need to implement MCS- specific parameters or add-ons to Pocketlogger?

Derek

[BobFischer]

Quote:

Originally posted by obehave

Is it just me or is there a lot of dead links on their page?
Couldn't get the cabling guide or the quick guide links to work.

Just went to the site and the 'Quick Guide' works for me. Don't where you are talking about for the 'Cabling Guide' I didn't see one.

Bob
'03 DS/DS MCS

[Racer]

macncheese - Thanks

Anyone an idea if pocketlogger will continue to enhance - I want to buy a logger that I know will continue to be developed and take feedback from customers - from the sound of it pocket logger do this

[BobFischer]

Quote:

Originally posted by Racer
macncheese - Thanks

Anyone an idea if pocketlogger will continue to enhance - I want to buy a logger that I know will continue to be developed and take feedback from customers - from the sound of it pocket logger do this

Mike at Pocketlogger is really good about product support, I think it is his sole source of income. He is always looking into ways to improve it and takes heed to requests for features.

Bob

[BobFischer]

Quote:

Originally posted by DerekR
Bob -could you ask Mike what specifically he'd need to implement MCS- specific parameters or add-ons to Pocketlogger?

Derek

Here is Mike's response:

It would really be the whole exact data stream. There are high level
protocols in the OBDII standard to send proprietary data through the OBDII
port, but what data is sent using these protocols is entirely up to the
manufacturer.


-Mike

He said that you'ld pretty much have to tap into the data stream, send a request, log the protocol request, and log the reply. You probably have to do this for each available response.

Bob
'03 DS/DS MCS

[Andy@Ross-Tech.com]

There is a huge difference between generic OBD-II and manufacturer-specific diagnostics. One of the most notable differences is in the variety of different control modules supported for diagnostics. Typically, OBD-II is merely concerned with engine and transmission, and only those items that affect emissions.

In my MINI, there are approximately 20 different control modules (computers) for various systems in the car, like engine, abs, airbags, instruments, dsc, bc1, etc. OBD-II barely scratches the surface on the engine modules and does nothing with the rest of the modules.

It is a VERY daunting task to emulate the factory diagnostic tools due to the incredibly huge range of possible functions and responses. Additionally, controller timing is critical and must be carefully maintained.

The company I work for has done approximately 3,000 man-hours of development on a VW/Audi diagnostic tool and is currently developing a similar system for BMW/MINI. Here's a real-world comparison between OBD-II testers and a manufacturer-specific scan tool:

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/dtc-comparison.html

We don't yet have a timeframe or pricing information available for BiM-COM, but feel free to check in on our Yahoo discussion group:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/BiM-COM/

The group is new, so hardly any discussion yet. For our VW/Audi product, we have a very active discussion group with over 2,000 participants:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/VAG-COM/

[DerekR]

Andy - what are your objectives with the BMW/MINI tool? Are you aiming to offer owners an alternative to the R50 software? And, if so, how much scope for changing parameters - like fuel and ignition maps?

Is it PC or Palm?

Derek

[Andy@Ross-Tech.com]

Derek,

It will almost certainly be PC-based. Despite the fact that I am a Palm-junkie, PC's are WAY more powerful and standardized than any handheld platform. Real Windows (ie, Win95 and newer, NOT any PocketPC/WinCE stuff) is the standard for software around the world. A good laptop for diagnostics use only costs a couple hundred dollars these days.

I believe the first objectives are to provide the ability to read, interpret and clear error codes. Following that, data logging of measuring groups will be added. The more advanced stuff will come later.

Take a look at the revision history for VAG-COM to see how that product progressed over time:

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/revisions.html

In the VW/Audi world, the top-gun factory tools are the VAS-5051 and VAS-5051. They cost about $15,000 and $5,000, respectively. VAG-COM is highly competitive with those systems at a fraction of the price:

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/vag-functions.html

In the BMW/MINI world, the top-gun factory tool is the MoDiC 4 GT1 scanner, which is basically unobtainium. Each one is owned by BMW and is leased to dealers. The ealier MoDiC's had far less functionality and are not too useful with MINI's.

[DerekR]

Andy - thanks for the information. Do you have ANY idea of time frame for the initial release - like 3 months, six months? Of all the OBDII offerings I've looked at so far yours seems the most MINI-specific. Now if you could lean towards features (like graphing) that are slanted at performace in subsequent upgrades..... you'd have a winner, I think.

Is there a GT3 computer available from BMW?

Derek

[Racer]

I've gone for pocketlogger short term until Andy gets things moving - Keep us all informed please Andy and I concur with Derek need performance related and graphing to make life easy for us guys on the track!

[Andy@Ross-Tech.com]

Data logging and graphing should be part of the system. We've had logging capabilities in VAG-COM for a long time, but haven't implemented graphing for a rather non-technical reason. Our users seem to all have different ideas about the appearance of the graphs/gauges. We'll be releasing an addition to VAG-COM that will allow the user to tailor the appearance (scaling, etc.) to his/her needs.

It should be noted that what we make for VW/Audi and what we will be making for BMW/MINI are completely different from OBD-II. OBD-II systems certainly have their place, and I own two of them, but only for use with cars like my brother's Accord or my friend's Cherokee. Manufacturer-specific diagnostic tools provide a MUCH larger and diverese amount of information. BMW has traditionally kept their diagnostics and the OBD-II diagnostics completely separate. In fact, from 1996-2001, they retained their proprietary round diagnostic port under the hood as well as the standardized 16-pin OBD-II port inside the car. The OBD-II port couldn't access any of the BMW-specific stuff. Only in 2002 did the round port finally go away, allowing the 16-pin port to handle both OBD-II and BMW functions.