[ale] OT: cool gadget

[Christopher Bergeron]

You can pick one of these up for about $99 bucks.  Check out Vag-Com  
for software.  Under linux, you could use freediag, but last time we  
worked with it, it wasn't very far along (in development).

Depending on your car, you may need a specific adapter (ex,  
Volkswagen's are ISO9141).  These give you additional codes beyond  
what the ODBII standard set.  Most are vehicle manufacturer specfic.   
Some provide detailed status (transmission gear, etc), while some  
just provide the basic ODBII functionality.

Kind regards,
Chris Bergeron




On May 27, 2006, at 12:22 PM, Michael B. Trausch wrote:

> On Sat, May 27 2006 11:31, Byron A Jeff wrote:
>> On Sat, May 27, 2006 at 09:20:40AM -0400, Jim Philips wrote:
>>>
>>> No reason?! In five minutes of talking in our group at the  
>>> office, we
>>> collected a series of horror stories about deception and  
>>> incompetence
>>> from mechanics based on these readings. I want to know what they're
>>> seeing when they give me their explanation.  If you've found  
>>> mechanics
>>> that never do this kind of stuff, more power to you. But I want  
>>> to know
>>> as much as I can know before I accept the next $800 or so in auto
>>> repairs.
>>
>> Well I have a couple of three advantages:
>>
>> 1) My son in working on an Associate's Degree in Automotive Tech.  
>> So I
>> have my own built in mechanic.
>>
>> 2) AutoZone doesn't do auto repair. So they don't have a profit  
>> motive to
>> lie to you. Also they are quite happy to show you the codes while the
>> machine is hooked up to your car.
>>
>> 3) Haynes has a code book for $15. Also we can read the Chilton's  
>> manual
>> in the library if necessary.
>>
>> The bottom line is that the average driver needs an ODB II scanner  
>> just
>> about as much as they need a tie rod puller. Both can be loaned  
>> from the
>> local auto parts store for free, so why bother buying one?
>>
>
> Well, there are better utilities out there then the Actron for  
> interfacing
> with the ODB-II interface on the car.  I can't find the link for it  
> at the
> moment, however, there are hardware interfaces that you can  
> purchase at the
> store that will track statistics on the car and let you view them  
> on the
> computer.  Generally, however, the software that comes with such  
> devices is
> Windows only, however, so that puts things at a bit of a disadvantage,
> unless you have access to Windows.
>
> However, it looks like one could actually build an interface to the  
> ODB-II
> system oneself using a serial port to connect to it.  That means  
> that it is
> possible, in theory, to use a USB connected piece of hardware to  
> interface
> the computer directly with the car's computer, and therefore have  
> your own
> diagnostics interface.  If the standards for everything that ODB-II  
> tracks
> are available, you should be able to hook the computer up to the  
> system and
> see everything that is going on "as it happens," so that you can  
> determine
> more than just information from diagnostic trouble codes.
>
> The advantage to the piece of hardware you can get from AutoZone or  
> Advance,
> though, with Windows software, is that you can hook it to the car  
> that you
> have your child driving and capture their driving habits -- average  
> speed,
> brake use habits, etc. -- and you can use that data to teach him (or
> yourself) how to drive more efficiently.  That's surely not a bad  
> thing
> with the price of gasoline these days.  One would just have to come  
> up with
> a way to interface Linux with it directly, and it should be  
> possible to
> develop hardware on one's own to deal with it.
>
> 	- Mike
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