BMW 20 pin to DB9 cable for E36

BMW 20 pin to DB9 cable for E36 - Pin Out

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Karl J. North III - 29 Apr 2005 02:50 GMT

Hello,
Does anyone have the pin out for the BMW 20 pin (underhood connector) to
DB9 cable that many sites are offering for the E36's?
I bought the connector for the BMW side and I have a bunch of DB9
connectors I just need the pin out so I can make my own.

Thanks,
Karl

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Richard Tomkins - 29 Apr 2005 04:44 GMT

I doubt that the BMW actually speaks RS-232.
The units I have seen pictures of have a little box in the middle and that
is probably a protocol converter, containing a microprocessor and other glue
chips.

My Maxima speaks OBD II and in addition a proprietary Nissan protocol. The
Nissan protocol supplies far more information than OBD II and in addition
enables the mechanic to adjust specific variables on the car.

I would expect the BMW people to have their own protocol as OBD II probably
doesn't even come close to supporting the technology infrastructure built
into the cars. I took a car in for a pre-sale inspection once and the dealer
gave me information on how high the engine had been revved in it's lifetime
and also whether the car had been peeled out, it had. I suspect that there
is a lot more info to be had as well.

> Hello,
> Does anyone have the pin out for the BMW 20 pin (underhood connector) to
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Thanks,
> Karl

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Karl J. North III - 29 Apr 2005 06:44 GMT

Richard,
There are plenty of sites which sell a straight DB9 to 20 pin BMW cable.
The unit with the box in the middle is for diagnostics. I'm just looking for
the simple one to read the unadulterated info from the units etc. Any ideas
where to get the pin out? It's for a development project that I'm working
on.

Thanks,
-Karl

>I doubt that the BMW actually speaks RS-232.
> The units I have seen pictures of have a little box in the middle and that
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
> =----

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spare-me-spam - 02 May 2005 02:14 GMT

But Richard is right. So...
Wire it anyway you want, and call it KARL.
Once again, 20 pin does not translate into any known protocol using a
DB-9 connector.
If there is some software you have that uses the bus data out of the 20
pin, I'm sure they will provide the info for you.

| Richard,
| There are plenty of sites which sell a straight DB9 to 20 pin BMW cable.
[quoted text clipped - 42 lines]
| > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
| > =----

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