Any clear preference for one particular OBDII reading device and/or software package ?

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Forrest - 04 Sep 2006 10:30 GMT

I have seen links and references to several OBDII reading devices n
software packages.

I have been previously driving a car that does not have such read out
capabilities, and now have acquired a 2006 Toyota 4Runner.

There have now been years since the first OBDII standards came into
place. Has one such OBDII reading hardware and software package come
to stand out as being preferable to the competition ? Or just
software, alone, or hadware alone, if they are clearly good.
Price is not as important as that the package be of quality.

Thanks,

Forrest

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George - 04 Sep 2006 17:14 GMT

>...
>
>Has one such OBDII reading hardware and software package come
>to stand out as being preferable to the competition ? Or just
>software, alone, or hadware alone, if they are clearly good.
>Price is not as important as that the package be of quality.

<http://groups.google.com/group/obdII> - new NG?

http://www.scantool.net/ - click on "forum" - lots of bitching about
varous issues.

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Forrest - 05 Sep 2006 10:00 GMT

>>...
>>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>http://www.scantool.net/ - click on "forum" - lots of bitching about
>varous issues.

Thanks, so this
ElmScan ISO Scan Tool
P/N: 420100

or the

ElmScan 5 USB Scan Tool

Would be the preferred OBDII reading hardware devices to use ?

If so, that is again appreciated, if you have gone to the lengths to
sort out what is best at this time. I do much research, but in that
cream does tend to rise to the surface, and if this company's OBDII
reading hardware devices have been deemed to be among, if not the
best, that saves me a good bit of footwork.

Thanks,
Forrest,

It is for a Toshiba, so I would obviously have to ensure compatibility
of the firmware with Toshiba.
Forrest

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George - 05 Sep 2006 17:16 GMT

>>>...
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>reading hardware devices have been deemed to be among, if not the
>best, that saves me a good bit of footwork.

Just to be clear: above is all about interfacing the OBD data to a PC.
There are scan tools at Pep Boys that will read and reset trouble codes.
The 'Elm-type' scan tools let you see sensor readings, etc, in addition
to the trouble codes.

As far as inexpensive tools of this type, my belief is that Elm
Electronics makes all (?) the interface modules, which are relabeled
(re-stickered, really) by various other vendors and bundled with some
software.

I bought an ElmScan 5 from Proscan (http://www.myscantool.com/), so I
got their PC software. I was not terribly happy with their delivery. I
discovered afterwards (scantool.net forum) that other ppl have had the
same complaint.

By the time I got the stuff, I'd already solved the problem I was
working on; so, I just connected it to be sure it worked, and put it
away till the next time. It did 'work', in the sense that it displayed
various sensor reading that looked reasonable. The user interface was
OK.

There is other (PC) software available, including some free stuff, that
I believe would work with this same ElmScan. I haven't tried any of
these.

>It is for a Toshiba, so I would obviously have to ensure compatibility
>of the firmware with Toshiba.

I can't say absolutely that there can't be a compatibility problem, but
I think that the OBD-II interface should be the same for all mfrs.

George

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Forrest - 06 Sep 2006 10:25 GMT

>>>>...
>>>>
[quoted text clipped - 56 lines]
>
>George

Thanks, George, it would seem that this hardware interface is as
workable as there is at this time.

I will go ahead and order it.

Thanks, again,
Forrest.

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Comboverfish - 11 Sep 2006 18:18 GMT

> Thanks, George, it would seem that this hardware interface is as
> workable as there is at this time.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Thanks, again,
> Forrest.

I don't know anything about this particular item you are considering,
but you need to make sure it is C.A.N. capable if you are going to use
it on a 2006 4Runner.

Toyota MDT in MO

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Lionel Wagner - 11 Sep 2006 15:20 GMT

>I have seen links and references to several OBDII reading devices n
>software packages.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>Forrest
>

The OBD II software is Linux based and therefore must
be made available free for download. I did this two
years ago and installed it in a 486 laptop. The "catch"
is you have to use a proprietary cord between your
computer and the car. It was sold at the time for
100 dollars. I hesitate to pay this, and remain
looking for a non-standard DB16 plug.

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ZZ - 11 Sep 2006 20:31 GMT

> The OBD II software is Linux based and therefore must
> be made available free for download. I did this two
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> 100 dollars. I hesitate to pay this, and remain
> looking for a non-standard DB16 plug.

It's not all Linux. There are several Windows packages as well as for
Mac, pocket-PC, and I believe there's even some that run on a Palm Pilot
type device.

The 'cord' is more than just a cable with different connectors. There's
an interface box to convert the various protocols to serial or USB. There
are several different ones available and you can also find kits to build
them and/or info on how to build one from scratch.

And since when does all Linux based software have to be free? That would
be nice but it's definitely not true...

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