No, it's not an April Fool's joke...

While waiting for Joe to stop swearing at my car yesterday (MOT - dead sidelight , full service, cambelt change, clutch slave...) I took the opportunity to revisit the Bosch comms software, the got some of the bugs out.

I now have a very definitely alpha version of star trek for the 20v, 20vt, the anything else that uses the same ECU (Bosch M2.10.4).

It needs more work, as it has a number of known issues, the some more functionality is desired. However, it'll be available for download probably later today - I'll post when I have a location.

This version requires the usual blue 409 KKL USB adaptor the OBD->3-pin adaptors listed in the star trek FAQ in the FAQ section, the works on Windows XP (probably W7 but untested yet). You get those from eBay, not from me.

Usage

This program runs as a windows console application. That means you have to start the terminal first - /start/run/cmd

Then click in that window the change to the directory where you've saved the exe file you'll have downloaded (the desktop is a good a place as anywhere): cd Desktop

Connect the USB adaptor the make sure you've downloaded the drivers from FTDI (either on the disk that sometimes comes with the adaptor, or from the links on the FAQ page). Check which port number it's been allocated by the system using the device manager; you'll need that later.

Connect the adaptor to the car - don't forget the red lead needs to be connected to the battery positive (you might need to extend it!) the turn the ignition on or start the car.

Run the program - startrek_bosch_M2_10_4 com4 <-- assuming that 'com4' the port that's been allocated. On mine, it was 'com115' but I've had a *lot* of adaptors stuck in my computer!...

Information

The system will churn through a few stages before it shows the actual data:
- it announces that it's initialised the serial port
- after a couple of seconds, it will start printing a string of 1s the 0s while it wakes up the ECU
- once the ECU responds, it sends the serial ID for the ECU which is printed at the bottom of the page
- thereafter, the ECU running data is shown on the top half of the screen, the any errors from the ECU memory are shown in the bottom half. Generally, the running data is colour coded - green means it's normal, yellow means it's close to a limit, the red means it's unusual - for example, if it's running too hot or the battery voltage is too high.
- a tumbler \|/- cycles through so you can see what's happening.

Known issues

- there is no error recovery. If the ECU drops comms - as it does from time to time - then the thing will suddenly show lots of zeros. It may respond very slowly to a 'q' to quit, but a 'ctrl-c' will usually work to kill it fairly rapidly.
- I'm not sure all the colour coding for the data is quite right yet.

Future enhancements

- it's not as quick as I'd like - it asks for the error data every time around the loop, the that takes quite a long time. I'll do something about that. The widget gets around this by asking for error data only every ten seconds or so.
- the error display shows a number in brackets before the error - this is the error counter; set to 64 when the error first occurs the incremented every time it occurs after; decremented every time the engine is started. So a number 64 or more means you've got an active error; a number 63 or less means you've *had* an error, but it's not currently present. I'd like to colour code those; red for active, yellow for old errors.
- I'd like to include a command to clear the error memory.
- Long term, I'm thinking about getting the direct sensor values (that is, before they're massaged by the ECU). I'm not sure how useful this is.
- Long term, I'm also thinking about the actuator tests. I think it would be useful to be able to test the fuel pump, injectors, etc, the I think this ECU can do this.

I'll post an address for the code later.

Thanks Barnacle,

I'm after something like this as my temp sensors seem to be working oddly and I can't figure out if it is the sensor or the thermostat.

Would a blue adaptor with this description work with the software?

USB 409.1 KKL VAG-COM OBD 2 II VW AUDI SKODA SEAT Cable

Good stuff Neil

Neil, Thanks

i recognise all the words, just not anything they're trying to convey

Skinflint, him's the animal.

Okay, available for download source and executable
Please let me know problems.

I'll be making changes for a while, so expect new versions.

Neil, a massive thanks for this. I'm going to brave the snow (more sleet actually and probably more shorts and t-shirt weather after last time round) to test this now.

Thanks Neil, I've ordered one up.

I'm just wondering- I know of 2 iPaqs going begging that run Windows Mobile. Everybody's ditching them for iPhones now.

Would your source compile onto Windows Mobile?

Which connector on the coup e does this plug into ?
Paul

Guys, see the widget and microwidget FAQs for connector details - (but to make it easy, on most 20v/vt it's on the front of the washer bottle).

Skin, don't forget you need both adaptors. Again, details in the FAQs.

Well the sun has come out and the software worked flawlessly! Happy to report my car is very healthy and in a double whammy I can confirm my dash water temp reads the same as the ecu, bonus.

Thanks again

This sounds very promising, can't wait to give it a try. Great work as always Neil.

Gareth

Great work Neil!

looking foreard to seeing/testing this out!

Good job, I look forward to using this (though hopefully I won't have to!).

the ecu connector next to the horns.......

Well done barnacle! Haven't had a chance to test yet as my coup's been u/s since mid jan but cant wait to give it a go. I know your very busy with all sorts of other business, but you know you enjoy this stuff, any roadmap for a fancy gui display like the 16v version?

One of our colleagues is considering a GUI version.

Update: latest version at http://www.nailed-barnacle.co.uk/coupe/startrek/startrek_bosch_M2_10_4.v1.zip - note that although this is a newer version, this will export the same filenames for both source and executable as the previous version.

Operation change:
- instead of typing 'comxx' to specify the port, you now need just the port number (for compatibility with 16v versions) (e.g. startrek_bosch_M2_10_4 4)

Bugfixes:
- crashed if more than five errors present - in spite of the doc, it can hold at least seven errors (I know, I had them!) and I only left space for five. Can now accommodate ten errors and display up to seven.
- clearing no-longer-valid errors not properly working. Fixed.

New functionality:
- faster response for current status; error memory only read every twenty times round the loop - about every twenty seconds.
- 'd' or 'D' key will silently clear all stored errors. This will not be apparent until the error updates after up to twenty loops.
- coloured indication of error currency; red if it's still considered valid, otherwise yellow

To Do:
- crash recovery - at the moment, if it stops, control-C!

Confirmed to work with Windows 7 and XP. Reports of other OS's would be appreciated, along with any errors or bugs.

Would it be possible to run the car and monitor at the same time.....say run the lead from the bay into the cab ?
Paul

Yes, though you may need an extension lead for the USB. Something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Pro-Extension-Cable-1-8m/dp/B0000DG4WP

Otherwise it doesn't stretch past the steering wheel. You'll need another person to read it if you're driving, of course.

I've had a look at the FAQs, but can't quite figure out what I need?
The device I have bought is USB to OBDII, is there something that goes on the OBDII end to connect to the car?


Sorry - just saw your post that there's an OBD - 3 pin adaptor needed.

Can't wait to give this a try.
Do you have any screenshots barnacle ?
Have to say,well done
Paul

Its not what you would call pretty spit, I haven't checked but I expect it to be purely text based at this point

It's very pretty. Got coloured letters and all!

No screenshots yet; it's raining! Perhaps someone playing in the sunshine can oblige?

Sam, it *would* be small and simple, if Microsoft weren't involved. Instead, it's 400kB... though I dp deliberately link everything statically. Most of that's probably windows.h includes. And apparently these days you have to embed a manifesto in the software. Maybe I'll compile it on MSVC++4.2, see how big it is there.

A brief note on the error count: the errors are displayed with a number in front of them e.g. (5) temperature sensor open circuit. That number is the ECU's error count.

When an error occurs, that count is set to 64. If it's one of the errors that turns on the injector light, and the count is greater than 64, the light is on. Every time you start the car after it being off for a few minutes, if the error is no longer there, the number is decremented. When it gets to zero, the error is removed from the table.

If the error is still there the next time the ECU has a check, the count is incremented. I don't know how often it looks, but I suspect some are checked only when the engine is first started, and some checked live - implausibility errors in particular. I think also that there's some sort of time-based filter.

Whatever, if there's an entry in the table, you've had an error. If the number is under 64, it's got better - this happens quite often, nothing to worry about. If it's 64 or higher, the error has not only happened, but it's happened several times or across several checks. It doesn't mean that the error is still present, but it means the system thinks its important enough for you to worry about it.

The words I've used in the text error messages are those from the documentation. I don't know what they all mean - e.g. FRA adjustment - so your guess is as good as mine!

I am investiaging prettifying the 20VT version myself with barnacles blessing but I am not going to promise anything.

I'm very busy with work currently and for the next couple of weeks but I might start something soon.

I would like a bit of an idea on what people would like to see however, if anyone has any good ideas?

My current thoughts are a tabbed view: main tab showing the current status, a tab for errors, and a tab for showing a graph of the data (i.e select a value to track and it plots a real time history of the value over the last X seconds/minutes).

(Suggestions only for the GUI please, I'll just be displaying the data that barnacles lovely code can produce!)

-wolfman

P.s Just to make sure: I am not going to promise anything

I may be talking through my A....but is it possible to produce
a pretty screen with bar graphs measuring realtime values....RPM...temp...etc. which can then be used to take screen shots at different times after the run has finished ?
Might make a nice comaprison possible between individual readings at differnt times.
If the above is a load of tosh....I apologise

Spit, its possible to do anything, Neil is however pushed for time like the best of us and writing a pretty GUI is hard work/time intensive.

I'm just thankful that I can use a £10 cable and my laptop to read codes than have to hunt for a elusive second hand widget!

Edit-

Wolfman, can you write it in VB of some format please

Edit2

Didnt see the post above this + 1 (aka I should take more notice)

fair enough...He did ask the question though and I really do appreciate the work that has been put in by everyone

Yup all suggestions welcome with the caveat that I am not going to definitely manage to get anything working, and if I do it won't be for a while!

Sam: After discussion with barnacle I think I'm going to go down the C# route and make it open source so that anyone can tinker / extend it like I will be doing with his code.

-wolfman