Re: [Fwd: Re: [avr-chat] AVR and Hardware For Reading Automotive On-Board Diagnostics Connector?]

[Vincent Trouilliez]

On Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:08:27 -0500
Robert L Cochran <address@hidden> wrote:
> Thank you Vince! And Peter, and Dan. Vince, do you have a picture of
> your circuit?

Pictures ? 

I just took a couple just for you ! ;-)

http://freudhoefer.de/File_Share/Vince/

The left halh of the wooden cabinet is the AVR that simulates the car's
ECU and sends data to the ECU reader itself, which occupies the right
half, and is currently displaying Engine data.

If you meant schematic, then sorry, I don't have that !
However I will soon, because now that hardware is pretty much settled
(the remaining work on the reader is "just" programming work) I will be
able at last, to make a nice PCB, probably later this month, so I will
need to draw the schematics.

> I do mean OBD-II, for North American-market cars built 1996 and later.

Ah, as I said my reader is for OBD not OBD-II an dI have zero knowledge
of the latter. My work probably is useless to you then, I am
afraid ! :-/

> and sending that information to a computer on my network for logging and 
> analysis.

Hey, one of my future (very distant!) plans for my ECU reader would be
something like that ! I was thinking/dreaming of embedding a web server
in the handheld device, then with a modem and wireless internet
connection (3G/mobile phone like) built-in, connect to the internet so
that people anywhere could connect to the car/ECU reader to obtain
engine data and help remotely to trouble shoot the car.

But I doubt I will working on this before a few years at best. I must
finish the first/current iteration of my device, then I have to work on
a second version that's much more complicated/featured, then only I
might try to connect the bloody thing to the internet through the
mobile phone network or free wifi spots in towns, or whatever way to
connecto to the internet wirelessly from anywhere.

> And Vince -- perhaps you can go to a mechanic you are friendly with and see 
> if there is an old OBD cable that you can buy, then cut the cable to the 
> right length for your project, and plug it into the car's OBD port with the 
> connector. Then connect the loose wires at the other end to your circuit 
> board or perhaps build a custom Molex connector of some sort.

I must already pretty much pay mechanics just to have them accept to
work on my old car (anything older than 3 or 5 year doesn't seem to
interest them), so I fear asking them to donate something to me is not
exactly in their state of mind...


--
Vince