Circuit Boards - have you been thinking about making your own?
... Dennis Shutt has, and he's willing to share his work with you. He's created layouts for each of our OBD chips and has saved them in Cadsoft Eagle file format. Anyone that has tried to lay out a board while keeping things tight (and not using too many jumpers) will appreciate his efforts.
Click here to download the latest version of his work. (It's a 64K zip file)
Dennis has also been working on a data logger app, originally using Visual Basic, and now in C++. Switching to C means he could make it self contained, and pretty small (presently only 48K), so who knows, maybe it'll even run on a handheld. Here's a small picture of his main screen.
Dennis reports that it's been tested on several versions of Windows so far, and looks pretty promising. See the demo program, and download a copy at http://dennisc99.home.mchsi.com/.
If you would like to show your appreciation for his circuit board layouts, or would like to provide feedback, his email is dennisc99@mchsi.com
... so has Jon GrosJean. He's produced a good looking surface mount board that he's willing to share. Here's a complete package (Gerber files, etc.) that you can download:
Click here to download the complete package (172K zip file).If you're just curious as to what it looks like, here's a pdf of the board layout:
Click here to download the pdf (64K)Jon says that if you have questions (or praise), he can be reached at jgrosjean@ieee.org
LabVIEW Users
... will appreciate the work that Dan Beaven has done. In his words, ELMULATOR is software written in Labwindows/CVI that emulates the base functionality of the ELM OBD-II communications board made by ScanTool.net. This software is a beta version and no guarantees are made as to its stability. You will need the Labwindows Run Time Engine, available from National Instruments to run it.
Dan offers his software as a free download, as long as it's for non-profit use. Click here to download the zip file (60K).
Mark Neugebauer
...has been looking into protection for our automotive circuits from ESD, polarity reversals, etc. He has taken our basic 'Example Application' circuit for the ELM323 and added protection for almost anything that could be experienced in a harsh automotive environment. You will find that he has been quite thorough - perhaps you would like to add some of his ideas to your circuit, (not just an ELM323 circuit). For the curious, Mark notes that On Semiconductor's AN843 proved an excellent resource.
Mark has also offered to share some of his designs, provided that you use them for your own personal use and not for profit. If you wish to use them in a commercial project, you can deal directly with Mark. Click the following links to download his latest (v7) schematic, his circuit board top or bottom trace patterns, or the parts placement diagram. For those wondering just how to lay out a board, Mark has even provided a picture of his.
OBD for EPOC
Mark Neugebauer has another package to offer for some of the handheld users out there. In his words, he has created some "very simple but efficient OBD software for EPOC handhelds like the Psion Series5 or Osaris". He says that other devices (such as the Nokia Communicator) also run on EPOC, so some people may even be able to talk to their car by telephone!
Mark has put all you need in this 168K zip file. <-click to download
The zip archive contains:
- a screenshot from the EPOC-emulator
- the source code and exec for the OBD software
- the source code and exec for the ELM323 simulator for EPOC
There may be a little work involved to interface your ELM hardware to the Psion/Osaris, but if you've already made your own OBD interface, this shouldn't be a problem.
Mark has done a lot of work here - if you're appreciative, be sure to tell him so.
OBD Logger
Jonathan Senkerik has posted some very interesting logger software that he originally developed for the ELM322, but he now reports that it works quite well with the ELM320 and ELM323 circuits too. He's got versions to run under Windows or Perl that would be of interest to many users. Be sure to visit Jon's site for a free download (and of course, if you use his work, drop him a line to show your appreciation).
Palm Users
... will appreciate what Dana Peters has done. He's made a slick little program that logs many of your vehicle parameters as you drive. Can read and reset trouble codes, too. Best of all, it's a free download from Dana's web site: http://qcontinuum.org/obdgauge/ It's fun to watch the little green bars scroll across the screen (and stomp on the gas trying to make the 'Calculated load value' run off-screen), but please - keep your eyes on the road!
ScanTool.net
Here's a site where you can purchase a complete OBD interface board based on our ELM320, ELM322 or ELM323 integrated circuits. ScanTool.net also offers several components for those of you that want to do some of the work, but not all. If you are building your own, there's details to help you make your own circuit, lots of related info, and tips to help you get started. Their forum is also an excellent way to share information with others. You may find that they have a distributor near you, making a purchase from them quite convenient.
Users that want more than a simple terminal interface will be pleased to note that ScanTool.net also offers a complete software front end that can be used with any of our OBD chips. It's a very user-friendly, and informative interface. The price is right too - it's currently a free download.
wOBD Software
The people at obd2crazy.com have been busy building software for our OBD ICs as well. They tell us that their latest beta release (free download) has some very useful features, including configurable polling, logging (with data export), and DTC reading and resetting. Apparently it can also read sequential blocks of data, and has a debugging mode which allows users to type commands, and see results directly. Don't just visit their site (http://www.obd2crazy.com/) for the software though, as there is also a lot of good OBD info there too.