I need to get an OBD-II Scan Tool for a Palm OS PDA so that I can pull codes out of my ECU without risking breaking that weak, cheesy little screw off. I've got the stupid 0201 ignition circuit problem (bad coil(s)) and no corresponding cylinder # misfire code, so I am going to have to keep pulling codes, swapping coil, resetting, repeat, repeat, etc. Don't want to risk my $800 ECU all because of this cheap little screw sooo......

Anybody try this one??

http://www.ghg.net/dharrison/obdscan.html : $139

Searched orgy and didn't find any threads for it. Neat thing is that they've got some good package deals going where you can get both Windows software for a laptop and also a Palm PDA version of the software for $139 for just the ISO-9141 interface.

PocketLOGGER seems to be a bit cooler and better written, but it's also more expensive at $175, and it only works with PDA's. No laptops.

Also found http://www.autotap.com/autotap_palm_products.html : $199
Also found http://www.auterraweb.com/scantools.html : $219
Also found http://www.aeswave.com/Palm/CJ2/ : $369


I'm always afraid to get the rock bottom priced thing under the whole you get what you pay for philosophy. So maybe I'll look at either PocketLOGGER or Autotap. Anybody try any of these?

In the meantime I'll keep researching.

 

I belive PocketLogger is what most people use. Ive heard a lot of good things about them, almost bought one myself.

 

I am also looking. Saw the Auterra Web on ebay but it usually go for around $200. What I don't get is you can get a EQUUS hand scanner(http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2414862078) for about $125. So I haven't decided what I should get.

 

The handscanner selling on ebay looks like the one Autozone uses for their free check engine light scanning.
I'm ready to buy one myself.. and I can't decide. I am inclined to just get the handscanner, like the one on ebay, but I'm not sure if that can log engine parameters.. I'm mainly looking to do code reading and clearing. I don't know how useful parameter logging will be for me. I cant decide !!!

 

Thats the one I have, I got both the Palm and windows software plus all the interfaces just in case I purchase another vehicle. My Son has the pocketlogge but it does not work on a 2k2 from what I understand and the harrison one does I tried mine last Sat on one.

I can only data log with the windows software though the Palm does not allow that YET (they say its coming).

I have my Palm velcroed onto my steering wheel and wouldn't live without it.

My main concern was not just the codes and erasing etc but using it for tuning and the feature I use most is the ignition timing which I watch so see if the timing is being pulled back which indicates the knock sensor sensing any abnormalities.

 

Okay here's a little review just for future reference for others. Feel free to add/correct to this.

OBDScan by Harrison R&D

PROS
- Rock bottom prices
- Palm and Windows Laptop connectivity
- All protocols available (ISO-9141, KWP2000, PWM, VWP)

CONS
- No frills, GUI not very developed.
- Limited configuration options on Palm GUI.
- No log export feature on Palm S/W (yet)

Comments
If you just want something cheap and simple to view and reset DTCs, along with basic data for monitoring and tuning then this is probably your best bet.


PocketLOGGER

PROS
- Adequate GUI on OBDII version
- Still reasonably priced
- View/Export on PC via Java applet

CONS
- DSM version of GUI is currently more advanced than OBDII version.
- ONLY works on ISO-9141-2 protocol
- No Windows laptop logging capabilities

Comments
This seems to be a pretty good overall package, but is limited to only ISO-9141 type protocol. If you get another car that doesn't use this interface, you may be out of luck. The version of this software for DSM cars is currently at v2.0 and has lots of GUI enhancements over the previous v1.0. OBD-II generic version is still only at v1.0, so I would wait for OBD-II generic v2.0 software, or confirm that you would be able to upgrade for free before purchasing PocketLOGGER.


AutoTap

PROS
- EXCELLENT GUI with MANY configuration options on Palm PDA
- Windows Laptop and Palm logging SW available.
---- ($199 Win or Palm, $249 Win and Palm)
- Multiple protocol options (ISO, PWM, etc).
- Active Online Support Forum
- Color-enabled for PDA's with color screens
- Excellent Export options.

CONS
- Having all protocols (ISO, PWM, etc) adds considerable cost (total $289!)
- Getting more expensive.

Comments
AutoTap seems to be a very good overall package with lots of features and configuration options for still under $200. You can get both Windows and Palm PDA logging capabilities for $249 and the GUI can't be beat.


Auterra

PROS
- Ships with all OBD-II protocols for $220.
- VERY GOOD GUI, although not as flexible as AutoTap
- Manufacturer-specific databases for DTC codes (including Nissan!)
- Advanced DTC lookup/popup feature.
- Easy to read list display with large numbers and mini bar graphs
- Advanced graphing features.
- Export functions (Excel).
- Color Screen support.

CONS
- No Windows software
- Can only monitor 5 sensors simultaneously (others will do 12 or so)
---- will still capture all parameters during DTC freeze frame, though.
- Expensive, but you get a lot for the money.

Comments

This is another excellent OBD-II Palm scanner. List display is EXCELLENT and provides best readability during driving out of any of these products. It has bold/medium sized numbers combined with a mini-bar graph. This will minimize distraction from the road while monitoring during driving. Manufacturer specific DTC code lookup database is also a great feature, as is the fact that you get all OBD-II interface protocols in one package. A big downside is that you can only track 5 parameters simultaneously.


AESwave

This kit is very expensive at $369 and doesn't seem to offer anything that any of the other kits don't, so I wouldn't bother considering this one. It does come with a nice case, which indicates it's more commercial oriented.


SUMMARY

I really don't think there is any "best" overall package here. Some offer all interfaces at a good price, and some don't. Some have Windows logging software, others don't. Some have advanced GUI's, others don't. It all depends on what you want. If you just want to be able to reset SES lights and check codes and have simple monitoring capabilities then I'd get the OBD Scan kit by Harrison R&D. Can't beat the price. The other kits just offer a combination of better GUI's, Windows software availability, and different protocol packages. So figure out what features are important to you and get what works the best.


Being the geek that I am, I'm willing to pay a little bit more since this will also be somewhat of a "toy" for me, so I think I'm going to go with the Auterra kit (nifty GUI!). It was close between that and AutoTap, but I don't like surprises and like the fact that the Auterra kit will work with all OBD-II protocols. That way if I ever switch to another car and it uses a different protocol I am not SOL. So for me a good GUI was important (rules out OBDScan), Windows SW is not necessary, and it must be able to work with all OBD-II protocols cost-effectively (rules out PocketLOGGER (will not do other protocols at all) and AutoTap (will not do all protocols cost-effectively)) and that leaves Auterra.

Auterra has a 30 day money back guarantee so I will give it a try and return it if I'm not happy with it.

 

Thanks Jime!

Yeah I read about the 2k2 issues in another thread. Maybe the 2002 not working with PocketLOGGER means the 02's are not using ISO-9141 protocol? That's a little worriesome if you only have an ISO-9141 protocol scanner then, because I bet that means that most of the VQ35DE cars are not using that protocol. Or maybe it's just some firmware or software bug.


Anyhow, I'm going with Auterra. Best combos of features I want. The only thing that I really don't like is that it will only track 5 parameters simultaneously. This is probably good enough, but what are your thoughts?

 

SteVTEC,

That's an awesome write-up on OBD-II Scan Tools that I have seen yet. Can we put this in a sticky, please, the power that be? Thanks.

 

My Harrison PC unit came in a few days ago but i haven't had the chace to use it (probably today). I think it will work just fine on a 2k2. The issue Scott was having before was a bad software install on his notebook. The thing would not give us any info on codes but now he says it works perfectly. I know the data logger works just fine too but it would be nice if the update speeds were faster.

 

The EQUUS OBD-II Scanner is a stand-alone device, so if you don't have a Palm OS handheld, or don't want to use your PDA for this, then this is something to consider. It looks like it will ONLY check and clear OBD-II codes, though. It doesn't look like it will do any parameter monitoring for tuning such as RPM, Ignition Advance, throttle position, etc.

Here's a good write-up for one.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/rodi/eqobdiicodre.html


I want all of the monitoring data and it doesn't look like the EQUUS will do that so I will stick with the PDA-based OBD-II reader.

 

Ah, so it was just a fluke then? Okay that's good to hear - thanks for the update. Edited review post above.

 

I can only track 4 with mine but really I could get by with 3. That is the one great point with the pocketlogger it can track as many as you want and it does it on the palm. Not sure on why the 35's don't work, obviously a change in their configuration somewhere, maybe a different protocol but I do prefer to have one with all protocol's, you never know what you are going to buy next or what your friend will have, it nice to help folks out with.

The main feature I use is the timing, I want to see if its being pulled back by the knock sensor but you need at least the RPM to go along with it to find out where. The coolant temp is one I use a lot too, especially at the track, that dumb temp gauge in the dash is a joke.

 

Yup, it sure is. My main reason for wanting all protocols is globalization of the auto industry. Although I mainly like Japanese-built cars, you never know what you're getting. Say I got a Mazda 6s. Mazda = Japaneses so you might think ISO-9141. But I know for a fact that a Ford Duratec V6 engine is being used and I bet anything that it uses the Ford protocol, not ISO-9141. Subaru is owned by GM.... Hmmmmmm....

If you say 3 or 4 is enough then that would be PLENTY for me.


Thanks!

 

 

Ive got one of those Palm Tungsten things.

 

I also have this scan tool. When I log my runs I have it set at MPH, RPM, Ignition advance, O2 sensor. Anyways the one parameter I wish it would log is KR. But since you made mention of being able to see if timing is being pulled due to KR I was wondering how many degrees of timing I should I be seeing when I log my runs. What is the spec, if you know it cause I can never tell if timing is being decreased due to KR. Also do you log any of the o2 sensors. I have a California Spec car and since those have 4 O2 sensor I don't know which one I should be loging. I usually log the sencond one but I would like to know which one others are loging. When did you buy yours? I visit the site every once and a while and I noticed he posted an update to the software. I was hoping for additional parameters to log but that didn't happend. Only thing I noticed is that the freeze frame works a little better. Does anyone have the autotap in this forum that is able to tell me what parameters they are able to log on there maxima. SteVtec great review When you get your scanner can you let me know what parameters you are able to view. Sorry for the log post but these kinds of things interest me.

 

SteVTEC- I really hope you can fix your 0201 code. I have not yet been able to trace it down to anything. I have changed all 6 coil packs ( at once ) the ignition condensor, checked all wiring, 2 97 ECU's, and let nissan try fixing it. NO luck.

The only thing that fixed it was a 1996 ECU... so I hope you have MUCH better luck than I

 

I don't think there is any spec you can really nail down because there are too many variables the computer uses to adjust the timing. Mine just slowly builds advance and at the higher revs its around 18-22. As long as it holds and does not reverse and go down you are ok, thats the sure sign of knock sensor pulling back the timing.

I do watch the O2 and use one of the front ones or try 2 if you wish, anything after the cat is of no use for tuning. You will notice the O2 just varies between 0-1v during normal use but when WOT it will fix itself at whatever the reading is and is usually in the .8-.9 range. I had mine hooked up to a wideband on Sat and it read around .86 N/A and around .91 on spray.

Got mine about 2 months ago now but haven't really been able to spend much time tuning until now so I am hoping it will help.

There have been some additional stuff added and for some of the newer vehicles much more fuctionality but we are limited with the hardware the Max has more than the function of the software/firmware of the OBDII reader.

I am waiting for the logging feature for the palm to be released so I don't have to carry the laptop all the time but it does work so not complaining. Also I have to modify my text files to get them to graph in Excel it would be nice to have an add0n program to graph the logs.

 

UPDATE

 

Last night I finally got to run the datalog on mine. I noticed the timing looks a little wierd bewteen low throttle low RPM and high throttle high RPM. I too imported my log into excel. Tonight I will probably build the graph to get a better look at whats going on. Im also going to throw in a conversion table to convert the 02 voltage to AF ratio. I personally wish I had the ability to log about 4 more values at once.

 

Pocketlogger doesn't work on Palm OS5. Since I've upgraded my palm to a Tungsten T I know have to borrow an older Palm.

It's supposed to work on OS5.2 but that version of pocketlogger hasn't been released yet.

 

nice write up. A while back I found something similar to a scan tool but its more geared towards people who want to monitor their mods and stuff. Its made by Nology(http://www.nology.com/pdadyno.html) its more of a pocket dyno type of thing, giving you Power torque 1/4 mile times and stuff like that. Was really interesting in getting in but was unsure if it was worth the money or not. If anyone has this or has seen it in use, please let me know how it is.

 

Also something I saw on TechTV (yes I am a geek) its call the carchip. Its not as elaborate as the pda connectors are, but it does monitor how you drive and stuff. all you do is plug it in, and it collects information about your drive. You can download all the info to your pc. http://www.davisnet.com/drive/produc...ive.asp?grp=c1 is the link for more info on it.

 

HA! This software is actually the Auterra software just with some added functionality on top of it with the dyno and acceleration stuff. Nology must have licensed the software from Auterra or something. Nifty, but probably not worth the $100 extra. Not a substitute for a real dyno or timeslip.

 

JoO have a PM....

 

The only testing the Equus does is emissions testing. If anyone wants more monitoring capability, then the other scanner software you provided will be the way to go. I have to Equus and like it but I'm going to get the software version for my laptop to do realtime monitoring when I need too.

 

steve, can you look at real time data with this software and palm pilot you have???

for example, on a dyno rolling at 4000 rpm's can I see what is going on with most sensors??

You know where I am going with this

 

Deezo, I'm 99% close to ordering the Equus one. Could you provide more feedback or a review of the product? Should I get it or should I get a pocketlogger? I dont think I'll be doing anymore modding, so all I'm looking to is read/clear the codes.

 

Yup, ya sure can!

If you're on a dyno you can monitor stuff like O2 sensors, RPM, ignition advance, coolant tempt, etc. And you can export out to Excel as well and look at all the stuff together.








I'm getting the KS error code, so in this test I went almost WOT getting on a highway to see what kind of advance I was getting. Got 18-23 degrees which is what Jime is getting, and 30-40 degrees just cruising, so the knock sensor appears to be working. But other times I'm only getting 10-15 degrees at WOT and it seems to be lagging. I think the knock sensor itself is okay, but maybe I have a lose connection, something rattling under the hood, or perhaps a bad ground. Gonna work on it this weekend.


I got the Auterra unit. I'm pretty happy with it but it's not perfect. Only monitors 5 sensors at once, and it doesn't remember which sensors you were monitoring when you quit the program which sorta sucks. But other than that it's pretty darn cool. I need to figure out how to mount the thing on the dash to the left of the steering wheel so I can just drive and watch instead of having to hold it and try to row gears at the same time. I'm going to try to adapt a cellular mount, but my PDA is a little wide. I'll find something.

 

Can you list all the parameters that you can view with your unit. I take it that, like the one I have (dharrison unit) that you don't have a Knock sensor parameter. I know that on my cousins autotap, he can view a parameter for the Knock sensor (KR)on his GP GTP. Pretty cool scantool he has just very expensive.

 

I have the pocketlogger the directions suck and i cant figure out how to do some features and some of the values confuse me.

 

The KR monitor is pretty sweet on the Autotap, but that's listed as an "Enhanced Parameters for GM"

With Nissan and imports you just get the Generic Parameters where you can monitor the ignition advance, but not specifically knock retard. My Auterra unit just monitors the generic sensors and that's probably all the Nissan ECU supports as well. If I was considering purchasing a domestic vehicle in the forseeable future, I would probably have gotten the Autotap.

 

Actually I was thinking of getting this maybe in a 2 months or so, but I was told by Nology that it was pretty accurate to use as a dyno +/- 1-2%, but you would have to make sure the road you use is pretty flat, etc. that your tires are stock height or close to it, etc. I think , notice how I say I think, it works is that it uses your vehicle sensors such as your speedometer, etc. to see how long it takes you to acellerate from say 25mph to 50mph in 2nd gear, You will also have to input a accurate weight of your car with you in it. Using a mathamatical equation it takes all that info to compute how much HP and TQ you should have in order to move X amount of weight so many seconds from X speed to X speed. This is also how a DYNOJET dyno works, but instead it computes how fast your car can spin 2 1600pound rollers a certain speed, etc.

 

Dynojet: Static weight (removed from equation actually), static load, controlled conditions (SAE corrected), no wind resistance

Nology PDA Dyno: Variable weight, variable load, conditions not controlled, wind resistance.


If I lived out in the great plains and there were miles and miles of empty flat smooth road to play with it would probably be a neat toy to play with, but it's still not going to be as accurate as a real dynojet.


BTW, I want your T5!

 

Any of these that allow a user change opertating parameters (ignition timing, etc.) during engine running?

 

no just view.

 

damn i wish i had money to afford mods to need one of these scanners

 

I am in the market for one of these.... other than reviews done by SteVtec, anybody wants to chip in?

 

i'm interested in the pocket pc stuff as well.

I read in turbo magazine about the eaton obd-rx, which runs obd-ii software off of your cell phone.