04 December 2005

Tapping the Onboard Diagnostics

Written by Yours Truly ( )
Published on December 4th, 2005 @ 12:44:55 am, using 328 words, 4111 views

Categories: research and planning, the xtras

CAPTION: The AutoTap System Diagnostics Display

A few nights ago a friend and I were discussing Dyno Scans, and tapping the onboard diagnostics (OBD) port to get an inside look at engine operations. I got to thinking about that, and dug up a bunch of links that deal with hardware/software options for tapping the OBD port that comes standard with every car manufactured after 1996.

I'm not sure if I'll implement this as an addition to the Acura ITX project, but while the planning stages are underway I'll keep the links available here in case I decide to hardwire a tap into the OBD port.

The first thing I did was to perform a quick visual inspection of the Acura's OBD port (first picture), to learn exactly which language it speaks. Shining a flashlight onto the port itself, I saw that pins 4, 5, 7, 9, 14, and 16 were active, which means the Acura uses the ISO language. The language is crucial, as not all taps and software apps will communicate with all vehicles.

In any case, here's a brief list of links for OBD software and taps:

OBD Scanner circuit schematic, including part numbers

AKM Electronics OBDII Information

Andy Whittaker's OBD-II Hardware Site

Andy Whittaker's OBD-II Software Site

Auterra's OBD II Scan Tools for Windows and Palm OS

AutoTap OBDII Diagnostic Scanner - Product Information - Screenshots

Dyno-Scan - Automotive OBD II Scanner Kits for Windows PCs

FreeDiag, Open Source OBD Software Interface

Introduction to OBD-II

Jeff Noxon's ODB-II PCB schematics: Build Your Own

MP3Car OBD-II Forum

Multiplex Engineering, Prebuilt OBD Modules

OBDII Automotive Diagnostics Homepage

OBDII Automotive Scan Tool and Virtual Dashboard

OBDII OpenDiag Software

OBD-2 Vehicle Explorer Scan Tool Browser

ScanTool.net - ElmScan ISO OBD-II Scan Tool

TroubleCodes.net- engine & OBD2 Trouble Codes and Technical Info

This post is the creative work of Yours Truly and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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Acura, ITX, OBD, OBD-II, ISO, circuit, schematic, diagnostic, dyno, dynoscan, port, tap, autotap, hardware, software, language, serial, parts, cables

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