OBDuino CAN version only, progress!
 

(I have been busy earlier this year so there was delay for my OBDuino project)

I am working on a PCB, I already made a prototype but I am reworking it to be less than 5cm height so it will fit easily in a 1 DIN unit.

There is some pictures here
OBDuino Hardware

Note that this is a CAN version only. While I was working on it, I am happy to see some people enhanced the ISO version a lot!

Magister aka Frédéric.

:thumbup:

Keep it up! Do you have a ballpark of how much a kit of it might cost?

...I, too, am interested in a "kit" project...a "D.I.Y." SGII™

I don't know for the price right now, MPGuino is $55, OBDuino will be a little bit more because there's more electronics components, PCB is bigger, and only the OBD2 cable is at least $10 more too... There is also much more functionnalities.

The PCB is looking good!

Is there a possibility in the furture for an ISO/ELM version of the PCB?

There is a way how to put more info on single screen at still reasonable budget,
including custom ASCII art, larger fonts, etc. Perhaps might be worth to investigate
compatibility with your production board before release..

This is the TV-output (PAL/NTSC) shield called TellyMate
for Arduino, which could run various mini screens/LCD panels, many code samples here:
Batsocks - TellyMate Shield
Batsocks - TellyMate Shield - Examples

Now incl. new firmware for larger/custom fonts&graphics:
Batsocks - You could get by without us

--
as seen on this thread discussing Arduino Mega and ARM9
platforms for port of the OBDuino code:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post131585

Have you guys seen this OBD to USB converter?
 

DealExtreme: $29.99 ELM327 USB Vehicle OBD-2 Scanner Tool

It uses a clone of the ELM327 chip and is only $30.
From what I understand it has a RS-232 to USB converter chip onboard so you should be able to pull the data off as RS-232 with a little hacking.

Considering that it already has the OBD connector, dc/dc converters, etc. It might be a little cheaper than building those parts from scratch.

Of course one could always just hook it up to a Netbook, Palm Pilot or Pocket PC and use it as is.

I do not trust any of these chinese clone, and you can find them way cheaper on eBay I think.

I would trust something like this:
Serial AllPro Adapter

Hi frederic, are you planning on releasing the source code and schematic for the CAN only version? if so, i would love to beta test it. I have most of the components already (sampled from microchip) and would be able to make a board from the eagle files. I also have a 2008 Jeep wrangler (so CAN only) i would love to test it on.

For the moment the code is closed, i put a lot of effort in it, I will do some beta test in Montréal soon however with a few prototype units. I will try to try it on a wrangler, I tried on a 08 Patriot without success and I have no clue why :/

Hi Frederic, this is great news that you entered real beta testing phase of the new CAN only boards, if time/opportunity/friends allow, pls. try it on some of those euro-econoboxes as well (+2003 PSA/Renault, Ford Fiesta, etc.) - there must some of them driving around QC province, right? This is global effort after all. Thanks

Unfortunatly there is no PSA/Renault/Fiat/Seat/Skoda/Alfa/whatever or Ford KA/Fiesta, etc in north america :-/

Thanks for fast reply. However, I was more directly speaking about your listed location, i.e. Montréal, QC Canada, not North America in general. There used to be plenty of french cars in QC, but this was long time ago, perhaps times are changing..

I just got my CAN OBDuino from Frédéric today. It really is an impressive unit featurewise when compared to the Scangauge (which I own too). I also got the daughter board option that allows logging data to an SD card, that's a really neat feature. I havent had the time to play withit much since it will only work in my Elantra and I'm in Montreal with my TDI now, but I'll write a review when I get to play more with it.

I'm starting to play a bit more with the unit now that I've build a case for it.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/emgarage-...29de331c8a.JPG

The logging feature is extremely cool IMHO. Here's what I got driving for 8 minutes in the city:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/emgarage-...bbc857d72a.jpg

And here's why OBDII fuel economy displays using a fixed AFR of 14.7 are not dead on accurate:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/emgarage-...ae5099ced5.jpg

More to come...

My 07 Ram is CAN, if you need a beta tester. :)

I will buy the parts to build a couple of unit and will announce it here when they will be ready. I guess if it does not work on your car we will arrange a refund.

I've got a 2010 civic if you need another tester. I'm a software developer by trade, if that's of any help.

Gentlemen,
I have one assembled unit with an Amber LCD display, if someone has a 2007 Hyundai Elantra, 2009 Hyundai Sonata, 2008 Pontiac G5, 2008 Saturn Vue, 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006 Honda Civic or want to test on his car, send me a PM! The unit&cable is $75+sh (about $15 with tracking and insurance)
All the info about the OBDuino is here : OBDuino
:)

Good news! I got my OBDuino in the mail today! It works on my wife's 2008 Dodge Avenger. For those keeping track at home, it is an SXT with the 2.4L 4cyl and a 4sp dog-a-matic trans. I still need to calibrate it, but so far it works as advertised...

You are welcome :)

Okay, a little update for everyone. My wife's 08 Avenger needs the distance set at 103%, and fuel at 108%. I still need to try advanced sleep, but everything else works.

Thnaks you this is pretty cool, if you want to do a review with pics/video/whatever i could put it on my web page :)

Magister/everyone, got an update. Advanced sleep didn't work in the Avenger.
I did plug the OBDuino into my 07 Dodge RAM w/4.7L flex fuel (CAN bus) and it worked! I didn't try to calibrate it (sure looked funny as it was showing figures 2x that of the MPGuino, but that makes sense since the engine is twice as big as the Avenger's).
I need to sit down a while and customize some menus. Moving and then getting a new job kinda put a kink in my plans...

All that said, I really appreciate/enjoy being able to monitor instant mpg, as it keeps me more aware of what my driving style is doing to fuel use...

Thanks for the update :)

The wife and I took a trip in the Avenger last week to southern Mississippi and I used the OBDuino, as usual. I have grown rather accustomed to having it in the car, monitoring data inputs as I drive. First things first:
I ordered it from Magister because it was CAN, and figured it would be easier to get working in the car than the MPGuino that I put in my truck. Magister asked me what color LCD I wanted, and I asked for white because it will match the dash lighting. It is spot on, so kudos to Magister! The OBDuino took a little more than a week to arrive, but I figure that is not bad considering it has to go across the Canadian border. Well packaged and protected for the journey too. It comes with a right angle OBD connector that I see most sites charge extra for, and the other end plugs right into the OBDuino.
It differs from the MPGuino in that you do not hardwire it into the vehicle; you can however VIN lock it so it cannot be used in another vehicle (nice touch). You must turn the ignition on to power it up, as it gets power from the CAN bus. This was a little hard for me to get used to as I had expected it to be just like the MPGuino in my truck, which is powered up all the time. It displays fuel flow, BIG inst mpg, BIG current mpg, tank mpg, miles to empty, idling fuel burnt and other parameters like an MPGuino. HOWEVER, it also shows you outside temp, coolant temp, ignition advance, calculated engine load and other parameters that are available BECAUSE it is using the CAN bus. Quite handy for me on this last trip, as my Tstat seems to be getting weak and opening early. Car would only hit 175* on the highway...I could not tell by just watching the "temp gauge." (With an Ecomodder inspired grill block, it stayed at 183*.) NOTE: not all of these parameters are shown as it reaches you...you need to go into the second display editing option in order to choose what parameters you wish to see on which gauge display. I learned it is best to remember which parameters you want to change, not which corner you want to change, as I ended up switching the wrong ones more than once with the latter method. The BIG inst mpg is what I tend to leave it on for my wife, but when I drive I set up the first "quad" screen to show inst mpg, current mpg, tank mpg, and miles driven (to check the odometer against mile markers). The second quad screen I modified to display inst mpg, ignition advance, coolant temp, and calculated engine load. I figure these are good for me to monitor as I cruise down the road. They also help me maintain better fuel economy as I drive up hills...foregoing the cruise control. I should also mention that Dodge vehicles do not have a MAF sensor, so the fact the OBDuino displays inst mpg despite this is one thing I was looking for. There are 3 buttons. First once does the screen cycling, the second gets you into the adjustment menus, and the third button is basically a screen intensity adjustment.
Things I have noticed:
1. the device froze on our drive into Dallas last week...for about 30 minutes. I let Magister know today, but do not know if this is an isolated incident or not. The unit seemed to wake up after that stall, and worked as advertised after that.
2. I wish I had asked for an SD card daughter board, as that would have been useful to record data for testing purposes.
3. Ethanol fuels skew the fuel measuring. I have noticed this affects my MPGuino as well as the OBDuino. I figure if you can determine what the fuel blend is, you can figure out the compensation values for each, and just make the adjustments based upon what you put in the tank.

Would I recommend it? YES. IF you have a CAN bus vehicle, and want a less expensive alternative to the Scangauge, YES. It works well and gives 90%+ of us the info we need to help monitor the vehicle and modify our driving habits while saving fuel. The remaining 10% will want something much more robust or a combo tuner/gauge setup... Also, since Magister has some LCD color options, you can customize it to a degree for your interior. It is as small as the MPGuino, so you have man options for mounting the device in the vehicle. See the enclosure thread for some ideas: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-off-6873.html

I should also add that I mentioned earlier I had to set the OBDuino to 103% for mileage because my car's odometer is that far off when I measured it against mile markers. Set at 100%, it is within 1% of the odometer. So, I am actually getting a more accurate mpg result from the OBDuino than I get from the car!!

Wow, thanks for the review!!:):):):thumbup:

I am working on a new version, well, a respin, I will try to use surface mount component and design an enclosure for it:eek:

EDIT: about the problem when it's below 0°C, I can see in my code that if the intake temp is negative it skips it thinking it's a timeout or a fault, I'll correct it and send you a new chip.