Howto/success/code thread

General Discussion
#1

hello.

The more this project matures and gets used, the more I see the need for a thread or resource that can be made sticky. For example, we could all maybe contribute to guides that include:

1: Getting set up. From which cables to use (reviewed and confirmed tested/good) to how to really use the M2
2: Code/sketches that work. Can’t get SavvyCAN to work? tried minicom? I’ve made this, here’s how to install it and use it’ type posts
3: Interacting with the various CAN components: what are they, how do you talk to them, what can you do?

I appreciate that there are snippets of the above all over this forum, but for anyone new to the M2 and car hacking, it might be easier to have it in a few threads than all over.

I’d happily help, anyone else?

#2

It’s a valid idea. Perhaps such a thing would be best served as a wiki where documents could be constructed that detail various aspects and people could edit them or get linked to them in order to learn something new. I’d say that the biggest hurdle of all is getting started. At first you’ve got a bunch of hardware and software and no idea how to use it. That’s a problem for any set of advanced tools but even more so with open source where the stuff is built just to scratch someone else’s itch. So, a central repository of knowledge might be helpful. Also, it’d be helpful if a certain someone would shoot more videos about how to use SavvyCAN and M2RET.

#3

Agree, a wiki would be best. My thunks were maybe using this to sort case stories and success stories, then transfer that to a more structured wiki.

Happy to do more with SavvyCAN this year, especially with KWP2000/9141 and my adventures into the world of Mercedes-Benz.

#4

To kick this off, it would be great if all on here, using the M2, could help by replying with:

1: M2 type (dash/under bonnet)
2: Car model and CAN type
3: Sketches (what are you doing with it? Got a custom sketch? using SavvyCAN?)
4: Any custom hardware?

#5

1: M2 type: both, but mostly under dash for now
2: 2003 Mercedes-Benz C215 CL600 V12 Bi-Turbo. KWP2000 ISO9141
3: Mostly trying to get it to work with KWP2000 ISO9141. SavvyCAN now working well
4: No custom hardware (yet)

#6

I can answer too but of course my answers will be a bit skewed:

  1. Just the under the dash one. I had a bad experience with the under the hood one (I was stupid) and now I’m gun shy

  2. 2013 Nissan Leaf primarily (Proprietary electric car with many CAN buses), 2008 Buick Enclave (older GMLAN but still 500k CAN), 2012 Leaf, 2012 Think City (really proprietary and unknown electric car) Custom three wheeled electric car.

  3. Lotsa stuff, wrote M2RET, wrote SavvyCAN, wrote code to drive a Nissan Leaf inverter, mucked about with a Chevy Volt, monitor a custom electric car (Rinehart inverter, EnerDel batteries, 8 key CAN set of buttons), mess with my Buick (mostly UDS stuff). I’ve probably written like 30 sketches for the M2 but lots of them are quick test sketches and not of any real importance. Really, I just use the M2 with M2RET on it 95% of the time just to monitor other projects while I’m working on them, and to test SavvyCAN.

  4. Not so much custom hardware on the M2 itself though I use the M2 to monitor work with custom hardware I’m building - other CAN capture hardware, custom battery management boards, etc. You might ask how or why I use the under the dash version for this. The answer to why is above and the how is I use alligator clips on the CAN pins or I use an OBDII harness with bare wires and attach to those.

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