My name is Mr_Huns,
I am new to this community and just received my first board; a bare UTD interface. Thank you so much for taking the time to design a robust automotive interface. There is still a lot of hard work ahead, but at least I can start out with a DEV platform that should work. I would like to pair this interface with an OBD Solutions STN2120 or a Beagle Bone Black(BBB).
My journey originally started trying to increase functionality for the Saab community. Right now, the community is mostly centered around a product called Tech2. The Tech2 is a very mature product that is, or at least should be, nearing its End Of Life(EOL). Cheap Asian imports of the Tech2 seem to be of poor inconsistent quality. The only alternatives seem to be using an emulator (tech2Win), or the Global Diagnostic System(GDS), along with a dedicated interface, like the Multiple Diagnostic Interface(MDI1&2) and some Drew Technologies products (CarDaq Plus 1,2,3, GM Mongoose). These products, from their original manufacturers, are fairly cost prohibitive and closed source.
My goal is to improve the ability to diagnose and repair these vehicles into the future, long after support has ended from the official sources. These long tern solutions will help keep these vehicles on the road and provide owner/enthusiasts a mechanism to exercise their “Right to Repair.” I have considered many things: the official Drew Technologies GM mongoose cable, ELS27 cable, ELM327, and RYO.
Drew Technologies makes a very good product, but it is priced out of the hobbyist market. At the time of this writing, the GM Mongoose cable is $500 and the CarDaq plus 3 is $1800. Aside from the hobbyist prohibitive price point, all of the Drew Technologies products I have tested work perfectly.
The ELS27 v4 is a device developed in Eastern Europe for an aftermarket Ford scan tool(ForScan). Powered by an OBD Solutions STN2120, it provides basic interpretation for most automotive communication protocols, including SWCAN, through a terminal, using the basic AT commands of an ELM327 and an extended set of ST commands. Pricing is very reasonable, but the original version is hard to source in the USA and the Asian imports are of varying quality. I would also have to write a translation of the AT/ST command set into a D-PDU driver for the Tech2Win emulator.
The ELM327 is the industry standard in the hobbyist market. It is cheap, relatively consistent, easily purchased, mature, and uses AT commands in a terminal to communicate with a vehicle. There are some complaints about the J1850 not working correctly, but my application does not use them. Again, I would have to make a dll for Tech2Win, but there is also no SWCAN provision. I would have to come up with a creative solution for the SWCAN. In ForScan, they use a toggle switch for the MS-CAN/HS-CAN bus; Maybe that same solution would work here. This brings me to your device…
TL;DR
I ordered your interface after seeing a 4-6 week wait for the PocketBeagle version. The BBB is basically the same and the Linux kernel, already has some basic CAN support, and is part of my existing hardware collection. I think the coolest/nerdiest thing would be an Open Source implementation of the J2534 and the ISO 22900-2 (D-PDU)protocols. It could be just a pipe dream, but I am here to explore these possibilities.
Thank you for providing a reasonably priced device that will assist me on this journey! I am not a software engineer, but have some experience with embedded system software.
Hopefully you will all be patient with me and I will see you in the threads,
Mr_Huns