I have seen links and references to several OBDII reading devices n software packages.
I have been previously driving a car that does not have such read out capabilities, and now have acquired a 2006 Toyota 4Runner.
There have now been years since the first OBDII standards came into place. Has one such OBDII reading hardware and software package come to stand out as being preferable to the competition ? Or just software, alone, or hadware alone, if they are clearly good. Price is not as important as that the package be of quality.
Would be the preferred OBDII reading hardware devices to use ?
If so, that is again appreciated, if you have gone to the lengths to sort out what is best at this time. I do much research, but in that cream does tend to rise to the surface, and if this company's OBDII reading hardware devices have been deemed to be among, if not the best, that saves me a good bit of footwork.
Thanks, Forrest,
It is for a Toshiba, so I would obviously have to ensure compatibility of the firmware with Toshiba. Forrest
Just to be clear: above is all about interfacing the OBD data to a PC. There are scan tools at Pep Boys that will read and reset trouble codes. The 'Elm-type' scan tools let you see sensor readings, etc, in addition to the trouble codes.
As far as inexpensive tools of this type, my belief is that Elm Electronics makes all (?) the interface modules, which are relabeled (re-stickered, really) by various other vendors and bundled with some software.
I bought an ElmScan 5 from Proscan
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so Igot their PC software. I was not terribly happy with their delivery. Idiscovered afterwards (scantool.net forum) that other ppl have had thesame complaint.
By the time I got the stuff, I'd already solved the problem I was working on; so, I just connected it to be sure it worked, and put it away till the next time. It did 'work', in the sense that it displayed various sensor reading that looked reasonable. The user interface was OK.
There is other (PC) software available, including some free stuff, that I believe would work with this same ElmScan. I haven't tried any of these.
I can't say absolutely that there can't be a compatibility problem, but I think that the OBD-II interface should be the same for all mfrs.
The OBD II software is Linux based and therefore must be made available free for download. I did this two years ago and installed it in a 486 laptop. The "catch" is you have to use a proprietary cord between your computer and the car. It was sold at the time for
100 dollars. I hesitate to pay this, and remain looking for a non-standard DB16 plug.
I don't know anything about this particular item you are considering, but you need to make sure it is C.A.N. capable if you are going to use it on a 2006 4Runner.
It's not all Linux. There are several Windows packages as well as for Mac, pocket-PC, and I believe there's even some that run on a Palm Pilot type device.
The 'cord' is more than just a cable with different connectors. There's an interface box to convert the various protocols to serial or USB. There are several different ones available and you can also find kits to build them and/or info on how to build one from scratch.
And since when does all Linux based software have to be free? That would be nice but it's definitely not true...
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