ECU Diagnostic Software Re-Write

[DustToGlory]

Aide, I thoroughly enjoyed your company over the weekend and admired the Android App you have re-written. Hopefully catch up with you at the Ace Cafe.

Dan

[aide]

DustToGlory said:

Aide, I thoroughly enjoyed your company over the weekend and admired the Android App you have re-written. Hopefully catch up with you at the Ace Cafe.

Dan

Thanks Dan, same here.. I had a great weekend and such a laugh in the hotel bar and restaurant with yourself, braders, his brother Peter and Tony. Looking forward to the next Ace Wednesday.

[KPW894]

Aide - I've got a Tuscan and have been following this topic with inteest. When do you think you'll be ready to release it and will it work with the Tuscan?

Thanks.

Kieron.

[Jhonno]

aide said:

Yep will do. You need a phone that has "usb host" capabilities.
I will release it for the Samsung Galaxy S3 first then I'll enbable it to be downloaded off the play store for each new device I sucessfully test it with.

I have an N4 it could be tested on..

[aide]

KPW894 said:

Aide - I've got a Tuscan and have been following this topic with inteest. When do you think you'll be ready to release it and will it work with the Tuscan?

Thanks.

Kieron.

Hi Kieron, Yep, will work on your Tuscan as long as it has its original MBE ECU
I'm going to push to get V1 really soon.
Best wishes
Aide

[aide]

Jhonno said:

I have an N4 it could be tested on..

Thanks Jhonno, will keep that in mind as I won't be buying every flavour of android under the sun to test on..

[Jhonno]

aide said:

Jhonno said:

I have an N4 it could be tested on..

Thanks Jhonno, will keep that in mind as I won't be buying every flavour of android under the sun to test on..

Also have an S2 if that will be of any use.. I'd probably be tempted to use that as the 'diagnostic device' as it is spare.

[Supateg]

Would it be a help to start a list of phones and names available to assist you. Also you could suss out demand by phone type?

I'm a HTC wildfire s user by the way.

Cheers, looking forward to a great app!

-Craig

[Steve_T]

Rather than push all the load on Aide is there a way for the Cerbera community to pickup the testing load? I write software for a living and I expect there are others too. Perhaps there is a way we can test and report back, reduce the workload?

Cheers,
Steve

P.S. Not looking for a freebie here, just to help a bit and get a copy a bit earlier.

[aide]

Supateg said:

Would it be a help to start a list of phones and names available to assist you. Also you could suss out demand by phone type?

I'm a HTC wildfire s user by the way.

Cheers, looking forward to a great app!

-Craig

Steve_T said:

Rather than push all the load on Aide is there a way for the Cerbera community to pickup the testing load? I write software for a living and I expect there are others too. Perhaps there is a way we can test and report back, reduce the workload?

Cheers,
Steve

P.S. Not looking for a freebie here, just to help a bit and get a copy a bit earlier.

Just to address both queries at the same time, and to perhaps help all the other people that have the same concern, but for a different Android based phone.

At the moment the app will only work with Android based devices that have “USB host” capabilities – the Samsung Galaxy S3 being one such device.

This capability is necessary because the TTL logic in the USB to Rs232 converter cable, used to connect the Phone/Laptop to the ECU, needs a separate power source.

By default, USB ports on PC’s and Laptops are USB Host enabled, but only subset of smart phones have this capability.

So, the app will successfully connect to your ECU, via the standard cable, iff your android based device is USB host enabled.

This seriously curtails the number of Android devices that are the app will work on but…

I’ll release a wireless [Bluetooth] version (V2 or perhaps V3) in due course.

And that is when I’ll need testers..

In the meantime, if anyone knows a workaround for the USB Host requirement, then we could potentially adopt it and release the app for more devices earlier.

Hth
Best wishes
Aide
now, I have to install a new Lambda sensor, which I found out was dud with the App on the morning I was leaving for Chatsworth!

[dracula20000]

I have a Sony Xperia Z and am happy to assist with testing, also have a Sony tablet if it would help to run any tests on that.

(Also not after a free copy as have been hoping someone cleverer than I would write and sell something like this so if it works on my phone happy to buy it)

[jammy_basturd]

aide said:

At the moment the app will only work with Android based devices that have “USB host” capabilities – the Samsung Galaxy S3 being one such device.

This capability is necessary because the TTL logic in the USB to Rs232 converter cable, used to connect the Phone/Laptop to the ECU, needs a separate power source.

By default, USB ports on PC’s and Laptops are USB Host enabled, but only subset of smart phones have this capability.

So, the app will successfully connect to your ECU, via the standard cable, iff your android based device is USB host enabled.

This seriously curtails the number of Android devices that are the app will work on but…

Don't quote me on this, but I believe you could use a powered USB hub and a micro-to-usb adapter to get around the TTL problem?

[aide]

jammy_basturd said:

Don't quote me on this, but I believe you could use a powered USB hub and a micro-to-usb adapter to get around the TTL problem?

That's good idea. A powered USB hub.. best way to test it would be to get an external usb hard-drive, plug it into the powered usb hub and then into your non "usb host" enabled phone and see if the phone can access the hard-drive?
I'll have a look and see..

[jammy_basturd]

I can't say I know it works in this particular scenario, but I know when people have problems with USB devices on Raspberry Pies they are usually solved by switching to a powered USB hub. Also, I was connecting my Ducati up to the DucatiDiag software, which requires a Fiat 4 pin to ODB II connector and then a TTL ODB II connector to USB. Again, a few people have had problems with the TTL cables which have been solved by routing them through powered USB hubs.

I also know (because I have one) that when the Google Nexus One first came out, someone rooted theirs then realised that you could hack it to get USB host functionality, but only with powered USB devices - hence the need for a powered USB hub.

[aide]

Maybe if we use one of these cigarette lighter usb power adaptors, to power one of these usb hubs.
And then connect the phone and the cable together via the hub?
I can try that out and see if it works..

[aide]

Just a brief update and a bit of insight..

There are three instances of the rewrite that I'm currently working with:
1. Windows - A quick and dirty command line version
2. Android - Text Display version on a fully functional backend
3. Android - Graphical Display version that's not finished just yet

Here's a screenshot of the Text version I demoed on Gazzab and Rufus Roughcut's car at Chatsworth.



Hope to get a the Graphical Display version finished over the bank holiday weekend..

Regards
Aide

[Rufus Roughcut]

Nice one Aide.
Just an observation from that screen shot, I'd be checking the lambda sensors aren't swapped over. Classic symptoms are maxed out positive and the other maxed out negative.

Mark

[aide]

Rufus Roughcut said:

Nice one Aide.
Just an observation from that screen shot, I'd be checking the lambda sensors aren't swapped over. Classic symptoms are maxed out positive and the other maxed out negative.

Mark

Thanks Mark, actually that screen shot was taken with my phone connected to the ecu on my desk in the lab - which is connected to the engine simulator..

But my actual adaptives are currently pretty similar :-/

(it's actually really difficult to get the adaptives between +/- 10% on the simulator as I only simulate static lambda values - if I used two sine waves 180 degrees out of phase between 0-1.5V at 20hz I'd say the ECU firmware would quickly balance the adaptives)

[Rufus Roughcut]

Ah, hadn't realised you were using the simulator for the screen shot.

[aide]

Hi,

Just a short update.

I spent some time looking into the USB host issue. I think using a powered usb host will solve that problem. So, if you use a powered usb hub to connect your android and the usb-to-rs232 cable together it should alleviate the need to have a USB Host enabled phone. I'm not 100% sure, but I found this article and have one of these on the way to test the idea. Will keep you updated.


Here are a couple of screen shots:

Main Menu




Engine Monitor Screen:




Electrical Fault Status Screen:

that's not my car with all the faults above btw! it's connected to the the test ecu I have running on my bench



I have a few bits and pieces to finish off this week and that should leave me with a complete working copy of the original ECU Diagnostic software. Which, I have to admit currently has a pretty crude front end, but I also have a working prototype with a nice GUI that I'll polish and use for the final release.

Best wishes
Aide