Which diagnostic tools do you guys have? Recomendations??

[jamoor]

miniman said:

jamoor said:

miniman said:

Hmmm, it should just start itself up when the cable is plugged into the car?

No, run ot from the start menu!

LOL ok but which one do I run?!

Best Compiler
Best View
Best View32
EDIABAS Tool32
ETESTER
INPA (_.IPO)
INPA (_.IPS)
INPA Compiler
INPA Screentool
TEOF

inpa IPO

[miniman]

Damn, the only one that doesn't work! Cannot find API.DLL although it is definitely present. Suspect it doesn't like Vista. Will get a WinXP laptop and try that.

Does the same cable work with Carsoft?

Edited by miniman on Friday 13th June 21:37

[8Tech]

So, going back 6 pages and about a month, has anyone actually fixed a fault on their car with this yet?

Snap-On scanner anyone?

8Tech.

[8Tech]

jamoor said:

Does it pick up EVERY module in the car and tell you what the fault is, do you have live data functions too?

Anyone got it to pick up ANYTHING yet?

[eliot]

8Tech said:

So, going back 6 pages and about a month, has anyone actually fixed a fault on their car with this yet?

Snap-On scanner anyone?

8Tech.

Well for me, I like learning about the subject and using the tools that BMW themselves use appeals to me. Its not for everyone in which case you can buy an off the shelf product. If you have the patience, there is plenty of information out there.
I'm still waiting for my cable from the seller listed on the first page. He says he will send another one out on monday. However, I've become aware of an alternate cable (that you have to assemble and solder yourself) which is possibly better - but its too late for me now.

I will report back with my findings once I get my cable.

[Apache]

I think some assumptions have been made here, because it reminds me of a badly prepared introduction course to a new technology.
Maybe, if someone who has successfully used any combination of cables, hardware and software were to describe, in words a layman can understand, how to obtain it, how much it cost, what it is called and how to operate it?

[1ians]

I have heard many people complain about Carsoft but I am more than happy with it. Does anyone have any complaints about it apart from it being difficult to get an illegal copy setup?

I have use it to diag two E36's and an E30. You can read the fault codes, resync EWS, reset airbag lights and read live data from it etc.

I run an old laptop on XP and a serial port rather than any of this USB - rs232 nastiness.

What does the EDIABAS interface give you over Carsoft as I could be interested?

[jamoor]

1ians said:

I have heard many people complain about Carsoft but I am more than happy with it. Does anyone have any complaints about it apart from it being difficult to get an illegal copy setup?

I have use it to diag two E36's and an E30. You can read the fault codes, resync EWS, reset airbag lights and read live data from it etc.

I run an old laptop on XP and a serial port rather than any of this USB - rs232 nastiness.

What does the EDIABAS interface give you over Carsoft as I could be interested?

I don't know about older cars, but it seems to be missing a stload of modules on my e39, e.g. it wouldnt detect faults with the auto levelling system, or the pre heater.

[miniman]

Apache said:

I think some assumptions have been made here, because it reminds me of a badly prepared introduction course to a new technology.
Maybe, if someone who has successfully used any combination of cables, hardware and software were to describe, in words a layman can understand, how to obtain it, how much it cost, what it is called and how to operate it?

OK I have got it working.

Ingredients:

1. Software install kit from Jamoor (I can also host it if that's ok with him)

2. INPA/EDIABAS/ODB2 Cable from eBay e.g.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-BMW-INPA-EDIABAS-INTERFA...

(I bought mine from this seller - very fast delivery - £55 plus delivery)

3. Laptop ideally with Windows XP but it seems to work ok on Vista too. Key thing is you really want one with a serial port. There are various USB-Serial and PCMCIA-Serial adapters but this introduces extra drivers / software between the car and INPA which is not ideal.

4. Instructions on how to install it. I have written a step-by-step doc with screenshots:

www.minispecial.com/docs/inpa.doc

The first step (setting Windows path variable) is ESSENTIAL - it will NOT work without doing this. I suspect this is the thing that makes most people give up as the errors that are thrown up if you don't do this look a bit nasty.

So far, I have cleared my airbag fault, set the instrument cluster into self-test / demo mode, viewed engine speed / coolant temp etc live, and been frankly amazed to find that it will even display the percentage to which the rear passenger air vent dial has been set. Quite amazed how many sensors must be on the car!

Happy to take emails / calls from anyone who wants help setting this up. Also anyone wanting to drop by and hook up to my kit is very welcome. PM me if you wish. Both of these offers come with a disclaimer - you are connecting complex software to your car and I accept NO RESPONSIBILITY if you kill the car by following any of my instructions!

[eliot]

Thats the same seller I'm using. He said he would send another out to me.

Eliot.

[miniman]

Further to my earlier post - although I have got the software to install and start up ok on Vista, I can't get it to talk to the car. The OBDSetup program doesn't complete properly, implying that the registry settings are not getting set properly. I suspect this all actually relates to the lack of a proper, built-in serial port on this laptop. I've tried both USB-Serial and PCIExpress-Serial (i.e. new PCMCIA standard) to no avail. So my personal recommendation would be to stick to XP and to avoid having to use any kind of converter for the cable. No doubt sooner or later BMW will have to have a version that runs on Vista and it will turn up somewhere.

Finally for anyone looking at my instructions and thinking it looks hard to follow, it's actually quite simple and once you have the process clear in your head, it only takes about 5 minutes to do the complete install. Most of this time is the install process running through copying files.

[julian64]

I'm afriad I am with your last post. Laptop running xp, installed with no problems but will not communicate error 18.

I think my problem is the cardbus serial port, however didn't work with two usb serial converters either.

I used the CD that came with my lead. It seems to install everything.

I will shortly try a computer with a built in serial port

[miniman]

julian64 said:

I'm afriad I am with your last post. Laptop running xp, installed with no problems but will not communicate error 18.

I think my problem is the cardbus serial port, however didn't work with two usb serial converters either.

I used the CD that came with my lead. It seems to install everything.

I will shortly try a computer with a built in serial port

Presume you ran ODBSetup.exe? Mine wouldn't work until this was run.

[julian64]

miniman said:

julian64 said:

I'm afriad I am with your last post. Laptop running xp, installed with no problems but will not communicate error 18.

I think my problem is the cardbus serial port, however didn't work with two usb serial converters either.

I used the CD that came with my lead. It seems to install everything.

I will shortly try a computer with a built in serial port

Presume you ran ODBSetup.exe? Mine wouldn't work until this was run.

Yep that was the instruction that came with my leads. The obdsetup looked identical to yours. The warning you have on the one you display went away on mine when I confirgured my RS232 port to be COM1 rather than COM2, but I don't think this is really relevent. Even with a clean set of no warnings it still didn't communicate.

I think you might be winning because of the built in serial port. Slightly complicated by the fact not all built in serial ports are the same. Some are 0-12V, and some are a true +-12V. Either way I'll try with a build in serial port this afternoon and report back.

[miniman]

Yeah I had similar problems with a mate who needed a serial port for his RF-based recovery job dispatch system thing. It flatly refused to work with a USB-serial lead but fortunately it was a desktop so I could slap in a £5 PCI serial port card which worked perfectly. On the other hand, the supplier of the system did later provide a USB-serial lead which worked - I think the problem is more likely to be shoddy drivers than the lead itself.

[julian64]

I think the problem is endemic within the ebas, carsoft you name it.

The RS232 port USB converters introduce an inherent delay into the system even if they are perfect copies like the FTDI ones. Others just don't have proper working control lines. None of them are +- like the old RS232 ports used to be.

You would have though even car manufacturer computer bods would have broken into the twentieth century.

I looked around at getting a cheap laptop with a built in RS232 port off ebay. And might still do if I can get this working on a normal RS232 port this afternoon.

[eliot]

Older IBM thinkpads seem to be favorite for RS232 stuff. And Dell 600's

@Miniman - How long did your cable take to arrive, as my 2nd one hasn't turned up yet.

[miniman]

I bought it on the evening of 29th May and left him feedback on 4th June, so no more than 6 days.

[julian64]

Mine took about three days to arrive, very fast.

The computer with the standard RS232 port is running fine. In fact it runs all the stuff that came on my CD.
It seems to be fully working with no problems whatsoever. Unlike carsoft and scantool, its not in the least edgy. Very solid.

The computer is an XP low spec semperon.

My advice is that the software just can't work on a USB, PMCIA card serial bus based machine.

I would be very please to hear if someone gets it working on that platform.

Meanwhile if anyone is in my neck of the woods and needs a sorting let me know.

[miniman]

Seems pretty clear where the evidence is pointing then. Considering I spent about £50 on various RS232 adapters that didn't work, it's not inconceivable that one could get a basic Win XP laptop with serial port for that amount on eBay.