OBD-II Automotive Data Logging

May 12, 2009 by 26 Comments

obd2

[Avi Aisenberg] sent us his final project for ece 4760.  His team built and OBD-II data interface. Even though OBD-II is an industry standard, each manufacturer has implemented it differently. This is where this project shines. They have built it to be capable of talking to any of them. Not only that, but it has a nice backlit LCD screen for diagnosing issues without having to go back to your computer and downloading the data. If you really don’t need all the bells and whistles, you can make one for roughly $15. They even have an OBD-II app for the iPhone.

IPhone OBD-II App

September 27, 2008 by 61 Comments

Rev by DevToaster is an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that allows real-time monitoring of vehicle ECU data from the OBD-II port. Rev interfaces with a WiFi OBD-II dongle.

If your check engine light is on or flashing, REV is able to check the engine code, list all of the engine codes stored in the vehicle, and reset the stored codes or check engine light.

Rev is able to monitor real-time; vehicle speed, RPM, fuel consumption, engine coolant temp, fuel pressure, calculated engine load, throttle position, intake manifold pressure, air intake temp, timing advance, mass air flow, fuel level, barometric pressure, EVAP system vapor pressure, and fuel trim.

A brief video of REV in action is after the break.

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Inexpensive PIC Based OBD-2 Interface

November 7, 2007 by 48 Comments


OBD-II became the mandatory I/O diagnostic port on cars starting around 1996 in the US. Considering that the interface consists of a couple of I/O lines, serial/usb adapters have been ridiculously expensive for quite a while – especially newer USB versions. [Renan] sent in this PIC18F2450 OBD-II interface. The designer says he can provide boards for just over $6 and programmed PICs if there’s interest. The chip is a few dollars, and everything else is pretty cheap too. Need to work on your car? This thing will cost $15 or so. I think I just might have to burn out a board on my mill later.

Inside A Fake WiFi Repeater

March 27, 2025 by 29 Comments
Fake WiFi repeater with a cheap real one behind it. (Credit: Big Clive, YouTube)
Fake WiFi repeater with a cheap real one behind it. (Credit: Big Clive, YouTube)

Over the years we have seen a lot of fake electronics, ranging from fake power saving devices that you plug into an outlet, to fake car ECU optimizers that you stick into the OBD port. These are all similar in that they fake functionality while happily lighting up a LED or two to indicate that they’re doing ‘something’. Less expected here was that we’d be seeing fake WiFi repeaters, but recently [Big Clive] got his hands on one and undertook the arduous task of reverse-engineering it.

The simple cardboard box which it comes in claims that it’s a 2.4 GHz unit that operates at 300 Mbps, which would be quite expected for the price. [Clive] obtained a real working WiFi repeater previously that did boast similar specifications and did indeed work. The dead giveaway that it is a fake are the clearly fake antennae, along with the fact that once you plug it in, no new WiFi network pops up or anything else.

Inside the case – which looks very similar to the genuine repeater – there is just a small PCB attached to the USB connector. On the PCB are a 20 Ohm resistor and a blue LED, which means that the LED is being completely overdriven as well and is likely to die quite rapidly. Considering that a WiFi repeater is supposed to require a setup procedure, it’s possible that these fake repeaters target an audience which does not quite understand what these devices are supposed to do, but they can also catch more informed buyers unaware who thought they were buying some of the cheap real ones. Caveat emptor, indeed.

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Supercon 2024: Yes, You Can Use The Controller Area Network Outside Of Cars

March 27, 2025 by 21 Comments

Ah, the CAN bus. It’s become a communication standard in the automotive world, found in a huge swathe of cars built from the mid-1990s onwards. You’ll also find it in aircraft, ships, and the vast majority of modern tractors and associated farm machines, too.

As far as [Randy Glenn] is concerned, though, the CAN bus doesn’t have to be limited to these contexts. It can be useful far beyond its traditional applications with just about any hardware platform you care to use! He came down to tell us all about it at the 2024 Hackaday Supercon.

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Train Speed Signaling Adapted For Car

September 11, 2024 by 33 Comments

One major flaw of designing societies around cars is the sheer amount of signage that drivers are expected to recognize, read, and react to. It’s a highly complex system that requires constant vigilance to a relatively boring task with high stakes, which is not something humans are particularly well adapted for. Modern GPS equipment can solve a few of these attention problems, with some able to at least show the current speed limit and perhaps an ongoing information feed of the current driving conditions., Trains, on the other hand, solved a lot of these problems long ago. [Philo] and [Tris], two train aficionados, were recently able to get an old speed indicator from a train and get it working in a similar way in their own car.

The speed indicator itself came from a train on the Red Line of the T, Boston’s subway system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Trains have a few unique ways of making sure they go the correct speed for whatever track they’re on as well as avoid colliding with other trains, and this speed indicator is part of that system. [Philo] and [Tris] found out through some reverse engineering that most of the parts were off-the-shelf components, and were able to repair a few things as well as eventually power everything up. With the help of an Arduino, an I/O expander, and some transistors to handle the 28V requirement for the speed indicator, the pair set off in their car to do some real-world testing.

This did take a few tries to get right, as there were some issues with the power supply as well as some bugs to work out in order to interface with the vehicle’s OBD-II port. They also tried to use GPS for approximating speed as well, and after a few runs around Boston they were successful in getting this speed indicator working as a speedometer for their car. It’s an impressive bit of reverse engineering as well as interfacing newer technology with old. For some other bits of train technology reproduced in the modern world you might also want to look at this recreation of a train whistle.

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Fast 3D Printing With A Polar, Four Quadrant Custom Machine

August 26, 2024 by 14 Comments

3D printing is all well and good for making low numbers of units, so long as they’re small enough to print in a reasonable time, but what if you want to go really big? Does a 35-hour print time sound like a fun time? Would it even make it that long? [Nathan] from Nathan Build Robots didn’t fancy the wait, so they embarked on a project to build a huge parallel 3D printer with four independent print heads. Well, kind of. Continue reading “Fast 3D Printing With A Polar, Four Quadrant Custom Machine” →