great white
Retirement countdown!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2012
- Messages
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Anyone who has dealt with an intermittent PMD on a 6.5 Diesel and limp mode knows the value of a "transportable" scanner/code clearer.
I have also felt the sting of a failing PMD and struggling with limp mode because a code has popped up and "latched" limp mode even though the fault is no longer present.
Even though I haven't had a PMD fault in almost 2 years, I still carried an old laptop and an interface cable to scan and clear codes. Once certain codes are set, it doesn't even matter if you change the pmd, you have to clear them with a scanner. Trust me, I know from very painful experience....
Well, carrying a laptop in the truck is just an invitation for someone to break in. Even if it's hidden from sight. But up to now, that's pretty much been my only option for clearing codes on this old beast.
I also carry an iPhone so I figured there must be an "app" out there somewhere that would work to scan and clear codes.
A trip to the "istore" reveals there's lots of apps. But they all use wifi or a proprietary Bluetooth interface. Even if the app is free, the interfaces go for anywhere from 99to 199 bucks. Wifi kicks off your data if you're talking to a WiFi OBDII interface so i definitely wanted Bluetooth.
Yeah well, 100-200 bucks way too much for a Bluetooth interface when you can buy a cheapy off eBay for 10 bucks, right?
No so fast hoss. Apple has locked down the iPhone (what a surprise right? Apple locking something down? Nah, can't be true.... ). Not just any Bluetooth device works with it. Seems comrade Apple only wants you to play with the stuff they get a "cut" from.
Ironically, Android will work as is with an app called (I believe) torque. Hard to believe android does it out of the box but the most popular phone out there is locked out by design.
Well, there's got to be a way around this BS.
And I found it, god bless those 13 year old hackers and crackers. I'd like to say I figured it out myself, but I mostly just followed info I found out and about on the net and pieced it all together.
Here's the 4 steps I used if you care to follow:
1. You need to jailbreak your iPhone.
Lets not discuss whether or not it's legal because there's nothing illegal about jailbreaking your iPhone (what you do with it after that can be illegal though IE: stolen apps, etc).
Not a big deal for me. My 4s (IOS 5.1) was jailbroken a long time ago with Green Poisson (be careful googling it, there's lots of fake ones out there). It's the main reason I refuse to upgrade to an iPhone 5 and IOS 6+ (even more locked down hardware/software and no untethered jailbreak currently exists for it). My phone is also unlocked from my carrier (a service they offer after you've been on contract for a certain period). I can't stand paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a piece of IT and then being told what I CAN'T do with it because the OE doesn't want you too. In Apple's case, they want their extra kickbacks even though you're already given them a couple good fistfuls of your hard earned cash...yeah, look somewhere else, I'm not playing that game. Sure, they hide it behind catchy slogans like "it just works" and they want to "keep it stable", but that's just complete and utter BS. It's all about them getting more money out of ya. That's why they're always popping out a "new" version of their hardware every 6 months.... Anyways, enough ranting about Stalin Jobs......errrr......Steve Jobs galactic empire.....
You need it jailbroken to install the next app....
2. You need an app called "Roqyobd".
This can be found on Cydia (Jailbreak iPhone store). This allows your Iphone to talk to any OBDII Bluetooth device instead of just a hands-free, headset or a car stereo. It's free to install, but it will only read data unless you pay 6 bucks to the developer for the full version. You need two way communication to clear codes. 6 bucks is cheap to let your iPhone use any Bluetooth device instead of what big brother Apple dictates you can. I may investigate if programs like ScanXL and Carcode will work with it and allow wireless TDCO commands and other advanced GM discrete module fault codes. But that's for a later date and that cheap little ELM327 chip may not have the right protocols....no worries if it doesn't. That's what I have more powerful "wired" scanners for.
3. You need a Bluetooth obdII interface.
I bought one off eBay for 10 bucks with shipping. Yeah, it's a Chinese jobby; I could care less. It's small and tucks right up under the dash and doesn't lighten my wallet much. I can leave it installed all the time. "Roqyobd" connects to it no problem. It's just a cheap simple ELM327 chip with a Bluetooth transmitter in it. Looks like so:
Mine is black as above, but they come in white, semi-transparent blue, etc. It doesn't really matter, you want the electronics inside. It comes with drivers and cheap software, but you can just put that aside or better yet; toss it in the bin. It's all either old, pirated or virus infected anyways....as with everything else you get form China; pick out the good bits and toss the rest.....
4. Lastly, you need an app to read and display the data as well as command the clear codes.
It gets a bit sticky here. You need a program that will allow you to configure the port settings since it will be communicating with Roqyobd instead of directly to the Bluetooth obdII module (thanks again for that Comrade Apple). RoqyOBD came back with port settings of 127.0.0.1 and 35000 which needs to be input in your obdII app. Most of the free ones on the istore are either trial stuff or don't let you enter port settings. Even if you find one that will let you change port settings, it's usually severely hobbled by the "trial" mode. You just gotta man up and spend some cash here.
I'm a long time user of Palmer Performance scanning software (I have their professional level Scan-XL software with the GM enhanced code package and Dashcommand for my carPC builds), so I bought their iPhone "Dashcommand" software.
It's 49.99 but is extremely configurable and works with just about everything I have come across. They have great support and a web forums where you can ask questions, download custom dashboards, etc. To make a long story short, I input the port settings in the Dashcommand "settings" menu and it found the truck, scanned the PIDs and I was in and scanning lickety split with no muss and no fuss...
There may be other apps out there that do the job, but you'll have to dig for them. I tried a couple, but they either didn't work, didn't clear codes, wanted proprietary software/hardware or were as much (or more) than Dashcommand.
I won't put up a link to Dashcommand in deference to forum rules, but google Palmer Performance and you can read up on all the things the iPhone app version will do. It's really quite amazing how versatile it is right down to an inclinometer and performance measuring options. You gasser guys can even get DTE, MPG, etc out of it. The diesel trucks don't have the data stream parameters for those options.
FYI, I have no business affiliation with the program developers/retailers. I'm just a very satisfied customer.
So now I can pull the cables and laptop out of the truck and put them away in the house. Dashcommand will do anything my other scanning programs will do and it's sitting on my iphone ready to use. My iPhone connects wirelessly to the module and it's comes with me in my pocket when I leave the truck.
My iPhone is also the truck stereo (MP3 though the OEM radio with a USASpec Interface module) and gps, as well as my day planner and phone books so I've always got it with me anyways. My Cobra 29 NWBTWX CB also does double duty as a hands free for the phone. With Dashcommand and Bluetooth OBDII the phone now also does real time data for engine parameters from the OBDII data stream displayed with an "on screen" gauge option. Essentially, it has become and extra gauge cluster if I want to use it that way. Anything the PCM sees, it can display. IAT, ECT. MAP, MAF, TPS,%, timing, LFtrim, SFtrim, O2 sensor data, etc, etc, etc....
So I'm out the door for around 70 bucks for a Bluetooth iPhone OBDII program that does wayyy more than any off the shelf auto store plug in scanner could do. Plus, RoqyOBD lets me hook up any other Bluetooth device I want in the future (IE: pulse meters, gps, etc).
Anywho, that's how I did it. No more stuck by the side of the road frigging with cables and laptops or not knowing why that check engine light is on and crawling home in second gear if I don't have to. Flip out the iPhone, turn on the Bluetooth, scan for codes and then clear them off when I see what it is. Back to normal operation and drive it home to fix whatever needs it.
As always, use at your own risk and your results may vary...but 70 bucks is better than a couple hundred by a long shot!
I have also felt the sting of a failing PMD and struggling with limp mode because a code has popped up and "latched" limp mode even though the fault is no longer present.
Even though I haven't had a PMD fault in almost 2 years, I still carried an old laptop and an interface cable to scan and clear codes. Once certain codes are set, it doesn't even matter if you change the pmd, you have to clear them with a scanner. Trust me, I know from very painful experience....
Well, carrying a laptop in the truck is just an invitation for someone to break in. Even if it's hidden from sight. But up to now, that's pretty much been my only option for clearing codes on this old beast.
I also carry an iPhone so I figured there must be an "app" out there somewhere that would work to scan and clear codes.
A trip to the "istore" reveals there's lots of apps. But they all use wifi or a proprietary Bluetooth interface. Even if the app is free, the interfaces go for anywhere from 99to 199 bucks. Wifi kicks off your data if you're talking to a WiFi OBDII interface so i definitely wanted Bluetooth.
Yeah well, 100-200 bucks way too much for a Bluetooth interface when you can buy a cheapy off eBay for 10 bucks, right?
No so fast hoss. Apple has locked down the iPhone (what a surprise right? Apple locking something down? Nah, can't be true.... ). Not just any Bluetooth device works with it. Seems comrade Apple only wants you to play with the stuff they get a "cut" from.
Ironically, Android will work as is with an app called (I believe) torque. Hard to believe android does it out of the box but the most popular phone out there is locked out by design.
Well, there's got to be a way around this BS.
And I found it, god bless those 13 year old hackers and crackers. I'd like to say I figured it out myself, but I mostly just followed info I found out and about on the net and pieced it all together.
Here's the 4 steps I used if you care to follow:
1. You need to jailbreak your iPhone.
Lets not discuss whether or not it's legal because there's nothing illegal about jailbreaking your iPhone (what you do with it after that can be illegal though IE: stolen apps, etc).
Not a big deal for me. My 4s (IOS 5.1) was jailbroken a long time ago with Green Poisson (be careful googling it, there's lots of fake ones out there). It's the main reason I refuse to upgrade to an iPhone 5 and IOS 6+ (even more locked down hardware/software and no untethered jailbreak currently exists for it). My phone is also unlocked from my carrier (a service they offer after you've been on contract for a certain period). I can't stand paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a piece of IT and then being told what I CAN'T do with it because the OE doesn't want you too. In Apple's case, they want their extra kickbacks even though you're already given them a couple good fistfuls of your hard earned cash...yeah, look somewhere else, I'm not playing that game. Sure, they hide it behind catchy slogans like "it just works" and they want to "keep it stable", but that's just complete and utter BS. It's all about them getting more money out of ya. That's why they're always popping out a "new" version of their hardware every 6 months.... Anyways, enough ranting about Stalin Jobs......errrr......Steve Jobs galactic empire.....
You need it jailbroken to install the next app....
2. You need an app called "Roqyobd".
This can be found on Cydia (Jailbreak iPhone store). This allows your Iphone to talk to any OBDII Bluetooth device instead of just a hands-free, headset or a car stereo. It's free to install, but it will only read data unless you pay 6 bucks to the developer for the full version. You need two way communication to clear codes. 6 bucks is cheap to let your iPhone use any Bluetooth device instead of what big brother Apple dictates you can. I may investigate if programs like ScanXL and Carcode will work with it and allow wireless TDCO commands and other advanced GM discrete module fault codes. But that's for a later date and that cheap little ELM327 chip may not have the right protocols....no worries if it doesn't. That's what I have more powerful "wired" scanners for.
3. You need a Bluetooth obdII interface.
I bought one off eBay for 10 bucks with shipping. Yeah, it's a Chinese jobby; I could care less. It's small and tucks right up under the dash and doesn't lighten my wallet much. I can leave it installed all the time. "Roqyobd" connects to it no problem. It's just a cheap simple ELM327 chip with a Bluetooth transmitter in it. Looks like so:
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Mine is black as above, but they come in white, semi-transparent blue, etc. It doesn't really matter, you want the electronics inside. It comes with drivers and cheap software, but you can just put that aside or better yet; toss it in the bin. It's all either old, pirated or virus infected anyways....as with everything else you get form China; pick out the good bits and toss the rest.....
4. Lastly, you need an app to read and display the data as well as command the clear codes.
It gets a bit sticky here. You need a program that will allow you to configure the port settings since it will be communicating with Roqyobd instead of directly to the Bluetooth obdII module (thanks again for that Comrade Apple). RoqyOBD came back with port settings of 127.0.0.1 and 35000 which needs to be input in your obdII app. Most of the free ones on the istore are either trial stuff or don't let you enter port settings. Even if you find one that will let you change port settings, it's usually severely hobbled by the "trial" mode. You just gotta man up and spend some cash here.
I'm a long time user of Palmer Performance scanning software (I have their professional level Scan-XL software with the GM enhanced code package and Dashcommand for my carPC builds), so I bought their iPhone "Dashcommand" software.
It's 49.99 but is extremely configurable and works with just about everything I have come across. They have great support and a web forums where you can ask questions, download custom dashboards, etc. To make a long story short, I input the port settings in the Dashcommand "settings" menu and it found the truck, scanned the PIDs and I was in and scanning lickety split with no muss and no fuss...
There may be other apps out there that do the job, but you'll have to dig for them. I tried a couple, but they either didn't work, didn't clear codes, wanted proprietary software/hardware or were as much (or more) than Dashcommand.
I won't put up a link to Dashcommand in deference to forum rules, but google Palmer Performance and you can read up on all the things the iPhone app version will do. It's really quite amazing how versatile it is right down to an inclinometer and performance measuring options. You gasser guys can even get DTE, MPG, etc out of it. The diesel trucks don't have the data stream parameters for those options.
FYI, I have no business affiliation with the program developers/retailers. I'm just a very satisfied customer.
So now I can pull the cables and laptop out of the truck and put them away in the house. Dashcommand will do anything my other scanning programs will do and it's sitting on my iphone ready to use. My iPhone connects wirelessly to the module and it's comes with me in my pocket when I leave the truck.
My iPhone is also the truck stereo (MP3 though the OEM radio with a USASpec Interface module) and gps, as well as my day planner and phone books so I've always got it with me anyways. My Cobra 29 NWBTWX CB also does double duty as a hands free for the phone. With Dashcommand and Bluetooth OBDII the phone now also does real time data for engine parameters from the OBDII data stream displayed with an "on screen" gauge option. Essentially, it has become and extra gauge cluster if I want to use it that way. Anything the PCM sees, it can display. IAT, ECT. MAP, MAF, TPS,%, timing, LFtrim, SFtrim, O2 sensor data, etc, etc, etc....
So I'm out the door for around 70 bucks for a Bluetooth iPhone OBDII program that does wayyy more than any off the shelf auto store plug in scanner could do. Plus, RoqyOBD lets me hook up any other Bluetooth device I want in the future (IE: pulse meters, gps, etc).
Anywho, that's how I did it. No more stuck by the side of the road frigging with cables and laptops or not knowing why that check engine light is on and crawling home in second gear if I don't have to. Flip out the iPhone, turn on the Bluetooth, scan for codes and then clear them off when I see what it is. Back to normal operation and drive it home to fix whatever needs it.
As always, use at your own risk and your results may vary...but 70 bucks is better than a couple hundred by a long shot!
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