Anyone have any feedback on which ELM327 (or similar) OBDII Bluetooth adapter works well with the X300 and iOS (Apple) and compatible with something like Dashcommand?

http://www.palmerperformance.com/pro...hone/index.php

http://www.palmerperformance.com/hardware/index.php



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Unless somethign has changed, the ELM 327 for BLUETOOTH wil not work with the i-phone. Something about Apple's protectionism, I guess. Check the documents, but I think you still need the WIFI version of the ELM module for the i-phone. As to which of them is besty, I think you get a "real" ELM for around $45.00 or a Chinese clone for $12.50 and take your chances.

** EDIT: I see that Palmer references a specific Bluetooth module as good for iphone.

 

I have a Chinese ebay ELM which came with Scanmaster-ELM and a key-gen to make the pirated licence number.

I had previously fought with the Bluetooth on my Windows 7 laptop so knew how to make that work. I would advice USB unless you know how to battle Bluetooth in Windows 7.

The device emulates an old RS232 COM port and mine came up as COM7 in Bluetooth.

The Scanmaster software installed and ran OK. I am not sure if Jag implemented everything but lots of stuff seems to be there. The Rev counter and Speedo dash worked. I went for a drive but the dash froze.

Fortunatly there were no codes to be cleared on my car.

It seems you have a choice of two ECUs to chose from when firing up the software and connecting. ECM and TCM (transmission).
I want to explore this further as I don't really know what I am doing on the ECU.

 

Sorry Al, I don't truck with Apple products, and thought, like Ross, they had the bluetooth locked down so as to render it practically unusable for most of the purposes us Androiders take for granted.
However, I have purchased a slew of ELM327 clones, with varying degrees of success:


Order detailsOrdered on March 23, 2016 (4 items)
OBDll bluetooth,Memoscan OBD2 ELM327 MiNi OBD Bluetooth Car Auto Diagnostic Scanner Adapter Reader Check Engine Light Torque Diagnostic Tool for Andro
MEMOSCAN
Sold by: memoscan.xyz

Order detailsOrdered on September 1, 2015 (3 items)
ZHOL® Super Mini ELM327 V1.5 OBD2 OBD-II Bluetooth CAN-BUS Auto Diagnostic Tool
ZHOL
Sold by: Get4Easy

Order detailsOrdered on November 9, 2014 (2 items)
ScanTool 427201 OBDLink LX Bluetooth: OBD Adapter/Diagnostic Scanner for Android & Windows
ScanTool
Sold by: Amazon.com LLC

Order detailsOrdered on November 29, 2013 (2 items)
V1.5 Super Mini ELM327 Bluetooth OBD2 OBD-II CAN-BUS Diagnostic Scanner Tool
OEM
Sold by: RAIMMAN INC


Order detailsOrdered on June 24, 2012 (4 items)
Mini Small Elm327 Obd2 Obd-ii Bluetooth Adapter
Sold by: ACE PURCHASE INC


Order detailsOrdered on April 12, 2011 (1 item)
Soliport ELM 327 Bluetooth OBDII OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner, ELM327 wireless OBD 2 Scan tool check Engine Light CAR CODE READER
Soliport
Sold by: Shenzhen Elandpower New Energy Co., Limited

Order detailsOrdered on October 10, 2010 (2 items)
Autel MaxiScan MS300 CAN OBD-II Scan Tool
Autel
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC

The most recent one seems to be working ok, even though I do not get Eng Oil temp, which I got with some of the others. (by extension, no xmsn temp as by "method 1 or method 2" it seemed to be eng oil temp with a half-sec delay) In general, if they worked, they would go for a year or so and then gradually the various data fields would get ridiculous - -40 for temps, dashes for pressures, etc. Frequently, a new purchase would either fail to pair to the phone, or else it would pair and then not connect to the ECU - across several cars. These were dispatched back to Amazon forthwith.

Special case for the ScanTool, which is by far the most expensive of the listed lot, and allegedly the only True, not-clone ELM327 in the bunch - also listed as a preferred device in the TorquePro app blogs: Whether with Torque or the included ScanTool software, it hooks up to the X300 just fine, but after 30 seconds or so, all ECM data freezes, while anything coming from the phone, like GPS and trip timers, continues to function properly and update. I believe this is probably what Wayland described above as a frozen dash. It does not do this with the S-types nor the Ford trucks in the stable. At the time of acquisition, I had only the 95 X300, so attributed the problem to the car, even though the earlier, cheaper adapters didn't to that, I opined that since 95 implementation of OBDII was optional, there may be some issue, so kept it and didn't return it. Subsequently, I obtained first one, then another 96 X300, and it reliably does the same thing with them. It also does this with a windows 8 tablet and the scantool software. And it does it EVERY time...not like every once in awhile it will stay connected....if I get a P0411.....I have to start torque and watch for the telltale rev-counter bounce indicating connection, then IMMEDIATELY scan for codes to confirm it is the expected P0411...then exit Torque and repeat the process, but this time make an immediate move to clear codes without checking them - and sometimes this takes a few tries.

 

Oh it sounds like ODBII is a pain. It ought to be amazing. As typical with computers there are always some problems. It's amazing that an ECU can even work in a car. It's amazing they got all the car makers to fit the same plug and agree on a protocol. Too much to expect it to work properly.

When the 'dash board' feature did work it was a very slow update of the rev counter. Working at 38,000 baud it should have been instantaneous. It probably ***** the ECU's CPU sending all that data. Could even affect car performance.

OK so how do I change the ECU for a better one?

 

I think all the OBD2 data (or as much as Jaguar supported for X300) is there, whether you're tapping into the feed or not. So just observing the data will not affect the ECU/ECM or car performance?

 

Around the time that ECU was being developed I was writing software for embedded systems. Grabbing temperature readings over a serial interface did not affect the performance too much once I had tuned it up. However if readings were not being taken then the CPU did less work.

Depending on the design of the ECU it might be fine or it might actually load the CPU to take readings. RPM needs rapid readings to look smooth. I was not getting rapid readings. Either my PC was not asking fast enough of the ECU could not deliver fast enough. I suspect engine timings are priority and comms happens in the cpu time left.

This technology is over 20 years old. I expect newer ECUs can't help but be of higher performance.

 

Actually, the OBD reader can cause ECU disruptions. On Jaguars, at least, the process of connecting, with some scanners can throw ECU bus codes. I am not as sure abut X-300s, but I am sure about X-308s. Again, as far as i know, the problems only occur at initial connection and no long term effects are reported.

 

@sparkenzap - Yeah, I got to thinking later, if you have a device plugged in (to that OBD port), then somehow a circuit is completed so that it knows something is connected and then to start supplying that data -- is that sort of (or related to) what you're saying?

 

Admittedly a different animal, but still OBDII-compliant, I can shut fuel off to the Excursion 7.3L turbo-diesel by simply running a code-check with an ELM327 adapter and the Torque app. And that thing is NEVER gonna restart until you turn the key to "OFF" first. Other actions in the app will also do it, but reading codes is the one I remember most easily. Quite a puzzling development the first time it happened.... rolling down the driveway with the whole fam aboard on the way to church. Lotsa cranking but never a hit on restart attempts......" So we'd better take something else..."
Only code was a bad glow plug which didn't account for the stall, nor the failed restart considering it had already run 10 mins or so and was well above temp that would make glow plug a necessity.
Of course it started just fine after we returned home b/c I turned it off in order to remove the key.

 

I plugged in my ebay bluetooth ODBII and the only diagnostic codes were communication codes.

 

Has anyone tried the ScanTool 427201 ? I want to get one that I can just leave attached all the time and according to amazon, this model wont drain the car battery.
Cheers
Andy :-)

 

Hi Andy, give the last paragraph in post #4 a read.


FWIW, I have plugged and forgot each of the adapters listed in #4 with no battery drain issues. I do drive the car 100 miles every weekday and only occasionally on weekends. When I have to do business trips, I unplug it for parking at the airport. I have also fitted a small solar panel that powers a BatteryMinder OBD12.
Even though the ScanTool didn't work all that well, I had it fitted constantly for about a year and a half til I found a Chinese clone that had better functionality in March of this year.