[ale] OT: cool gadget

[Michael B. Trausch]

On Sat, May 27 2006 11:31, Byron A Jeff wrote:
> On Sat, May 27, 2006 at 09:20:40AM -0400, Jim Philips wrote:
> >
> > No reason?! In five minutes of talking in our group at the office, we
> > collected a series of horror stories about deception and incompetence
> > from mechanics based on these readings. I want to know what they're
> > seeing when they give me their explanation.  If you've found mechanics
> > that never do this kind of stuff, more power to you. But I want to know
> > as much as I can know before I accept the next $800 or so in auto
> > repairs.
>
> Well I have a couple of three advantages:
>
> 1) My son in working on an Associate's Degree in Automotive Tech. So I
> have my own built in mechanic.
>
> 2) AutoZone doesn't do auto repair. So they don't have a profit motive to
> lie to you. Also they are quite happy to show you the codes while the
> machine is hooked up to your car.
>
> 3) Haynes has a code book for $15. Also we can read the Chilton's manual
> in the library if necessary.
>
> The bottom line is that the average driver needs an ODB II scanner just
> about as much as they need a tie rod puller. Both can be loaned from the
> local auto parts store for free, so why bother buying one?
>

Well, there are better utilities out there then the Actron for interfacing 
with the ODB-II interface on the car.  I can't find the link for it at the 
moment, however, there are hardware interfaces that you can purchase at the 
store that will track statistics on the car and let you view them on the 
computer.  Generally, however, the software that comes with such devices is 
Windows only, however, so that puts things at a bit of a disadvantage, 
unless you have access to Windows.

However, it looks like one could actually build an interface to the ODB-II 
system oneself using a serial port to connect to it.  That means that it is 
possible, in theory, to use a USB connected piece of hardware to interface 
the computer directly with the car's computer, and therefore have your own 
diagnostics interface.  If the standards for everything that ODB-II tracks 
are available, you should be able to hook the computer up to the system and 
see everything that is going on "as it happens," so that you can determine 
more than just information from diagnostic trouble codes.

The advantage to the piece of hardware you can get from AutoZone or Advance, 
though, with Windows software, is that you can hook it to the car that you 
have your child driving and capture their driving habits -- average speed, 
brake use habits, etc. -- and you can use that data to teach him (or 
yourself) how to drive more efficiently.  That's surely not a bad thing 
with the price of gasoline these days.  One would just have to come up with 
a way to interface Linux with it directly, and it should be possible to 
develop hardware on one's own to deal with it.

	- Mike
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