I've been interested in reading my vechicle's OBD-II interface for a while, thinking that the Empeg's screen would be a great display conduit for it.I found a site, ScanTool that makes and sells a PC interface for the three type of OBD-II interfaces.

The best part is that instead of paying $150 or so, they GIVE you the schematics, and you can buy everything seperately, and make it yourself.

Add this to my external VFD project, and you have a small HUP for your car's vitals!

Of course, there's only a small 'set' of commands that are common from car-to-car, so some type of database would have to be set up in the way of 'commands', 'descriptions', and 'result', but it could probably be done..

The only REAL problem?
The empeg dosn't have enough SERIAL ports! Can't use my external display WITH the OBD-II, unfortunately..

Darn.
Me.

OBD-II has been mentioned quite a lot before. Here, here and here. There are a lot more mentions as well.

If you use a small microcontroller then you can multiplex the serial port.

- Trevor

I would willingly pay good money for the following OBD-2-related device (could be implemented completely in hardware, no empeg connection necessary):

- Monitor the vehicle speed continuously.
- If the vehicle is traveling over 30 miles per hour,
- Then close a relay and keep it closed as long as the vehicle is traveling over that speed.
- When the vehicle drops below 30 miles per hour, open the relay again.

This relay would be connected to the speaker wire on my radar detector. This would stop the radar detector from making noise when I am navigating a grocery store parking lot. I'm surprised there aren't any radar detectors which do this already.

Tony, traveling 30mph is a grocery store parking lot is not safe!!!

Maybe not, but it sure is exciting.

ROFL. I was thinking that too.. I can see it now, Tony driving thru a parking lot..

I got three last time.. I only need two this time, plus one kid under 12 years.. Then I'll have run over them ALL!!

Heh... Kinda like how I drive!

Me.

In reply to:

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- Monitor the vehicle speed continuously.
- If the vehicle is traveling over 30 miles per hour,
- Then close a relay and keep it closed as long as the vehicle is traveling over that speed.
- When the vehicle drops below 30 miles per hour, open the relay again.

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When I first read this, I thought Tony was going for his own version of 'Speed'!!

I was getting very worried for a second!!

GOURANGA!

No problem. Make the parts show up on my door and I'll build you a PICcontroller that asks for speed and then controls some I/O's or whatever.



-Ben

p.s. better yet, get me the code for the ELM chip and I'll make a more complete system.

I know nothing about coding PICs, but tell me what parts you need.