Seeing how people are starting to use Mac minis, I started a project for an ALDL program for Mac OS X. As a bonus I'm using a cross-platform toolkit which will make it a snap to get it to run on *BSD, Linux and Windows Mobile. If anyone is interested in helping, feel free to PM me. The plan: XML based definition file Integrated PROM editor Multi-platform Graphing (kind of expected now from ALDL software) 160 and 8192 baud support An user-editable virtual dashboard How can I help? *BSD and Linux serial code UI programming help 160 baud code XML programming Designer for icons (not only design but digitize them too) This is what it looks like now, the stuff added so you're not looking at a blank page.

Serial code should really be posix compliant. How are you accessing the serial port on the mac?

One of my development machines is a G4 powerbook. If you want beta testers / code help I'm interested.

I have a USB to serial adapter as well.

-- Joe

I'm finishing up a test now, I'll be using Craig Moate's APU-1 (I think that's it, don't remember exactly, but its the USB ALDL adapter).

I'm not a programmer by trade but just dabble in it from time to time when I need something, and did some research, and you're right on the POSIX... didn't recognize MacOS X fit in there too. I had been working with some code on Keyspan's developer site.

Thanks for the beta offer. I work on it about maybe 4 hours a week at most, so it may be a few more weeks before I get to at least beta testing the ALDL alone.

On the MAC, does moates USB adapter show up as a tty device? If so, it should be fairly straight forward to code something that will work on any UNIX.

Basicly you want to handle it with a file handler.

-- Joe

Of course, I checked that before I even started. Shows up in System Profiler too. I can also access it under FreeBSD (5.2.1 on the desktop, 5.4-RELEASE on the laptop) under /dev/tty[whatever].

The code I got off of the developer site was too specific, I'll be changing over to file-handler code. Hopefully, this way there won't be much platform specific work to do.

This might be a good opportunity to write a generic ALDL library for UNIX.

I'd use a global structure to share data, and do all communications in a thread.

Stay away from loops in the program for aldl stuff. It's better to use a "mailbox" way of doing things either using a structure, ipc, etc.

-- Joe

Using a separate thread for communications was already in the plans. And I had no intention of using loops, I was looking at other ways of doing this (timer was one), and implementing a simple version of Windows-style messages.

libaldl sounds like a good plan I hadn't thought of that.

I just noticed your mention of the USB<->Serial adapter. Whose are you using, and with what cable? I tried RadioShack, Belkin and KeySpan with a Ruse cable and never got it to work.

Im at home right now and my G4 is at work. I can't remember who makes the adapter, but I'll edit the post in the AM.

I ave not used my MAC to do any aldl stuff, ever. But i'd like to in the future. we have the serial adapters for the purpose of terminaling into routers, and things of that nature.

Sounds like you have a lot of good ideas (and work ahead of you!) I'm looking forward to what you'll produce.

-- Joe

I've been working on a 160 baud diagnostic/emulator interface using java and the javax.comm library. Its only available for MS windows and solaris, but a few people have written their own verison of it for linux and mac os's that is supposed to be a direct plug in replacement.

It's been a month or so since I've messed with it, but I've gotten it to read the 160 baud datastream and interface with my Ostrich emulator at the same time. Was working on 8192 interface last time I touched it. Need to get cracking on the GUI before there is anything to show for it besides sloppy code.


Slightly off topic, but anyone know if a serial port set to 9600 will read 8192 datastream without using any timing tricks like you have to with 160?

I'm still here. Northbridge fan died which delayed me ffrom working on it, as well as I'm a little stuck with the XML module I'm using. I was going to hard code it for 8D just to see it work and post progress, but it just leads to more work in the end.

Be patient, it will be worth it.

robertf,

When I was working on an iPaq exclusive version, I had some questions about the serial interface, and maybe this will be of help to you:

Just to let you know its not dead. Hopefully by the end of this month or next I'll have at least the ALDL and logging stuff ready. The Aldl library is just about done.

looks awesome

Ah, finally back up!

Firstly, attached is a sample XML for the 1227730. Anyone who choose may modify it, perfect it, whatever and attach or send it to me. I've formed the basic layout, but the fields for the data need to be corrected (most are the same from copy and paste), and some fields added to the rest. The first two sensor sets show how everything should be. The Sensor and Flag sets are different, so take note.

I've gotten everything else up but the serial interface. What you see below no longer has the fields hardcoded like the first post in this thread. So it may look the same, but its not. So far it compiles cleanly on Mac OS X (my iBook G4), FreBSD 5.4 (my P4 desktop) and FreeBSD 6.1PRE (laptop), so I've got three semi working platforms.

Ooops, how about that XML file.

(See below)

Bump. Really could use the help on that file.

How about a username and password to read it ?

-- Joe

Better yet, how about I post a correct link. I put it on my webspace, I have no idea why I linked to it as FTP.

http://www.goumba.net/1227730.xml

Thanks for pointing that out.

Oh and just a note, some of that stuff you won't need to play with, I've added it in case I'm working with an ECM that needs it in the future. You can safely delete any tags you don't see as needed.

Its been a long time since I've had a chance to update, work and all. Anyway I've set up a site (no downloads yet):

OBD Tools

I'll put any future updates there instead of adding posts here, so if you want to know what's going on, click there.

Glad to hear that project is still alive!

some notes:

8192 baud can only be done within Mac OS 10.4, there is no way to set a non-standard baud rate in 10.0-10.3 (same non-sense in FreeBSD). I used an FTDI based USB to serial convertor, works like a champ on an old G3 iMac and my new Intel iMac.

Can i get this yet? It is great that someone is doing this i was seriously going to buy a new laptop tommorw even though my sister has and brandnew ibookg4.

Hey, im doing some research on doing diagnoses with a iboockG4.
I have a ALDL cable w/OBD1, USB version. But cant get any of the diagnoses sofwears to open. What application do I ned to use?
Id really apreciate some instructions.

Unfortunately there is no diag software yet for Mac as far as I know, which is what I have been working on. If you had OBD-II there's pyOBD, but nothing for OBD-I.

The delay? I plan on first having the simplest component, the Definition Editor, available so people can write definitions before the whole package is available. Unfortunately, as I am aiming for a cross platform application, I have been delayed by some gremlins under FreeBSD where adding data segfaults the program. Not being a programmer by trade, it takes me a lot longer to find the problem and correct it that someone who has a lot more knowledge of programming in C++. Fortunately I am at the point where I have discovered where the problem is, but I just have to fix it.

Being frustrated I took 3 or 4 months off from working on the project, but I'm back on it now.

Goumba,

My parents and I lived in HB years ago. We were on the old side of Howard Beach near Hamilton Beach and the HB train station. Anyway, are you assuming using the Mac with its "bootstrap" utility so its running Windows?

If you get burned out on a function that keeps bailing, and you want another set of eyes to look at the code then feel free to PM me.

I imagine you are using GCC and GDB to debug code?


-- Joe

Dominic:

I actually live in Hamilton Beach, but as you know, try to tell anyone who lives outside of HB/Ozone that and their response is "where?"

As for "Boot Camp," no, I'm using a PowerPC G4 iBook.

Joe:

Yes, I'm using GCC and GDB, under Anjuta. I chose an IDE and I have no success whatsoever writing my own makefiles, so I chose the wimp's way out. The problem is that the guy who wrote Anjuta, while he did a good job, neglected to have stack traces when debugging like EVERY OTHER IDE OUT THERE. While I do have debugging to STDERR, the problem is somewhere in the strings I send to the toolkit (wxWidgets) which does not print debug output at all. I need to learn a little more of GDB which I'm doing as I go along.

Ironically, under Windows, which I have no plans to support as there's plenty of good software out there, I just comment out the POSIX serial code and it works like a champ. I know I'll break that once I fix the problem under FreeBSD 6.

Thanks for the offer. If I can't fix it within a week or so, I may take you up on it. Just keep your eyes closed while reading my code.

Enough rambling, time for bed.

Do you have an icon/logo set yet? I'm up for working with you to create something...

That's actually the last on my list, but if you have the time and wanna go for it, then do so. Something for when I get the website back up would be greatly appreciated.

Joe:

Thanks for the offer, but I found the problem about five minutes ago, and the FreeBSD build is running perfectly, except for a third party widget not rendering under GTK2. Now I need to make sure the changes did not break building under OS X.