Just wondering if anybody's tried using a Pocket PC as an ALDL scanner... looking at picking up one of the new Dell Axim A5's for business, and as soon as I logged in to thirdgen.org, I wondered if anybody's used one of these Pocket PC's to scan the ALDL. As far as I can see, there's really no interfaces from the pocket PC aside from the infared port, but it shouldn't be that hard to build up some kind of rs232 communications transciever using infared to plug into the car's ALDL. Then all that would be needed is info on how the serial port info gets decoded, and I guess I'd write that into a Windows Pocket PC 2002 program. Any ideas? Or has this been done already?

 

Actually started looking at this earlier today for a palm pilot. Will let you know what I come up with. Please do the same if you beat be to it.

Bill

 

What about the syncing cable that comes with them? Some of the other ones use USB cables for sync, so I'd think that one of the USB/serial adaptors might just do the trick.

 

Thanks Morley, didn't know they had such things. Yep, the Dell uses a USB port to synchronize. I'm going to have to download the Microsoft SDK for Pocket PC 2002 and see what they have to offer in the way of serial communications. There's always the flash card slot in the top, too, I see a ton of flash card serial cards, but no prices on the net.

Bill, how does one program for the palm pilot? Do they have their own language, or is it a Java development kit? It might take me a few weeks to get back to you; I've yet to order the Dell Axim.. I'm waiting until Jan 2nd, I'd hate to have my order misplaced by someone who's not quite sober yet!

Is there a document on the net that talks about how the data stream from the ECM is coded up? I've tried doing some searches but I haven't found anything quite useful... some vb or vc++ source would be the ultimate but I don't think I can hope for that.

Even if I just write the output stream into a text file, it'd be pretty damn handy. What I'd like to do is put the output from this scanner right into Excel (the pocket pc's have mini-versions of Word and Excel), so any graphs/charts could be recorded as you drive. The Dell Axim is only $200... granted, you can find Pentium 75mhz laptops on eBay for $100, but if someone carries a pocketpc anyway, this would be a great alternative. And, haha, I guess the pocket pc is lighter than a laptop, so it'd save weight at the racetrack

 

Just more info, in general, regarding the pocket pc... the Dell Axim doesn't have any external port. Only ports are infared, the headphone jack, and a big cradle/synchronization port for USB. It's not the regular USB cable into the handheld. So it looks like infared will be the only way to go, unless there's a serial port flash card that's pretty cheap. (Found a few prices, and man, those things are expensive!!)

Microsoft has a pocket pc SDK on their website, it's a free download, and it comes with "eMbedded" versions of Visual Basic and Visual C++. So looks like this might be a good possibility. Hopefully there's some SDK documentation on using the infared port as a serial port.

Anyone know of free basic or C++ source code on the net for an ALDL reader?

 

I have a Compaq Ipaq and I started looking into doing this about a year ago. From what I've learned from the Ipaq is that there is 1 major issue to overcome. My Ipaq will not transmit any data over the serial port unless to receives data first and once its transmit buffer is empty it won't send any more data until it receives something again. This could be a problem with TPI engines, but should workable for TBI ECUs that just continuously transmits information anyway.

There are compact flash serial port cards that should get around the limitations of the built in serial port. But go for around $150.

The only thing that has kept me from going forward with TBI software is that I haven't been able to figure out beginning and end points in the data stream that is coming from the ECU.

 

I too have been looking into this. I however have a Hewitt Packard HP 620lx palm top. I was hoping that someone else may have already tried this. reason so is that I will take apart the palmtop to intergrate it into my dash, that way it stays with the car, any idea on that anyone??? Thanks

 

Axoid, you have a built in serial port? That's cool, my only option will be one of those high priced cards. (I still don't get why they're so expensive, maybe because nobody really buys/needs them??) This is an actual limitation of your ipaq? What version of windows do you have on it? (I wonder if it was maybe a bug in your version of Windows.) My version is Pocket PC 2002... under start/settings/system/about, it's listed as version 3.0.1171, Build 11178.

Just did a search on yahoo.com, couldn't find anything about what you mentioned. How were you programming the iPaq? VB? VC++? Java?

 

If you have an IR port, you should be able to put an IR LED and a resistor on the ALDL signal and detect it. The nice thing about that is you wouldn't need to connect anything up. Just put the pocket PC or PALM or whatever nearby and it would start picking up the signal.

 

TomP
The Ipag has a built in compact serial port at the bottom of the unit. I think the transmit limitation is part of the hardware since this is the same port that the PDA sinks through. I'm currently running the same version of the OS as you are, but when I was playing with the software I had an earlyer version of the OS, I don't know what version it was.

The program that I had running on the Ipaq was written in eMbedded VB 3.0.

I would prefer Java, but I haven't found a Java language for Pocket PC's. Do you know of one?

 

likely a dumb idea from the uninformed and inexperanced TBI guy but?

winaldl is a relatively simple program right?
could it be converted to run on a palm OS?
the crappy old palm m100 i have uses a serial interface and transmits / recives data on it so could you make a winaldl cable with the mating end on it (or just get an adaptor duh) and use that? the only hard part would be adapting winaldl.
they have OBDII scanners for PDAs

Is this a possibility?

thanks for entertaining my rambelings
ryan

 

I think the Palm uses Java for programming... you'd need to search yahoo.com for something like "palm m100 program language" or something. I don't know more about these handhelds than the next guy; so any info you dig up, let us know!

Works been so damn busy I haven't been able to play with the Dell Axim much, besides use it for work.

Axoid, did a search at http://microsoft.handango.com/ , search for Java, there's a Jcompiler on there that might swing java. Might be what you're after, but it says it requires a java vm, don't know if it comes with Pocket PC 2002 or not. If you email the author to ask, let me know! There's also a developer's environment on there that looks pretty sweet; but if I had to debug any of my code on the pocket pc's little screen, I think I'd shoot myself.

I just wish the "free" version of Sql server CE 2 could connect to Oracle... oh well.

 

palm uses c/c++/asm for programming, it DOES have interpretors for other languages...java, pascal, basic, python, forth, scheme, smalltalk, & casl i _think_ and not that the ecm is real fast, or that palms are real slow, but i hate java because it's slow and inneficient, i'd say stick with c/c++ so it's fairly fast...

and if your gonna integrate a palm into your dash, thats cool, but i wouldn't take it apart...i have two that don't work now...try just chopping a hole where you want it and then fiberglassing/bondoing it in or something...

finally, if your not looking to get odbII codes...it's been done...here

if you wanna get aldl connections, the files are here download the ones the start with ALDL (there are 4, i believe ALDL.zip, ALDLCONN.JPG, ALDLLOG2.ZIP, ALDLLOG3.ZIP).

If you want more details about the connector go here

if you wanna see a guy that has already installed one in a fiero go here

if you just wanna buy about the same deal go here

you guys are WAY behind...and if i ever get "search for it" from ANY of you again....i'm gonna go nuts...

hope this helps

P.S. Windows never was, is, or will be stable in any form, pocket pc's...eww....Palm on the other hand...palm rocks...

 

So is there any Ipaq/windows -specific stuff out there, or should we all go and get palms?!

MILT

 

palms

i'll go look...

ok... schematic for a serial module which you'd have to write software for (4 banger and v6 software exists...no v8) is here

however, i found a company that sells a software bundle that does EXACTLY what you want here ...the kick is that it doesn't seem to support GM vehicles....

i'll keep looking, but i doubt there's gonna be a ton...there's just not the user base that palm has, palm was first and built up alot of loyal users, and it lends itself to exploration just like linux/bsd does, so the same types use palms and they tend to just bypass buying and waiting for products and just decide they'd rather figure out how to do it themselves...pocketpc users are a little more dependent on companies...atleast in my opinion...

 

Cool, thanks for that link to the source code. I can't believe that's "it" to read the Fiero ECM. Seems like there should be more. Hell, it wouldn't even be worth it to convert into VC++!

Any recommendation as to which schematic? I've seen them all before, people seem to use the two-transistor one around here. Granted I gotta wire up an infared module, so the max232 ic seems like it'd be the better version to use.

 

unfortunely, no idea, circuits are my biggest weak point...i can do a half *** job of identifying components...thats where it ends...

 

http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=BTP_RS232

If your pocket pc happens to have bluetooth, this module allows any serial device (which all aldl's are right?) to transmit to a bluetooth computer or pda..and bluetooth has something called serial port, which allows any program that wants serial access to use bluetooth..imagine being able to have a pocket pc displaying info while working in the engine bay

 

Sorry to bring this one back from the dead - :x I'm looking into doing the same. I've got a Dell Axim X51v. On all the Dell Axims (at least the more recent models) at the bottom you have the port that you plug into your cradle or charging adaptor in order to sync or to charge. There are a number of pins on that connector, the most important being an RS-232 serial port! At aximsite.com forums you can find some homebrewed serial cables, also some people selling premade ones.

Converting an app to run on PocketPC is NOT a simple task. At least not for us non-PC-programmer types. I had an urge when I purchased this to pursue converting some of my companies apps (monitoring system aboard yachts) to PocketPC and found it way too much for me to consider.

However a simple solution might be to use a PC or laptop mounted in the car somewhere with an 802.11b card. You would then use "RealVNC", or "Remote Desktop" to view that laptops screen.

Its convoluted but it could work.

Again sorry for bringing this one back.

 

I was just looking into this very thing today.
I have a dell axim x51v and I am hoping to be able use ecmedit852 from Craig Moates.
I took a look at this software here: http://www.pocketdos.com/ but i have not tried it yet. There are also a bunch of axim to rs232 adapter cables out there that you can buy. Im wondering if the combo will work.
Hopefully someone on here can try it out. As soon as I can aquire one of those adapter cables im gonna see if it will work.
Links to adapter cables:
http://www.gomadic.com/accessories-adapters-serial.html
http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i...ed&action=open
For non axim users with a CF slot:
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/prod...4&sku=A0072543