So, I picked up one those usb to OBDI wires. I'm trying to connect to an 88 formula LB9 with my laptop. The laptop is running Vista Business O/S and I tried WinALDL, Freescan, DataMaster, TunerPro, and I just can't seem to get connected to the car. I connected the laptop, and ran DataMaster test and the result was successful, according to the s/w the connection "seems" to be working but none of my software seems to connect. Anybody know what I am not doing to get this going? I really am needing to get the diags going so I can "see" what this baby is not telling me, because she is not throwing any codes but running pretty badly. Thanks everyone.

I'm a novice here, but from what I understand the older MAF cars require some type of resistor between two pins of the ALDL link to get the data 'flowing'.

I'm not sure how you would do this without cutting the ALDL side of the cable up and putting in a resistor. If someone has done this with one of the usb cables, I'd like to see how its accomplished. I had a cable and just sold it because I had the same issue. Hopefully someone with better information will chime in.

Where did you get your cable? Mine has the resistor on the USB hook-up.

Do you have the COM port selected for the right port? 1 or 3 I believe...

I have Datamaster. HAve you done the sync check to see if they talk to each other and the program finds the computer?

I got the cable from aldlcable.com, it's pretty nifty (and expensive). It has a jumper on the usb connector body so one can use the 10k ohm resistor or not. Trade, I ran the DataMaster test software, and it ran successful according to the software. I'm running on com port 4. That's where it shows up under devices/ports on the laptop. I tried connecting with and without the resistor, but no luck. Also, just for kicks the ECU is a 1227165......I got the usb driver software from FTID, it came on cdrom with my cable, and a boatload of different scan programs. All very nice, but........

hmmm, I have the very same cable....
When I run DataMAster , I start recording, then it brings up the serial data aquisition console.
YOu should click on setup >> com port...mine was lit up for 1 or 3, I use 3

Then hit the test com button on the console. That should tell you if the program found the computer or not....Your key does have to be on for the computer to recognize the car....

Is this what you have tried? If so, i'm not sure what is going on....

I run Win XP Pro, so maybe Vista makes a difference

Whats this resistor look like?

Trade, I fired up the hyperterm and set it for com4 and got some crazy symbols flashing across the screen so figured it was talking. Fired up my programs and got nothing. I'm going to try a laptop with XP O/S and see how that works. Rumblin, if you go to aldlcable.com you can see the cable. It is well made, and it has a jumper on it to switch between normal, a shorted to b, and 10k ohm between a and b. I just think none of these programs work well with vista.

The way I understand it, if you use the USB, it runs on com 1 or 3....

Have you tried either one of those? Yeah, Vista may be a problem, here at work, the machines we installed Vista on will not run our PLC software.....But it runs fine on XP Pro....

Trade, yeah, I tried com1, 2, 3, 4, and nothing. But, check this, my laptop said that some other program was using com3, so I gave it the ole three finger salute (rebooting windows, I'm a unix man) and it did not release the port. I don't know what app is using com3 when all three of my usb ports are free. Still learning how to use vista.

Oh yeah, when I go to control panel>devices>ports>usb/serial it advises my port is com4. So I (in/correctly) I should be using com4?

heck if I know..........maybe your mouse is running on com 3.....

Well, in the car I had nothing plugged into any of the usb ports, and as I said, I rebooted, so I have no idea what is holding my port open. I do have a wireless mouse, but I don't think it can go more than thirty feet through the walls of my house out to my garage? No way. Do you know how to check what is using the port? In unix I would use the "ps" command, but I am not so sure with windows. I have a guy who knows windows pretty good that I will talk to tomorrow. Thanks for your help. I just think vista may not be friendly to the scan programs available beacuse most of them are kind of older.

Thanks for the info.....I saw the cable I sold and it does have the resistor....I thought it was some kind of power plug or something. I'll know better on the next one I buy.......

I got my cable in the mail today and I cant get it to work either. I have the correct ECM entered and I'm using com port 4 like my laptop says I'm supposed to. This is what my USB plug looks like, I'm assuming I don't have the resistor? All I got was the cable, a disk, and a piece of paper. I'm going to be p*ssed if I spent $70 on something I can't even use.

From what I can see, you are missing the jumper....mine has a jumper that connects of the pins.....

That figures. I emailed tunertools so maybe they will send me one.