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Thread: Looking for testers for my Android app

  1. #1
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    Thumbs up Looking for testers for my Android app

    Greetings fellow BMW enthusiasts!

    I am looking for testers for my first Android app called Dashboard.
    It was inspired by pheno's Testo, but obviously doesn't use any EDIABAS components since it's on Android.


    Currenty implemented features:

    • 3 types of widgets that can be arranged on paged grids: analog gauges, graphs and text fields. Image
    • Combine different ECU values using equations to calculate something. Image
    • Datalogging to CSV files. Here's a little drive round the block with the AC on. This image was made with DatPlot.
    • Simulator to test your setup without a cable or a car at all.



    Android compatibility:

    • Minimum Android version 4.0 ICS
    • USB OTG (USB Host) support
    • No root required
    • Probably need an USB OTG adapter



    Cable compatibility:

    • INPA K+CAN K+DCAN - The standard recommended cable to use with INPA. Should work on most BMWs till 2011. It has a FT232 USB serial chip.
    • VAG-COM 409.1 KKL - A cheap alternative to the DCAN cable. Will work on most pre CAN BMWs (till 2007?). This one has a CH340 USB serial chip.


    ELM327-compatible cables are not supported, as ELM327 doesn't understand BMW responses. Unfortunately this includes all Bluetooth interfaces.


    This app is provided as is. The user is responsible for any and all results.
    Download
    Alt Download


    Setup:

    1. Download & install app apk. May require enabling Unknown sources in Android Security settings.
    2. Opening the app for the first time shows the Profile screen. At least one ECU needs to be set out of all the types (e.g. DME).
    3. Add widgets from the action bar menu.
    4. Move widgets by long pressing and dragging.
    5. Double tap widgets to get a context menu.
    6. The widget editor lets you select which value(s) you would like to display and customize the appearance.
    7. The label color of values shows which request is used to retrieve it. To maximize update speed, keep the number of requests (that means values with different color labels) on one screen (and including the datalogger) to a minimum.
    8. Min-max ranges for values are calculated and not at all relevant to reality, for example DDE 4.0 max speed is 655km/h.
    9. Test how things would look when connected to a car using the Toggle Sim action bar menu item.
    10. Datalogging (if active) runs even when the app is not foreground, but not when the device is asleep(screen off).
    11. Equations have a secret variable 'rps', it's short for number of responses per second. It may come in handy when using the sum equation type.



    Usage:

    1. Connect cable to car.
    2. Connect cable to Android device.
    3. Turn on ignition.



    Currently supported ECUs and engines:

    • ME9.2 for N42
    • BMS46 for M43TU
    • *DDE 3.0 for M47
    • DDE 4.0 for M57
    • *M5.2(.1) for M62
    • *MS42 for M52
    • *MS43 for M54
    • *MSS5x for S52, S54, S62
    • *MFL for old Multi-functional steering wheel
    • *PDC for old Park Distance Control


    The ones marked with * are untested on actual cars, so those are the ones I'm most interested in receiving feedback for. For now, these should cover most E46s, E39s, E38s and E53s up to 2002.
    So if you have a access to a car with one of these ECUs and already have an INPA setup(own a compatible cable) then please give it a test and tell me how it went.
    Last edited by Roltzy; 09-03-2015 at 06:20 PM.

  2. #2
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    If you do some MS41.1 and MS41.2 support, I will test those out for you. Nexus 5, Lollipop.

    So far I can only do MS42 unless there is more support.
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
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  3. #3
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    So is this like the JB4 mobile app where you can read a bunch of parameters and datalog, and change certain tunes? Also where would you get the cord for cell phone compatibility?
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by 328 Power 04 View Post
    If you do some MS41.1 and MS41.2 support, I will test those out for you. Nexus 5, Lollipop.
    More old ECUs are planned as soon as I validate my current method of making ECU definitions.


    Quote Originally Posted by Da Infammus 1 View Post
    So is this like the JB4 mobile app where you can read a bunch of parameters and datalog, and change certain tunes? Also where would you get the cord for cell phone compatibility?
    I'm not familiar with the JB4 app. Quick googling reveals it uses a custom interface and its only for N54 engines?
    This app currently uses the regular K-line cable and supports older cars. No features that issue lasting changes are currently planned.
    You would use something like this USB OTG adapter to connect it to your phone, check your local phone store.
    Last edited by Roltzy; 07-14-2015 at 03:55 AM.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Da Infammus 1 View Post
    So is this like the JB4 mobile app where you can read a bunch of parameters and datalog, and change certain tunes? Also where would you get the cord for cell phone compatibility?
    http://www.amazon.com/eForCity-Micro.../dp/B005QX7KYU
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  6. #6
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    New version: 0.4.3:
    Added MS41.0 and MS41.1(it should cover MS41.2 as well) support.

    Download it here. I'm reluctant to edit the first post at the moment, since I don't have enough posts in this forum and all my posts need moderator approval.

    Quote Originally Posted by Da Infammus 1 View Post
    So is this like the JB4 mobile app where you can read a bunch of parameters and datalog, and change certain tunes? Also where would you get the cord for cell phone compatibility?
    Somewhat, except for now this app works on older cars. JB4 works only on N54 engines, correct?
    As for changing tunes, I'm reluctant to include any functionality that could make lasting changes to the ECUs. I don't want anyone to brick their car using this app.
    Last edited by Roltzy; 07-15-2015 at 06:41 AM.

  7. #7
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    Ugh, this every post edit needs moderator review is killing me.

    New version 0.4.3:
    MS41.0 and MS41.1(should work on MS41.2) support.

    Download here

    I will update the first post when I get enough posts to escape the mod review thing. So far all my edited posts have just disappeared.

  8. #8
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    So has anyone tested it at all? Since feedback for this has been near non-existant, I guess live data isn't such a hot feature. So, I've decided to research error memory reading as well.

  9. #9
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    Hmm, cool app. I'll test it out, I think my android tablet supports usb otg

    Edit: Just tested it on my crap Galaxy Tab 2, and it just crashes when I try to load it. Running Android 4.4.2

    I'll see if I can get my hands on a newer device
    Last edited by TerraPhantm; 07-26-2015 at 03:52 PM.

  10. #10
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    Android 4.4.2 works, as that's what I tested on my laptop (Android-x86).

    A logcat log would be extremely useful in determining the cause of the crash.
    You can install an app called Logcat Extreme, turn the priority level to verbose in the settings and input 'dashboard' in the filter and post the result here. Using the app is easier, but this can also be done using the Android SDK tools , if you want to go that far.
    Last edited by Roltzy; 08-02-2015 at 10:00 AM.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by pheno View Post
    I've had also an idea to do something similar for a long time. Can I ask what serial port library are you using and is it reliable ? Are FT232 and CH340 only supported chips ? Thanks.
    I believe both FTDI and Prolific have Android libraries. I think most of the USB K-line cables you'll find will have FTDI (or FTDI clone) chips. If you're on Android and not worried about iOS, a bluetooth dongle could be a good solution too.

    I dusted off my ARM SBC (ODroid C1) the other day and resumed work on a little scan tool app -- proper Linux is waaaay nicer to deal with than Android. Something like this, but with support for the Pi2 and a bigger screen would be way cool: http://www.adafruit.com/products/1892

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by pheno View Post
    I've had also an idea to do something similar for a long time. Can I ask what serial port library are you using and is it reliable ? Are FT232 and CH340 only supported chips ? Thanks.
    FT232 and CH340 only for now, yes. I made my own wrapper drivers in java using Android's USB Host API, because I didn't want to rely on kernel drivers.


    Quote Originally Posted by blarf View Post
    I believe both FTDI and Prolific have Android libraries. I think most of the USB K-line cables you'll find will have FTDI (or FTDI clone) chips. If you're on Android and not worried about iOS, a bluetooth dongle could be a good solution too.
    The reason I coded my own wrapper was precisely because FTDI's library was total crap. Then I got an extra VAG-COM cable to permanently install in my car and that one used CH340 instead.
    I thought the advantage of bluetooth would be iOS support, since it doesn't do any USB, but all the OBD bluetooth dongles are ELM327-based, which doesn't support BMW protocols.

  13. #13
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    I honestly don't remember. I think I had some kind of problem where it stopped receiving data after a certain point. Also the library uses its own constantly running thread, which is something I didn't want.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by pheno View Post
    Thanks. I have an old 7" galaxy tab 2 that would be handy in the car. Also running some diagnostic app from your cellphone is even better because it's always with you.

    I have started to work on this project recently http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...U-to-LCD/page1 but now I'm using Arduino Nano. To my surprise it works pretty nicely. One pin is used for software serial and it is "slow" as it takes around 20ms to write data to cluster. So some other device with 2 hardware uart ports would be little better even though there's just enough time to read data from ecu and write it to cluster in 100ms. LCD needs to be refreshed every 100ms or it starts to flicker.
    Yeah, the C1 (or, ideally, the Raspberry Pi2) is that you get a cheap ($40), beefy (quad core, ~1 GB RAM) machine, and can buy a cheap screen that sits right on top. With the Pi the community is great. Sure, a phone is with you all the time, but what about the dongle? If you leave it in the car, why not leave a dedicated tool that runs X11 apps and works with pretty much anything you throw at it out of the box?

    Quote Originally Posted by Roltzy View Post
    I thought the advantage of bluetooth would be iOS support, since it doesn't do any USB
    Unfortunately iOS doesn't do bluetooth either unless you buy into Apple's hardware manufacturer program. For instance, the only ELM327 dongles that work with iOS are the $$$ WiFi ones. Bluetooth with Android worked quite well for me (I had a proof of concept hacked up on my TouchPad running Android), with the advantage of not needing OTG hardware or specialized libraries, and of course fewer cables running across the car. The downside was, well, developing for Android is painful.
    Last edited by blarf; 08-03-2015 at 01:25 PM.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by pheno View Post
    Bluetooth adds some latency but for some that does not matter so much. I haven't tried FTDI library but what was the crap part of it ? yes, it makes sense to do wrapper using Usb Host API since you support several different devices.
    I'll give it a try, but I don't have OTG at the moment. Would prefer Bluetooth as I'd like to keep the phone charged while in the car.

  16. #16
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    Unfortunately a widely available Bluetooth interface solution doesn't exist. All the Ebay Bluetooth OBD2 dongles are ELM327-based, which doesn't support BMW commands.

  17. #17
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    I've used this + an HP Touchpad with my little Android app:

    http://www.usconverters.com/serial-bluetooth-adapter

    After configuring it (9600, 8E1) I just stuck that + a gender bender onto my K line cable and it works well enough. Lots of cables running around though. For better packaging you could probably look at something like this:

    http://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/egbt-0...uetooth-module

    You could probably just hack apart a typical USB cable and solder this in place of the USB bridge.

    I'm of the mindset that if you're going to lug around a cable or two you might as well not shackle yourself to a phone. Currently I'm messing with a Raspberry PI2 + 2.4" touch screen + official case. Power for now is off of a USB port in the car, but could just as easily come over the OBD2 port, or come from a battery pack velcroed to the doohickey itself. Or, you know, just build your own tablet.

  18. #18
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    I've looked into this as well, the little RS232 module caught my eye also, but the problem remains: getting the right USB cable from Ebay is difficult enough for the average user(for who this app is ultimately intended), let alone modding it with the right parts. Wired is fine for me, as I have a fixed Nexus 7 installed in the dash so all the wires are neatly tucked away.

  19. #19
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    anyone know if this will work for a 2004 525i?

  20. #20
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    Dear Roltzy,

    Recently I become a e36 owner (again ), and found your android application. I am really curious whether you have newer version of the Dashboard app. I would like to test it.

    Thanks in advance for your response,
    Csaba

  21. #21
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    Dear Roltzy,

    I have installed your application on an Android 9 chinese Car Radio. It works smoothly with an FTDI USB interface. Thanks for your efforts, your application is really handsome. Two issues: It would be better to make the grid adjustable (in my case the grid is 7x5, in both direction these are odd, so not so easy to arrange pretentiously. Secondly it would be useful if a threshold value could set when e.g. the value could become red.

    All in all, thanks for your efforts!
    Csaba

    p.s.: Dont you want make it opensource?

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