Please Help E36 20 pin to K+Dcan INPA adapter

[Fix.a.ZX]

If anyone could please provide their expert knowledge to help my Laptop-E36 communication problem.

Heres what I have:
1999 328is E36 coupe
T61 Thinkpad laptop running FRESH INSTALL Win7 x64
FRESH INSTALL of BimmerGeeks BMW Tools package =
- INPA 5.0.6
- Tools32 (EDIABAS) 4.0.3
- NCS Expert 4.0.1

I have an amazon K+Dcan, the one everyone else as (+20 pin adapter) cable set, came from china with its own software CD.

I got the bimmergeeks bmw tools package set up as per their instructions exactly, I am able to read my ECU from the 20 pin engine bay connector and from my OBD port.


Problem:

I cannot read any module in my E36 (aside from ECU, which i dont care about right now) in INPA either from the 20 pin or from the OBD connector. I get communication errors, initialization errors from modules.

I NEED to change some setting in my ZKE4 unit (GM4) this is the whole reason i am doing all of this installing.

I need to re-code some setting in my cluster as well, I know for the cluster and ABS you can ONLY communicate using ADS interface on real Serial Port. For this I have ordered rv8flyboy's ADS interface board, but haven't had the time to try ADS settings for INPA and EDIABAS as I'm having this issue connecting through obd still.

I have run Windows XP-32 on this laptop and have absolutely the same error in communicating to my modules! I can still comm with ECU though.

nothing is working out for me, except the ecu communication.


I appreciate anyones time with constructive ideas

[Spirit Force]

For E36 you'll want INPA 3.0, not 5.0.6. Which means you'll need to install x86 windows or use the xp laptop. the older INPA is way better for an older car like E36. Beside that package probably has ediabas 7.x, which doesn't work with ADS. Since you can only comm with ecu, my guess would be that you don't have pins 7&8 connected.

[Fix.a.ZX]

Pin 7&8 is connected on my Dcan cable, I soldered them together.

Oke I will try to find the earlier INPA. I was aware that EDIABAS 7x doesn't work with ADS, but I wasn't trying ADS yet, just wanted to fix my OBD errors first.

Edit: my EDIABAS is 4.0.3 from what the Tools32 program reads out.


Sent from my CAT S61

[328 Power 04]

Be careful not to get misguided with a lot of information that isn't relevant to your car in this case.

The first step is to make sure your 20-pin adapter has a wire going to pin 20 and pin 17 on the round side to pin 7 of the OBD side. Sometimes they aren't fully wired in correctly.
You should be able to reach GM just fine if wires are all there.



For cluster and ASC+T/ABS, you will need to correctly setup and run the older EDIABAS 6.4.7 or 6.4.3 on an x86 (32-bit) system with ADS on true serial port. It doesn't have to be XP. In fact XP will make some things a bit harder.

[Fix.a.ZX]

Be careful not to get misguided with a lot of information that isn't relevant to your car in this case.

The first step is to make sure your 20-pin adapter has a wire going to pin 20 and pin 17 on the round side to pin 7 of the OBD side. Sometimes they aren't fully wired in correctly.
You should be able to reach GM just fine if wires are all there.



For cluster and ASC+T/ABS, you will need to correctly setup and run the older EDIABAS 6.4.7 or 6.4.3 on an x86 (32-bit) system with ADS on true serial port. It doesn't have to be XP. In fact XP will make some things a bit harder.

Alright so far I do know that my 20pin to OBD has 4 wires through it (I've taken it apart). I did solder a lead from 17 to 20 on the 20pin connector which is connected to the wire for pin 7 on the OBD side.

I wanted to ask, using ADS-serial on the 20pin plug, can I access all modules? Or that can only access the ABS/Cluster modules?
I just want to know if I will need both the OBD interface and the ADS interface going forward or I can do it all with just the ADS?



Sent from my CAT S61

[Spirit Force]

Pin 7&8 is connected on my Dcan cable, I soldered them together.

Oke I will try to find the earlier INPA. I was aware that EDIABAS 7x doesn't work with ADS, but I wasn't trying ADS yet, just wanted to fix my OBD errors first.

Edit: my EDIABAS is 4.0.3 from what the Tools32 program reads out.


Sent from my CAT S61

As stated above the issue isn't your current version, but since you said you'll want it to work with E36, I see no point in trying to get that to work. Just install x86 win7 or use the xp laptop. 4.0.3 isin't your Ediabas version, that might be tool32 version. The older INPA 3.x uses Ediabas 6.4.7, you got INPA 5.0.6, so the Ediabas must be newer.

It doesn't have to be XP. In fact XP will make some things a bit harder.

How does xp make thing harder? IHMO Win7 and newer make installing harder that XP with UAC etc. The only real issue is that you can't get ISTA (any recent version anyway) to work on XP for newer cars. XP is plenty fast for INPA.

Alright so far I do know that my 20pin to OBD has 4 wires through it (I've taken it apart). I did solder a lead from 17 to 20 on the 20pin connector which is connected to the wire for pin 7 on the OBD side.

I wanted to ask, using ADS-serial on the 20pin plug, can I access all modules? Or that can only access the ABS/Cluster modules?
I just want to know if I will need both the OBD interface and the ADS interface going forward or I can do it all with just the ADS?

Sent from my CAT S61

ADS will connect with all modules on E36, so I would focus on that. As said above, make sure the 20 pin adapter is wired correctly. Easy way to do this is to check continuity between the 16 pin connector and 20 pin connector. You can use multimeter. The wires can be incorrect connected, not connected.. Depends on the quality of the cable.

[Fix.a.ZX]

As stated above the issue isn't your current version, but since you said you'll want it to work with E36, I see no point in trying to get that to work. Just install x86 win7 or use the xp laptop. 4.0.3 isin't your Ediabas version, that might be tool32 version. The older INPA 3.x uses Ediabas 6.4.7, you got INPA 5.0.6, so the Ediabas must be newer.




How does xp make thing harder? IHMO Win7 and newer make installing harder that XP with UAC etc. The only real issue is that you can't get ISTA (any recent version anyway) to work on XP for newer cars. XP is plenty fast for INPA.



ADS will connect with all modules on E36, so I would focus on that. As said above, make sure the 20 pin adapter is wired correctly. Easy way to do this is to check continuity between the 16 pin connector and 20 pin connector. You can use multimeter. The wires can be incorrect connected, not connected.. Depends on the quality of the cable.

Thanks for all that!

As far as my (4 wire) 20 pin connector goes it's wired properly I took it apart on both obd and 20pin ends to verify solder joints and trace.
I mention 4 wire as I've seen 6 wire 20pin schematics online which use a few other pins from the 20pin connector.

I will look for a INPA 3.0.1 source and also a EDIABAS 6.4.7 to match. Does Tools32 act as a starter for EDIABAS in my installations case?

I will focus on fixing the ADS circuit and connector and try communicating on a 32bit XP. Is it wrong that my system is a x64 based processor? I believed that 32 bit would run just fine on a x64?

Thanks!

Sent from my CAT S61

[328 Power 04]

There are a lot of great additional programs from BMW and third party that work well alongside INPA installations which XP would not be great for.

I use INPA (and associated programs) for E36 to G-chassis, with an ICOM interface via Ethernet or wifi. On ediabas 7.3.0.
Also esys and others.
None of that would work properly on XP. Driver management is a little different.
Win 7 x86, or newer. UAC is very easy to turn off once and for all. That is my reasoning. Of course, my use isn't for everyone.

[Fix.a.ZX]

Thanks everyone for the help, this seems to make a lot more sense to me now.

I am moving over this weekend, but I will update this with my results or failures... This following week!

What I will quickly do;

-Get up and running my ADS 20pin to serial cable
-Fresh Win7 x86 install (I have it already on dvd)
-I will try finding sources for the old INPA/matching EDIABAS.
-i will setup INPA and EDIABAS to :ADS hardware

Sent from my CAT S61

[Spirit Force]

There are a lot of great additional programs from BMW and third party that work well alongside INPA installations which XP would not be great for.

I use INPA (and associated programs) for E36 to G-chassis, with an ICOM interface via Ethernet or wifi. On ediabas 7.3.0.
Also esys and others.
None of that would work properly on XP. Driver management is a little different.
Win 7 x86, or newer. UAC is very easy to turn off once and for all. That is my reasoning. Of course, my use isn't for everyone.

Sure for newer cars, but we are talking about E36 here. For cars like E36 win x64 just ain't the best. If you don't have ICOM like OP doesn't, then x64 windows setup is way worse than XP with ADS. Sure there is x86 win7, but it's limited to 4GB, which is too little IMHO when working with E-sys etc. for newer cars. Windows xp runs with less ram than x86 win7. So basically best would be x86 windows for older cars like E36 and x64 for newer cars. Sure this can be done with dual boot etc. but for the average joe, who has difficulties with INPA it might be quite hard. For ISTA etc. I would want to have atleast gen2 intel core i3/i5/i7 processor or newer and all of those don't come with physical serial ports. XP laptops usually have serial port and they can be had for pennies. So that one can be dedicated just for diag use. Installing INPA in xp is very easy. Installing drivers is really easy too. With xp no automatic software updates that change com port settings etc. like in win10. Sure one can use newer windows, but I don't see any issues on using XP, or how it would be more diffucult.

[screenshot]

does that 20pin adapter work when you use the K-line option(100 kbit/s) on the Usb adapter or most features won't work anyway, so the 20pin adapter is not very useful at all? or what is it used for then... just read codes, but not erase etc?