About me
Dean Miller
Hello! I'm Dean Miller.
Information exchange protocols used in diagnostics In 1980, General Motors first attempted to introduce a universal protocol (information system car-computer + interface) to diagnose cars with the Assembly Line Diagnostic Link or ALDL interface. In 1986, the protocol was slightly improved, increasing the speed of information transfer. In 1991, a regulation entered into force in California that obligated manufacturers to sell vehicles in the state to follow the OBD-I (On-Board Diagnostic) protocol. This protocol did not regulate the place of installation of the diagnostic socket and its appearance. Since 1996, the updated OBD-II protocol has extended to the entire territory of the United States of America. Since 2000, the protocol has become mandatory for all gasoline vehicles sold in Europe, since 2004 - for diesel. At the same time, standards have been introduced for the Controller Area Network communication bus. In addition to the general data exchange protocol, the OBD-II standard assumes a single 16-pin connector with a location within the driver’s reach (no more than 1 meter from the steering column). A clear location is not regulated.
Conventionally, all diagnostic scanners can be divided: by application into: professional, semi-professional, amateur; for diagnosed cars: multi-brand, single-car and dealer; by communication interface: cable, bluetooth, wi-fi; by software platform: Windows, Android, iOS, universal; on displaying information: with its own display, using an external display device (phone, tablet, laptop).
Professional diagnostics allows not only to diagnose all nodes of vehicles, but also to flash electronic components (change software to update, reset individual functions, key bindings, reduce fuel consumption, etc.)
Non-professional diagnostic devices are usually multibrand. Indeed, why should a car enthusiast buy a scanner to diagnose a certain car brand, of course, if he is not an adherent of a certain model.
Most low-cost scanners represent the interface of a personal computer or an Android device with the on-board OBD-II protocol. In this case, the software is downloaded to the computer or tablet (phone), the auto-scanner is connected and the vehicle is diagnosed by computer. Diagnostic results are issued in the form of OBD or special (for a particular brand of car) codes. Decoding codes in most cases produces a diagnostic program, often in Russian. Some trouble codes may not always be automatically decoded. In this case, it helps to search the Internet.