Mobile OBD Scanner / Logger - iPhone / Android - 360 / 430

So I've played around with quite a number of mobile solutions and have now found one that I'd be happy to recommend to users as a very cheap but effective solution.

First-up one needs a scan tool. A WiFi tool is probably best as it will allow connectivity with most devices (Apple Phone / iPad / Android Phone / Tablet, PC etc.) I used this cheap, generic ELM327 WiFi which can be purchased for $10~$20 ... OBD II 2 ELM327 WiFi Car Diagnostic Interface Scanner Tool for iPhone PC New | eBay

In researching which App to use I was in contact with a number of developers and almost all of them do not provide support for individually selecting to which ECU one wishes to connect. In another thread Voicey had identified that EOBD Facile had the capability. Indeed they do and what's particularly nice about their solution is that they allow you to toggle between one ECU and the other while remaining connected. That said, I found that the connection between my phone and the dongle and/or the ECU was always getting disturbed which meant that while the solution was probably fine for simple code reading it would not be satisfactory for logging of data. I also found the user-interface of this App to be less than pleasing and intuitive.

My research led me to OBD Fusion which seemed to have a nice user interface and lots of good mapping and logging options. Their developer, Matt, not only responded to my multiple queries but, having gained an understanding of the particular issues we Ferrari owners have, undertook to ensure that their next update would feature manual selection of ECU. That update was released recently and I'm pleased to say that it works and is also very easy to use and contains many valuable features.

Here's a link to their website and from there you can navigate directly to the Apple or Google stores to download the app to your phone or other device. Cost is $9.99. https://www.obdsoftware.net/

Unlike OBD Facile, one has to disconnect and re-connect from one ECU to the other. I've suggested that perhaps in a future version they might like to try and offer the toggle option.

Once connected to an ECU for the first time you are offered the option to define the vehicle to which you have connected. Each ECU on our cars is like a totally different vehicle to this software so best to name your ECU11 connection something like "ECU11 Bank 1~4" and name your ECU14 connection similarly "ECU14 Bank 5~8" Thereafter the software will recognise the "vehicle" each time it is connected.

The first time I connected to the 360 the unit "saw" only ECU10. Once I disconnected and reconnected it saw ECU10 and 14 and asked me which one I wanted. Every time since it has seen both and asked me to choose.

What's particularly nice about this App is that beyond all the usual Trouble Codes, Clearing Codes, Tests, Dashboards etc. there's a neat real-time log on which you can define up to four PIDs to track and trace in real time as you drive. One can also log all available PIDs on a drive cycle and then export (along with GPS and mapping) to a CSV file where one can review later.

My testing was done with a 2000 European 360 Modena and an iPhone5. I've no reason to believe that it would work any differently on a 430 or with an Android phone. I've also used it to log my Merc daily and it was faultless on both and never dropped the connection.

I have no affiliation to either the hardware or software providers liked above. Credit where it's due though, OBD Fusion listened to my query, took the time to understand it and then went and did something about it and came back and told me when it was done. For that alone they deserve a wee "plug" here.

This is no replacement for an SD2 but for a total investment of $20 +/- and a little time learning how to use the tool, you really can’t go wrong.

Best!

 

Yes, the Facile App is slightly more expensive but the differential is of no significance when it comes to getting the right app for the job.

I didn't download/pay for the full Facile app because I found that the phone+dongle+ECU would not stay connected for any realistic length of time (on two vehicles I tested). I knew my Phone, ECU and Dongle were all working fine as I had no such problems with other software I had tested so Facile seemed to be where the problem lay.

Additionally, I do find the user interface of the Fusion App to be quite superior to that offered by Facile. It's really easy to customise or create a "dashboard" and have it display exactly what you want, where you want it and in analogue or digital format. Similarly the graphing is easier to use, more definable and allows for greater number of PIDs to be selected.

What sold me though is the logging and CSV output file (probably available on Facile also). It contains a wealth of data which can be used for diagnostic purposes. Obviously one can only log if one can stay connected and for me that made the choice easy.

 

Some sample images from the Fusion App....
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Few More......
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Extract from Daignostic report showing the various PID's reported......
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Readiness check extract (my vehicle has never, ever shown ready) not an issue in my jurisdiction......
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Full diagnostic report for one ECU ....
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CSV log with data and time - easy to graph in excel.....
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Very basic graph showing Short Term Fuel Trim and Long Term Fuel Trim from the log file above .......
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Yes, on connection it asks you which one you want, 11 for 1~4 or 14 for 5~8 bank. When you connect for the first time you tell it about your vehicle (and in our case which ecu is which). Thereafter any logs recorded are filed under the appropriate vehicle/ecu so if/when you go back to locate stored information to export you know from which vehicle/ecu the log was recorded.

 

No, it's one bank at a time with Fusion. This is actually a good thing, see below.

Yes, some software will automatically toggle from the data on one ECU to the other. The problem though is that you have no way of knowing what exactly you are looking at. For example, the Long Term Fuel Trim (LTFT) reports from both ECUs with the same identifier. Consequently, if one were viewing it live, one might see it fluctuate from say -5 to +5 but you wouldn't have a clue which side was which.

It would indeed be excellent to be able to log both sides at the one time but only if the data streams had different identifiers.

I'm not at all sure if even "SD" equipment can monitor both ECUs at the same time and also differentiate between the two properly.

 

Enter "Obd Fuision for android" into the Google machine and I thik you'll finf your answer

 

Actually the android version might be touch scan. Looks the same graphic interface but different name. I've no experience of it though so suggest you read up a little first. Looks the same but.

 

That looks a nice, easy to use tool, and as you say, it will remove the additional complexity of the wireless interface between the phone and OBD dongle.

I wonder though if your problem is that the car has never had it's extra earth added to the OBD? See the attachment below - OBD2 Update.

It's well worth getting one of the phone solutions working for that ability to be able to diagnose when away from home or to be able to log a drive cycle.
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Hey Dan, thanks for posting up the info.

The $11 and $14 look good in terms of the two available ECUs and yes 11 = 1 and 14 = 2 in my experience.

I'm concerned about your gadget's ability to read properly though. Neither P0030 or P1135 are listed on the 360 error code sheet that I have.

Did you check to see if your car has the extra earth added to Pin 4?