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k_j_jacobs
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Which is the best OBD reader to buy im looking for genuine ELM327 as the current one i got, bluetooth and it works with Torque Pro it does not get picked up in Forscan and the PC version says its not genuine.

 

without breaking the bank which is the best reader to get, wired/wireless PC/anddroid? 

 

head unit is android if it can work with that ideal!

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Personally I would go for a decent quality USB ELM327 with high quality chipset. the USB version is by far the most dependeable version and has higher speed capabilities than the bluetooth or WiFi versions.

The problem these days is that about 90% of all interfaces advertised as being ELM327 are actually clones that are not compatible to the original specifications. A few years ago practically all ELM327 clones did fully comply to the original ELM327 specifications. in order to produce cheaper interfaces many Chinese clone manufacturers developed cheaper alternative components. 90% percent of the clone produced today do have components that are no longer fully compatible with the original ELM327 specifications. This is generally no problem for generic OBD software but more advanced manufacturer specific software like for example the ELMconfig, Forscan or FoCCCus software have different requirements. 

 

The interface from your link seems OK to me (at least based on the sellers information).

 

I have a high quality USB ELM327 interface with FTDI chipset that I bought over 6 Years ago. This interface support a maximum baudrate of 500.000 Kbps and is very dependeable. I use it for example for updating the software of instrument clusters. Even applying large software updates that take about 12 hours to complete can be performed without any problems.

The downside is that many android devices do not support a USB ELM327 interface. Because of this I also have a bluetooth version. 

 

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how much and where can i get one?

 

what is the FTFI chipset?

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Also the 3 programs you suggested will they give me more data than torque pro? its a nice program but i feel its got interrogating the full system and telling me everything that it can

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Currently Forscan is the most advanced free diagnostic software for most Ford models. This problem is capable to perform diagnostics and has the ability to configure the different modules of the car. 

ELMconfig was specifically designed for the Focus MK2/MK2.5 and the C-max/Kuga. At a later time the developer of this program also added support for the Mondeo MK4 and S-max/Galaxy. However the ELMconfig is basically designed for configuration of the different modules and not for diagnostics.

 

FTDI is the brand of the chipset that is used to convert USB to serial. A few Years ago FTDI was the only chipset that supported a Baudrate of 500.000 Kbps. Other chipsets like the Silicon Labs or Profilic chipsets did only support lower Baudrates. Back in the days the FTDI chipset was the best by far. Currently the other brands do also support 500.000 Kbps so the brand of the chipset became less important. However when buying an ELM327 interface it is very important to buy an interface that supports a baudrate of 500.000 Kbps.

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Based on the specifications listed by the seller this interface should be fine. 

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I have the elm327 modified. got it from tunnel electronics (if I am aloud to say), seems to work fine with forscan and elmconfig.

cost about £17 quid. I got usb version and plug into laptop.

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http://www.tunnelratelectronics.co.uk/

I have purchased 3 devices from these guys, 2 USB devices, one for me and one for a mate, both have been flawless with forscan and ELMconfig, ive used them both for reprograming GEM, IC, PATS and the PCM (enable cruise control)

I actually just picked up one of their bluetooth modules as well, interestingly it also has the MS and HS CAN switch and works fine with forscan, it can read and clear all DTCs and works with android, Windows, Windows Mobile.

I was a bit sceptical of using BT, especially on MS-CAN but its work fine, for comparison I purchased a cheap BT and a cheap wifi one from eBay and both were rubbish, neither offered MS-CAN support and the BT one had horrible lag, I could rev the engine up to 3500 RPM and back to idle before forscan would pickup any movement at all. The Wifi one was less laggy but the second time I used it I got an engine malfunction warning and the car refused to start, it was throwing up ABS problems and restraint module problems, I pulled it out, disconnected the battery for a while and the car to work fine after that.  Both devices ended up in the bin.

So now I'm about to do guide on retrofitting headlamp washers and will use the bluetooth device to enable the options on the IC and GEM.  Ill post about that later and see how it works out.

But in any case, I strongly recommend them, especially the USB ones, build quality is great and whilst they might be a little more expensive, I found it comforting knowing there is a real company you can contact.

 

 

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I have a cheap eBay elm327 usb type reader which i use connected to my laptop. the reader does not have a switch on it so i assume only does HS-CAN.

If I buy one with the switch on it will do MS-CAN also.  Which all sounds good but what does it mean?

What what extra things can I access/read/do something to with MS-CAN that i can't do with HS-CAN.

In the family we have 2007 1.6tdci fiesta mk6.5,  2015 1.5tdci fiesta mk7.5, 2004 1.6 petrol focus mk1.5 ,

Please let me know, thanks

(I have no problems with these cars at present but it's best to be prepared in case something does need doing in future)

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okie dokie, MS-CAN, HS-CAN and MM-CAN BUS

Mid Speed,  High Speed and MultiMedia Controller area Network BUS

different modules in the car talk to one another through a CAN BUS, it may have one or more of them, the mk2 focus has two CAN BUS setups, running at different speeds a BUS setup is really cheap and simple to setup, the biggest down side is that a problem at any point on the network can screw with the whole network, which is why my crappy Wifi ELM device totally ballsed up my car for a while and why it ended up in the bin.

GEM for example operates on MS on the mk2 Focus, GEM controls a whole bunch of the electronics on the car, head lamps, wipers, auto lights and wipers etc etc, so if you were wanting to make changes to GEM, RCM, door modules etc or you want to monitor some of those PIDs, you will need to have a ELM 327 device that can talk on the MS-CAN. the PCM FACM ABS, HEC etc all operate on HS, typically you will only need HS but having the two of them can be useful.

The fiesta is the same, in fact the fiesta will have shed load more modules to connect to compared to your mk 2.5 focus, Some will be MS, some will be HS

as for your older mk1 focus, ive no idea, I'm not sure how that is setup

typically for a mk2 focus you wont "Need" MS support, but if you ever want to play with the options that are available or look at PIDs that are on the MS network, then you will need an MS device, IMHO, for the added cost, you may as well get the switched device and cover all your bases,

as they say, better to have and not need then need and not have ;) 

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Thanks for your response. Considering the low cost of these devices compared to what a garage would charge for plugging one in, I think everyone should have one.

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On 2017-4-22 at 3:10 PM, k_j_jacobs said:

I got a cheap bluetooth one from amazon and it was rubbish.  I got this one from eBay k_j_jacobs mentioned and it works a treat with Focccus & Forscan.  I've activated Cruise Control, Hill Assist & DDS since getting this the other week.

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i have the cheap bluetooth one too works with torque pro but i dont think it will work with all the systems

 

 

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Same here.  I was able to connect with the software that came with the OBD reader but I could not connect with Focccus or Forscan.

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i await the delivery of mine as its comming from China it will be a few months

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they are all fakes, the question is the quality of the fake, I would strongly suggest staying clear of devices that are on eBay or amazon, cheap will probably mean crap.

The ones I linked too, http://www.tunnelratelectronics.co.uk/

have a great reputation, ive never heard of one being a dud and a good number of people on here will tell you the same thing, they work flawlessly.

Ive been trying the BT one for a while now and it will happily talk on both MS and HS networks and with minimal delay

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5 minutes ago, k_j_jacobs said:

i await the delivery of mine as its comming from China it will be a few months

be careful is the best advice I can give.  As I said, I had a Wifi one which screwed the car with engine malfunction faults, I can only imagine the problems that might cause if it had killed the engine whilst I was doing some spirited driving!

Be safe and don't leave it in or drive around with it in too much.

 

 

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if it doesnt do what i asked for then i will get my moneys back besides it claims it works with the programs i want.

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they all claim to work with them, some however are different that others,  some are more "compliant" than others.  What typically happens is they start slapping components on to a PCB and if they don't have the correct part they will find an alternative, that is where it can all go horribly wrong, or they may have use a IC that supports 80% of what the original instruction set but that 20% may turn out to be something incredibly important.  When it comes to Chinese knock offs, id rather fork out a little more and get something that will work.  Think of it this way, £5 ELM adaptor might save you a tenner, but replacing or fixing your ECU will cost a whole lot more. anywho, your call, if we all had a stack load of money we would all by obdlink MX , getting the right balance between cheap and functional is the tricky bit, good luck! :) 

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