What is OBD 2007?

OBD 2007 is a software program providing diagnosis and statistical analysis for any automobile that is OBD II compliant. OBD 2007 supports all protocols based on the international standard ISO 15031-5 or SAE International J1979. OBD 2007 supports all protocols ISO 9141-2, ISO 14230-4, SAE J1850 and ISO 15765-4(CAN). OBD 2007 interfaces to any scan tool based on the ELM327 chip from www.elmelectronics.com.

OBD 2007 has been tested with the following scan tools ElmScan 5 from www.scantool.net, Car-Pal from www.vitalengineering.co.uk, All-In-One from www.obd2allinone.com and OBDPro from www.www.obdpros.com. OBD 2007 should work with older ELM chipsets but has not been tested with them. As the downloadable program is a combined demo and the full product (activated by registration) feel free to test the earlier chipsets. OBD 2007 will automatically search for the correct protocol on connection to your vehicle – there is no need to know the protocol of your vehicle.

Note for Car-Pal users. OBD 2007 does not work correctly with earlier versions of this unit. Versions that do work report Elm327 as the interface, versions that don't work report Car-Pal as the interface.

Note for OBDKey users. OBD 2007 does not work correctly with this unit. OBDKey does not contain an Elm327 chip, but does attempt to emulate it. Unfortunately it does not emulate all the AT commands of the Elm327 1.2 chip that OBD 2007 uses. We have been assured by KBM Systems Limited that this problem will be rectified shortly.

OBD 2007 supports all services $01 through $09 of the above standards. Please note that not all OBD II compliant vehicles support each service. OBD 2007 will report which services the vehicle doesn’t support.

What do you get?

OBD 2007 is software only. You get the software and help manual – scan tools can be purchased from the above suppliers and their distributors.

What is OBD II?

OBD stands for On-Board Diagnostics. This is a computer based system built into all vehicles from 1996 (in the USA) and 2001 in Europe and Japan. OBD II monitors the performance of the major components of the engine, including emission controls. The system provides an early warning light, known as the Check Engine Lamp or Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL). OBD II not only protects the environment but also the car owner by identifying minor problems before they become major problems. OBD II stores fault information and helps a technician diagnose and repair a vehicle. OBD II consists of an ECU, (or multiple ECUs) a MIL, a Diagnostic Link Connector (DLC) and the wiring that connects the different elements. The OBD scan tool connects to the DLC and the computer connects to the scan tool via a serial interface

How does it work?

1. You need to connect the interface (scan tool) to the OBD II plug of your vehicle – located within 1 metre of your steering column using the supplied OBD II connector cable.
2. Connect the other end of the scan tool to your computer via a serial cable – usually a USB/Serial cable converter on a modern laptop.
3. Install our OBD 2007 software, and select the correct Com port and baud rate for your scan tool.
4. Turn the ignition to the on position. Click the Connect button of OBD 2007.

How many PIDs does OBD 2007 support?

The ISO 15031-5 standard documents 90 separate Parameter Identifications (PIDs), consequently OBD 2007 supports those 90 PIDS. They are 0x01 through 0x5a. Please note that most vehicles only support a subset of those 90 PIDS.

Which Protocol to use?

There are five different OBD-II communication protocols:

• J1850 PWM
• J1850 VPW
• ISO9141
• ISO14230 (also known as Keyword Protocol 2000)
• CAN (ISO15765)

From 2008 all automotive manufactures will use the same CAN protocol ISO 15765.

It is not necessary to know the protocol of your vehicle as OBD 2007 automatically uses the protocol detected by your Elm 327 scan tool.

If OBD 2007 is unable to report a protocol when you connect your scan tool to your vehicle, then you can be sure that your vehicle is not OBD II compliant. Your scan tool when controlled by OBD 2007 will cycle through all of the above protocols until the protocol of your vehicle is found. If at the end of that cycle a protocol is not found, then you can conclude the vehicle is not OBD II compliant.

Is there a free/demo version of OBD 2007?

OBD 2007 as a download from our website does double duty. When you download OBD 2007 it installs in evaluation mode. The evaluation version of OBD 2007 is fully featured, and therefore requires activation via our web server. OBD 2007 runs for 7 days before the evaluation license expires. To convert OBD 2007 into the full product requires the purchase of a license for OBD 2007 from our website. When you purchase OBD 2007 you will receive a registration code via email. The registration code can be pasted from our email into the registration window of OBD 2007 and at the completion of the registration process, all the demonstration/evaluation restrictions will be removed the next time you start OBD 2007.

Will OBD 2007 work on more than 1 computer?

The OBD 2007 license is limited to 1 computer. If you require further copies of OBD 2007 for other computers, then you will require a license for each of those computers. Discounts for multiple copies are available, please contact us for pricing of multiple licenses.

Will OBD 2007 work on my car?

If your car is OBD II compliant OBD 2007 will work. All cars and light trucks produced in the USA since 1996 are OBD II compliant. Other countries such as most of Europe and Japan introduced an equivalent standard EOBD or JOBD in 2001. In some countries such as Australia the regulation didn’t apply until 2006. If in any doubt ask your automotive reseller. Our website does not carry a list of compliant vehicles, but there are websites that do attempt to maintain such a list. OBD 2007 is not designed to work with the pre 1996 earlier version of OBD, i.e. OBD I.

Can my car be damaged by OBD 2007?

OBD 2007 is designed to retrieve and diagnose your vehicle’s information. It can not write data back to the ECU of your vehicle and therefore can not in any way damage your vehicle.

Is there a specific PID for fuel consumption ?

No there isn’t, but fuel consumption can be calculated if the vehicle supports PID 0x10 the Mass Air Flow sensor - MAF. While we don't display fuel consumption on the Pid tab, the Dashboard tab of OBD 2007 for PC does include a instantaneous fuel comsumption gauge.

What are the typical PIDs that most cars support?

This is a reasonably difficult question to answer, because PID support is so varied between different makes and models. The later the model of the vehicle, the more likelyhood it will support a greater number of PIDs. Typical PIDs include engine rpm, vehicle speed, fuel system status (open or closed loop), engine coolant temperature, intake air temperature, ignition timing, short and long term fuel trims, oxygen sensor voltages, intake manifold pressure, fuel rail pressure, time since engine start, distance travelled since MIL activated etc. For a full description of all the 90 available PIDs, it would be necessary to purchase either ISO 15031-5 or SAE International J1979. However a warning, these documents are very technical. The easiest way to find out which PIDS you car supports is to use OBD 2007. Our software reads the PIDS that your vehicle supports on connection and only lists the PIDS that are supported by your vehicle.

Is it possible to read information other than the standard PIDs?

OBD 2007 includes what we term as the Terminal tab as it performs a similar function to the HyperTerminal program found on every PC, although unlike HyperTerminal it requires no setup. In this window you are able to issue any valid ELM 327 command or issue any valid ECU request to whatever ECU. Obviously it assumes that you are conversant with the ELM 327 command set and the necessary ECU commands of your vehicle.

Should I go for USB or Serial scan tool?

First off speed is not the issue - there is no speed advantage either way. The RS232 speed communication doesn’t matter when it comes to Elm devices. 9600 or 38400 baud is not going to affect how quickly you get to see the data from OBD 2007 or any other software for that matter that supports the ELM 32x chips. What you have to consider re USB and Serial is your convenience and what device you wish to hook to your vehicle now and in the future and how.

USB even though it is a later innovation as a product, limits the use of your scan tool to only connecting to a PC or laptop via the computer’s USB port. A conventional serial port scan tool can be converted to operate via Bluetooth with a BT Serial adapter (AIRcable or Socket Communications) to connect to your PC or laptop. Therefore one less cable to clutter the interior of your car, but more importantly you are now in a position to also connect to either a BT enabled Pocket PC or Smartphone or even a BT enabled laptop.

Our products OBD 2007 Pocket PC and OBD 2007 Smartphone recommend BT as the ideal connection. Note that some scan tools will have to be modified, so that the scan tool can provide power to pin 9 of the DB9 connector of the scan tool to supply power to the serial adapter.

What is coming?

A Smartphone version. We will be releasing in the coming months a Smartphone version for phones running Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 6.0.

We also intend to add support for mOByDic devices from Ozen Elektronik Inc. http://www.ozenelektronik.com, at the completion of the ELM based Pocket PC and Smartphone versions.

For developers we intend to release an OBD 2007 SDK. This SDK will allow any .Net developer to develop their own OBDII software applications for both PC and Pocket PCs without having to waste months on the development on their own OBD II code. Please contact us at info@glmsoftware.com for more information.

What are the differences between the PC version and the small device versions?

The code for OBD 2007 is split into 2 parts – a user interface (UI) part, which is the windows of the program that you can see and a second part that contains the OBD code. The OBD code is common to all platforms. Therefore the only difference between platforms is the UI.

Obviously the small device units have considerably smaller screens and the screen sizes differ between PDA and Smartphones. However we provide exactly the same functionality for all platforms. The PDA and Smartphone version also offer the convenience of portability as compared to the desktop/ laptop version, but lack no features of the desktop/laptop version. Usually a Bluetooth interface is utilised with the small devices, but it is also possible to use cables if required.

Does GLM Software produce software for Palm devices?

At this stage we have do not have any plans to produce an OBD 2007 product for Palm devices.

About GLM Software

GLM Software based in Melbourne, Australia is a leading producer of vehicle diagnostics software for the automotive industry. The principal of GLM Software has over 20 years of automotive experience as well as 20 years of software development experience.

Based in Melbourne Australia, GLM Software has more than 20 years of application development and practical automotive experience and is a leading producer of vehicle diagnostics software.