OBD2 USB cable... [E86]

[koruptor]

I've got a 2008 E86. I have a K+DCAN cable (the white cable with green board), and I haven't gotten it to work. Do I need to bridge the solder points for pins 7 and 8 like others do for their pre-2007 models? I read somewhere that 2007+ BMWs switched from K-Line to D-CAN so I'm not sure if I need to solder or not.

I tried the BMWhat Lite app and it couldn't detect any ECUs, and I haven't had luck with INPA or NCS Expert detecting my car. Also, does connecting it as an E85 generally work for E86 models?

Sorry if this has come up before, but I couldn't find conclusive information on where the 2007+ E86 models stand with these cables.


Edit: Figured it out. I did actually have to bridge pins 7 and 8.

[Mirko]

May you please share a pic of what you did? Thanks

[koruptor]

Originally Posted by Mirko

May you please share a pic of what you did? Thanks

I'm not very experienced with soldering, so it looks pretty crude. It works though.

There's a guy on a E90 forums somewhere who actually wired a switch to these two pins which can toggle back and forth. I'll probably end up doing that one day.

[StickMon]

The bigger the blob, the better the job.
Thanks for verifying that the cable works on 2007+.
I recommend that anybody who cares enough about their car to be reading this forum get a cable and at least DIS and INPA, but it was never clear whether it would work on 2007+.

[koruptor]

Originally Posted by StickMon

The bigger the blob, the better the job.
Thanks for verifying that the cable works on 2007+.
I recommend that anybody who cares enough about their car to be reading this forum get a cable and at least DIS and INPA, but it was never clear whether it would work on 2007+.

To clarify for others, I have the white cable with the green board and a label that says "K+DCAN USB Interface (INPA Compatible)."

I can confirm (after soldering) that the cable works with NCS Expert and BMWhat Lite. However, I have not been able to get INPA working. This is not necessarily a limitation of the cable. The N52 isn't listed when attempting to check the engine under INPA. I believe only two engines show up: M54 and N46(?). If anyone knows how to update the chassis module to include the N52 for INPA please chime in.

[StickMon]

Do a web search for INPA. It consists of a "loader" and various script modules.
I ended up with one from some source in Russia that had a much later version of the S54 engine module than what came with the cable.

[Mirko]

Thank you for the picture. I can confirm that it works. I was able to code the car using BMWhat app.

I find that if you set it to E46 M3 you get a few more features such as seat memory and Euro DRL. The Euro DRL turns off the central orange turn bulb in the headlights. I wonder if the developers can figure out how to turn off all of them.

I coded the side marker off, auto door lock, windows up with remote, 3 blink turn signal and turned off the headlight washer system.

[koruptor]

Originally Posted by Mirko

Thank you for the picture. I can confirm that it works. I was able to code the car using BMWhat app.

I find that if you set it to E46 M3 you get a few more features such as seat memory and Euro DRL. The Euro DRL turns off the central orange turn bulb in the headlights. I wonder if the developers can figure out how to turn off all of them.

I coded the side marker off, auto door lock, windows up with remote, and turned off the headlight washer system. I think a few other things but can't remember.

I'm glad it worked out for you. Thanks for the tip on setting it to E46. I might give that a try.

[elerner61]

Originally Posted by koruptor

To clarify for others, I have the white cable with the green board and a label that says "K+DCAN USB Interface (INPA Compatible)."

I can confirm (after soldering) that the cable works with NCS Expert and BMWhat Lite. However, I have not been able to get INPA working. This is not necessarily a limitation of the cable. The N52 isn't listed when attempting to check the engine under INPA. I believe only two engines show up: M54 and N46(?). If anyone knows how to update the chassis module to include the N52 for INPA please chime in.

I thought the BMWhat app was only for smartphones. How are you using it with this cable?

[Reborn_]

What exactly are you guys doing here? Reading OBD2 diagnostics, or flashing the ECU?

[koruptor]

Originally Posted by elerner61

I thought the BMWhat app was only for smartphones. How are you using it with this cable?

You'll need an OTG adapter to hook up the cable to your phone/tablet. If you're using an iPhone I believe you'll have to go with a bluetooth OBD adapter. I'm not sure how lenient the BMWhat app is with non-proprietary BT adapters like ELM.

Originally Posted by Reborn_

What exactly are you guys doing here? Reading OBD2 diagnostics, or flashing the ECU?

Diagnostic and coding. I recently activated BFD Stage 3, autolock doors at certain speed, dimmed high beam DRL (which I had to disable later), etc.

[Reborn_]

Originally Posted by koruptor

You'll need an OTG adapter to hook up the cable to your phone/tablet. If you're using an iPhone I believe you'll have to go with a bluetooth OBD adapter. I'm not sure how lenient the BMWhat app is with non-proprietary BT adapters like ELM.



Diagnostic and coding. I recently activated BFD Stage 3, autolock doors at certain speed, dimmed high beam DRL (which I had to disable later), etc.

Very cool, thanks. I'd definitely be interested in the autolock doors function - I may have to tinker around with this. With the bmwhat app, are you literally coding with syntax, or does it have a simple user interface, like a selection of options and what you can do with them? There must be a reason you went with that over NCS expert?

[koruptor]

Originally Posted by Reborn_

Very cool, thanks. I'd definitely be interested in the autolock doors function - I may have to tinker around with this. With the bmwhat app, are you literally coding with syntax, or does it have a simple user interface, like a selection of options and what you can do with them? There must be a reason you went with that over NCS expert?

I haven't purchased the BMWhat app yet, though I might in the near future. It's impressive for a diagnostics and coding tool in app form. Coding with the app is straight forward. You scroll through a list of features and just turn them on or off. The app will back up your settings each time you code in case something screws up and you need to revert.

You can certainly do more with NCS Dummy and NCS Expert, which I'm currently using, but new users will spend a lot of time configuring and learning the software. It took me a month of reading to be confident in trying anything. In fact, I'm still learning how to get INPA working for my car, which I feel should have been the first thing I did.

The BMWhat app's advantage is that it doesn't require any setup, requiring you only to have the right OBD cable or bluetooth adapter. You plug it into your car and you start doing what you need to do. The good thing about this is you can diagnose or code your car from anywhere.

One thing I noticed is that it only detected two modules for coding (GM5 and LSZ), and it didn't show all available options. It also didn't detect any other modules that I could access in NCS Expert. For most users, GM5 and LSZ are going to be more than enough.

For an app, it seems pricey. When you code your car exactly how you want it, you're left with just a diagnostics app that DashCommand or Torque can fulfill at a fraction of the price. Then again, this is one of maybe two apps I found that supports OBD via USB.

Maybe those who bought the full version can give us their two cents.

[Reborn_]

Thanks for the info. I would suspect the reason the BMWhat app doesnt have more modules is the developers simply haven't done the coding for them (yet, if they even plan to). I've got a bafx blutooth adapter as well as a usb adapter - I'll give them a try with the BMWhat app for starters.

[koruptor]

Originally Posted by Reborn_

Thanks for the info. I would suspect the reason the BMWhat app doesnt have more modules is the developers simply haven't done the coding for them (yet, if they even plan to). I've got a bafx blutooth adapter as well as a usb adapter - I'll give them a try with the BMWhat app for starters.

Just FYI, I checked out the BMWhat app again and noticed they've made some updates. You can purchase single-use licenses for diagnostics without purchasing the full app. However, it seems the battery registration feature is an in-app purchase on top of the full version.

[Mirko]

Originally Posted by koruptor

Just FYI, I checked out the BMWhat app again and noticed they've made some updates. You can purchase single-use licenses for diagnostics without purchasing the full app. However, it seems the battery registration feature is an in-app purchase on top of the full version.

I hope the battery feature isn't more money on top of the paid one. They never totted it that way. I have to check as that upsets me that I have to pay more for features they said it included once they figured it out.

Overall I really like the app. Haven't tried the updated version yet though.