The current version of DAP4CS supports:

• K+CAN Commander 1.4 and compatible
• ELM327, vLinker (MIC331x/MIC3322)
• Adapters on STN11xx/21xx (OBDLink, ELS27)

K+CAN Commander 1.4 is simple, reliable and very inexpensive diagnostic adapter. It can be used to diagnose a wide variety of vehicles via K-line and CAN-bus. This adapter is based on FT232 chip and in K-line mode allows the program to communicate directly with the Control Unit using any initialization sequence and communication speed required by the protocol. It uses a PIC18F2580 or PIC18F25K80 microcontroller for CAN bus communication. K+CAN Commander 1.4 can be easily modified for custom use, as shown in this example.

K+CAN Commander 1.4 uses the L9637 or L339 as the bus driver for K-line interface and uses USB as the power supply, allowing this adapter to be used on trucks and commercial vehicles with 24 volt electrical systems. This adapter has been successfully tested on Hino, Tata and Hyundai trucks.

DAP4CS also supports adapters for OEM protocols based on FT232 chip, such as Nissan Consult 14 pin USB.

ELM327 is the most widely used diagnostic adapter in the world due to its low cost. But this adapter has some limitations, so it cannot be used for some special procedures if they are performed in K-line mode. For diagnostics of modern cars, where the CAN network has a Central Gateway, this adapter is also not entirely suitable.

Read about the limitations of ELM327 before you use it.

Adapters based on STN chips (OBDLink, ELS27) are devoid of ELM327's drawbacks. They allow to send data packets up to several kilobytes in size, have flexible timings control, adjustable K-line speed settings in a wide range from 4 baud to several megabauds, and have a lower response delays. Most STN adapters additionally support MS_CAN bus (for Ford / Mazda / Land Rover / Volvo diagnostics) and SW_CAN bus (for GM / Opel / Chevrolet diagnostics). With DAP4CS, STN adapters can be used not only for diagnostics using standard ISO/SAE protocols, but also for diagnostics using some OEM protocols, for example, KWP 1281, Honda HDS, MMC SCI.

To communicate with some control units via K-line, you may need a K-line switch.

< Next >