Drew Technologies CarDAQ-Plus User manual

CarDAQ-Plus
Quick Start Guide

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CarDAQ-Plus has been carefully designed and tested to comply with OBDII
protocols, which are used on most 996 and newer cars and light trucks sold in
the USA. However, some vehicle models are not in full compliance with these
protocols for various reasons. In addition, the computer control systems or
sensors on any given vehicle may be malfunctioning or out of specification.
Note: Vehicles manufactured for use outside of the USA may not comply with
OBDII protocols, even though an SAE J 962 connector is located in the
vehicle. Connection to vehicles manufactured for use outside of the USA is AT
YOUR OWN RISK. Drew Technologies will not be held responsible for ANY
direct, indirect or consequential damage that arises as a result of connecting to
such a vehicle.
Before installing CarDAQ-Plus, we recommend visiting this website for service
information: www.nastf.org.
While Drew Technologies testing and the experience of thousands of CarDAQ-
Plus users have shown the interface to be safe and reliable, there is an
inherent risk in using any product that may potentially affect the operation or
drive-ability of your vehicle. Drew Technologies will not be held responsible for
ANY direct, indirect or consequential damage that arises as a result of using
CarDAQ-Plus on a vehicle.
If you are concerned about the operation of your vehicle at any time while using
CarDAQ-Plus:
• If you are driving, pull off the roadway immediately or as soon as it is
safe to do so.
• Disconnect CarDAQ-Plus from the OBDII port.
• Consult a licensed mechanic or automobile service center.
Report any issues or concerns to our Technical Support Dept. at
[e-mail]. We are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. We maintain an active database of the feedback we
receive, and your comments can help us continuously improve the product.

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Contents
Contents............................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 4
Getting to Know CarDAQ-Plus ........................................................................ 4
Powering CarDAQ-Plus................................................................................... 4
Setting u the CarDAQ-Plus ............................................................................ 4
Installing the CarDAQ-Plus Software to your PC ............................................ 4
The Ca abilities of J2534 and CarDAQ-Plus.................................................. 6
Reprogramming with J2534 ............................................................................ 6
J2534 ToolBox................................................................................................. 6
Updating the CarDAQ-Plus Drivers on your PC.............................................. 7
Updating the Firmware inside your CarDAQ-Plus........................................... 8
Diagnostics with J2534.................................................................................... 9
S ecifications.................................................................................................. 10
Connectors and Status Indicators .................................................................
Vehicle Connector ......................................................................................... 2
Ethernet Lights .............................................................................................. 2
A/D Inputs Connector .................................................................................... 2
Troubleshooting and Su ort ....................................................................... 13
If all else fails... .............................................................................................. 4
Other Drew Tech Products............................................................................. 16

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Introduction
Thank you for choosing CarDAQ-Plus! You now have the ost co plete
J2534 Pass-Thru device available for technicians today. The CarDAQ-
Plus will allow you to re-flash odern vehicle controllers to stock as
well as perfor dealer level diagnostics on select anufacturer’s
vehicles.
This Quick Start Guide covers the initial setup, features, and co on
questions. This anual is always available at www.drewtech.co .
Infor ation for individual anufacturers can be found in the J2534
Toolbox application.
Getting to Know CarDAQ-Plus
Your package includes: the CarDAQ-Plus interface, a crossover Ethernet
cable, a USB cable, an OBD-II cable, and a installation CD that includes
PC drivers and the J2534 Toolbox.
Powering CarDAQ-Plus
The CarDAQ-Plus receives power fro a vehicle OBDII port. When CarDAQ-Plus
is powered-on, the lights will cycle through a self-test procedure. The CarDAQ-
Plus does not receive power fro your PC’s Ethernet or USB ports. Do not
connect the CarDAQ-Plus to your PC until you have installed the software below.
Setting u the CarDAQ-Plus
Do not connect the CarDAQ-Plus to your PC until you have
installed the software below.
Installing the CarDAQ-Plus Software to your PC
1. Insert the CD that ca e with your CarDAQ-Plus into the CD/DVD slot of
your PC. Make sure your CarDAQ-Plus is not connected to the PC at this
point. The Autoplay options will appear:
2. Click on [Run setup.exe] to begin the installation.

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3. The CarDAQ-Plus drivers and the J2534 ToolBox will now begin
installation. Follow the Setup Wizard instructions.
4. When the installation is finished, power up your CarDAQ-Plus
fro a vehicle with the OBDII cable, and then connect the USB
cable fro CarDAQ-Plus to your PC. The drivers will
auto atically be found and installed on Windows Vista and 7
co puters.
For Windows XP, a few ore steps are required:
a. The “Found New Hardware Wizard” will pop up when you
connect your CarDAQ-Plus.
b. Make sure “No, not this ti e” is selected and click [Next].
This screen appears:
c. Select “Install the software auto atically
(Reco ended)” and click [Next]. After the progress bar
finishes, click [Finish]. Windows XP users are finished
installing at this point and can run the software they will
be using with the CarDAQ-Plus.

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The Ca abilities of J2534 and CarDAQ-Plus
The CarDAQ-Plus is the ost co plete J2534 pass-thru device available
today. The capabilities of CarDAQ-Plus are largely deter ined by
software the vehicle anufacturers provide. More infor ation on
specific anufacturers can be found in the J2534 Toolbox.
Re rogramming with J2534
J2534 and federal law andate that auto akers allow shop technicians
the ability to re-flash e issions-related vehicle electronic control units,
typically engine and trans ission controllers. So e auto akers allow
for ore odules, and so e have enabled factory diagnostics. Use the
J2534 Toolbox for ore infor ation on each anufacturers capabilities.
J2534 ToolBox
The J2534 Toolbox is a progra created by Drew Technologies to help
distribute current infor ation to technicians working with J2534. The
toolbox has up-to-date infor ation on anufacturer reprogra ing
issues, links to anufacturer sites, and uch ore. The features of the
J2534 Toolbox are explained below.
To open the J2534 ToolBox, click on the icon on your desktop.
Select your pass-thru device fro the drop down list at the top right
corner.
The J2534 Toolbox has different functions divided into tabs at the top
of the progra :

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General Tab:
Contains up to date infor ation on changes in the J2534 real :
announce ents, news, and current open issues.
Flashing Tab:
Contains infor ation links to anufacturer websites, frequently asked
questions, how-to videos, and useful progra s for co pleting a re-
flash session.
DTC Tab:
Contains a generic/global OBDII reader for pulling and clearing
diagnostic trouble codes with your CarDAQ-Plus.
Support Tab:
Contains applications to help you use your pass thru device efficiently.
For infor ation on the function of each progra in the support tab,
click on the [Help] button at the top of the page inside the J2534
Toolbox. You can also visit the download page at www.drewtech.co
for the anual.
Sales Tab:
The sales tab allows you to view ore infor ation about the CarDAQ-
Plus and other Drew Technologies products.
U dating the CarDAQ-Plus Drivers on your PC
Disconnect CarDAQ-Plus fro your PC. Co plete the steps
below.
To update the CarDAQ-Plus drivers on your PC:
1. Open your web browser and go to the downloads page at
www.drewtech.co
2. Deter ine if your co puter is running a 32 or 64 bit version of
Microsoft Window. Right click on [Co puter] in the Start enu
and click on [Properties] to find this infor ation.
3. Download the “Drivers Only” installer for your 32 or 64 bit
version of Windows.
4. Once the download has finished, run the file. It will be na ed
“J2534 CarDAQ-Plus. si” for the 32 bit version and “J2534
CarDAQ-Plus_x64. si” for the 64 bit version.

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5. Once the Setup Wizard gets to the “Change, repair, re ove
installation” page, click on [Repair].
6. Follow the Setup Wizard’s instructions to co plete the install.
U dating the Firmware inside your CarDAQ-Plus
The CarDAQ-Plus has updateable fir ware. The fir ware needs to be
updated every ti e a new driver and fir ware update has been posted
on the Drew Technologies website. The J2534 ToolBox can
auto atically update your CarDAQ-Plus fir ware for you with a few
easy steps:
Your co puter needs to have Internet access. This
process can take up to ten inutes.
1. To update the CarDAQ-Plus fir ware, ake sure your CarDAQ-
Plus is powered on and connected to your PC. Run the J2534
Toolbox and ake sure your CarDAQ-Plus is selected in the
upper right drop down enu. If an update is needed, the
process takes about ten inutes.
2. Next Click on the Support tab, then Device Check.
3. Click on the refresh button next to “Selected Device” at the
upper left. Your CarDAQ-Plus will be found and displayed in the
drop down box.

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4. Now click on the [Auto atic Fir ware Update] button. The
CarDAQ-Plus fir ware will now update auto atically. This
process will take approxi ately ten inutes. Do not interrupt
the co puter or the CarDAQ-plus until the J2534 ToolBox says
the fir ware update has co pleted.
Do not turn off or unplug your CarDAQ-Plus or PC until the J2534
ToolBox indicates the update is co plete.
Diagnostics with J2534
Several anufacturers allow full dealer level diagnostics with J2534.
Drew Technologies also offers a generic diagnostic progra called
DashDAQ-PC. A free 30-day trial of this software is available at
www.drewtech.co .

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S ecifications
CarDAQ-Plus Specifications:
Name Value
Input Voltage Range 6VDC to 26VDC
Supply Current 320 A @ 6VDC
200 A @12VDC
170 A @15VDC
Operating
Te perature
+0C to +60C a bient
Storage Te perature -65C to +100C a bient
Size 1.25”H x 7.5”D x 5.25”W
Bus Protocols
• Pri ary CAN / ISO15765 / GMLAN
• Secondary CAN / ISO15765 / GMLAN (Dual or Single Wire)
• Ford SCP (J1850PWM)
• GM Class2 (J1850VPW)
• KWP2000 (ISO9141/14230)
• Chrysler SCI (J2610)
Other
• Co pliant to SAE J2534 (Feb 2002) and SAE J2534- (Dec 2004)
• Co pliant to ISO 22900- MVCI physical layer
• Progra ing voltage on J1962 pin 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 or Aux
• Ground pins 9, 12, or 15
Note: Drawing current in excess of 200 a on a line configured for FEPS
progra ing voltage ay da age the CarDAQ-Plus hardware. Avoid
grounding any output pin configured for progra ing voltage! Battery
Voltage is fused (auto reset) at 200 A.

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Connectors and Status Indicators
Front Panel
The front panel of the CarDAQ-Plus holds the USB connector for
connection to a PC, status lights, and the reset button. The 6 status
lights on the front panel of CarDAQ-Plus are useful for troubleshooting
the CarDAQ-Plus connection to a PC.
Figure 1: CarDAQ-Plus with USB
The #4 yellow warning light indicates that the CarDAQ-Plus is
co unicating with the vehicle. Do not disconnect anything while the
yellow light is illu inated! Refer to Table 1 for a description of the other
status lights.
Table : Status lights on the front panel of CarDAQ-Plus
# Light Description
Power Power (Solid Green)
1 Ethernet Green indicates a good connection directly to a PC or to an existing
Ethernet network.
2 USB Green indicates a good USB connection. The PC has identified and
configured CarDAQ-Plus properly.
3 N/A Available for future expansion.
4 Vehicle Yellow warns that CarDAQ-Plus is co unicating with a vehicle. Blinks
to indicate activity on the vehicle’s network.
5 Fault Red indicates a o entary network fault or a serious hardware failure.
Please call technical support for assistance.
Rear Panel
Connections to the vehicle, Ethernet, analog inputs, and external
progra ing voltage are available on the rear panel.
Figure 2: Rear panel with vehicle, analog, and Ethernet sockets
The red external progra ing socket provides access to the 5-20V
progra ing voltage. This is used for Mitsubishi, Subaru or any other
vehicle that needs voltage on an additional connector.

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Using Ethernet
CarDAQ-Plus’s default “Client then Server“ ode is strongly
reco ended. No configuration changes are required when oving
the CarDAQ-Plus between LAN and in-vehicle use.
To a Laptop Directly
Connect the direct-connect Ethernet cable (blue with red ends) between
a PC and the CarDAQ-Plus. This is a crossover type, intended to connect
directly to a co puter.
To an Existing LAN
Connect a standard Ethernet cable. On ost LANs, CarDAQ-Plus can
obtain its IP address auto atically using DHCP. Ask your network
ad inistrator if this service is available on your network.
Vehicle Connector
The ating connector is a standard
MVCI, High Density DB-26.
Pin # Function
1 CAN2 Single Wire
2 J1850PWM+
J1850VPW
3 CAN2+
4 Case Ground
5 Signal Ground
6
CAN+ (CAN-C only)
SCI A Engine
5v-20v out
7
ISO-9141 K-line
SCI A Engine
SCI A Trans
SCI B Engine
8 No Connect
9
SCI B Trans
5v-20v out or short-to-
ground
10 J1850PWM-
11 CAN2-
5v-20v out
12
SCI B Engine
5v-20v out or short-to-
ground
13 5v-20v out
14
CAN- (CAN-C only)
SCI A Trans
5v-20v out
15
ISO L Line
SCI B Trans
Short-to-ground
16 Battery In (150 A @ 12 VDC)
17 Cable ID 2
18 Cable ID 1
23 +5 output (50 A fused)
26 Ground
Ethernet Lights
Use the crossover cable (blue with
red ends) to connect directly to a
laptop. The Ethernet port on
CarDAQ-Plus has two indicator
lights.
Color Description
Left Green Ethernet Activity
ight Green Ethernet Link Light
A/D In uts Connector
The 12-bit analog inputs are setup
for an input range of 0 to 27.5VDC
and are electrically protected
against reverse voltage and over
voltage conditions. The Mating
connector is a High Density DB-15
Pin # Function Direction
2 Channel 6 In
4 Channel 3 In
6 Battery Voltage Out (200 A
ax)
8 Channel 4 In
10 Channel 1 In
12 Channel 5 In
14 Channel 2 In
1, 3, 5,
7, 9, 11,
13, 15
Ground

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Troubleshooting and Su ort
So e questions and answers to co on questions with the CarDAQ-
Plus:
Q: I have connected my CarDAQ-Plus to my computer with the USB
cable but nothing happens.
A: Make sure the drivers are installed on your co puter using Install
Check in the J2534 Toolbox. If you have not run the driver installer fro
the CarDAQ-Plus CD, disconnect the CarDAQ-Plus fro the co puter
and install the drivers.
Q: I have installed the drivers and connected my CarDAQ-Plus but
nothing seems to be working.
A: Connect CarDAQ-Plus to your co puter and to a vehicle. Turn the
vehicle key to the “On” position. Open the J2534 Toolbox and go to the
support tab. Use the Vehicle Check application to see if a protocol is
found. If a error occurs instantly, re-install the drivers.
Q: How do I re-install the drivers on the PC?
Find the CD that ca e with your CarDAQ-Plus or download the installer
fro the website. Run the installer. Click on the “Re ove” button to
uninstall. Run the installer again to install the drivers on your PC.
Q: I am having problems re-flashing a vehicle.
A: Gather the following pieces of infor ation: co puter operating
syste , CarDAQ-Plus driver and fir ware versions, vehicle infor ation,
and error essages fro the anufacturer’s progra . Contact the
vehicle anufacturer’s technical support with this infor ation. If the
vehicle anufacturers technical assistance cannot get you going,
contact Drew Technologies for assistance.

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If all else fails...
Please contact Drew Technologies for technical support at
[e-mail] . If technical support finds it necessary for the
unit to be returned for repair, you will be asked for your contact
infor ation and then provided with a Return Merchandise Authorization
nu ber (RMA#). Drew Technologies will use the RMA to track the unit
through the repair process. Please write this nu ber on the outside of
your shipping box so it can be routed to the correct depart ent. If the
necessary repair is not covered by Drew Technologies' warranty, you will
be contacted for pay ent arrange ents.

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Other Drew Tech Products
Drew Technologies has several products available for data acquisition, diagnostics, development,
testing, and reprogramming for modern vehicles. Visit www.drewtech.com for more information.
CarDAQ-Plus™ - Fully J2534 compliant. Ethernet and USB connectivity to
a PC, a built-in operating system for running internal programs, protocol
support for all modern vehicles, and six analog inputs.
Mongoose™ - DrewTechnologie’s family of low-cost, high-performance
PassThru (J2534) vehicle interfaces. Connect any laptop directly to the OBD-II
(J 962) connector with full-speed USB 2.0 performance.
DashDAQ™ - Automotive data acquisition system designed for cabin
mount. The DashDAQ utilizes a 4.3" 480x272 color touch screen and runs
Linux.
DashDAQ-PC™ - PC software for data acquisition, diagnostics, and
gauges. Use with DrewTech J2534 Interfaces.
AVIT™ - designed specifically for high speed remote data acquisition. AVIT
supports common heavy duty truck protocols and 6 analog high resolution
inputs. It can host applications on embedded Linux, and communicate with
cellular modems using USB Host. With these capabilities, AVIT is a great
stand-alone product for managing trucks, fleets, and test vehicles on the road.